Reacting to overwhelming public opposition, the Moore County Board of Commissioners on Monday night voted to turn down Carthage’s request to expand its extraterritorial jurisdiction within the Urban Service Boundaries of the countywide zoning ordinance.

Fourteen persons spoke during the public hearing, and only one, a member of the Carthage Planning Board, voiced support for the proposal.

“The people have expressed themselves, and we would be remiss if we vote for it,” Commissioner Colin McKenzie said.

Chairman Michael Holden said the issue is not confined to the town of Carthage. Two other towns, Southern Pines and Pinebluff, have made similar requests, but their proposals have not advanced as quickly as that of Carthage.

“I have a hard time looking at these ETJs and seeing why it’s necessary,” Holden said.

Commissioner Bob Ewing said that Carthage has good ideas and assets but expressed his opinion that the details had not been clearly explained.

“It seems obvious from the turnout tonight that most people are opposed to this,” Ewing said. “The town of Carthage can do a better selling job.”

McKenzie recalled the two years of hard work it took to develop the land-use plan and the countywide zoning ordinance.

“We were run out of some places,” McKenzie said. “But we tried to do what was best for everyone. We came up with a countywide plan, and the result was countywide zoning.”

Ewing made the motion to deny the request. McKenzie made the second, and the four commissioners present agreed. The fifth, Paul S. Helms, was absent because of a meeting conflict.

Max Muse, a member of the Carthage Planning Board and the only supporter of the proposal, admitted that he has not always been in favor of zoning. However, he told how his opinion had been changed in the past eight years.

“My father was the most adamant person against zoning,” he recalled.

Muse pointed out that the area under consideration is already zoned by the county and said that the real question is whether residents want to come to the county with their requests and problems or to Carthage residents whom they know.

“I’ve come to realize it’s easier to come to people you know if you have a problem,” Muse said.

But he was the only one to favor the change, other than Carthage Mayor Larry Caddell and Carthage Town Manager Bob Boyette, who spoke prior to the hearing.

Caddell told the commissioners that Carthage is the sixth fastest-growing municipality in North Carolina, its population climbing from 960 several years ago to 2,300.

“I know this is not an easy decision,” he said. “We believe with all our hearts that this is something we should do now and should do to protect the future of Carthage.”

Caddell said that none of the County Planning Board members lives within the proposed ETJ expansion area. If the town’s request were approved, then the town would be required to appoint at least one person from the area to represent the ETJ on the town Planning Board.

Ella Burroughs was the first speaker to oppose the request. She said the change would not be beneficial.

“I believe in that old saying: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” she said.

Don Eaton said the town zoning ordinance is more restrictive than the county’s and said that he can vote for the county commissioners but would have no vote for the Carthage Town Board. Eaton also said that the town is not offering any new services for the area in the foreseeable future.

“Nobody has said how it would help any of us,” complained the next speaker, Doug Priest.

Steve Talbert said he bought 42 acres in the area because he wanted to live in the country. Talbert said that such a change would just move his property closer into municipal control and added that he has no vote in Carthage but can vote for the county commissioners.

Ansol Graham, a Moore County native, said he too bought property in a rural area because he did not want to live in town.

“I can’t think of anything the city of Carthage can do for me that I can’t do for myself,” Graham said.

“I don’t need the City of Carthage coming down there and telling me what to do,” Louis Metz said. “This is the first step toward annexation.”

“You’re losing your freedom,” Louise Purghardt said.

Joining the growing number of opposition voices were Amy Prevost, Stephen Farrell, Helen McDonald, Mark Price and Hugh Burroughs.

At the close of the hearing, Commissioner David Cummings asked for a show of hands from the audience. No hands were seen in favor of the ETJ extension, but dozens of hands shot up when he asked about opposition.

For Carthage, the board’s decision came at the close of a lengthy process that began with a presentation to the county commissioners a year ago.

Carthage officials argued that the town needs to extend its jurisdiction in order to make better plans for future growth. The town later reduced the size of the requested ETJ expansion area to coincide with the Urban Service Boundaries district established in the county zoning ordinance.

In response to instructions from the County Planning Board, the town held a public information session on the proposal earlier this year. Notification was by legal advertisement, and few people showed up.

County planners said the town should have notified each property owner in the ETJ expansion area by mail. When town officials complained that the county had not made its preferences clear, the county took care of the issue by staging a public information meeting and notifying each property owner by mail.

That session was held Sept. 11 in the Agriculture Center and attracted a large audience .

If the county commissioners had approved the request, it would not have meant that the ETJ extension would be automatic.

The town would have been required to comply with a series of legalities, including holding a hearing of its own, before taking final action.