Many landowners along the border between Orange and Chatham counties remain uncertain what their county of residence is, 14 years after the counties agreed to redraw their border. While a resolution may be likely soon, landowners remain confused by the process.

In January 1989, the counties agreed on a new border and a process to complete the adjustment. Five months later, they agreed to let landowners affected by the new borders choose whether to stay with their original county of residence or to change their residence to the other county. Recording of the actual border survey, however, was not completed until last March, when the agreement came up for final approval.

It’s at that point that officials in both counties realized they had interpreted the 1989 agreement differently. Chatham County officials interpreted the agreement to mean that only property owners at the time of the agreement, and not anyone who later bought the land, could elect their county of residence. Orange County officials, however, took the agreement to mean that subsequent landowners could make the election as well.

For homeowners Ronnie Johnson and his wife, Janet Mousley, the entire process has been frustrating. The couple bought a house in 1990 thinking their county of residence was Orange County and paid property taxes to Orange County. In August 2001, however, they got a property tax bill from both counties. To make matters worse, both the valuations on the bills were substantially different after 2002 revaluations by both counties. Johnson and Mousley’s property is now considered part of Chatham County, though they would prefer if it were in Orange County.

“The biggest thing is how unfair it seems, to have thought we were buying a house in Orange County, and then wake up 10 years later and find out otherwise,” Johnson told the Durham Herald Sun. “There’s nothing we can do about it. There’s no recourse for us.”

Interstate 26 widening on hold

A federal court has put on hold the N.C. Department of Transportation’s plans to widen a stretch of Interstate 26 near Asheville. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle said the state cannot proceed with the work until it conducts a broader environmental impact study.

The DOT had originally planned to begin work last year on widening from four lanes to six lanes a 13-mile stretch of I-26 in Henderson County between Asheville Regional Airport and East Flat Rock. Four groups sued, however, contending the DOT’s environmental impact study was inadequate as it did not also consider the impact of a separate project to widen nine miles of the interstate in neighboring Buncombe County.

Boyle agreed, noting that the record indicated the department had not taken a “hard look” at the widening. Boyles was also troubled by the accident data the DOT used to help justify the project. The agency argued originally that the stretch of road had an accident rate four times the state average for urban interstates, when, in fact, the road really had an accident rate one-fourth that of comparable roads.

The state has decided not to appeal the decision. “Our conclusion is, from a timeliness standpoint, we believe the best course of action would be to prepare another environmental document and combine the sections of I-26 in Buncombe and Henderson counties,” N.C. Highway Administrator Len Sanderson told the Associated Press.

Boyle’s decision is not the first court ruling requiring the DOT to consider the environmental impact of several projects together. Construction of an outer beltway around Winston-Salem has been held up while the state completes a study detailing the cumulative environmental impact of the entire project. A federal judge ruled that earlier environmental impact statements that examined impacts of sections of the project separately were inadequate.

The I-26 widening would cost about $54 million and be a design-build project, allowing for an accelerated construction schedule. Because the widening involves putting the extra lanes in the existing median, it would have only minimal environmental impact.

Animal shelter to be privatized?

A nonprofit group in Forsyth County has renewed its attempts to take over operation of the county’s animal shelter. The move comes as a county task force examines an extensive list of recommendations by the Humane Society of the United States on the operation of the county’s existing animal shelter.

Under the proposal by Save the Animals, the county would contract with the group to operate the shelter for $778,000 per year. The group would generate the remaining funds toward a proposed $1.3 million budget through fees for adoption, vaccination clinics, and grants and donations. The groups’ request to take over the shelter will go before the county commission once the task force completes its review of the HSUS’ recommendations. The group originally suggested that the county contract out operations in November.

“It can be run very well, ” Vernon Ferrell, Jr., chairman of the group’s board of directors, told the Winston-Salem Journal. “It could be the shining star of the whole state of North Carolina with the right people running it.”

Save the Animals helps low-income pet owners get their pets sterilized and vaccinated. In addition, it may build a regional spay-neuter clinic in Kernersville.

Animal issues have been gaining additional attention across North Carolina in recent months. The General Assembly recently charted a special commission to examine conditions in the state’s animal shelters and the state’s high kill rate for unadopted pets. Recent articles in The Charlotte Observer has focused attention on the issue in Charlotte as well. A city council committee is examining ways to reduce the number of animals euthanised locally.

Lowrey is a Charlotte-based associate editor at Carolina Journal.