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Scott Witten

Editor

Laurinburg residents will not see any change in their tax rate for next year, according to the city’s proposed budget presented Tuesday night.

City Manager Ed Burchins has recommended that the tax rate remain at 40 cents per $100 valuation.

The Fiscal Year 2013 proposed budget is $34.1 million — about 3.3 percent more than the current budget.

Burchins has also proposed that all fees stay at this year’s levels.

“The preparation of this budget comes at a time when there are still economic issues for us to contend with,” Burchins told council in his budget message. “Therefore we developed this budget in a way so the city can provide essential services to all our citizens and businesses without increasing the cost of services.”

Council is expected to hold a number of budget workshops before considering approval of the proposal at a public hearing on June 19 at 7 p.m.

The public can review a copy of the proposed budget at the city clerks office at the Barrett Administration Building at 305 West church Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

In other business, council voted to amend the city’s Unified Development Ordinance to allow seven or less multi-family units by permit of the zoning officer.

The change would also require a conditional use permit for multi-family developments with eight or more units.

Council had asked the the City’s Planning Board to study the issue and make recommendations.

Laurinburg Planning Director Brandi Deese said there were two options the city could pursue. The first was limiting the number of units within a half square mile to 200 units.

“This first option was found to be utilized in a few communities in North Carolina,” Deese said in her report. “However, these communities that utilize this first option are greater in size than our community.”

The second option, recommended by the city manager, would require a conditional use permit for any multi-family development with more than 10 units instead of the current more than 15.

Deese said the first option would be tedious to enforce and preferred the second option.

Council also approved a request to rezone property at 318 E. Church Street from residential to office/institutional. The request was made by First Baptist Church, which wants to create 26 additional parking spaces for the church. The existing dwelling on the property would be demolished. Church members say its has become a liability and has been vandalized.

In other business, council voted:

To condemn and demolish two properties — one at 16290 Joy Street and the other at 430 Carver Street.;

Approve the sale of a lot on Cary Street for the amount of $750 to Billy Campbell;

Approve the sale of two lots on Fayetteville Street to William Dowdy;

Authorize a financing agreement with BB&T for automated side-loading refuse truck and front-loading refuse truck for 10 years at 1.83 percent and for the custom pumper fire truck for 10 years at 2.18 percent, total amount financed $818,790.

The council also voted to set a number of public hearings for next month.

The hearings are planned for June 19 at at 7 p.m. in the council room of the Municipal Building at 303 W. Church St.

They will include:

— A public hearing to consider a request to rezone from industrial to office/institutional the property located at 412 Fairley St.

— A public hearing to consider amending the permissible uses for off-premises signs and to amend the buildings codes.