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Commission amends racetrack ordinance to allow limited weekday "test‑and‑tune" events; vote 4–1
Summary
The board approved an amendment permitting up to four weekday test‑and‑tune events per month (10 a.m.–4 p.m., limited/no audience) for Tri County Speedway, contingent on noise‑mitigation steps and a sunset/renewal mechanism; the motion passed 4–1 with Commissioner Wilkie dissenting.
The Caldwell County Board of Commissioners on June 10 adopted an amendment to the county’s racetrack and drag‑strip ordinance that allows limited weekday "test‑and‑tune" events — described as team testing sessions with no public gate revenue and no audience — up to four times per month between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., subject to a built‑in sunset and renewal process tied to noise‑mitigation performance.
The proposal prompted extended debate. Commissioner Wilkie and other dissenters argued taxpayers had already subsidized Tri County Speedway through a state grant (discussed in the meeting as $485,000 in grant awards with a remaining balance of about $17,769.37 noted in materials) and said additional operating hours should not be granted without the track privately investing in mitigation or securing more sponsors. Wilkie said taxpayers should not bear the burden for a private business’s expansion.
Track representatives and supporters said the weekday sessions would generate revenue to pay for required sound barriers and other improvements and said they had begun steps to work with adjacent institutions (including churches and local youth organizations) to minimize conflicts; the track’s owner and a track representative described planned mitigation and explained that some local neighbors are supportive.
The commission approved the ordinance amendment with a 4–1 vote; commissioners also emphasized the amendment includes a sunset/renewal so the board can reassess if mitigation measures are not completed by the next season. Commissioner Wilkie was recorded as the sole dissenting vote.
