In the past six to eight months, the planning board received 18 complaints about a neighbor’s property. Most complaints came during the summer and involved tall grass or untrimmed bushes.
While seven of the 18 cases were resolved peacefully with the property owner, Planning Director Guy Cornman suggested that the board look into new regulations, perhaps adding new codes to the County zone ordinance.
“I think it’s something we’re going to have to deal with as people move closer and closer together,” said Commissioner Larry Potts.
Given the amount of manpower and expense of manually acting on every tall grass complaint — going out to private property and mowing the yard, for example — Cornman and other commissioners in favor suggested merely including property maintenance as a regulation.
“I don’t think we can just turn our heads and ignore that,” said Chairman Max Walser. “I just think it’s part of our job to help deal with stuff like that. The government does for people what they won’t do for themselves.”
Other commissioners seemed wary of crossing the line of regulating an individual’s private property.
“I don’t think government is in a position to do everything for anyone that’s out there,” said Commissioner Fred McClure. “I don’t have any problem tightening the zone ordinance for cars in the yard. But the next thing is the guy has three slats out in the shutter — now, what are you going to do about it?”
The other aspect to Cornman’s planning presentation dealt with transportation. Sometime before April 1, the board will have to hold a public hearing to formally adopt the County’s first comprehensive transportation plan.
The County’s plan will ideally fit with High Point, Lexington and Winston-Salem’s through the coordination of Hanna Cockburn, Piedmont Triad RPO administrator.
“Our goal is to have a seamless set of transportation recommendations that blur the lines between jurisdictions,” Cockburn said. “We want to have some consistency in what the cross sections look like.”
In other news, the board also discussed:
• The status report of the 2009-10 budget
• The proposed 2010-11 Capitol Improvement Plan
• School capital expenditures
• Facility issues with the County jail and courthouse, Cecil School, Colonial Drive, the old Senior Services Center and the old Post Office
Board of Commissioners’ Rules of Procedure: ethics policy
• The possible shift in operation of the animal shelter from the Police Department to another County department or a private contractor
• Funding booster clubs that choose to work outside the County Recreation Department
• Broadcasting commissioners meetings on TV
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