Edenton council asked about Hayes annexation, golf cart rules

EDENTON — Residents asked about the town’s annexation of the Hayes Plantation property and the possibility of new restrictions on golf carts driven on town streets at last week’s Edenton Town Council meeting.

During the public comments portion of the Sept. 10 meeting, Hal Murray asked Town Council to provide the public information about the annexation of the Hayes Plantation property.

According to documents Murray supplied during the meeting, state Rep. Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, introduced House Bill 904, the Town of Edenton/Hayes Farm Annexation bill, on April 24. The annexation also was discussed as early as Jan. 15, when Goodwin attended Town Council’s planning retreat, according to Murray.

A retreat document listing council’s possible priorities for 2024 included finalizing Hayes Farm’s annexation and the provision of town services to the site. Another priority listed the town’s future use of space on the Hayes property for what’s referred to as an “equestrian retirement program and mounted patrol.”

According to state law, towns and cities must provide basic services — police and fire protection, solid waste collection and water and sewer service — to any area that they annex within a specified amount of time.

Murray asked about Town Council's transparency during the annexation of Hayes Plantation, noting there were no public hearings held on the matter. He also asked for an estimated cost of the services the town will be providing to the 141.83-acre site.

The state of North Carolina is leasing the Hayes Plantation property to the nonprofit Elizabeth Vann Moore Foundation for $10 a year until Dec. 29, 2072.

Town Manager Corey Gooden said his office would address the Hayes Farm annexation at a future council meeting. He also will address resident Karen Murray’s request for modifications to the town’s golf cart ordinance at a future meeting.

Karen Murray suggested council add a seatbelt requirement and set speed limits for golf cart use on public streets. She said she often sees golf carts driving the same speed or faster than vehicle traffic.

Chowan County Recreation Superintendent Shannon Ray also addressed council at the Sept. 10 meeting about the county’s proposed $15 million recreation bond referendum on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. The bond issue, if voters give their approval in the referendum, will pay for a new recreation complex on the Red Banks property, a county-owned 96-acre site located across from American Legion Post on West Queen Street.

Council Member Sam Dixon asked whether the recreation department had considered putting together a site-specific plan so voters could see what the bond monies, if approved, actually would be spent for. Ray said officials determined that such a plan wouldn’t be feasible because it would cost between $50,000 and $70,000, which is roughly 10% of the department’s approximately $600,000 annual budget.

Also during the meeting, Gooden said the N.C. Department of Transportation has advised him that construction on Broad Street, between Virginia Road and Church Street, is likely to start in October.

When asked about Granville Street, a state-owned road that runs parallel to Broad, Gooden said he had not received an update from NCDOT.

Clarification: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Edenton resident Hal Murray questioned the legality of the town of Edenton's annexation of the Hayes Plantation property. Murray says he was only questioning the town of Edenton's transparency about the annexation.