Macon County Commission-ers unanimously adopted the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance of Macon County, North Carolina at their Monday, Nov. 5, regular meeting.

George Sweet is chairman of the Macon County Watershed Council, the group that drafted the ordinance. He presented it to the board and noted some minor revisions.

“We think its a good ordinance, but I promise you it’s not a perfect ordinance,” Sweet told commissioners.

The motion to approve the ordinance included an April 1, 2002, enactment date and a provision that ordinance administrators report to the Watershed Council in October 2002. The council, in turn, has to report to commissioners. Sweet said this would allow the council and commissioners to gauge the effectiveness of the ordinance and determine if there were any problems.

The ordinance guarantees a 30-day turn-around instead of the 60 days provided for by the state. Sweet said he thinks most plans could be evaluated in three to four days.

“They may hate us now, but 10 years from now they will thank us for it,” said Macon County Chairman Harold Corbin of the ordinance.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News