Only one citizen addressed Halifax Town Council Tuesday night concerning amendments to the Town's zoning ordinance which call for the need of a special use permit for a community market (farmer market) and

a veterinary hospital (animal clinic) in C-1 Commercial Zoning Districts. Dr. Larry Younger of Halifax Veterinary Clinic told Councilmen that having to request a special use permit simply makes it "a little more restrictive to do business in the Town. You wouldn't have to get a special use permit to open a furniture store here," he reminded them. Younger, whose business is the only local veterinary who deals with large animals, said he has no plans to sell his business or to expand it, but would like for the Town to allow for an expansion if his plans change in the future.

And while Councilmen saw no problems with Younger's operation, they were concerned that by not requiring a special use permit the Town could possibly face a situation where they had no control over any new business that might come into the Town. Therefore, they accepted the recommendation of their Planning Commission calling for special use permits for anyone wanting to operate a farmer's market or veterinary hospital. Also on Tuesday evening Halifax Councilmen voted to donate $750 to the Halifax Village Business Association to support their upcoming Wine Festival set for June 21 at the Mary Bethune Complex. Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase a post clock for the Courthouse area. Councilmen also set May 13 as the date for the first reading of their draft budget for the Town. The proposed $929,971 budget shows a decrease of $744,726, largely due to the elimination of the water and sewer fund which has been turned over to the Halifax County Public Service Authority. But the Town's General Fund is also decreased by 7.06 percent, down from last year by $60,680.  The Town's Finance

Committee is scheduled to meet on the first Wednesday of May to once again review the draft budget which will be presented to Councilmen the next day on May 8 for their input. The Town's tax rate has been lowered from its current 19 cents per $100 to 18 cents after the reassessed values of real property in the Town rose by an average of 4.5 percent. The personal property tax rate remained at $1.68 per $100 value. Spending in all the Town's departments was down except for the Police Department where its budget rose 5.98 percent. Councilman Jack Dunavant questioned the increase. "Why does this department continue to go up?" he asked. Police Chief David Martin pointed to increased fuel costs, as well as overtime and vacation pay, but Dunavant added that he was not

satisfied and would like to know more about what goes on in the Police Department. He urged Council to try and have more insight into that department. Councilmen also approved their support of a Scenic River designation

for the Banister River which will be forwarded to County Supervisors at the upcoming April 21 joint meeting. They also discussed plans for the Banister River replacement bridge.