SALISBURY — The Rowan County commissioners on Monday approved four out of seven applications for the Voluntary Agricultural District, a program that provides partnerships between farmers and county land use planners.

Board Chairman Greg Edds was quick to notice that three out the applications were not fully completed.

Amy-Lynn Albertson, director of the Cooperative Extension service, said the minor errors were oversights by those applying.

“The board did check all of those items, but the applicant did not fill out the application correctly,” Albertson said. “Whenever we go through an application, we go back through the tax office to make sure they meet the requirements before we send that on.”

Edds moved that only the four complete applications be approved. His motion carried unanimously.

“Sometimes we just end up playing defense because of the way things are globally these days,” Edds said. “Approving things when the applications aren’t fully filled out, it opens us up to … a legal issue … (and) certainly criticism.”

Approved applicants are David DiLoreto; Walter Darrell Elium Sr. and Olivia S. Elium; Morgan Mosher; and Frank J. Small Jr. and Conita M. Small.

The remaining applicants will be reconsidered during the commissioners’ January meeting.

In other news from Monday’s meeting:

• The commissioners elected Edds as board chairman and Jim Greene as vice chairman for 2018.

Motions for both positions were made by Commissioner Judy Klusman and carried unanimously.

• The commissioners appointed 20 people to 11 local boards. They include:

• Sue Weddington for reappointment to the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee.
• Kim Purcell-Reid for reappointment to the Board of Public Health for a general public position.
• Linus Giles Goodman III to the Board of Public Health for the engineer position.
• Mary Frances Edens for reappointment to the Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee.
• Tyeshia Woods to the Local Emergency Planning Committee as the health care representative.
• Frank Thomason to the Local Emergency Planning Committee as a community member.
• James W. Beck Jr. and Robert Lee Bruce for reappointment to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
• Andrew Poston for reappointment to the Planning Board.
• Steve Poteat, David R. Miller and Randy Joel Johnson to the Planning Board.
• Tony V. Harris to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council as a member of the faith community.
• Bryan Overcash for reappointment to the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission.
• Lynn Moody to the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission.
• Judy Bernhardt, Wayne Taylor and Robert G. Burleyson to the South Salisbury Volunteer Fire Department Fire Commissioners.
• Peggy Harris for reappointment to the Therapeutic Recreation Board.
• Samuel “Lonnie” Goodman to the Granite Quarry Zoning Extraterritorial jurisdiction board..

There are still several board vacancies across the county, an issue that Edds addressed as the meeting drew to a close.

“We have 32 vacancies … ,” he said. “Please tell your friends and family. Perhaps it’d be a great stocking stuffer.”