The town of Boone will begin an appeal process this week on the Superior Court’s decision in favor of local developer Phil Templeton.

On July 3, Superior Court Judge Ronald K. Payne reversed a decision made by the Boone Board of Adjustment (BOA) denying a special use permit for the construction of a medical clinic on State Farm Road.

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In a summarized breakdown, the budget sees $12,326,994 devoted to the general fund, $163,500 to the emergency telephone system, $18,000 to narcotics enforcement, $623,210 to water and sewer, $1,068,500 to health insurance, $112,234 to the municipal service district, and $544,064 to the rural fire district.

Here’s the article from Frank Ruggiero

The new-well permit fee will increase from $225 to $300 on Tuesday, July 1. The fee includes the cost of inspections, fieldwork and a water sample.

Here’s the article from the High Country Press

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed the movement to help buy the land on which Tweetsie operates during a public hearing held on Monday evening.

Here’s the article from Go Blue Ridge

UPDATE: Opinions divided

Watauga County’s property tax rate will remain the same in the next fiscal year, though the overall county budget will increase 4.6 percent.

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners adopted a balanced $60.1 million budget Monday morning, with a $44.6 million General Fund budget for county operations.

Click here for the article in the Watauga Democrat

N.C. regulators voted today to approve a new rule that will require real estate agents to provide a written disclosure of bonuses they might receive from sellers before a buyer makes an offer to purchase a home.

The rule, which will help homebuyers know if their agent has an extra financial interest in showing them a home, is scheduled to take effect Oct. 1.

Click here for the article in the Charlotte Observer

The Boone Town Council was essentially forced to change its policy on accessory housing, which was originally adopted in hope of providing more affordable housing options for the community.

Here’s the article from the Watauga Democrat

Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson announced yesterday evening that the Town is purchasing ten acres along the New River for a raw-water intake.

The intake is located near the Watauga/Ashe county line and the purchase will cost the town $850,000. To cover the costs of the project, the town has applied for an 18 to 19 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Town officials say with the new intake and the existing intakes on Winkler’s Creek and the New River’s South Fork, Boone should be able to meet its twenty year needs.

Here’s the article from GoBlueRidge

Update: Ashe votes against tax

The proposal calls for a tax of up to four-tenths percent of value.

Should the tax fail, Ashe County’s property tax rate will increase. The current rate, 39.5 cents per $100, may need to increase by at least 3.8 cents.

County commissioners say more revenue is needed to pay for the new law enforcement center, county library expansions and other projects.

Here’s the Article from Go Blue Ridge.net

Watauga County and Tweetsie Railroad are exploring a proposal that would keep the Wild West theme park at its current location “for the next 50 years and beyond.”

Watauga planning director Joe Furman, who is acting economic developer for the county, presented a proposal to the commissioners Monday in which the county would buy land to support the theme park in exchange for a long-term commitment to keep the business operating.

Here’s the article from the Watauga Democrat

The Boone Town Council has unanimously approved a lease agreement with Wal-Mart for the site of the Leola Street Community Garden, an arrangement that will give the company the green space it needs to expand the store in compliance with the town’s development ordinance. In return, the town will receive $60,000 per year for 45 years, and Wal-Mart will continue to allow the space to be used as a community garden.

Click here for the High Country Press article

“Coman and other land conservationists believe the housing slump is creating a window of opportunity for land trusts as development slows down and people either desire tax breaks from donation easements or are willing to sell their land at a reduced rate in order to conserve it.”

Click here for the article in the Watauga Democrat

Click here to visit the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust website

Ashe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Blackburn pitched the Land Transfer Tax referendum at the monthly meeting of the Comprehensive Land Use Committee last week, but a statement from the committee stressed that the group’s work would focus on strategies for future land use planning in the county. What do you think? Leave a comment.

Here’s the article from the Mountain Times

A proposed gravel mine in Avery county has caught the attention of state regulators because of its ties to a multimillion-dollar real estate collapse in nearby Mitchell County.

The collapse of the Penland project, in Mitchell county, left dozens of investors owing banks more than $100 million on mountain property worth a fraction of that amount.

Click here to read article in the News & Observer

More than $1.5 million could be on the way to help North Carolina communities upgrade their water systems.Gov. Mike Easley has signed off on federal-state grants for projects in Marshall, Mars Hill, Tryon, Valdese, Lenoir and Blowing Rock, his office announced today.

Click here to read more from the Asheville Citizen

The Boone Town Council will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Boone Town Council Chambers on proposed amendments to Article VII of the Water and Sewer Code.

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Supporters of a $7.5 million school-bond package in Alleghany County have been making calls and writing letters that urge voters to back a plan to build the county’s first middle school, saying it would ease crowding.

But opponents are firing back with a campaign against the school bonds, which would require a property-tax rate increase of 9 to 10 cents, about a 20 percent increase in this small, rural county.

The referendum will be Tuesday.

Here’s the WS-Journal Article

In the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Watauga County, N.C. is a place of amazing beauty with pristine natural resources and a rich cultural heritage. Preserving and protecting these assets is good for the environment and the local economy. The Watauga Green Business Plan is a voluntary, market‐driven program that educates, certifies and recognizes small businesses that have made a commitment to reduce their environmental impact and help build a sustainable community.

Here’s a link to their website

FROM THE ASHEVILLE CITIZEN TIMES – The state Environmental Review Commission will hold a second public hearing on a proposed new law for development on steep mountain slopes.

The meeting will take place from 4-7 p.m. Monday in Boone, according to Rep. Ray Rapp, a sponsor of the bill that would require local governments to regulate steep-slope construction.

The meeting is in the county commissioners’ board room in the Watauga County Administration Building, 814 W. King St.

A group of Boone citizens known as the ABC Taskforce is gearing up for an attempt to bring liquor by the drink to the restaurants of Boone. Spearheaded by Boone Saloon co-owner Stephen Sinanian, the group is currently testing the popularity of a potential referendum that would put liquor by the drink on the ballot later this year. Boone residents have not voted on liquor by the drink since the mid 1990s.

“I represent a group of business owners and professors who are interested in pursuing the feasibility of liquor by the drink,” said Sinanian. “We’re going around to different groups such as the DBDA and the Boone Chamber of Commerce, just to feel out how the town is going to receive the idea of having a mixed beverage referendum. So far we’ve gotten positive feedback.”

Click here for the High Country Press article

UPDATE:

Boone Council Schedules Public Hearing on Mixed Beverages for April 24
The council agreed to a public hearing on Thursday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the commissioners’ boardroom in the Watauga County Administration Building.