By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
LANDIS ó Caught in the middle. That’s how the Board of Aldermen feels about Salisbury’s plan to move forward with involuntary annexation and the Rowan County commissioners’ efforts to stop it.
Salisbury plans to annex slightly more than 2,000 acres and about 1,700 residents along U.S. 70, U.S. 29 and N.C. 150. The commissioners have hired a law firm and vowed to join residents there to fight the planned annexation.
“It puts us in a sticky situation,” Mayor Dennis Brown said Monday.
In a letter, Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz and Ellis Hankins, executive director of the N.C. League of Municipalities, asked Landis to support the city’s annexation rights.
Meanwhile, commissioners are asking other Rowan municipalities to back them in asking Rowan County’s legislative delegation to introduce a bill that would impose a temporary moratorium on involuntary annexation.
“This is a very complex issue,” Alderman Tony Hilton said.
The board decided to appoint a committee to look at both sides of the issue within 30 days.
No committee members were appointed at Monday’s meeting.
In other business, the board:
– Approved an ordinance prohibiting private possession of exotic animals within the town.
There was little discussion during a public hearing on the matter.
Alderman James Furr initially raised the issue at the board’s February meeting. Furr said he was concerned about health and safety risks.
Two people asked Monday night what kinds of animals the town would prohibit.
Brown listed a few, including pumas, panthers, tigers, monkeys, crocodiles, snakes and kangaroos.
– Approved hiring an engineer with Earth Tech to help bring the town into compliance with its stormwater permit.
Town Engineer Mike Acquesta explained that an Earth Tech staff member in Charlotte will work with the town on an hourly basis to make the necessary changes. The Charlotte engineer will cost the town about $100 an hour.
The town needs to revise and adopt a stormwater ordinance. The existing ordinance needs minor revisions to make it acceptable by state standards, Acquesta said.
The town also needs to develop and implement a stormwater pollution prevention plan. There are about 10 items the board needs to do to be compliant.
Acquesta estimates the work should take about six weeks to complete. He said, though, that it’s not necessary to do all of the work at one time; it can be spread out over a couple of months or maybe even a year.
Earth Tech has offices in Charlotte and Raleigh.
The board’s annual retreat will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Club at Irish Creek.
Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.