The final public hearing on Jackson County’s steep slope ordinance was postponed. Here’s why:

Counties are required to publicly advertise public hearings on any ordinances they’re planning to adopt, amend, or repeal; but ordinances that deal with zoning laws require a greater effort to get the word out than other types of ordinances. The county advertised the steep sloope hearing in accordance with rules governing typical ordinance revisions, but discussions with the University of North Carolina’s School of Government revealed that the steep slope ordinance – officially called the Mountain Hillside Development Ordinance – actually qualified as a zoning decision.