Posted November 21, 2023
The Granville County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on Monday, November 20 at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center. The meeting was highlighted by a check presentation from Representative Frank Sossamon (NC District 32 – Granville/Vance) and Representative Matthew Winslow (NC District 7 – Granville/Franklin) recognizing the previously announced economic development appropriation in the 2023-2024 North Carolina budget for site development at the Triangle North Business Park in Oxford.
The Board of Commissioners also continued a public hearing that began on October 16 to consider an update to the county’s Land Development Code (LDC) concerning changes to regulations for rural cluster subdivisions. After substantial input from many members of the public and intensive staff analysis by the Planning and Zoning department at the October 16 and November 20 meetings, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the proposed changes to the LDC. The primary modifications to the existing ordinance will be increasing the minimum lot size for rural cluster subdivisions to 40,000 square feet (from the current 12,000), increasing the minimum lot width to 80 feet (from the current 60), and increasing the street and side setbacks to 50 feet and 15 feet (from the current 25 feet and 7.5 feet). This change to the LDC will have no effect on the existing regulations for conventional major subdivisions, family subdivisions, or minor subdivisions (less than 10 lots).
The Board also held a quasi-judicial hearing to consider an appeal from Power Church regarding a religious tax exemption that was denied by the Tax Administrator for property adjacent to the church’s parsonage near Stem. The Tax Administrator approved the church’s exemption application for the parsonage and the associated acreage but determined that the taxpayer did not provide adequate proof that the adjacent property is exclusively used for religious purposes. The Board of Commissioners voted to continue the public hearing on December 4, 2023, to allow the taxpayer the opportunity to provide additional evidence.
The Board of Commissioners also received updates on other matters and conducted the following business:
– Received information about the updated Jail Health Plan developed by the Sheriff’s Office, Granville-Vance Public Health, and Southern Health Partners. The final document will be considered for approval at the December 4, 2023, meeting.
– Received an update from Sheriff Fountain on crime statistics and trends in Granville County and on current staffing levels at the agency.
– Adopted the Schedules, Standards, and Rules for Real Property and Present Use Value for the 2024 Revaluation. The full document is available to view at the Tax Administration Office (141 Williamsboro Street, Oxford) or online at this link: https://www.granvillecounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SOV-Granville-2024_compressed.pdf
– Approved the purchase of replacement outdoor dog kennels at the Animal Shelter at a cost of $23,689.96.
– Appointed Jennifer Currin to the Animal Control Advisory Committee.
– Approved the updated roster for the Opioid Advisory Committee.
– Approved tax refunds totaling $1,327.33, releases totaling $649.23, and write-offs totaling $2.56.
– Approved meeting minutes from June 5, 2023, June 6, 2023, and September 5, 2023.
The next meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Monday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center.
To stay informed about upcoming meetings of the Board of Commissioners, visit the Granville County website where you can sign up for the “Sunshine List” and follow the county on Facebook.