Truth Church’s county building permit delayed due to land ownership dispute

Published 12:19 pm Tuesday, August 18, 2020

The Board of Supervisors has tabled the approval of a conditional use permit for Truth Church as there is a dispute over the ownership of the property.

The Board met on Monday during their second regular meeting of the month to consider the Lafayette County Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve a conditional use permit for Truth Church.

The area in question is located on 127 County Road 405 in Oxford. It is a one-acre parcel of land that is joined by residential uses on all sides. Truth Church was planning to build a new building on the land, but that was put to a halt.

Email newsletter signup

Due to some discrepancies in ownership, the board decided to table their approval until the issue was resolved.

Sheryl Franklin, the daughter of Marvee and Charles Franklin, was in attendance at Monday’s meeting. She spoke on behalf of herself and her father to show that they are the rightful owners of the property.

“Whoever the Truth Church is, we don’t know,” Franklin said. “I know that they tried to get my dad to sign some papers and he didn’t. They tore down the building and removed his property. They told him that they were going to tear it down. He told them not to but they did it anyway and they ruined his property.”

The question of who owns the property on 127 CR 405 caused the Board to table their motion until rightful ownership was determined by the Chancery Court.