Commissioners approve long-term development plan

The Durham County Board of Commissioners approved a long-term development plan for a portion of the county and discussed budgetary policy at its meeting Monday night.

Commissioners approved the development plan, which endorses but does not officially enact rezoning for approximately 24,000 acres of northeastern Durham County. The plan would affect about 14,000 residents and, in a previous meeting, some of those residents had criticized the plan for designating a high residential density. In that meeting, the board had responded to those criticisms by lowering the density from between one to three houses per acre to between one and two.

During Monday night's public hearing on the proposal, some citizens asked the board to include in the rezoning plan new water and sewage lines--particularly in the Baptist Road area. The county planning staff warned against building new water lines for environmental reasons. They explained that the area lies in a watershed for the Falls Reservoir.

However, some board members argued that adequate utilities in the area should be a top priority. Commissioner Philip Cousin said getting adequate water and sewage transport in the area must remain a priority. "How widespread are water and sewage problems in the county? This is 2002," Cousin said.

Although the board did not specifically address those concerns, it pledged to make necessary adjustments to the plan in the future.

IN OTHER BUSINESS: County Manager Mike Ruffin told the board he is implementing a spending reduction plan over the next four-and-a-half months in order to compensate for $3.6 million that is being withheld from the county by the state government. Ruffin's plan includes both a hiring freeze on non-essential positions and the termination of the county government's temporary employees. The state government overestimated its tax revenues by $900 million and subsequently had to withhold funds from county and local governments across North Carolina.