Did you miss the Wake County Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, Oct. 17? Here are the highlights:

• Chair Sig Hutchinson began the meeting by extending condolences to the grieving families of the five victims of a mass shooting in Raleigh on Oct. 13. On behalf of the full Board of Commissioners he offered support to Raleigh while its leaders seek justice and healing. He also thanked the swift, brave work of many first responders, including the Wake EMS team, which transported injured residents to the WakeMed hospital, and Wake County Sherriff’s deputies who helped apprehend the suspect. The board lead the public in a moment of silence.
   
• On the consent agenda, the board accepted $151,000 of federal funds for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, bringing the total transferred to Wake County this year to more than $2.7 million. Learn more about the many utility assistance programs for Wake residents online.
   
• The lease for Marbles Kids’ Museum’s downtown Raleigh campus, including its IMAX theatre, was extended 10 years so that it can continue serving kids and families across the region for the decade to come. Details of the lease extension are available online, as is the presentation the board received at the Oct. 10 work session about Marbles’ work expanding across the county.
   
• The board also granted a the City of Raleigh several easements to allow construction on the new Bus Rapid Transit line along New Bern Avenue in early 2023. The project will give residents better access to several healthcare centers, including Wake County’s health clinics at Sunnybrook. Details of the Wake BRT project are available online, as are the maps of the easements granted.
   
• The Wake County Public School System is approved to purchase a 33-acre property in Morrisville from Wake Tech to build a new high school for about 1,200 students in the growing area. Collaboration between Wake County government, the school district, the college, the Town of Morrisville and the Town of Cary made the $3.6-million purchase possible. Details on the purchase and WCPSS’s plans for the land are available.
   
• The Board of Commissioners help a public hearing for proposed changes to the Lower Swift Creek Area Plan. Wake County Planning staff highlighted new boundaries of the area that is located in the southeast part of the county, near Garner and along the border with Johnston County. After looking at current land use, staff showed plans for future land use as the area grows. The majority of the area will still be residential. It will also include three multi-use districts located at:
  • Ten Ten & Rand Roads
  • White Oak Road & NC 540
  • Benson & Cleveland School Roads

Residents can see maps of changes proposed in the Lower Swift Creek Area Comprehensive plan and the presentation made to the board online.

• The Board of Commissioners unanimously passed the first reading of proposed changes to the county’s ordinance governing outdoor shooting in unincorporated Wake County. Over the last three months the board held a committee hearing, a public hearing, a listening session in Knightdale and two work sessions to address citizens’ concerns about stray bullets reported close to homes, plus loud gunfire late at night.
  
  After extensive research and work with commissioners to ensure public safety, while balancing individuals’ rights, staff proposed the following changes:
  • Increase the minimum distance from a dwelling, public building or livestock in which a person may discharge a firearm from 100 yards to 300 yards.
  • Require a backstop that meets industry standards or at least meets the height and width standards specified in the ordinance (height must extend 4’ above the target and 2’ thick).
  • Only fixed, stationary targets at which the firearm is specifically aimed, directed and fired upon may be used.
  • Prohibit the discharge of a firearm between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
  • Increase the maximum fine for violation from $50 to the statutory limit of $500.
     

The ordinance does not impact rules or rights around hunting, which falls under state law. For the changes to the firearms ordinance to take effect, the board will have to pass a second reading when it is placed on the agenda for the next meeting on Nov. 9.

Want to dig deeper into the board meeting? The full recording of the meeting is available to watch online.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners’ next regular meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. in Room 2700 of the Wake County Justice Center. Most board meetings are scheduled for Mondays, but the first November meeting is rescheduled because of election day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.