A Cherokee County Councilman doesn't want to completely gut the county's new junkyard ordinance in order to placate a group of junkyard operators.

Councilman Bailey Humphries said existing junkyards should adhere to state guidelines concerning junkyards and has asked county officials to review its provisions.

Junkyard owners have opposed the county's new ordinance that requires them to erect an 8-foot fence around their property.

At a meeting the Cherokee County Planning Commission held on Thursday, the operators cited a lack of knowledge of the ordinance on the part of Cherokee County Council members and the unfairness of singling out junkyard operators to regulate.

Billy Tessner of Al's Auto Service in Blacksburg said the ordinance was passed to benefit Cherokee County Councilman Charles Mathis. He also threatened to sue council, which, he claims, failed to act in the best interest of the community.

"None of the councilmen knew what was in the ordinance," he said. "The councilmen did shoddy work. They are trying to drive everybody out of a job."

Humphries said council is not trying to punish legitimate junkyard operators, but must protect the property values of county residents.

"Too many Cherokee County residents work hard all their lives to be able to afford a new home and some place to call their own. Somebody has to look out for the hard-working individuals and protect the property values," Humphries said.

He said council has given the junkyard operators a break by extending the compliance period to five years.

In November, council unanimously passed final reading of an ordinance that requires junkyard owners within two years to erect an 8-foot fence on the portion of their property that fronts public rights-of-way and have five years to extend the fence around the entire perimeter of their property.