Jan. 11. The Cornelius Planning Board has unanimously voted in support of four short-term strategies suggested by the Mayor’s Housing Study Committee. Deputy Town Manager Wayne Herron outlined the strategies for the board:

1. Pursue the creation of a community development corporation (CDC).

2. Ask the new CDC to pursue a transitional housing program.

3. Ask the new CDC to pursue rental assistance funding for Cornelius residents.

4. Encourage the Town to continue and expand the employee housing stipend.

Wayne Herron

“We have teachers, firefighters, people we need living in our community that simply cannot afford to do so at the moment,” Assistant Town Manager Wayne Herron said.

—The town has a housing stipend of $2,000 annually for police, and $1,000 for firefighters.

“The recommendation is to expand that to all employees,” Herron said.