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Commissioners accept Paloma water-tower parcel only after developer agrees to provide warranty deed
Summary
After debating legal risks of a non-warranty deed and cosmetic branding proposals, the Columbus County Board conditionally accepted a donated Paloma PUD water-tower site and approved a $500,000 grant for a separate Lehi Church Road waterline extension, requiring the developer to deliver a warranty deed before final acceptance.
Columbus County commissioners voted Feb. 20 to conditionally accept a parcel and future water tower in the Paloma planned unit development, imposing a requirement that the developer provide a warranty deed before the county finalizes title.
The Paloma project representative described plans to site a tower that would be visible from US 905 and offered four proposed color/logo treatments. DRG representative Austin Graham said the developer would cover any premium cost for co-branding, and “we're not asking the county to pay anything,” adding that branding would include a county seal alongside the community logo.
Several commissioners objected to accepting a North Carolina non-warranty deed, saying it leaves questions about title chain and potential future liabilities. One commissioner asked why the developer would not provide a warranty deed and said the county should not accept property without clearer title protections. County staff and counsel explained that non-warranty deeds are sometimes used in transfers and that the parcel is being cut from a larger tract that previously had a title search, but commissioners pressed for a formal assurance.
Commissioner Richard Bullard moved to accept the property and the water tank “under the condition that they'll give us a warranty deed,” and the board approved the motion by voice vote.
Separately, the board approved a $500,000 SEID grant agreement and amended project ordinance to extend a waterline on Lehi Church Road (Beaver Dam Road), a project Other Utilities Director Harold Nobles said will proceed under grant funding.
The county manager said staff will follow up with the developer and legal counsel to secure the warranty deed language before the transfer is completed. The motion to conditionally accept the Paloma parcel is recorded as a formal board direction; final acceptance will depend on receiving the warranty deed or equivalent title assurance.
