Task force without direction

Buchanan said things unfolded differently than he had hoped. He said he had been troubled by the past commissioners’ attempt to create a Smart Growth task force at its last meeting. He felt it would have been a task force with no goal and no plan. At that Nov. 7, 2002, meeting, Buchanan asked commissioners not to tie the hands of the incoming board.

“At that time I had not had any time to sit down with the new board. Someone had to take a leadership role, and I felt I needed to take that role,” Buchanan told the planning board.

At the same meeting where he discussed why the planning board was dissolved, Buchanan unveiled a draft of his Plan of Action for Jackson County.

“These are just my suggestions, not an adopted plan,” Buchanan said. He told the planning board that all commissioners had a copy of the proposed draft and that there would be a work session at 6 p.m. on Jan. 16 to review, discuss and amend the draft.

“I have asked the board of commissioners to review this plan and note where they have issues and to make suggestions,” he said.

Buchanan has said previously that he hopes to come out of the Jan. 16 work session with a document that is clear, concise and accessible. And he reiterated that the draft Plan of Action in its present form was just a proposal, that commissioners would use the upcoming work session to work on details and come to consensus.

Freedom to change

In “An Overview of Planning in North Carolina,” the Institute of Government (IOG) in Chapel Hill points out that local planning is generally voluntary throughout most of North Carolina. In nearly half of the states in this country planning is mandatory. Comprehensive land-use plans have been mandated in North Carolina’s 20 coastal counties since 1974. Local governments are required to plan for specific government functions including the provision of water, city streets and the handling of solid waste.

“While we do encourage counties to have planning boards to review and study growth, there are certainly counties in the state without them,” said Jeff Fischbach from the state’s Division of Community Assistance. Fischbach has helped many counties work on different aspects of planning.

He said there was nothing in North Carolina’s general statutes to prohibit Jackson County from choosing a different format. “Task forces are often used in strategic planning,” Fischbach said.

He noted that certain types of action — like a watershed ordinance or a subdivision ordinance — required a review board of some type. He also said, though, that there is “a lot of flexibility.” The IOG’s Overview points out that any local government must designate a planning board to exercise zoning power.

Buchanan said there was a problem with communication and direction in the county. He asked if any of the planning board members were affiliated with Tuckasegee Water and Sewer Authority, the economic development commission or department of transportation.

“They’re off going in some other direction, and you’re here, trying to plan,” Buchanan said. “We have people in this building [Justice and Administration] that we have not talked to.”

Buchanan said he felt a 16-member board was too large and unwieldy. He said he wanted a plan of action that would bring all the work of the past together for a vision of the future. He said that money in this year’s budget appropriated for a certified planner would be used to hire consultants to help the county reach its goals.

Greg Scott, a planning board member, applauded Buchanan’s vows to be proactive. He wondered, though, whether a 5-member task force would provide a large enough base for county planning. Buchanan said yes, because the task force and consultant approach would be used for specific items that had already been studied and had recommendations in place. The chairman also noted that any plans would be put out for public review and that public hearings would be held before adoption of any new ordinances.

“The planning board is an arm of the county commissioners. If they choose to disband it or use it in some other way, that’s their call,” said Page Bernstein, a planning board member. “Personally, I would have liked to see the planning board continue. You build relationships with a broad base of constituents throughout the county.”

But Bernstein said when it comes to planning, “there are other ways to skin that cat, and it’s certainly the board’s prerogative.”

Bernstein was also concerned about “ramp-up” time for various task forces. He said one of the pluses of a standing planning board was familiarity with the issues and the other members.

He said there was some validity to the chairman’s concerns regarding a large board, but that those things seem to have a way of working themselves out.

“The cream separates from the whole milk,” said Bernstein, noting that those board members who are dedicated and apply themselves soon take control of a board.

Taking shape

Item 8 in Buchanan’s draft refers to re-authorization of a standing planning board. The proposal calls for a seven-member board composed of one representative from DOT, TWSA, the EDC, county government, public schools and two at-large citizens.

Commissioner Roberta Crawford said that drastic reduction in citizen involvement concerns her.

“It just doesn’t feel good to me. I believe there should be more citizen involvement.”

She said there were some very diligent citizen-members of the prior planning board.

“I could have been happy with changing some of the rules and re-authorizing the standing board,” she said.

The disbanded planning board seemed a little dazed after last the Jan. 9 meeting. Although many signed up to be volunteers, none agreed to be on the two task forces Buchanan was hoping to fill immediately — one dealing with the noise ordinance and one with the sediment and erosion control ordinance.

Asked what his feelings were regarding the disbanding of the board, chairman Jack Debnam said, “I don’t know.” Debnam didn’t sign the volunteer sheet but said he would probably volunteer in the future.

Vickey Wade, director of the Local Government Training Program at Western Carolina University, said land-use planning continues to be a high priority in the western counties. The LGTP provides Institute of Government courses and training to the westernmost counties. A 2000-2001 survey showed that the third most requested area of instruction was planning and land use.

“Land use and development issues are certainly areas that require professional assistance, but it’s the commissioners’ call as to how those services are obtained. Most counties have a planning director and/or planning staff, but many local governments are privatizing services nowadays. It’s critical that any land use plan be able to withstand legal challenges,” Wade said.

“This is not the answer,” Buchanan said of disbanding the planning board and his draft proposal.

“This is just a starting place I came up with. When all the commissioners meet we will come out with a plan that any citizen, government official or planner can review and understand and know where the county stands and where it is headed,” he said.