Union County commissioners adopt resolution opposing Senate Bill 205, citing local-control concerns

The Union County Board of Commissioners voted June 16 to adopt a resolution opposing provisions of Senate Bill 205 that they said would reduce local governments' ability to shape their communities.

Commissioners spent more than an hour debating the measure after staff and several board members detailed the bill’s provisions. Speakers at the dais said the substitute bill has grown from its original language and now includes changes affecting parking requirements, open-space rules, subdivision authority, appeals and civil remedies for land-use decisions.

Commissioner Hams summarized items in the bill that the board found concerning, saying the measure would constrain tools counties use to control density, manage infrastructure costs and set development conditions. He, and others, cited specific provisions described at the meeting: elimination of some open-space requirements, removal of a 12-month waiting period that currently limits how quickly applicants can refile, transfer of certain subdivision decisions away from elected governing boards, and language that could enable civil lawsuits challenging land-use decisions.

Commissioner Sides moved adoption of a resolution opposing the bill. Commissioners voiced concern that although sponsors characterize the package as a compromise to address housing or pool-safety issues, the measure contains broader land-use changes that would limit local authority and favor builders’ interests. The board approved the resolution on a voice vote.

Commissioners asked staff to compile and distribute additional detail about the bill’s sponsors and current committee status to aid local outreach to the county’s legislative delegation. Several commissioners said they would contact state lawmakers and urged residents to do the same.

Ending: The board's resolution directs county staff and commissioners to communicate opposition to the bill’s land-use provisions and to request that the county’s legislative delegation consider removing or amending the contested sections.