By Shavonne Walker
shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

EAST SPENCER — The town board will have a public hearing at its Monday meeting to discuss text changes to an amendment that would allow electronic signs in the office/institutional zoning district.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in town hall, 105 S. Long St.

The board will also have a public hearing regarding an amendment to rezone Shady Grove Baptist Church from industrial to office/institutional.

The church, located at 600 S. Long St., was erroneously zoned industrial and the more appropriate category is office and institutional.

The electronic sign would provide an opportunity for the town to have a place for information for residents and visitors. This text change was put before the planning board in January.

The zoning districts that would be impacted are general business and office/institutional. The amendment would add the office and institutional zone to the allowed zones for the electronic messaging signs.

The board will also discuss it’s Feb. 11 retreat. According to the agenda provided to the Post the town board will have a series of presentations to include “how to budget effectively” given by Barron Monroe the county manager of Anson County as well as “economic development” given by Don Porter, who is the executive director of the Raeford/Hoke Economic Development.

The board will also hear from Macon Sammons, who in 2015, became the town’s grants and special projects coordinator. As with previous retreats, the board will also hear from town department heads and create/prioritize the board’s goals for the year.

The board is looking for a request for proposals for grant administration services for a Community Development Block Grant for neighborhood revitalization.

The town received the $750,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. Contingent upon the award, the board is requesting proposals for grant administration services to assist the governing body in the administration and management of this project in compliance with all applicable requirements under the grant.