Carthage ETJ On Agenda Today

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The Town of Carthage takes its bid for extension of its extraterritorial jurisdiction directly to the Moore County Board of Commis-sioners today.

At an earlier meeting, the Moore County Planning Board raised several questions about the extension request and recommended that the town hold another public hearing, after notifying all affected property owners by mail well in advance. The Carthage board has already held one public meeting on the subject, but it did not attract a large attendance.

Southern Pines and Pinebluff have also approached the county Planning Board with similar extraterritorial jurisdiction requests, but Carthage is the only one to take its request to the county for official approval.

If the commissioners give the issue their nod, the town must hold a public hearing before imposing planning and zoning regulations within the two-mile area outside town limits.

TAXES — At today’s meeting, County Tax Administrator Eddie Parris will also present the 1999 tax settlement.

The commissioners are being asked to call a couple of public hearings for their Aug. 21 meeting.

These involve a rezoning request for the William David Bibey property and the financing of public utilities along N.C. 211.

The board will convene at 2 p.m. in the former courtroom of the historic courthouse in downtown Carthage.

The meeting is open to the public.

EDWARDS — While attention was focused last week on U.S. Sen. John Edwards’ prospects as Al Gore’s choice for vice presidential running mate, Edwards was swinging through eastern North Carolina, staying in touch with part of his constituency.

Edwards was in Greenville Thursday to host a town hall meeting at East Carolina University.

He announced that he has appointed Joyce Mitchell as his area representative for the eastern region of the state.

Mitchell, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, also was a social worker and Greenville office manager for the Census Bureau before joining the Senate staff.

She will soon open an office for Edwards in Greenville.

A former Robbins resident, Edwards has been hosting what he calls Tar Heel Thursdays.

On every Thursday that the Senate is in session, Edwards hosts a session on Capitol Hill for North Carolinians visiting Washington. When the Senate is in recess, as it is now, he takes these open forums into various communities.

GOVERNOR — Gov. Jim Hunt announced the appointment of Ronald P. Hawley as the new state chief information officer Thursday.

Hawley will oversee the state’s Office of Information Technology Services.

That’s the agency that provides computing, telecommunication and other technical services to state and local governments as well as education entities.

ITS has taken a leadership role in developing the NC @ Your Service Portal, the state’s new web site that Hunt unveiled Tuesday.

The new CIO comes to the governor’s office from the state Department of Justice, where he served as acting chief information officer.