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Rowan County pauses ordinance-text change, aims to keep public-hearing requirement
Summary
County attorneys told commissioners they will revise a proposed ordinance amendment to align with state law while preserving a county-level public hearing requirement; the board withdrew the item for further work and promised to return it at a future meeting.
Rowan County commissioners removed a scheduled public hearing on an ordinance text amendment from the Aug. 3 agenda and directed staff to rework the proposal so it aligns with state law while retaining a local public-hearing requirement.
"State law, however, does not require a public hearing for all ordinance changes," said the assistant county attorney, explaining the original plan to amend the county's second-reading ordinance. The attorney said staff and the chair wanted to consider language that both complies with state statutes and preserves opportunities for public input. "We'll go back and revise that, planned revision, for the next meeting and have it on the agenda to bring the 2nd reading...into compliance with state law, but also keep the public hearing requirement for all county ordinances," the attorney said.
The chair said keeping public hearings is important amid current conversations about public involvement and requested that the revised ordinance preserve opportunities for community review. No formal vote on the ordinance text amendment was taken because the item was removed from the agenda; the board asked staff to return with a reworked proposal at a future meeting.
