By Taylor Boyd
Questions about outdated ordinances prompted the Patrick County Board of Supervisors to table that issue until its January meeting after concerns were raised.
Before the vote, Kurt Bozenmayer, chairman of the planning commission, said the codification document posted on the county website combines all county ordinances into one 295-page file prepared by Municode, a Florida-based company.
“My question really is, was any review of these ordinances done prior to submitting this stuff to Municode? Because in looking very briefly at the document as it was posted on the website, I see some things that appear to be somewhat obsolete,” he said, and also noted that the codification documentation prepared for the board’s approval included the original 2022 solar siting ordinance.
He noted that under the Community Development section, the only listed ordinance refers to the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), approved in 1974.
“Now I’ve been in this county paying taxes for 23 years, and I have not heard or seen any activities from the county’s Industrial Development Authority. The only such authority that I know that’s even close to that is the Economic Development Authority,” he said.
If one outdated ordinance remains, he questioned whether others may have been overlooked.
“I’m sure they did not do this revision for us out of the goodness of their heart. I’m sure that we’re paying for this, so I hope we’re not paying for stuff that was obsolete and should have been caught before it ever left this building,” he said.
Supervisor Clayton Kendrick, of the Mayo River District, said a constituent recently asked about a hunting ordinance from the 1960s.
“It was something about even if you hunted on your own land you had to buy animal stamps like bear, deer, whatever. If it’s stuff that old, I think it ought to be cleared. Maybe we ought to have a little more review of that thing,” Kendrick said.
Supervisor Doug Perry, of the Smith River District, said removing outdated ordinances would require bringing each one to the board for formal action.
“I’m under the impression this codification is kind of like a Dewey Decimal system from back in the day, where it puts everything in order so that we can identify these things and see these things so it’s a clear picture for us to see,” he said.
The board discussed forming a committee of supervisors and county employees to review all ordinances and identify those that should be removed.
In other matters, the board:
- Approved bills, claims, and appropriations
- Heard a Parks and Recreation update from Director Luke Williams.
- Heard about the Nov. 23 rabies clinic hosted by the Blue Ridge Animal Welfare League (BRAWL).
- Reappointed Wayne Kirkpatrick to the Tourism Advisory Council for the Peters Creek District.
- Approved using former American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to install fire-proof shutters for the DMV Select office in the Patrick County Administration Building. Facilities Director Michael McGuinness said they are required by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
- Approved landscaping services for several county properties in a 4–1 vote; Andrew Overby, of the Dan River District, dissented.
- Tabled action on new card-reader security upgrades for the Administration Building until December.
- Approved the Oct. 20 and Oct. 23 meeting minutes.