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Cramerton reviews Land Development Code updates and limits enforcement while reconsidering nuisance rules
Summary
At a March 5 workshop, Cramerton officials advanced a Land Development Code update, debated revising appeals fees and agreed to a temporary stay of enforcement on narrow trash-can/right-of-way provisions to allow ordinance review.
Mayor Nelson Wills and the Town of Cramerton Board of Commissioners on March 5 heard progress on a broad rewrite of the town's Land Development Code and discussed changes to the town's appeals process and nuisance enforcement.
Karen Mallo of WithersRavenel told the Board that draft chapters 1–9 of the updated Land Development Code are complete and chapter 10 (definitions) remains in progress, and outlined enhanced environmental protections, overlay districts and clarified process and procedure changes. Planning Board recommendation and Board public hearing dates were set tentatively for April 4 and April 18, respectively.
Assistant Town Manager Josh Watkins explained two separate appeals tracks: appeals under the Land Development Code, which require a public hearing, newspaper legal ad and mailers to adjacent property owners; and Town Code appeals of notices of violation, warnings or citations, which do not require newspaper notice or mailers. Watkins said the town's current fee schedule lists a single appeals fee of $500 and staff recommended adding a separate Town Code appeal fee not lower than $150 to help recoup administrative costs.
"Having no fee at all would result in frivolous appeal cases brought before the Board," Watkins said, explaining the staff rationale for a modest administrative fee.
Commissioner Dixie Abernathy directly challenged that recommendation, saying she "doesn't believe a citizen should have to pay one penny to petition their government on their behalf" and asking that enforcement of several items be paused while the Board reviews the ordinances. Commissioner Scott Kincaid said he favored a neighborly approach and suggested timelines that would give residents time to remedy issues (he proposed trash cans be returned to property by sunset the day after pickup).
Town Attorney Karen Wolter advised the Board it could order a temporary stay of enforcement by motion. The Board voted 4–0 to stay enforcement of a provision relating to basketball goals in the right of way and section 92.032(b)5 pending review of related ordinances.
The Board directed staff to continue refining the LDC drafts and to return with recommended ordinance changes, including potential revisions on trash-can retrieval timelines and right-of-way basketball-goal enforcement. Commissioners agreed to revisit landscaping and code enforcement items, with Abernathy requesting a status update in 3–5 months where applicable.
The stay will limit enforcement of the specified provisions only until the Board takes further action or rescinds the stay; no permanent ordinance change was adopted at the workshop.
