money has been put into the budgets for us, at the state and federal levels.” WORKFORCE HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT Bertie County is moving forward with housing development to support its current and future residents. “We have just completed affordable houses for both teachers and government employees here in the county. That was an ongoing project, and at this point in time it is filled,” details Vice Chairman, Ronald Roberson. Currently, 32% of the county workforce lives outside Bertie County, and the plan is to capture this demographic by providing quality housing options near industrial areas.“That’s our focus, to bring that money, the interest, the taxes and the revenue back into the county,” he adds. Trent underscores the challenges, acknowledging, “We look towards the North Carolina Housing and Finance Agency, as they need to hopefully start changing some of the rules that they have. One of the rules that keeps us from scoring high enough so that these developers will be able to get their tax credits is that we don’t have a grocery store or a pharmacy within two and a half miles of some of these projects.” There is also a focus on bringing in more retail to support the influx of residents to the community, encourage future development, and attract further growth. Plans are in motion to secure tax incentives for developers and explore mixed-use and singlefamily housing to address these gaps. “There has been land that has been purchased by developers who are interested in putting some housing here, and we’ve just got to get to the point where we can afford these tax credits that we’re talking about,” Trent Stresses.“If that can happen, then you will see a growth spurt on the residential side, and that’s what we need, whether it be multi family or single family homes. I think the greatest thing in the world that we can have is actual home ownership. Everybody deserves that.” EDUCATIONAL AND CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE Bertie County has also invested in amenities such as the Bertie County Library and North Carolina 72 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12
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