The Guilford County Board of Commissioners didn’t have to think very long at all before rejecting a request from the Town of Summerfield to establish an Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).
The commissioners voted unanimously to deny the town’s request for the “buffer” zone that would have allowed the town control over development that took place outside of the town’s borders but inside the ETJ area.
The board took the 9-to-0 vote on Commissioner Carlvena Foster’s motion to deny after holding a public hearing on the ETJ request at the Thursday, Nov. 18 meeting.
The county commissioners had also heard a lot of information on ETJ’s in general, and Summerfield’s request in particular, at an afternoon work session held just before the regular evening meeting.
At the public hearing that evening, proponents of the ETJ argued that this would allow Summerfield to assure continuity of development principles just outside of the town’s borders.
Opponents told the board that the ETJ would put the homeowners in the affected zone in a state of “regulation without representation.” If the ETJ had been approved, property owners in the zone and outside the town limits would have been subject to Summerfield development ordinances but would not be able to vote for Town Council members.
Two speakers against the ETJ were former Summerfield Mayor Gail Dunham and Dwayne Crawford, a former Summerfield Town Council member who is an outspoken critic of the current council.
Summerfield Town Manager Scott Whitaker, as well as the town attorney, spoke in favor of the move.
A contingent of citizens from Summerfield didn’t speak but came to the commissioners’ meeting room on the second floor of the Old Guilford County Court House to show their opposition to the move.
One thing that likely had a good deal of influence on the Board of Commissioners’ decision is the fact that the Greensboro City Council was solidly against the move and made that known by passing a resolution opposing the resolution unanimously and sending to the county.
Once the public hearing closed, Foster immediately made her motion to deny and the chorus of commissioners who called out to second the motion made it clear that the vote was going to go against implementing the ETJ.
Summerfield leaders should be embarrassed. They need to listen to more than the one group of citizens who always agree with them.
Lesson to be learned: “Don’t mess with the big fish when you are just a minnow”
All ETJ’s should be revoked for the simple reason affected property owners have no say in electing the public officials who issue edicts regarding the properties in question.
Further, the practice of involuntarily annexing properties into municipal limits can rightfully no longer occur.
Proud of Summerfield for trying, it reveals the democrats for the obstructionist, useless place occupiers that they are. The good news is, the tide is changing on them. Let’s Go Brandon!
In Greensboro? In guilford county? That’s a little wishful thinking
Include me out……
Didn’t the Summerfield Town Manager know that there was an agreement long ago. Why wouldn’t he know that. I
I saw a video, and they all knew about the agreement with Greensboro. They knew Greensboro would say no and said, why go and get their approval because they would say no anyway.