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By Jim Buice
Enterprise Record

BERMUDA RUN – Town council members here are scheduled to vote Tuesday whether to re-assign duties of the town’s board of adjustments from the planning board to the town council.
The planning board recommended the change, and a public hearing is scheduled on Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m. in town hall. Boards of adjustments hear appeals on tax values, and can grant variancess to zoning ordinances. It is a quasi-judicial board, and appeals to those decisions can go to the court system.
But even before council members gave approval to having the public hearing, resident Vera Williamson of Haywood Drive in Advance offered her take on the matter, saying this action “does again narrow both the number and the perspective of decision makers in our community.”
“As you know, the planning board is the only spot in Bermuda Run town government that gives any voice to those like me who live in the ETJ (Extraterritorial Jurisdiction). The planning board, as it is now constituted, is also simply more representative of this community than the town council because it includes members of Kinderton.
“For example, when you had the opportunity last fall to appoint a qualified person from Kinderton to a vacancy on the town council, you choose to not do so. A more representative government will be a healthier community.”
Williamson then offered a possible solution: “to add the ETJ representative on the Planning Board and perhaps one additional planning board member, ideally someone from Kinderton, to join you as a council when you sit as the Board of Adjustment.”
Council member Jeff Tedder thanked Williamson for her comments, but added: “I would say … November is around the corner. Community representation is very important. There will be three (council) seats available in November.”
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In a last-minute addition to last month’s agenda, Town Manager Andrew Meadwell asked to include an item – and later received approval – regarding a new agreement for event planning, saying the town would be “moving away from the alignment with the Davie County Arts Council to coordinate and plan these town events (multiple concerts on the Town Green with a variety of groups performing).
“So I have found a vendor who is willing to offer its services at no cost to the town. It’s really more of a partnership with this group to do so. We’ll have at least four Food Truck Fridays and two other events planned for this. This group will also take care of the marketing.”
Last month in a story related to the local concerts’ schedule for venues in the 2025 season, Mayor Mike Brannon offered this comment: “While we have had several successful years of larger name performers as part of that partnership, we want to pivot instead to finding more local acts, a greater percentage of residents attending our concerts and leveraging our entertainment dollars more efficiently.”
In other highlights fromth meeting, the council:
• Heard a presentation from the council on its recent 2025 planning session. It included a 2024 year in review update from Meadwell, current and new projects from Brannon, Vision 2035 from council member Rae Nelson, and Comprehensive Plan strategies and objectives from council member Christy Schafer.
• Approved a request from Meadwell seeking support from the council to send a letter of support to the Davie County Board of Elections requesting that General Elections for Bermuda Run residents be held at the Bermuda Run Town Hall instead of Hillsdale Baptist Church.
• Approved a budget amendment from Meadwell for the 2024-25 General Fund Budget be amended to accept $12,823 from the Davie County Community Foundation as revenue and expend the same amount for expenses related to the 2025 Flag Project – Blue Heron Trail.
• Heard from Brannon in the mayor’s report about Davie Medical Center’s recent recognition as an outstanding hospital – placing seventh out of all small community hospitals in the United States; and that Sheriff JD Hartman would be the guest speaker at the June 10 council meeting.