Town Council, commissioners unite to discuss economy, solid waste issues

The Chapel Hill Town Council will meet with the Orange County Board of Commissioners tonight to give feedback on economic development and solid waste issues.

The joint meeting is the first time the town and county will discuss these issues one-on-one.

“We really haven’t worked together because our jurisdictions are different,” said Commissioner Chairwoman Bernadette Pelissier.

To help foster economic development, the Board of Commissioners is implementing a unified development ordinance, which will allow developers to meet with the board to propose new uses for county land outside the towns.

While these zoning laws only apply to county lands outside Chapel Hill, the new developments will affect the economic growth of the entire county.

“Now there’s an opportunity for the towns and county to collaborate,” Pelissier said.

County commissioners are looking for town suggestions to fine-tune the ordinance’s details as part of its second phase, Commissioner Earl McKee said.

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said the council recognizes that economic development for the county also benefits Chapel Hill.

“What’s good for Orange County is good for Chapel Hill,” he said.

But he voiced a concern about maintaining the rural buffer, which prevents urban sprawl.

Kleinschmidt also said the time frame for closing the county landfill on Eubanks Road and finding a long-term solution for solid waste is another important issue for collaboration between the town and county.

“Over the years, all three towns and the county have had a role in creating the issues around the landfill for the neighborhood,” he said.

The county is looking at revising the Interlocal Agreement for Solid Waste — an agreement among the county and its towns that is contingent on the landfill’s existence.

Council members and commissioners will suggest ways on how to revise the agreement.

Commissioner Alice Gordon said meetings with individual town governments provide input that can sometimes be missed in meetings attended by both the commissioners and representatives from each town in Orange County.

“It’s a really good way to just focus on Chapel Hill’s perspective,” she said.

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