CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Mecklenburg County could buy up to 50 homes that sustained serious flood damage in the past month under a deal approved unanimously by commissioners on Tuesday.

Under the plan, the county's Storm Water Services department would spend $4 million to buy up to 30 homes, mostly along Briar Creek. Also, Park and Recreation could purchase up to 20 more residences using money from greenway bonds approved last year.

The program would be limited to homes severely damaged in floods on Aug. 27 or Sept. 10, and most prone to future flooding.

Most of the targeted properties lie in the Briar Creek floodplain, and include homes on or near the following east Charlotte streets: Dunlavin Way, Harbinger Court, Dolphin Lane and Shannonhouse Drive.

Storm Water Services Director Dave Canaan said officials will start notifying homeowners soon if their property qualifies for the buyout. The program is voluntary, and residents would have 21 days to either accept or reject the county's offer.

Mecklenburg County has bought and demolished more than 160 flood-prone structures during the past eight years through a voluntary program that uses a mix of local, state and federal dollars.

The new plan marks the second time the county has sought to buy properties using a “quick buy” program using only local money. The last time occurred after floods in 2003.

Among those homes that could be targeted in the new buyout is that of Melba Adams. At Tuesday's meeting, she described waking up early Aug. 27 to see water had risen to the baseboards inside her Dolphin Lane home.

Worried she'd get electrocuted, she called firefighters. By the time they arrived, the water had risen even higher.

Everything in her home was destroyed. “I'm 75 years old, and I'm having to start over,” said Adams, who has moved in with her granddaughter and two young children.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners:

- Approved a multi-year deal to let public television station WTVI create a public-affairs themed channel called “Public Square.” The channel and an accompanying Web site will roll out gradually over the next few years, and could cost up to $4.6 million when fully implemented during the 2013 budget year.

- Asked County Manager Harry Jones to talk with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman about an ongoing dispute over whether the school system can do an audit of applications for free or reduced-price lunch. Some school board members and county commissioner Bill James have pushed for an audit to check for fraud, but federal and state officials have threatened to take away the district's subsidies for the food program if CMS does it.

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