During its meeting on May 5, the Franklin Town Council passed a resolution opposing several bills introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly. The resolution lists 14 bills that town officials say would “change many aspects of local planning and zoning and dramatically reduce the ability of local governments, including the Town of Franklin, to reflect the will of their citizenry.”
In introducing the resolution, Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey talked about how local government is the government closest to the people and is accessible. He gave an example of how the inclusive playground that will be built on the Whitmire property started with one person coming to the council to talk about the need for such a playground, followed by emails from other residents. Construction on the playground will start this summer.
“I think that shows the power of local government, especially a board like this where one person can come in and make a big difference in a lot of people’s lives, because we’re accessible,” Guffey said.
He said he is not opposed to all the language in the bills and acknowledged there are some components of the bills that would be beneficial, such as those addressing the housing crises.
“But I think that a decision like that should be made on a local level with input from the people who live in those neighborhoods,” Guffey said.
Town attorney John Henning said a lot of bills that get run through the General Assembly, especially those regarding a specific land use regulation, usually have a basis in someone’s personal grievance. “They want something that their locality had not voted to let them have.”
Council member Mike Lewis said, “It’s amazing to me that me that everybody in the General Assembly at some point has probably sat at a table like this and extolled the virtues of unfunded mandates, how they’re bad, and how taking away local control from local boards is bad. Then you get this kind of stuff.”
Guffey said there are some aspects of the bills that are being made in good faith. “ But we want the people in the Town of Franklin to be able to come in and give input in any changes that we make.”
Mayor Jack Horton said sometimes when bills like this are presented or passed, the legislators have not fully thought through the ultimate consequences. With other local governments passing similar resolutions, Horton said he has never seen this much pushback from the municipalities across the state.
The resolution passed 5-1 with David Culpepper opposing. He said some of the bills are legitimate attempts to address housing issues by making it easier for people to build higher density housing in neighborhoods. He pointed out that high density housing was one thing that came up in the town’s comprehensive plan but has not been implemented.
“I’m uncomfortable passing it wholesale without knowing what the impetus of it is,” Culpepper said. “Some of it’s bad, some of it’s good.”
Guffey again agreed there are some potential benefits in the bills. “But we’re the ones who are in touch with our neighbors. We’re the ones who know where our infrastructure exists. And I don’t think there’s anything that says the people in the state legislature are smarter about the Town of Franklin than we are, or the people that live here.”
Horton said, “What we’re saying is, we urge the General Assembly to let these decisions be made by local elected officials who are closest to the people and get input from the people on a daily basis on what they want and don’t want, and what’s successful and what’s not. Please let us, if they have some problems in the state, address those particular areas, but don’t take a broad brush and change it for everyone … [and] without taking away the responsibilities that we all have as locally elected officials.”
The 14 bills included in the resolution are: H9 Firearm Discharge/Preempt Local Ordinance; H372 Home-Based Business Fairness Act; H369 Parking Lot Reform and Modernization; H627 Regulation of Accessory Dwelling Units; H661 Building Industry Efficiency Act; H765 Local Government Development Regulations/Omnibus; S291 Regulation on Short-term Rentals; S493 Land Use Clarification and Changes; S495 Regulation of Accessory Dwelling Units; S497 Expand Middle Housing; S499 Allow Housing Near Jobs; S587 Clarify Nonconforming Uses; S713 Limit Local Government Environmental Requirements; and S736 Foundation Act Building NC’s Housing Future. More information about the bills can be found online at ncleg.gov.
Other business
The Town Council approved the following:
• A resolution supporting the application for a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant from N.C. Department of Transportation. The grant application will be for $45,000 and if awarded will require a 10% match ($4,500). Town planner Justin Setser said the current plan was approved in 2017 and recommended updating it. “A lot of sidewalk projects, a lot of things have come from that,” he said. “A lot of road projects that have sidewalks and bike lanes.”
• A $143,190 bid from Bryson Enterprises, Ltd. for the paving of Trimont Trail from Wilkie Street to Harrison Ave. with the appropriation from the Powell Bill Funds. Owens said the project will be completed by the end of the fiscal year.
• A $6,195,000 bid for the Clearwell and High Service Pump Station project to Haren Construction. Owens said they are still looking at other funding options and are still applying for grants to help cover the cost of the project.
Upcoming meetings
The Town Council will hold a budget work session at 6 p.m. Monday, May 19. The next regular meeting will be 6 p.m. Monday, June 2. Town Hall will be closed Monday, May 26, for the Memorial Day holiday.
Correction: In last week’s story “Fireworks to return to Macon County Fairgrounds” it was stated the July 4th fireworks would return to county property. The fireworks will be shot from the Macon County Fairgrounds, which is owned by the Macon County Fair Association. People can view the fireworks from the Rec Park, which is county property.