Finance Assistant Myra Tyndall

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MAXTON — A discount store in Maxton will move to a larger location after the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted 4 to 1 to approve a conditional-use permit needed for the construction of a new building.

Commissioner Mark McEachin voted against the permit request by First Choice Insurance and Realty, which wants to build a new Family Dollar Store. The store, which is located at 143 S. Patterson St., will move across the street to the corner of West Baldwin and South Patterson streets. The area was also rezoned from Residential Single Family to Highway Business and Variance.

The town board also got a first look at a proposed budget for the next fiscal year that basically maintains the status quo.

According to Joe Strickland, a contractor with Premier Building & Development Company, construction on the 9,162- square-foot building for the Family Dollar Store is scheduled to begin within 45 days and will take about three months to complete.

During the public hearing session, Willis Sullivan and Edith Morris spoke against the construction of the building. Sullivan said that willow oak trees and pecan trees that have been there for more than 70 years would be destroyed.

“If the property is built, then all or most of the trees will have to go … ,” Sullivan said.

Morris said that the building will decrease the value of her home and cause traffic problems.

“I don’t think what we’re doing here is derogatory,” Strickland said. “It should enhance the neighborhood — I don’t think property values should go down by any means.”

Strickland said the new store will create five jobs and increase the town’s tax base.

During a work session, Myra Tyndall, an assistant in the Finance Department, presented the budget proposal, and said that the town could lose up to $150,000 in annual revenue through the loss of fees and taxes.

The $1.423 million proposal maintains the town’s tax rate of 80 cents for every $100 of property, keeps fees the same, does not add or eliminate jobs, and does not include a cost-of-living increase for employees.

The budget includes a sewage project that would be paid for with $252,430 in grant money and $28,100 of local money.

According to Tyndall, the town is expected to lose about $30,000 in privilege license taxes because Internet-gaming establishments have been shut down by the state. Tyndall said that the town could also lose up to $120,000 a year because of proposed legislation in the General Assembly that would reform the tax code.

“With the expenses we have, I really don’t know what the town is going to do if they take all our revenues away,” Tyndall said. “… If the revenues don’t come in, we’ll need to watch our spending.”

In other action, the board:

— Approved a revised version of a resolution that supports a mutual aid agreement among law enforcement agencies in Robeson County.

— Approved a conflict-of-interest policy related to the sewer project. The policy states that the commissioners and people administrating the grant will not be involved in the project.

— Heard from Chief Tammy Deese, who introduced Anthony Williams as a new officer.