After rapidly progressing through the open portion of the meeting and holding a closed session, Rowan County Commissioners on Monday announced an overhaul of the county’s Code Enforcement Department.

The measures passed after closed session included increasing the pay of all current Code Enforcement Department employees to be equal to the county’s career development plan, repealing the plan for Code Enforcement after passing the increase, and reorganizing the Code Enforcement Department to become Building Inspections and implementing a new building inspections commercial plan review program.

Commissioners Chairman Greg Edds related the issue specifically to economic development, a cause he advocated for during the 2014 campaign and after taking office.

“We are looking at everything that touches economic development,” Edds said. “Some things we needed to look at to see if we were the most competitive in the region because we are competing with not only counties that touch us, but communities all across our region. ”

The reorganization announced Monday promotes a supervisor to an assistant director and two inspectors to senior inspectors.

A description of the new building inspection program says it is intended to speed growth throughout the commercial plan review process. A brochure for the program states applicants can pay an extra fee of $2,500 and reviews can be completed in 24 hours. The program description says a senior inspector will start a review at 5 p.m. and have it done by 5 p.m. the next day. Not meeting the deadline will result in a refund.

Edds said County Manager Aaron Church and Code Enforcement Director Thomas O’Kelly worked on the reorganization plans. The plans were discussed during Monday’s closed session along with an economic development matter at the airport.

Commissioners announced the transfer of a lease at the Rowan County Airport from Piedmont Skydiving to another owner. Piedmont Skydiving signed their current lease at the airport in June 2014.

Other items approved Monday include:

• Allocating $200,000 into site development work by Rowan Works Economic Development.

Economic Development Director Robert Van Geons, in a letter to commissioners, asked that 10 percent of $2.1 million in revenue from recent real estate sales go to certify sites for economic development.

The revenue comes from the purchase of two tracts of land in the Summit Corporate Center. One tract of land will house Agility Fuel Systems and the other will house a retail complex.

In his letter, Van Geons lists multiple sites across the county to be certified. Work needed includes environmental reports, surveys, renderings and various transportation engineering improvements.

• A real estate contract with R. Gils Moss Auction and Real Estate to market and sell county buildings.

R. Giles Moss, based in Rockwell, proposed a 5 percent commission for any sale over $75,000 and 6 percent for a sale under $75,000.

• A change in the available uses for a one-quarter cent county sales and use tax levied on Jan. 4, 2010.

The tax was previously only allowed to be used for improvements at the county’s jail annex, emergency radio upgrades and communications antenna. The approved change allows county government to also use the tax for purchasing, implementing or financing public safety capital needs.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.