Article 4 outlines minimum requirements for county services
HALEY PAYNE ROBERTS
MCO Senior Staff Writer
As we’ve established, Moore County is run by a lot of good folks. Picking up where we left off as we expand upon the county’s services, it is important to highlight the presence of some essential departments that keep us going.
Article 4 of the Lynchburg charter sets out a minimum requirement that certain departments exist and carry out certain duties. So as not to detract from the charter’s true meaning, here is what it says verbatim about these departments:
• A Law Enforcement Department headed by the Sheriff of Moore County, which department shall have the obligation to enforce all state criminal laws and Metropolitan ordinances throughout the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Government.
• A Highway Department headed by a Highway Superintendent elected as required by law.
• A Fire Department, headed by the Metropolitan Executive, or such person as
the Metropolitan Executive may appoint subject to confirmation by the Metropolitan Council, which department shall be charged with fire fighting and fire prevention obligations throughout the Municipal Government. The Metropolitan Council is empowered to give financial support to such departments and salaries for employed personnel thereof selected in accordance with the governing by-laws of such departments.
• A Planning Commission whose functions shall include:
(i) planning for orderly development of the area within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Government so as to minimize the pubic expense of expanding public services, and to protect the restriction of particular geographic area to particular uses, such as farming and residential uses, business uses, industrial uses, and other uses;
(ii) the protection of the environment from excessive harmful influences; and
(iii) the making of recommendations to the Metropolitan Council for the reapportionment of councilmanic districts and school districts, as such re-districting may be required by the laws of the state, by the final judgment of courts of general jurisdiction, or by the Metropolitan Council.
• A Board of Zoning Appeals to carry out the functions normally performed by such boards.
• The Public Works Department, which shall be administered by the Metropolitan Executive and shall administer the building and zoning code enforcement, including code inspection, reports, and certifications; all engineering functions, including traffic engineering; building rehabilitation programs; the sanitation and garbage collection functions; and street and highway development and maintenance.
While many may think it doesn’t take much to run a small county government like ours, much dedication and effort goes into keeping all of the cogs in our well-oiled machine.
NEXT: The function of public education within the context of the charter
• Metro Moore: What does it mean?
• How do the ‘charter’ pieces fit together?
