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July ~O, 2006 (Regular Meeting) Page 21 Mr. Fragapane, On behalf of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, thank you for the opportunity to provide input and comment on the Interbasin Transfer (IBT) request by the cities of Concord and Kannapolis. Cabarrus County supports the cities' request to meet the long term infrastructure needs for residents, businesses, industries I institutions I and tourists in the County. There are two primary issues that the Board feels it is most appropriate for the County to address the review process and growth management related to infrastructure improvements. The IBT review process should concentrate on the verifiable scientific modeling of the affected basins. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the concord/Kannapolis IBT has employed the latest model prepared by Duke Power to estimate impacts on other users associated with this IBT request. That model indicates that the IBT request will have no significant effect. There have been comments made that approval of the IBT would support uncontrolled growth in Concord, Kannapolis, and throughout Cabarrus County. The cities and County have a strong record of cooperative land use planning and growth management that belies those comments. As recently as 2005, the municipalities in Cabarrus worked with the County and Duncan & Associates on major changes to the County Zoning Ordinance. These changes were aimed at managing growth on the fringe of the major cities and in rural portions of the County. They resulted in substantial changes to development standards for new development throughout the County including major reductions in permitted density. The most important aspect of the changes to this review process, however, was the enactment of policy that prohibits extensions of public water and sewer to properties zoned Agricultural-Open and Countryside Residential. The attached map shows a general location of these zoning districts which comprise over 50% of the total land area of the County. The Board of Commissioners hopes that you find these comments useful in your review of the IBT request, and urges the Commission to approve the certificate. If there are any additional questions, or further information is required please do not hesitate to contact the County Commerce Director, Jonathan Marshall, at 704-920-2145 or jbmarshall@cabarruscount~. Sincerely, Isl Robert Carruth Robert W. Carruth, Chairman Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners (8-10) Report on and Discussion of Recent Immigration Meetings and Issues vice Chairman Juba reported on a recent workshop entitled UThe Changing Face of the New South: Latinos in Greater Charlotte Region" that she, Commissioner Privette and the County Manager attended. At that workshop, she had talked with the facilitator for Mayor Pat McCrory's Immigration Study Committee in Charlotte. The facilitator had offered to assist Cabarrus County in establishing a similar committee and had invited Vice Chairman Juba and other Board members to attend the next committee meeting. Vice Chairman Juba said she had been unable to attend that meeting, but Chairman Carruth and Pam Dubois, Deputy County Manager, attended. Commissioner Privette reported that he, Commissioner Freeman and Don Cummings I Human Resources Director, attended a meeting in Charlotte with Congressman Sue Myrick and Gerri Ratliff, Chief of the Department of Homeland Security Verification Division. He also reported on a response to an e-mail he sent to Chief Ratliff asking what could be done to ensure that illegal immigrants are not hired to work on the Sheriff's Office and Detention Center construction project. He stated she had responded that the contract with Turner Construction could contain a provision requiring Turner to participate in a pilot employment verification program of Homeland Security. However, if the contract has already been signed, she had suggested that Turner may agree to insert the requirement to the subcontractors' contracts not yet signed. Commissioner Privette made the following motion: Concerning the contract with Turner Construction for the Jail Annex, we request that Turner