| New board, old issues Issues declared time sensitive by Derek Smith news@unioncountyweekly.com
On an agenda that listed mostly ceremonial and procedural items common to a new board’s first meeting, newly elected chairman Kevin Pressley quickly added several items to the agenda moments after being nominated and sworn in to the position. The issues included immediately repealing Wesley Chapel’s extraterritorial jurisdiction proposal and changing the county planning and adjustment boards. “We had some things that were time sensitive that we needed to go ahead and get repealed,” Pressley said. “Out of courtesy to the other commissioners we thought we’d discuss some issues I thought were important.” Forced vote But newly elected commissioner Lanny Openshaw, a former member of the Marvin City Council, immediately balked at the short notice of Pressley’s added agenda items. “I think (the problem is that) it’s three guys who are delusional with huge egos,” Openshaw said. “There was no necessity for them to do this tonight. They could have done this in two weeks and that would have been fine. I don’t have a problem with that. I do have a problem with the fact that the public was not given any notice on these important issues. That’s not appropriate.” Former commission chair Roger Lane agreed with Openshaw and accused Pressley of “blindsiding” the board by adding the controversial items to the agenda without notice. “We are not going to sit here meekly and take these changes without the chance to peruse them,” Lane said. “We didn’t have any idea it was going to be going on until we were given an ultimatum that we were going to vote on it tonight.” Marion Cox of Monroe said he was in favor of making changes to the planning board and the board of adjustment. “We’ve elected us a couple of county commissioners (Allan Baucom and A. Parker Mills Jr.) who are going to be super for the county,” Cox said. “We’re absolutely tickled. The whole crowd is. We have two guys here who are businessmen (and) know (how) to run a business, and our county is a business.” By a 3-2 vote, the commission scrapped and reformed the two boards and rescinded Wesley Chapel’s ETJ. (See story on page 1.) Both boards will be expanded from seven members to nine, each representing a township in Union County and two alternates who may live in any part of the county. “This is a disingenuous way to reconstitute the board to appeal to some special interest,” Lane said. King also said that part of the problem is that the commissioners didn’t follow proper procedure. Normally items are referred to the planning board immediately for initial consideration before commissioners discuss them. “My problem is our rules and procedures for the planning board say that anything that requires documentation has to have an advance notice of 18 days before our meeting,” King said. Pressley defended the action, saying it was about returning property rights to the people and was a fairer way to incorporate equal representation. “This is (about) conservative values and respecting the Constitution,” he said. “It’s giving back to the people.” The Union County Board of Commissioners will meet again Monday, Dec. 18. |
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