Before Maiden starts a major plastic surgery operation of its ordinances, the town is seeking public opinion.

A year-long process was approved in September to update Maiden’s code ordinances and create a unified development code, UDO. The project is completely paid $60,000 of taxpayer money, Maiden Planning Director Sam Schultz said.

“The public input is very important because the document has to serve the town and the citizens the are what make up the town,” Schultz said.

Maiden Town Council previously approved Brough Law Firm in Chapel Hill and Studio Cascade Planning and Design, located in Spokane, Wash., to research, align ordinances with North Carolina laws and create one easy-to-read digital document that explains Maiden’s ordinances, Schultz said.

“We serve the public,” said Town Manager Todd Herms. “It is our duty to listen and evaluate their input. Throughout the process it is our hope and goal to obtain as much public input as possible, because at the end of the day this document belongs to the citizens of Maiden.”

Maiden will host two public input sessions for its code ordinances and UDO creation from 3 to 5 p.m. and 6:15 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

It is important town council gives residents opportunity to ask questions and understand the process.

“Whenever we create an ordinance, we have a public hearing,” Herms said. “When you review every single ordinance, (the council) has to show that it gave the public ample opportunity to give input. We don’t want to have an outside company and staff to do all this work (for no reason).”

Schultz said the ordinance code is more than 3,500 pages from the 1970s and unorganized. When a planning director, for instance Schultz said, leaves the job, he or she might not have added new ordinances to the book. There are missing pages.

“As different text amendments were made, (town staff) ended up with the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing,” Schultz said.

Schultz said the process is hard for a large or small business to come to the town, because the old ordinances don’t have a permitted use listed. Schultz said Apple struggled with Maiden’s ordinances, because it had to wait for text amendments and technical corrections to be made in the ordinances code

“As with most things in life, after 30 years, things change, the way people do business changes and new ideas have proven themselves to be a better fit in local government,” Herms said.

The town also appointed a citizen’s technical review committee as another way for Maiden’s residents to have a voice, but through leadership.

“I would like each (council member) to give me three or four names,” said Maiden Mayor Bob Smyre. “It’s hard to get people on the committee.”

The committee will review current ordinances and the new digital ordinance code before it is completed in June 2010 for technical errors and organization.