[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6535554,"mediaKeyId","3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9","parentId",3393799,"title","Commissioners approve a slate of procedural items including UDO technical updates, tax amendments and formation of a public safety board","audioSeconds",3842,"startMs",3849000,"endMs",6876,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9&start=3849&end=6","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9/thumbnail_3849000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6535554/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Commissioners-approve-a-slate-of-procedural-items-including-UDO-technical-updates-tax-amendments-and-formation-of-a-public-safety-board","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535554-c3a972a48479a3ed970ce2af4e496423/orig.mp4?Expires=1771332547&Signature=lQ2IuN~rQ3hT4NOFYXaCoGbh0w~inA2WsTMdGwyN--jWMsDuWSJUP50bsI2wHcd5wZFEpTwEpbZkGJ1UFsQcIljIKOZMj4eLNboLWW8M-5y98slXJtWJohbooLNoiVuPvdYayP9~v7fnMEx1gt40thBDIuD2k8xrcDyIqa10TovYepdKnoP0GSjOL7U73TuVMgCPw8oZBERXNA6cFUYooEqeN~sSZO21YVf5JJv1WCtaZLXzX2XZOknHsIQDp-2BVKBd88L8Cos2oF35fiJcRhcBVkstPHV4XlyT7TM8nBLvpYdnqIEbv7Ve3RglOE8ry0aWRyXLDuiCa0aEIcUzMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Harnett County, NC","date","2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","article","At the meeting the Harnett County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on several procedural and administrative items, many with limited discussion.

Text amendment to Unified Development Ordinance: Staff presented a text amendment (case referenced as plan 20‑5‑4‑2 in the meeting record) requested by the GIS department to update references to the department and its addressing and naming practices in Articles 3, 5, 6, 11 and 14 of the Unified Development Ordinance. Planning staff said the changes correct terminology (replacing references to E911 addressing with GIS), update a North Carolina General Statute citation and reflect current GIS practices. No public comment was offered; the board approved the amendment unanimously.

Tax amendment and related items: The board opened and closed a public hearing for a proposed tax amendment (case referenced on the record as plan 25‑04‑0?‑02); no members of the public spoke on that item and the board approved the change. The board also approved budget amendments as requested by the finance officer, and subsequently approved tax rebates, releases and refunds recorded on the agenda. Each vote was recorded on the floor as unanimous.

Contract authority and procedural authorizations: Commissioners voted to authorize the chairman to sign contract change orders that exceed the county manager’s signature threshold; the board also reaffirmed procedural handling of contract change orders and said future change orders will appear in a consistent, procedural format on agendas.

Public safety board: A commissioner proposed forming a standing public safety committee to represent fire, EMS and law enforcement interests; the board voted unanimously to create a public safety board and directed staff to return with proposed membership size, representation and charter language.

The meeting’s consent agenda and other routine items were also approved by unanimous vote. Where motions on the record were generic (“so moved”/“second”), the minutes did not record individual mover names in the transcript; votes were announced as unanimous by the clerk.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting 05/19/25","oneSentenceSummary","At the meeting the Harnett County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on several procedural and administrative items, including a Unified Development Ordinance text update for GIS, a tax amendment, budget amendments, authorization for contract change orders, and creation of a public safety board.","taxTitle","Harnett County, North Carolina","taxId",13715,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6535558,"Residents press commissioners to boost school funding, homelessness services and election outreach at FY 2025–26 budget hearing",2455,4082000,6537000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9&start=4082&end=6537","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9/thumbnail_4082000.jpg","/articles/6535558/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Residents-press-commissioners-to-boost-school-funding-homelessness-services-and-election-outreach-at-FY-202526-budget-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535558-6eb3fbbd3f4d23c59b7b27640f7a10ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771332547&Signature=ADji5f5wtDrfvCeSomP2Qg8iVjifnZb6TYzXKOcScFByST5GL~TWtudoQhtTVFauATIZUi2XCRVpH9zklpNldppBX7N0qIN3b2xxXGAX9s2jukoguf56kQV~RFKEn~kttC-KLkDmOiqgDCGk-DrSmVR0Bmht~zsOh7A-wGiiX0FOuhi6J2llHKikfVVGipw-pkUtxVlHYWlQSqA7rhVaB6GnQSbdaJIdtNHMPSrg~J5W2AC2Qlhc8f~HIty6WQbQflLlot0uYlpYlOFOWzi-xo~im~~A56-1TM3KVqkxcLGNWjsRlb6oWNPSlHOCJ0SLefdR1LnghJiMlnwHmF9mJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harnett County residents used the board’s public hearing on the proposed FY 2025–26 budget to urge commissioners to increase support for public schools, emergency services, public health and homelessness prevention, and to add an elections outreach specialist position that the county board of elections has recommended.

County Manager Lisa McFadden summarized the proposed spending plan at the hearing, saying the draft includes a general‑fund budget of $183,457,942, a Harnett Regional Water budget of $50,595,000 and a solid‑waste budget of $8,972,554. McFadden said the proposal would use a little over $8 million of appropriated fund balance and would create 14 new general‑fund positions, five positions for Harnett Regional Water, and two positions in solid waste. She told the board staff will hold additional work sessions before the board is asked to adopt the budget.

Many public speakers urged larger increases for education and more transparency in the budget process. Kate Reichardt, who identified herself as a county resident, said the board must be “honest with the citizens” about tax choices and warned that low property tax rates would leave the county unable to fund schools, road repairs and emergency services. Reichardt also urged commissioners to press state legislators for additional revenue tools.

Richard Chapman, a resident, praised staff work on the budget but called the county’s budget process “murky” and urged more public engagement throughout the year. He said the budget document shows the county is providing an additional $3 million to public schools but that residents do not have detail on how the funds will be used; he said the school system had requested roughly $9 million to increase local supplements for teacher pay.

Rebecca Brock and others also urged the board to prioritize schools and to consider moving the elections outreach specialist from an expansion item into the base budget. Several speakers asked the board to examine the county’s legal and insurance costs and their relationship to law‑enforcement payouts.

Speakers described local service gaps unrelated to the formal budget packet. Melanie Stewart, who identified her nonprofit as Mama Moses Underground Railroad, urged the county to address a local homelessness crisis; Stewart said her organization currently fields calls and pays hotel and other costs to keep people from being evicted. Tanya White Anderson, a disabled veteran, also urged greater investment in schools and community services.

Other commenters made narrower points: one speaker supported trade‑school programs and vocational training for local youth; another thanked the board for raising pay for election‑day workers and urged adding an outreach specialist to boost voter education.

McFadden and staff told the board they had noted the comments and would return with further information in upcoming work sessions; the board did not vote on the FY 2025–26 budget at this meeting. Commissioners scheduled additional work sessions and said the board expects to consider adoption at a later meeting in June.","At a public hearing on the Harnett County FY 2025–26 budget, residents urged commissioners to increase spending on schools, EMS and homelessness prevention; staff presented the proposed general fund total and said further work sessions are scheduled before final approval.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6535563,"Harnett County commissioners approve rezoning of 5.22-acre Cool Springs parcel to commercial over resident objections",1513,2427000,3940000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9&start=2427&end=3940","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3393799-2893e4fb506c10e160d30722453fa0a9/thumbnail_2427000.jpg","/articles/6535563/Harnett-County/North-Carolina/Harnett-County-commissioners-approve-rezoning-of-522-acre-Cool-Springs-parcel-to-commercial-over-resident-objections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535563-7ca67c83f257cf9d7de12a63fd7df111/orig.mp4?Expires=1771332547&Signature=KeFMs04uOEFiLhu0TvE5HND1BxscQ8ge10AG3PupKQCPfi2-mnWxsPpilwYi0Tpa-NA1Wo2aDooUA15V2ttwuffEGyP35tdHJv3BMni3NLPPhPDNJuBdl5eXi8w~R~D6nE0JXOYRuzgfAtnelIqT3yd66a9gGT5iA8Y5V8OcC8lbb~dRUOc8gPesVwGffx6SXYOlzHU4QeseiUuRlT8zfmtMR0jGt-rajMbhQhODObinbMR5UuGzYXN6DqLGabWJnSHgGDcdS9ClPgyuWQZagf8E7n3Qc34TTf2qyjN5q3gvXT63qhnEGxUywuAfMTBcsgMAg41HkjsiKLO50IsDIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Harnett County Board of Commissioners on the evening of the meeting approved a rezoning request to change a 5.22-acre tract on U.S. 421 at Cool Springs Road from RA‑30 to a commercial zoning district (case plan 25‑04‑00001), following a public hearing with multiple residents who said the change would worsen traffic, noise, light and litter.

Staffer Sarah Arbor of Harnett County Development Services told commissioners the parcel is an “unimproved wooded corner lot” within the county’s rural center development node and that public water is available. Arbor said staff found the request consistent with the county’s land‑use plan and recommended approval; the planning board had voted 5–0 to recommend approval.

The applicant’s representative, Tillman Pope of Central Carolina Equity Partners, said the site fronts U.S. 421 and is surrounded by a mix of commercial frontage and residential lots. Pope told the board the proposed commercial uses would be appropriate for the area and consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan, and he described the tract as “approximately 5 acre[s]” with topography that likely limits developable area.

Several residents opposed the rezoning during the public hearing. Brian Turner, who said he lives on Frontier Court, recalled a prior special‑use permit hearing last summer in which a request for a gas station/convenience store on the parcel was denied as not “in harmony with the surrounding area.” Turner said the parcel backs directly to residences and warned that a commercial site would bring noise, light, trash and “unwanted visitors” near homes.

Other residents cited safety concerns on the busy U.S. 421 corridor. One speaker noted that three fatalities had occurred between Lillington and Sanford in 2025 and argued the intersection is “not maintained” and that additional turning and queuing for a commercial entrance would increase crash risk. Kelly Beebe said she works from home and that lights and noise from a commercial site would affect her daily life.

After public comment, a commissioner moved and a second followed to approve plan 25‑04‑00001. The board voted in favor; the motion “carried unanimously,” and the clerk recorded the approval.

The rezoning approval does not specify the exact commercial tenant or site plan; several residents asked the board to consider protective stipulations if the property is developed. Staff did note the property’s future land‑use designation supports small‑scale retail and similar commercial uses, and Pope said many residents in the area currently travel to Lillington or Sanford for services.

The board did not attach specific mitigation conditions on the record at the time of approval. Commissioners and staff said DOT involvement and site access will be addressed as part of future development and permitting processes.

The decision completes the county’s rezoning process for this parcel; any subsequent development will require site‑level permitting and any necessary state DOT approvals.

","After a public hearing with multiple residents citing traffic, safety and quality-of-life concerns, the Harnett County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to rezone a 5.22-acre tract on U.S. 421 from RA-30 to a commercial zoning district (plan 25‑04‑00001).","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioners approve a slate of procedural items including UDO technical updates, tax amendments and formation of a public safety board

Residents press commissioners to boost school funding, homelessness services and election outreach at FY 2025–26 budget hearing

Harnett County commissioners approve rezoning of 5.22-acre Cool Springs parcel to commercial over resident objections