Halifax County commissioners Monday evening postponed a legislative public hearing on proposed mining regulations.
The postponement comes after the board last month adopted a 60-day moratorium on mining operations in the county. The county has also been in discussions with a company that wants to do aggregate mining near the airport area as well as locate its business in the corporate park off Highway 561, County Attorney Glynn Rollins told the board.
“Our ordinance is not specifically about Halifax Aggregates and their interest in conducting quarry activities in the county,” Rollins said. “It’s actually a countywide ordinance.”
Rollins said he was contacted by counsel for Halifax Aggregates, which is representing the company wanting to do the mining. “They indicated to me that their client was interested or willing to have discussions with the company who has an interest in property to the north of the corporate park. There have been discussions about perhaps an understanding about whether or not the undisclosed company’s activities might be compatible or incompatible with quarry activity to the property to the north.”
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The county received that information Friday and Rollins said it was his understanding that they were requesting the county reconsider pausing action on the mining and quarrying ordinance to give them an opportunity to have those discussions. “Today I’ve had some discussions back and forth with this undisclosed company. The last communication was an email late this afternoon that says our client is willing to have a conversation with the quarry people to address the various concerns related to our moving forward on the development site — by that they meant corporate park.”
Rollins told the board that the county “feels it is imperative to move forward with a vote on the ordinance. We understand and respect that but as we discussed on Friday the client does not object to the county tabling or postponing a vote on the proposed ordinance.”
Under a document that spells out the postponement, the county agreed to postpone further action on the ordinance for no more than six months. During that time the county would renew the moratorium for any approval of mining or quarrying activities.
In consideration of postponement of further action, Halifax Aggregates, including each and every one of its affiliate companies, will not file any application for development approvals, including special use permits or rezonings, associated with mining and quarrying activities in the county.
It also includes a clause that Halifax Aggregates would not contest, object, or appeal any action by the county to renew the moratorium.
Halifax Aggregates already signed the document, Rollins said. “They’re willing to do their part of the agreement — not contest anything or object to an additional moratorium.”
For the county’s part, it would renew the moratorium under a process that requires two weeks' notice and a legislative hearing to adopt a new one. “Once that moratorium is in place, not only Halifax Aggregates but no one else who’s interested in mining or quarrying activities could file for development approval during that six-month moratorium.”
That would give Halifax Aggregates as well as another interested party the opportunity to have a conversation about whether they might be able to work together. “If we find out they’re not going to be able to work something out, you (the board) will under this agreement be able to pick back up your ordinance at that time,” Rollins said.
The county attorney said he didn’t see a downside in doing this. “There’ll be a moratorium in place. It will give other parties outside of the county an opportunity to have a conversation. If they come to some understanding, then they’re going to have to bring us back input about how that works out. We all know we need this ordinance in Halifax County. We need to do this developmental regulation from one end of the county to the other.”
County Manager Dia Denton said she believed the board had good information from the county attorney. “I don’t think there’s any harm in postponing it and extending your moratorium.”
County Planning Director Chris Rountree said he didn’t see a downside to extending the moratorium and getting a firm ordinance in place.
Commissioner Thomas Barrett asked why the board shouldn’t move forward. “One company’s not going to determine, at least for me, what I think is best for Halifax County.”
Commissioner Gary Redding said, “If we do implement this agreement, my hope is that we have another round of input — not just from the companies, but also from residents. I felt at the planning board meeting we had helped provide a more well-rounded picture of its impact on not only the airport and property, but people's lives as well.”
