Boone ETJ Bill Passes In NC House


The North Carolina House has passed the first reading of a bill that could take away the extraterritorial jurisdiction powers of the town of Boone. Bill 949 was passed yesterday with the third reading passing in the Senate and the first reading being passed in the House in Raleigh . An extraterritorial jurisdiction is the area around the town that falls under the town's zoning ordinances. The bill, which was introduced in May by Senator Dan Soucek, takes away the town of Boone's rights to regulate development along its borders, given that those are the areas most likely to be annexed some day. Several cities and towns in North Carolina have some form of extraterritorial jurisdiction including Winston Salem. According to Senator Soucek, the town of Boone has abused the right of having the jurisdiction, saying the people affected within a 1 mile radius of Boone are controlled by town officials but don’t have representation in town government. Mayor Loretta Clawson and a number of residents oppose the legislation, saying it will pave the way for construction of high-density housing and industrial or retail development near the town. The bill would take effect on June 30th.