2026-10-12 - Town Council

00:02I need to turn my phone off.

00:28>> Yeah.

00:42Yeah.

01:41>> I'm sure.

01:52>> It was after we all know that.

01:55>> Hey, Jen.

02:05Hey there.

02:07I'm good. How are you?

02:26Yeah.

02:27That's why we're here.

02:31No, they're here, there, and everywhere.

02:35And it makes me

02:38But like

02:39I feel like it's terrifying

02:42The microphone is right there.

02:45I like that.

02:57>> I thought it was funny.

02:58>> What down?

03:00Pull it down.

03:07>> How are you, Jen?

03:11>> And have a good birthday.

03:13>> Yes.

03:15>> Thank you.

03:16>> We will pray for you.

03:18>> I appreciate that.

03:19>> We're pulling for you as long as you

03:22>> We don't

03:23>> I'm not being

03:26>> I like it a lot.

03:28>> Yeah.

03:29>> That's bad.

03:32>> Yeah.

03:32>> You got a problem with

03:34>> I like you.

03:35>> Hey.

03:36>> I got to go.

03:37>> I got to

03:43>> No, I'm good.

03:44>> I think you can wear it.

03:48>> I got

03:50>> Can you get it?

03:53>> I have a

03:54>> Let me wipe it off.

04:10I love it.

04:12I just feel it. It didn't even process

04:14it out.

05:42Oh, I just

05:53>> Well, I was on my way back. I stopped in

05:55there.

05:56>> [clears throat]

06:06>> I'd like to call this meeting of the

06:08town of Rural Hall Council to order at

06:117:00 p.m.

06:15I want to start out with our Pledge of

06:16Allegiance led by Town Clerk Lynette

06:19Hendrick, and if you would, please

06:21remain standing for a moment of silence.

06:26>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

06:29United States of America

06:31and to the republic for which it stands,

06:35one nation under God, indivisible, with

06:39liberty and justice for all.

06:55>> Okay, you may be seated.

07:12Before I do the announcements, we have

07:15a few guests that I would like to

07:16introduce. Our former mayor, Tim

07:19Flinchum, is here.

07:21Um Commissioner Chris Parker and

07:24Commissioner Dan Bessie.

07:27Okay.

07:29>> [applause]

07:29>> Thank you for joining us.

07:36Move right along with our announcements.

07:38Um

07:40the Bombers versus the Young Guns, and

07:42most of you familiar with the Bombers

07:44they are your 80 plus team that plays

07:48every Monday night against the Young

07:50Guns. The Young Guns are like in their

07:5150s to 70 or so.

07:54But to be on the Bombers you've got to

07:58be 70 plus.

08:00Couple of us on the council and some of

08:02the firemen you might even see some

08:05other staff that go over on Thursday

08:08mornings to do a little practicing with

08:10them. They haven't let us join the team

08:13quite yet.

08:14If that tells you anything.

08:17Mayors town hall meetings.

08:19Going to have one tomorrow night at 6:30

08:22and one on the 27th at 6:30 here in the

08:25council chambers.

08:28Early voting is October the 15th.

08:33Rural Hall Area Business Association 5K

08:36race will be October the 24th

08:39and their registration is open so you

08:42can get in contact with them.

08:44Rural Hall Trunk or Treat is October the

08:4724th at Covington Park from 6:00 to 8:00

08:50p.m.

08:51And then on the 31st Rural Halloween is

08:54when we shut down Broad Street and

08:57everybody

08:59goes up through the town and has a great

09:02time.

09:03Election day is November the 3rd.

09:06Rural Hall Area planning plan community

09:09engagement event dates

09:11is November the 5th, December the 16th,

09:15and January the 13th and all of them

09:17will be at 5:30 p.m. here in the council

09:20chambers.

09:21Town offices will be closed for

09:24Thanksgiving on November the 26th and

09:2727th.

09:29The Christmas tree lighting will be

09:31December the 3rd at 6:00 p.m. at the

09:34Rural Hall fire station.

09:37The Rural Hall Christmas parade will be

09:39December the 6th at 2:30 p.m.

09:43And then our Rural Hall / Ronald

09:45McDonald Luminary project where we light

09:48up the

09:49Broad Street with over 3,000 luminaries

09:53will be on December the 12th.

09:56And town office is closed for Christmas

09:59uh

10:0023rd and 25th.

10:04I think that's all the announcements.

10:06Next item, I'm going to go ahead. We

10:09have a proclamation. I'm going to have

10:11Mayor Pro Tem

10:13uh Horn to read that proclamation,

10:16please.

10:20>> Family Care

10:21Caregivers [clears throat] Month in

10:22Rural Hall.

10:23Whereas this November in Rural Hall, we

10:25recognize the 2.1 million family

10:27caregivers across our state who are

10:29helping their older parents, spouses,

10:32and other loved ones live independently

10:34in their homes

10:35and in their communities where they want

10:37to be.

10:38Whereas Rural Hall family caregivers are

10:40among millions of Americans recognized

10:42this November during National Family

10:44Caregivers Month. Family caregivers are

10:46the backbone of North Carolina's

10:47long-term care system, providing 1.79

10:51billion hours of care

10:53worth 33 billion annually.

10:56This extraordinary contribution not only

10:58sustains families but also saves our

11:01state's taxpayers billions.

11:03Whereas but family caregivers are

11:06stressed and overwhelmed by balancing

11:08the physical, emotional, financial, and

11:11often time-consuming demands required to

11:13care for their older loved ones.

11:16They do it all.

11:17Help their older loved ones

11:20with decisional tasks including

11:22medications and medical care, meals,

11:25bathing and dressing, chores, finances,

11:28grocery shopping, transportation, and

11:30more.

11:31Whereas most pay for expensive care out

11:34of their pockets,

11:35all while facing soaring prices for

11:38everyday essentials like groceries,

11:40housing, utilities, and health care.

11:42Too often, family caregivers stop

11:44saving, take on more debt, use up

11:46personal short-term savings, leave bills

11:48unpaid, or pay them late, and borrow

11:51money from family and friends to deal

11:52with financial changes.

11:54And for the family caregivers who are

11:56also juggling jobs, many must reduce

11:58work hours or leave the workforce

12:00entirely due to

12:02caregiving responsibility.

12:05Whereas, family caregivers deserve our

12:08gratitude, but they also need common

12:10sense solutions that save them money,

12:12time, and provide support.

12:14Now, therefore, I, Eddie Horn, Mayor Pro

12:16Tem of Rural Hall, by virtue of

12:18authority vested in me by the Town of

12:19Rural Hall, North Carolina, do hereby

12:22proclaim November 2026 as National

12:24Family Caregivers Month in Rural Hall.

12:28Chances are, if you are not a family

12:29caregiver right now, you have been. You

12:32may be at some point, or you

12:34know someone who is,

12:36or you will someday need a family

12:37caregiver yourself to help you live

12:39independently at home. Family caregivers

12:42need support, including financial

12:44relief. I encourage all citizens to

12:46reach out to the family caregivers in

12:48their lives. Thank them for the

12:50incredibly important work they do, and

12:52support them if you can.

12:54In witness whereof, I have set my hand

12:57this 12th day of October, 2026.

13:00>> All right.

13:03Thank you,

13:04Mayor Pro Tem Horn.

13:06Next item on our agenda is uh a

13:09presentation

13:11um

13:12for uh by uh Zoltan Mack with the Gulf

13:15and Ohio Railroad what railways.

13:19Uh I'll ask you to go ahead and come up,

13:22and and it's going to be a little bit

13:23different. After [snorts] they make

13:25their presentation, [clears throat]

13:26we're going to allow limited

13:34When I touch it it goes

13:35Okay.

13:38Anyway

13:40presentation by Zoltan Zoltan Mack and

13:44Gulf and Ohio Railways.

13:47But the thing is going to change. We're

13:49going to allow an opportunity for for

13:53you to ask them questions. Now I know

13:55they're going to get ready probably will

13:57tell you there's a lot of questions that

13:59probably can't be answered if you get

14:01into federal regulations and all that

14:04stuff. So

14:07be cautious when you ask question and

14:10they are not able to answer there is a

14:12reason. Just wanted to pass that along.

14:14So I'm going to turn it over to you.

14:16>> Thank you Mr. Mayor.

14:18So my name is Zoltan Mack and

14:20this is Jason France from he's our CEO

14:23of the Gulf and Ohio and he's got our

14:25our little history or background of the

14:27railroad what we're going to

14:29>> Okay. And if you could turn that mic up

14:31a little because they don't they like us

14:34to be in the mic.

14:35>> Is that okay?

14:36>> Yeah, that's good.

14:37>> All right. Good evening Council folks

14:39everyone here.

14:40Thank you for allowing us to come over

14:42tonight. Just a bit of history about the

14:44Yadkin Valley Railroad itself.

14:46Yadkin Valley Railroad operates 93 miles

14:48of track.

14:49Both main lines originated in 1888 and

14:531890 respectively.

14:56Both railroads were eventually part of

14:58the Southern Railway Company.

15:00Southern Railway Company and Norfolk and

15:02Western merged to become Norfolk and

15:03Southern in 1982.

15:06The Yadkin Valley Railroad began

15:09operations in December of 1989 as part

15:12of the Lovenburg and Southern Railroad

15:14which derived from Norfolk Southern's

15:16thoroughbred short line program.

15:19March 1st, 1994 the Gulf and Ohio

15:21Railways assumed operation of the Y V R

15:24R.

15:26Y V R R has always strived and will

15:28continue to maintain a good working

15:31relationship with the town of Rural

15:32Hall,

15:35local emergency response crews, and

15:37local law enforcement agencies.

15:40Y V R R

15:41uh

15:42follows all applicable federal rail

15:45rules and regulations as mandated by the

15:48Federal Railroad Administration,

15:50the F R A, the Pipeline and Hazardous

15:53Materials Safety Administration, P H M S

15:56A,

15:57the Transportation Security

15:59Administration, the T S A,

16:01and the National Transportation Safety

16:03Board, the N T S B.

16:06Our F R A inspections and inspectors uh

16:09include the M P & E, which is motive

16:12power and equipment, known as

16:14locomotives and rail cars,

16:16>> [snorts]

16:17>> track maintenance

16:18uh and maintenance of way.

16:22Signalization,

16:24railroad operations, and hazardous

16:26materials.

16:30Yadkin Valley Railroad's security plan

16:32is in place and cannot be openly

16:34discussed with anyone other than

16:36railroad employees

16:38and personnel that directly affect

16:41secure railroad operations.

16:43The Y V R R security plan is federally

16:46mandated

16:47and federal regulations prevent Y V R R

16:50from discussing the protective security

16:52measures

16:54that have been implemented in this plan.

16:59The Yadkin Valley Railroad has been

17:00transloading since 2009 without any

17:04safety-related issues, also.

17:06Just thought I'd throw that bit of

17:07information in there for you.

17:09So.

17:13>> Okay.

17:16Any questions from council right now or

17:19you want to add some more or anything to

17:22it?

17:23>> I'll maybe the only thing I add that we

17:25regularly train our employees.

17:28We have requirements by the FRA

17:32certification of hazmat operational

17:35requirements. Also mandated uh

17:39observations on a pretty much ongoing

17:42basis. So, we are required to do that

17:45and they are looking at our our records

17:48to how we do all that.

17:49That's pretty much all I have.

17:51>> Okay.

17:53I'm going to open it up if there is any

17:56questions. If you want to direct those

17:59to

18:00either one.

18:02Uh

18:05And we have a microphone.

18:08Clerk Hendrick will

18:11Does anyone have a question?

18:17>> Thank you.

18:18Two railroad tracks are in front of my

18:21home.

18:22So, I've often been worried about what

18:25these trains are hauling.

18:28I often ask the fire chief what they're

18:30hauling.

18:33I understand that you do pay taxes in

18:36Terre Haute, which is fine because

18:41some of it can be pretty hazardous to

18:44the citizens.

18:46I recall when the train left the track a

18:50few years ago

18:53and there were

18:54took so many big huge

18:57trains I guess to pull them back up on

19:00the track.

19:02So, there has been a train mishap

19:06in the fairly recent time.

19:10So, I know that you understand

19:14that as citizens

19:16we are worried about what you're

19:19hauling. I know you've hauled propane

19:23gas

19:24and you've also hauled butane.

19:28What are you hauling now?

19:31>> Ma'am, I can't I can't disclose what

19:33we're hauling on the railroad. That's

19:34that's regulated by the FRA and the TSA.

19:39Our people are told to not disclose

19:41>> not not disclosing what

19:45>> Okay.

19:46I do understand you're paying taxes into

19:49the town of Rural Hall, which is

19:52appropriate since it could be hazardous

19:55to some of the citizens.

19:56>> me explain just a minute on that. The

19:58reason it is because the recent the

20:00recent recent events in the world as we

20:02know that it's not stable.

20:05And we train our guys to look out for

20:07any kinds of apparatus on the car

20:10and we not disclose to anywhere where

20:12the train moves, what they haul due to

20:15the TSA.

20:18>> Okay.

20:20Anybody else?

20:25>> Um I have a couple of questions. One is

20:28it states that there are only 19 cars at

20:30a maximum that are allowed near the

20:32depot. I live in front of that area and

20:35we have counted up to 57 cars sitting

20:39there at one point in time.

20:40>> I don't have any uh

20:43knowing I don't have any information any

20:46kinds of policy or how many cars there

20:48is. I don't know where you got that

20:49number from. Because we have the FRA out

20:52here on a constant basis and they

20:54checking all the cars. If there would

20:56have been more than what they allowed,

20:58they would have shut it down.

20:59>> Well, there

21:00we've got that information from

21:02documents that we asked for them the

21:03fire department. Things that they've

21:05had.

21:06>> we're not regulated by the fire

21:07department. We're regulated by the

21:09>> It was in they were given from you guys.

21:12>> Yeah.

21:12>> Okay.

21:13>> We We not regulated by the fire

21:15department.

21:15>> So, what would we need to do if there

21:17are chances where we have seen because I

21:20see this on a regular basis that there

21:22are that many or more sitting there.

21:24>> Yeah.

21:24>> Should we contact somebody?

21:27>> You can contact the authority and ask

21:28their information on the authority have

21:31a hazardous material unit. And you can

21:34contact them and ask their output on how

21:36many cars there is allowed on the track.

21:38But for my knowledge, my knowledge,

21:41there is no no regulation on it.

21:44>> I'm sorry, you said we contact who?

21:45>> The authority Federal Railroad

21:47Administration has met unit.

21:49>> Okay. Um

21:51Why is there no security in that area?

21:56>> We can discuss that if there is or there

21:58isn't.

22:04>> Can you tell us if there is security

22:06because

22:07>> We not comment on it.

22:12>> Well, my concern is that you are

22:14carrying flammable stuff. And during

22:16firework firework show, I watched

22:19children and teenagers run over there

22:20with sparklers around that. And so,

22:23there's nobody to run them off cuz

22:25they're over in that area.

22:26>> Yes, we we are we've been carrying that

22:27since 2009 without any mishap.

22:31>> Okay.

22:33Um

22:36I have also um why haven't the citizens

22:40within a 100-m radius and within a mile

22:42radius been contacted or talked to about

22:45any fire plan in case one of these

22:48hazards happen with an explosion or a

22:50leak?

22:51>> That That's again it's it's not in

22:53privilege to discuss with any kinds of

22:55citizens of what is our plan, what is

22:57our security plan, what it what what we

23:00intend to uh discuss is just

23:03unfortunately it's regulated.

23:05>> So I I don't need to know what I need to

23:07do if something was to happen cuz I live

23:08right across the street from it.

23:11>> I would suggest reaching out to your

23:12local

23:14emergency

23:15response team.

23:17We are federally regulated by our

23:19security plan and we cannot disclose any

23:21of

23:22>> Okay. Would

23:24just because I know you're not going to

23:25answer this, there has been barrels

23:28sitting over there with those same

23:29tracks for tubes on the other end

23:32outside of the transfer area. Just so

23:34you know.

23:36Who's next?

23:38>> Is anyone else?

23:40Anyone else?

23:43>> Who's in charge of the transfer? Is it

23:45you guys or Hilco?

23:47>> The transfer is us.

23:48>> It's you guys.

23:49>> is not, it's Hilco.

23:50>> It's Hilco.

23:51>> the transportation.

23:52>> know who

23:53who regulates Hilco?

23:54>> Uh no, I don't know who's in charge of

23:57>> Okay, because they don't fall under the

23:59federal railroad road protections. Is

24:01that correct?

24:02>> I don't believe so.

24:04>> Okay.

24:04>> But they I'm pretty sure they have their

24:05own regulations.

24:06>> Okay.

24:07And

24:08um so

24:10I mean we have this form from the fire

24:12chief which I think he got from you

24:14guys.

24:15Um it says that there are no storage

24:16tanks located on the site.

24:19Um we've counted uh tanks that have been

24:22there for like three, four weeks. So

24:24what's storage to you guys?

24:28>> We can't comment on that due to the

24:29nature of our security plan.

24:30>> So are you guys a transfer or you a

24:33storage facility?

24:35>> we are transfer.

24:36>> So if

24:37>> they using returning the cars as they

24:39come in and go out.

24:40>> So if there's ones on there for three or

24:42four weeks, that turns you guys into a

24:43storage

24:45from my

24:47belief.

24:50Okay, but that's not what you guys'

24:51business is. It's not it's transferring,

24:53not storage. Is that correct?

24:56>> What the railroad is the storage and

24:58transfer.

24:59>> So you guys are allowed to storage and

25:02transfer. That's what you're saying.

25:04That's what your business is is transfer

25:06and storage.

25:07>> is coming through a hall. It's a

25:09temporary based until they

25:12>> are transferred onto the trucks.

25:14And how many days does that normally

25:16take? I'm sure you can but you think 3

25:18weeks is acceptable.

25:19>> I can't tell you that.

25:21>> Okay.

25:22All right. And and if So like if we're

25:25trying to figure out what regulations

25:27are cuz we don't really even know if

25:28we're if there's a problem because we

25:30don't know what the regulations are. I

25:32mean I'm a professional. I'm regulated

25:34by my board. A patient can turn into me

25:37if they think there's a problem. But it

25:39sounds like we have no way of knowing

25:41exactly what's supposed to be happening

25:43and if there it could be a problem.

25:45And you know if one of those butane

25:47tanks had a problem

25:49like a fire, multiple of them could have

25:51a a problem, right?

25:53So I'm just trying to figure out like

25:56who we would contact. I mean you guys

25:58might be doing everything 100% right.

26:00But it would be nice for us to know that

26:02that's a true statement, too.

26:13>> We can't comment on anything you guys

26:15are saying right now.

26:16>> We Our clearance is to be for a FRA and

26:20any transportation company or security

26:23company requires it. We provide all

26:25them.

26:30No, we provide them whatever information

26:32they need. Our training, all the

26:34security documents. It's only for the

26:37people who is in transportation business

26:39officially.

26:42>> I recall one of the firefighters,

26:45if you would care to comment on it, was

26:48sent to Colorado

26:50to prepare us

26:53if one of those tanks caught on fire

26:56and a lot of us would have to evacuate.

27:01>> I got no comment on that. I'm not in

27:04Colorado. I don't know what what we're

27:05discussing.

27:07Yes, every [clears throat] every

27:09crossing have a hotline on it. If you go

27:12by any crossings, there's an 800 number

27:14you can call and and they're going to

27:16dispatch us right away.

27:22I'm sure you can look it up on the

27:24internet. I don't know that number. I

27:25apologize.

27:27It's readily available. Federal Railroad

27:29Administration.

27:36>> Okay, is there any further questions?

27:39Okay.

27:40Seeing none, thank you for attending.

27:44All right, any any questions from

27:46council?

27:49Seeing none. Oh.

27:52>> I think the big thing is people are

27:55afraid and they just want some

27:57reassurance and some understanding. I

27:59understand you can't say anything. I

28:01appreciate you coming.

28:03But

28:04>> That's understandable and especially

28:06this world today. I I get it and you

28:08know, I have I have a kid. I have a

28:10family. I totally understand it. But in

28:12the transportation business like this,

28:15the most safest way to transport

28:17anything is on rail for one thing and we

28:20cannot disclose any of these due to the

28:22nature of what's going on in the world.

28:25>> I had asked before about why it didn't

28:27go straight to Colony and I was told

28:30it's cuz there's not enough tracks

28:32there. I don't know if that's the case

28:35or not.

28:35>> Yeah, they use they using several sites

28:38transload.

28:41>> Okay.

28:42>> Thank you.

28:42>> Thank you. Thank you.

28:45>> Thank you.

28:45>> Thank you out. Thank you for coming out.

28:49>> [clears throat]

28:51>> All right, Council, if you

28:53um

28:54would look over look

28:55the agenda, see if there's any additions

28:58or or

29:00deletions so we can adopt the agenda. I

29:03think

29:04Town Manager, you have an addition to

29:07the

29:08>> Council, Mayor, I do have a request to

29:10add an item to your agenda and that is

29:13the Covington Memorial Park Improvement

29:15Project. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund

29:17Grant Contract Amendment Number 2.

29:22>> [clears throat]

29:28>> Okay.

29:29Um

29:35Let's add that under the capital project

29:37ordinance if it's approved.

29:44Anything else?

29:51All right. Seeing none, I would

29:54entertain a motion to adopt the

29:57agenda with the addition of the

30:00Covington Memorial Park Part F Grant

30:03Amendment.

30:11>> I'll make a motion to adopt the agenda

30:14with the

30:15>> Okay.

30:16>> uh

30:17Part F Grant Amendment.

30:19>> We have a motion by Councilwoman Ring.

30:23>> Second.

30:24>> Second by Councilman Lane. Any further

30:26discussion? Seeing none, all those in

30:29favor?

30:29>> Aye.

30:30>> Okay.

30:33I'm sure all of you have had an

30:36opportunity to look over the minutes.

30:39So, I I entertain a motion for the

30:41consent agenda when you're ready.

31:01And I did say I'll skip the mayor's

31:02comments and all that.

31:04It's okay.

31:06With the consent agenda

31:08>> I'll make a motion.

31:09>> Okay. Second

31:10>> consent agenda.

31:11>> Motion has been made by uh Mayor Pro Tem

31:14Horn.

31:18>> Second.

31:19>> Second by

31:21Councilwoman Ring. Any further

31:22discussions on the agenda?

31:25Seeing none, all those in favor

31:28>> Aye.

31:28>> Aye.

31:29Okay. Now, I want to move right back up

31:32to the mayor and council's members'

31:34comments.

31:35Uh

31:36Right now, I want to uh I'd like to uh

31:39thank everybody for coming out. Um

31:42um Gulf & Ohio Railways, I understand

31:45there's a lot of questions that probably

31:47didn't get answered, [clears throat] but

31:49um I knew with all the federal

31:51guidelines and all that, there is very

31:53limited that their information that

31:55they're going to um be able to answer.

31:58But, I do appreciate them coming out.

32:01And also, I want to announce again, I

32:04have a mayor's uh town hall meeting. It

32:07will be at 6:30 here tomorrow. So, if

32:11you want to come out, I

32:13will not be able to answer any questions

32:15on the railroad. I'll tell you that, but

32:17uh please come out and join us.

32:21And the council might have any comments

32:23right now before we get started.

32:26>> [clears throat]

32:27>> Okay.

32:29And you may have some at the end. All

32:31right. On the new business, uh

32:33uh last month

32:34>> Mayor

32:35>> Oh.

32:35>> Public comment.

32:36>> Oh, yeah. Oh,

32:38golly. I'm

32:39I'm really getting off on this because

32:42of the presentation, sir.

32:44Um

32:46I'm just going to skip all the

32:48presentations other than having one. I

32:52It really confused me, I guess, when we

32:55had public comments

32:57during that period. Uh but I we are

33:01going to open it up for the public

33:02comment period.

33:04Uh that allows anyone

33:07that signed up for 6 minutes. Um so, if

33:11you would like to come to the podium and

33:13tell us your name and

33:15>> Can I go now?

33:16>> You have to wait.

33:17>> I do.

33:18Chris Parker.

33:25>> Hey, Mayor Bennett, council members,

33:27staff, and citizens of Rural Hall. I

33:30just wanted to come today to introduce

33:32myself. I'm Chris Parker.

33:34Um I'm your newest county commissioner,

33:36and I'm also a candidate for county

33:37commissioner as well. Now, I remember it

33:40was probably about a year ago where I

33:42met a number of you when we were opening

33:46um the Highway 65 waterline, which I

33:49know was a tremendous impact to this

33:51community as we did that. And I want to

33:53give you a little bit of history since I

33:55am uh previously the chair of the

33:57city-county utility commission as well.

33:59So, during that time of 2020, there was

34:03a good amount of federal dollars that

34:05were floating into the state, and I know

34:09with uh our current chair, Gloria

34:11Whisenhunt, she wanted to make sure that

34:13money did get to Rural Hall when it came

34:16to putting in a a waterline. So, we kind

34:19of worked together to make sure that

34:21that money was

34:22uh granted in this way.

34:25And hopefully that's been a good payoff

34:27for the community for that. Also wanted

34:30to um mention [clears throat] today at

34:33our for South Kent Forsyth County

34:35Commissioner meeting that we had uh, Dr.

34:38Janet Spriggs from Forsyth Tech who came

34:41and spoke to us.

34:42And I don't probably do not need to tell

34:45you nor the citizens what a gem we have

34:47in Forsyth Tech. I'm one of the members

34:49of the Board of Trustees there and we

34:52are a top 10 community college in the

34:55entire country

34:56and we are educating all these young and

35:00old people for the jobs of today and

35:02tomorrow, whether it's plumbers,

35:03electricians, health care.

35:06It's a true um, gem in our community.

35:09So, I just want to always be a trumpeter

35:11for them. Also want to reiterate the

35:14support of the county commission toward

35:16public safety which includes our

35:18sheriff's deputies who uh, certainly

35:20work here and across the county as well

35:22as our our fire and our EMS folks that

35:25we're always going to keep on our eye on

35:27the ball for those public safety

35:29measures that impact all the citizens of

35:31Forsyth County. Um, so I just wanted to

35:34come and thank y'all for all that you do

35:37uh, to help represent and serve the

35:40citizens of Rural Hall [clears throat]

35:42and reassure you along with we also have

35:46um, Commissioner Dan Besse here from

35:48Forsyth County as well that we are um,

35:51you know, always listening and attentive

35:53to the needs of Rural Hall and all those

35:55citizens in Forsyth County. So, thank

35:58you.

35:59>> Thank you.

36:00Thank you.

36:06>> Eve Vernon

36:09>> [clears throat]

36:20>> Yes.

36:25Hello.

36:26My name is Eve and I live on Broad

36:28Street.

36:30Transparency, there's a lot of talk in

36:32rural hall and here in town hall about

36:34ensuring folks are transparent.

36:37What is transparency?

36:40>> Pull your mic down, please.

36:41>> Okay.

36:42What is transparency? It means the

36:44practice of being open, clear, honest in

36:46communication, decision-making, and

36:48operations without hidden agendas or

36:50secrets.

36:51To express how transparency has failed

36:54here in town hall, I will share a few

36:55examples.

36:57April the 13th was my first time that I

36:59spoke to the council. I addressed

37:01several several concerns. One of them

37:03was the lamp post outside my house. When

37:05speaking to the council, I left not

37:07knowing if any of my issues were heard

37:09or if they'd be looked into because you

37:11all just sit there and look at us with

37:13no response.

37:15No, thank you for your concern. No,

37:17we'll have staff contact you. Nothing,

37:20just looking at us. I would like to see

37:22that change.

37:24After receiving [snorts] my response to

37:25my issue, I presented on April 13th, I

37:28emailed the council and the mayor the

37:29following week.

37:31An India, who I would like to thank as

37:33she's always responds respectfully, got

37:34back to my email about a couple of the

37:36issues. Later, I received an email from

37:39Michael, who I'd also like to thank for

37:40being respectful and always responding.

37:43The light issue was unfortunately never

37:45addressed. On September 15th, the may at

37:48the mayor meeting, I addressed the issue

37:50again with both Terry and Homer, and

37:52they said that they would look into the

37:53issue. I haven't heard a response yet.

37:56Terry did finally make his way to my

37:58side of town on like he said he would on

38:00September the 15th. However,

38:02um it was

38:04to put up signs for his campaign, so I

38:06don't know that you saw that the lights

38:08were working in the during the day.

38:11In my transparency to you, I would like

38:13to state that it is frustrating to bring

38:15a reoccurring issue to the council with

38:17no follow-up, especially when someone

38:19tells you that they're going to.

38:22Talking about concerns and looking into

38:24it is frustrating to stand before you

38:27all and speak as I am now and leave the

38:29podium without any acknowledgement that

38:31you heard me or my concerns.

38:34As you can see from this small example,

38:36this is why folks have become, as some

38:38of you may interpret as naggy.

38:41Due to lack of transparency and online

38:43community basis form called the

38:44independent hall monitor.

38:46A hall monitor is a watchful eye that

38:48informs others when their concerns are

38:49hazards.

38:51The owner records the meetings and

38:52transcribes them

38:54um and records them into documents for

38:57folks to read.

38:58Citizens are not always happy and they

39:00may voice their concerns there. While I

39:02hate to bring up Facebook, I'm going to

39:04do so. The data center got more folks

39:06involved in town politics. What made us

39:09stay is the lack of transparency, the

39:11disrespect shown to citizens, the lack

39:14of concern for citizen issues, and the

39:16misuse of our money. Yes, ours as were

39:18the taxpayers.

39:20Many times you have made the statement

39:23that you want facts. You have made

39:25statements about how the Wall Server

39:26family has been treated.

39:28First off, this is not a group as you

39:30call us. We're not a group. We're not

39:32some friends that got together to make

39:34everyone mad. No, most of us didn't know

39:37one another. We came from all walks of

39:39life. We're just concerned citizens.

39:42Some of us with no knowledge of data

39:44centers, some of us worked in data

39:45centers.

39:46Some hold many degrees and some have

39:48none. We have professors and production

39:50workers, stay-at-home moms, retired

39:52folks, Republicans, Democrats,

39:54unaffiliated, and the list goes on. We

39:57are the community, not just some group.

40:00We spent countless hours studying,

40:02gathering facts. We fact-checked, we had

40:04meetings for the public to attend and

40:06learn, as well as to have input.

40:10We You were all invited, and only one of

40:13you showed. So, we had facts, but you

40:15didn't care.

40:17We have been stalked online as well.

40:19We've had our personal records combed

40:21through by folks, photos taken of us,

40:23our children, our homes, and the list

40:25goes on.

40:26One of our concerns was that there was a

40:28fake Facebook account that there were

40:30fake Facebook accounts. And that one of

40:33them or some of them may have been

40:35somebody from the council or close to

40:36the council.

40:38Last week we found our concern to be

40:39valid. Many fake Facebook accounts have

40:41come and gone, but this one was named

40:44Mike Manning. Deciding to attack a

40:46running candidate, make fun of a

40:47citizen, and pull personal records of a

40:49citizen, and all post these things on

40:51Facebook. That person messed up and

40:53posted their real identity as Steven

40:55Klein.

40:56I'm providing proof of this for you,

40:58and I can provide more later.

41:00At this time, Whitney's involvement is

41:02not clear, but we should be concerned

41:04that the

41:05concerned that there are council and

41:07people among the council that are making

41:10their identities hidden and making folks

41:12feel unsafe and showing the town in a

41:15bad light.

41:16You all like to preach about

41:17transparency. This is not transparency.

41:20This is childish.

41:21If you think that citizens are naggy or

41:23hateful in their responses, it's because

41:25this type of behavior has been seen long

41:27before the data center issue.

41:29I'm tired of watching watching,

41:31listening to these things. So, this is

41:33me being transparent with you.

41:35The last time I I called out folks on

41:37this council for being transparent, I

41:39paid for that with a citation. We vote

41:42for you to work for the citizens and

41:44with the citizens, not against us and

41:45not for your favorites. I'm ready to be

41:48transparent and work together even when

41:50we do and we don't disagree.

41:53Um I hope that you are as well. And I

41:55didn't have this, but I would like to

41:58say that when I did call out two of you,

42:00I have seen that Mark Elaine has done

42:03much better at not

42:05uh saying things that he shouldn't say.

42:06So, I do want to appreciate that as

42:08well. Thank you.

42:22>> Um Matson.

42:32>> Good evening. My name is Matson. Um born

42:35and raised in Forsyth County. Thank you,

42:37mayor, council,

42:39staff, and fellow citizens for giving me

42:42the opportunity to speak. Uh

42:44I've spoken many times, as many of y'all

42:47know, um as

42:49pretty much conservative as anybody in

42:52this room.

42:53Um so

42:55uh

42:57I would just want to make sure that

43:00people understand where I'm coming from.

43:02I believe in child [clears throat]

43:04nutrition, public education,

43:07um taking care of veterans and senior

43:09citizens, and making sure that young

43:13people have job opportunities

43:15uh that are not um threatened by

43:19industrialization, automation, AI, and

43:21whatnot. So, the reason I'm here today

43:24is because, as uh the mayor mentioned,

43:27uh early voting starts October 15th.

43:30And I just want to remind the citizens

43:34that um this this is your chance

43:37uh to really make your voice heard. Um

43:43people

43:44take things into consideration when you

43:46talk to them, but what really counts is

43:50uh money and votes. So, this is your

43:53chance. If you're concerned about the

43:56public schools,

43:58research the candidates on the school

44:00board.

44:01Um I don't I don't need to say anything

44:04more about AI data centers. It's been

44:07hashed, rehashed, but this is your

44:09chance to vote for the county

44:11commissioners. Do your research. Who

44:13voted for who voted for or against?

44:17Um whether you support or don't support,

44:19that should inform you um who you should

44:22vote for.

44:23In Raleigh,

44:25okay?

44:27There's I've spoken many times about

44:29these bills trying to take away

44:31local control of zoning. So,

44:36if you like things the way they are, um

44:39if you like to have a chance to voice

44:41your concerns without a quasi-judicial

44:44system composed of experts, then you

44:47look at which

44:49candidates in Raleigh are going to

44:51support your position or not support

44:53your position. And nationally, of

44:56course, this is called the midterm

44:58elections even though there are

45:01other elections that uh may have more

45:04impact on your life,

45:05but

45:06the people in Washington,

45:08if you think they have sold us out to

45:10corporations, if you think gas is too

45:12high, if you think inflation's too high,

45:15then do your research.

45:17Um tell the people in Washington that

45:21they don't fit what your views are. Tell

45:24them put the data center in their

45:26backyard. This is your chance. So, I

45:30just want everybody to do your research,

45:33vote in your self-interest,

45:35and really take this opportunity because

45:39remember, people in other countries

45:40actually die for the chance to vote. So,

45:44there's no reason that every eligible

45:47citizen

45:49should not vote. Thank you.

45:55>> [applause]

46:02>> Brent Coles

46:21>> Yeah.

46:22>> Hey guys, Brent Coles.

46:24There we go. Um

46:27I don't have a speech

46:29on this one. I don't have a

46:31well-thought-out plan, so it's going to

46:33be a little all over the place.

46:36Basically,

46:37>> [sighs]

46:37>> the first thing it's it's shotsky. It's

46:40super lame, but I mean

46:42that's a $25 projector. I can go from my

46:45phone to that projector and it's way

46:48easier for me to showcase things that

46:51we're talking about, numbers,

46:53emails, whatever it may be.

46:56And for as much as you spend on this

46:57room,

46:59it's not it's not too difficult a thing

47:01to do. You know, I can go to downtown

47:03and they have a $50 projector and you

47:05just flip the page on there. You don't

47:07have to get it pre-approved, you just

47:09flip the page.

47:11Then you're on there. So, that's

47:12something to consider.

47:15I didn't even bother starting this one

47:17up. But basically,

47:21see if she'll go.

47:22I'll waste my time waiting.

47:25Maybe not.

47:29I should have set it up earlier.

47:33Too many Bluetooths in the room.

47:35Well, there's one point for against.

47:38Anyways, um I don't I don't deal with a

47:41lot a whole lot of local government, but

47:42I was sitting back there supporting a

47:43friend and I had a book and somebody in

47:45this room, and I quote said, "Okay. All

47:48right. Uh we'll get right back into our

47:50new business section." I just wanted to

47:53uh

47:54cause everyone wondered why I needed a

47:56recess. It wasn't just cuz I needed a

47:58cigarette. I just need a break because

48:00we just passed a $6 million budget.

48:04And I really thought we would have a few

48:05more comments about it.

48:07Put my book down and I said, "What did

48:09that dude just say?"

48:10And I immediately looked into

48:13your budget. [clears throat]

48:14And there's a lot of very interesting

48:15things and we can go tit-for-tat in

48:18terms of individual items.

48:20But the idea is pretty much what he

48:23said. You guys should all step back and

48:26say,

48:27"Holy crap.

48:28We just budgeted $6 million." It's

48:31It's an not insignificant sum. So, if I

48:34could get that working, which is a major

48:37downfall to me, I went and pulled a

48:39bunch of different cities. I just did by

48:41population.

48:43So, there's there's 552 incorporated

48:45towns in North Carolina. You guys are

48:47about 250th.

48:50Around that, around the people with

48:52$3,500, 3,500 citizens,

48:56a significant portion of them spend $3

48:58million or less a year.

49:01Those also have fire departments. They

49:03also have police departments.

49:05A one-to-one comparison is not fair on

49:08any single one of them. It's more of a

49:10step back

49:12and say,

49:14"Holy crap, I'm spending

49:16$6 million."

49:18So, I went into each individual one,

49:21went through unassigned fund balances,

49:23all that stuff. But governmental

49:24expenditures in 2020 were $2.8 million.

49:28Budgeted in 2027 are 5.7.

49:33In that time frame, that's a 102%

49:35increase.

49:36102%.

49:38Inflation does not account for that.

49:40Now, there's capital expenditures,

49:41there's grant money, there's all of that

49:43stuff. But instead of

49:45thinking about growing bigger,

49:48I would urge you to consider getting

49:50smaller. A significant portion of your

49:53income are grants. Kudos to all of you

49:55for going and getting those grants.

49:56That's fantastic. You got a

49:59metric crap ton of grants, which is

50:01great, but you also have a significant

50:03number of revenue sources.

50:05Your main revenue source is

50:08hard to identify. There's, you know, 39

50:1242% from property taxes, which is one of

50:14the big things when I came down here. I

50:15was like, "Holy crap, why are my

50:17property taxes so low?"

50:19Well, that's because North Carolina has

50:20a significant revenue share and you get

50:22you get pieces of a lots of pies,

50:24basically.

50:25And you're subject to how those pies

50:29iterate money to you.

50:30So, the the more you spend, the more you

50:32grow, the older your population gets,

50:35there's going to come a time when your

50:37property taxes have to make up for a

50:39lack of grants, have to make up for a

50:41lack of Raleigh funding, if they change

50:44the way they apportion

50:45different revenues to you. There's

50:47There's a long-term

50:51goal in mind there. And all I hear from

50:54the majority of you are we're getting

50:55bigger, we're going to get better, we're

50:57going to get more revenue.

50:59I would urge you to consider getting

51:01smaller,

51:02potentially capping the expenses that

51:06you've incurred the last 7 years.

51:10There's a lot of There's a lot of

51:11nitpicky things in here. I'm not going

51:12to get into it cuz then it becomes a

51:14tit-for-tat and that's that's not really

51:16here. The The gist is

51:18consider the reverse

51:20because the next generation is going to

51:22hold the bag from whatever works or

51:24doesn't work from you guys. And right

51:27now, that bag is getting bigger and

51:29bigger [clears throat]

51:30and bigger. And one day, that bill is

51:32going to come due by property taxes.

51:35Also super interested to see what you

51:37guys are doing with the fire department.

51:39Congrats for recognizing that difference

51:41in your expenditures and revenues.

51:43You're in, you're out.

51:45The different programs you were doing

51:47there. I'm very interested to see how

51:49those negotiations come. Um

51:52That's that's pretty much the gist of

51:54it. Con- consider going the reverse way

51:57and considering how

51:58and who is going to have to pick up the

52:00tab from your significant increased

52:04recurring expenses.

52:06Oh, one more.

52:09My employer

52:11reducing their 401k match. Novant, one

52:14of the top five largest

52:17employers in Forsyth, reducing their

52:19401k match. Rural Hall, 2 years ago,

52:22invited to

52:24increase their match. So,

52:26we're going opposite ways on a bunch of

52:27stuff, and I would hope you consider

52:30some of those.

52:31Thank you.

52:40>> Okay.

52:43Okay. Here. Sorry.

52:51Randy Adams.

53:04>> My name is Randy Adams. I live at 7385

53:07Church Street, Rural Hall.

53:11On March 5th, the town of Rural Hall

53:13heard from Forsyth County Planning Board

53:16about a permit for a hyperscale data

53:18center that was proposed going to be

53:21proposed for Rural Hall.

53:23Uh that was on March 5th. It took a few

53:25days.

53:26I heard about it

53:28on the news or whatever. And around the

53:3110th, 5 days later, I called Mary Mayor

53:35Terry Bennett

53:37on the phone and introduced myself. We'd

53:40never talked before. I didn't know what

53:41he looked like. I knew he lived in my

53:42neighborhood, but

53:44I didn't know him or anyone on town

53:46council.

53:48And called to tell him that I was

53:51concerned about a data center, a

53:52hyperscale data center coming to

53:54Rolesville.

53:55And I expected to hear, "Thank you for

53:57calling.

53:58I'll look into it. I won't let this

54:01happen to Rolesville." But what I heard

54:02was,

54:04"You have nothing to be worried about. I

54:06don't know what you're talking about.

54:08Uh

54:09you won't even know it's here. It's

54:11going to be so quiet.

54:13Uh if you go by Silas Creek over there,

54:15there's one over there. You don't even

54:16know it's there.

54:18Uh you need to go out and do research."

54:21So, I hung up the phone. I thought,

54:23"Does this man know what a hyperscale

54:25data center is?

54:27Or is he just pulling my chain?"

54:30And he didn't tell me it on the phone

54:33call that the planning board had called

54:35or had notified Rolesville. He didn't

54:37say anything about that.

54:40And months later I found out I was over

54:42at the shopping center in Rolesville,

54:43and a lady came up to me and she said,

54:45"I recognize you from the meeting we had

54:49and before." And she said, "I've seen

54:51you before." She said, she went on to

54:53tell me that she was part of the family

54:55that's selling the land over there.

54:58And

54:59she said, "You need to understand that

55:01the mayor is very close to the family

55:02that's selling that land." I said,

55:04"That's okay." She said, "He was even

55:06He's in their Christmas picture. That's

55:08how close he is." I said, "Well,

55:10that's not against the law, but it made

55:12me wonder where his allegiance really

55:13was."

55:14So,

55:16I had to say thanks to the mayor in the

55:18mayor's meetings,

55:20the people in the No Data Center got to

55:22know each other. I didn't know any of

55:23these folks. They We didn't know Nobody

55:25knew anybody. But we found out each

55:27other by coming up here and meeting at

55:29the mayor's

55:31meetings.

55:32And we met all summer long, came up to

55:35every one of them. But

55:37most of the time when we come to a

55:38meeting he misrepresent what was really

55:40going on. He

55:43stayed with the idea that you're not

55:45going to know that thing is over there.

55:47I don't know what you're worried about.

55:49He did in two different mayor meetings

55:51he talked about going to Durham and he

55:53visited data center down there

55:56that he

55:58proposing is going to be the same as

55:59over here and he said I was as close as

56:02the funeral home is over there. He said

56:04you couldn't even hear it. There's no

56:06nothing. You wouldn't even know it's

56:08there. One of the ladies that was in the

56:10audience at that meeting stood up. She

56:12looked on her phone on the web to

56:14research the one in Durham. It's 50

56:16megawatts.

56:1850 megawatts. This thing over here was

56:20supposed to be 600 to 700 megawatts.

56:23So there's no comparison there. It was a

56:25bad comparison, but he brought it out

56:26another time.

56:28You brought it out again at another

56:29mayor meeting that you had gone to

56:31Durham. You invited me to go with you. I

56:33told you I didn't need to do that.

56:35So

56:44we come to the mayor's meetings and you

56:45talk about well misrepresent really what

56:48was going on for a few minutes and then

56:50it would

56:51degrade into

56:53the slings and arrows he was getting on

56:55Facebook and other my

56:58media social media. I don't use any of

57:00that stuff. So I really didn't know what

57:01he was talking about, but apparently

57:02people were complaining to him on social

57:05media.

57:06And it was getting on his nerves

57:07apparently because he brought it up

57:09every time.

57:10I want to give you one example of what

57:12would be going on over there if they had

57:13succeeded in getting that hyperscale

57:15data center.

57:16One of the things that would be

57:17happening is it would take

57:20a whole slew of diesel or gas

57:23generators.

57:24The generators supply the power for

57:27electricity in case the power was to go

57:30off

57:31or

57:32if the ambient temperature gets over

57:3485°, then they run continuously till

57:37that temperature goes back down. How

57:38often does it get to be at 85° around

57:40here? Just about all the time.

57:43In the summer, anyhow.

57:50So, we went on, we did our research.

57:53We talked to the people at the planning

57:55board first. We had to get by them first

57:57before we met the commissioners. And I

57:59want you to know that the planning

58:00board, the man with the planning board

58:03research that was ahead of our

58:06problem up here in Rural Hall, told me

58:08on the phone 2 months before we met with

58:10the commissioners that the planning

58:12board was completely against that over

58:14there because it was so big, so crazy,

58:16it didn't even belong over there.

58:18He told me that 2 months before we met

58:20with the commissioners that the planning

58:22board was against it. At that time, the

58:24the

58:25developer was in Charlotte and they had

58:28a list of things that they were going to

58:29do to try to improve what was going on

58:31over there. And the guy with the

58:32planning board told me even if they did

58:34every one of them, they were still

58:35against it. That's how bad they were

58:36against it.

58:38So,

58:40I want to go on and say that everybody

58:42knows the function of the mayor is

58:44largely ceremonial.

58:47The town manager and the town council

58:50practically keep the town going

58:52[clears throat] and what's going on.

58:54And

58:55although I'd have to say that it's

58:57apparent that the town council and the

58:58manager

59:00works with the mayor very closely about

59:02what's going on. He's not out of the

59:03loop at all.

59:04And conduct

59:07Mr. Mayor, can I

59:08>> Yes.

59:10>> Can I talk a little bit more?

59:13Okay. Conduct and appearances are

59:15important.

59:16>> I didn't say anything.

59:17I don't have that I don't have that

59:19authority. That's true. I'm sorry.

59:20>> No.

59:21I can't talk anymore?

59:24Could I play the recording of our

59:26conversation so that

59:28the people would hear what you my my new

59:31conversation was because you

59:35You've got your conversation with

59:36someone else, but

59:38>> You are Terry Bennett, aren't you?

59:39>> Exactly.

59:40>> Yeah.

59:41>> Okay.

59:42I'll play it I wouldn't do it for you

59:44here, but you you've done that twice to

59:47me.

59:48You talked to Councilman Lane before

59:50[music] you talked to me. You talked to

59:52the chief before you talked to me.

59:55>> you first. I talked to you first.

59:56>> Okay.

59:56>> I talked to you first.

59:57>> All right. Well, we'll we'll listen to

59:59it.

1:00:00>> Yeah, I don't know what order what

1:00:01>> All right. We're we're through and I

1:00:03normally

1:00:05I normally would not get in this cross

1:00:07and and I know that's what it start, but

1:00:09when you stand up here and say that you

1:00:12had the conversation [music] with me and

1:00:14that's twice you've had and you do know

1:00:18that I record a lot of conversations.

1:00:21Well, you would not you would not want

1:00:23to be heard because you're wrong.

1:00:26So, Randy, please take a seat.

1:00:39>> He's talking about a conversation he had

1:00:41on the phone not in the office.

1:00:43>> Okay, let's move on to the next one. I'm

1:00:46talking about a conversation that Randy

1:00:49called me

1:00:51personally.

1:00:52Okay?

1:00:58I didn't say you couldn't call me. I'm

1:01:00just saying if you're going to stand up,

1:01:02don't stand up here and give a bunch of

1:01:04bull. Now, we're moving on and if you

1:01:07keep on, I will have you taken out of

1:01:09here.

1:01:11>> June Cohen

1:01:22Good evening Council.

1:01:24I'm June Cohen. evening council.

1:01:26I'm June Cohen. 4:30 College Street

1:01:30Rural Hall.

1:01:32When I requested a copy of the

1:01:34demolition contract for the old fire

1:01:37station in a record request Homer Durham

1:01:42sent me a copy of the contract to build

1:01:45the new fire station. It

1:01:48pre-audited. Why?

1:01:50Terry Bennett was the financial officer

1:01:53at this time. The law was passed in 2015

1:01:58>> [snorts]

1:01:58>> that all contracts had to be

1:02:01pre-audited. Thank you for your service.

1:02:04I would like to know if the site auditor

1:02:08aware of this and also Caldwell.

1:02:12Thank you.

1:02:23Okay.

1:02:26All right. We're going to move right

1:02:28along and into our

1:02:30new business.

1:02:34At the last meeting

1:02:37uh AEDs were brought up and we tabled it

1:02:40to this meeting to come back uh

1:02:43with the fire chief uh Smith to come

1:02:45back with some numbers. So, I'm I'm

1:02:48going to turn it over to Chief Smith. Is

1:02:50that correct manager? You want me to

1:02:53turn it over to Chief?

1:02:57>> Good evening mayor, council.

1:02:59Uh so

1:03:00as the mayor stated last meeting we uh

1:03:02did a presentation on placing the

1:03:04automated external defibrillators at the

1:03:07uh town owned facilities inside the town

1:03:09limits.

1:03:11Uh some of the questions were brought up

1:03:12and you see in the agenda package we got

1:03:14a response back from the vendor uh

1:03:17explaining some of had about the

1:03:19contract itself.

1:03:22So, if you look down, I have included

1:03:24the email.

1:03:26Uh one of the questions was over the

1:03:28pricing.

1:03:30And the

1:03:33salesperson that we [music]

1:03:34have been dealing with as far as getting

1:03:36the quote for it,

1:03:37uh they had indicated the pricing is

1:03:39locked in for 36 months, so it will not

1:03:41go up during that 36-month period. I

1:03:44think that was one of the major concerns

1:03:46um over. And then also of the agreement

1:03:50flexibility.

1:03:51And they they understand that we operate

1:03:54on a year-to-year budget basis.

1:03:56That if we

1:03:58sign up for this service agreement with

1:04:00them,

1:04:01and we find out that we do not want

1:04:03their services within that 3-year

1:04:05service agreement, that we can opt out

1:04:06of that contract, out of that service

1:04:08agreement.

1:04:10I think that was the two major concerns.

1:04:11[music]

1:04:12Is that correct, buddy?

1:04:13>> Yes.

1:04:14>> Does that help clarify?

1:04:15>> As far as answering it, that does.

1:04:17>> Thank you for getting that.

1:04:18>> Yes, sir.

1:04:25>> Any questions to Chief Smith?

1:04:42Okay, if there's no other questions, uh

1:04:46we'll entertain a motion to go with the

1:04:49proposal to install AEDs in the town

1:04:52facilities.

1:04:54>> Mayor Oakley,

1:04:55we should I recommend that we move

1:04:57forward with the installation of the

1:05:00AEDs.

1:05:02>> Okay, we have a motion from Mayor Pro

1:05:04Tem Horn.

1:05:05>> Second.

1:05:06>> Seconded by Councilman Lane. Any further

1:05:10discussion?

1:05:13Okay, seeing none, all those in favor.

1:05:15>> I.

1:05:16>> Okay.

1:05:20Did it work? Okay.

1:05:22Make sure I look look at the pulse here.

1:05:26Next item on the agenda is the capital

1:05:29project ordinance.

1:05:31If you look at your

1:05:33attachment three, and that is being

1:05:36presented I'm going to go ahead and

1:05:38present that. Um

1:05:41Back three years ago when I first came

1:05:43in, I had requested to

1:05:46um

1:05:47a

1:05:48town manager or at time I guess it's

1:05:50town manager and

1:05:53and staff to

1:05:55give me an update on or give the council

1:05:57an update on all property that the town

1:06:00owned. And at that time it came back up

1:06:03about the um property that's down um

1:06:08Broad Street uh near Blue Compass that

1:06:12the Lions Club had donated to the town

1:06:15years and years ago. Uh with research

1:06:18and all done by town attorney Hugh

1:06:20Campbell, that deed is very limited to

1:06:24what we can do with that property. The

1:06:27only thing it can be used for is for

1:06:31town services. Is that Isn't that the

1:06:33kind of way it's put in there? Town

1:06:35>> for public purposes.

1:06:36>> Public purpose.

1:06:38So,

1:06:39this property that can't be surplus, it

1:06:41can't be sold, and it would have to go

1:06:44back to the Lions Club, and I'm not sure

1:06:47the Lions Club even totally exist

1:06:51the way they did. So,

1:06:53with that being said,

1:06:55uh

1:06:56numerous years we've heard about a

1:06:58senior center.

1:07:00Um

1:07:01Um

1:07:02but then we started hearing community

1:07:05centers during the mayor's forums. A lot

1:07:08of people A lot of folks were talking

1:07:10about

1:07:11even a

1:07:12across the road maybe having a community

1:07:14center and all.

1:07:15But we have a big portion of land down

1:07:18there. It can only be used for that.

1:07:20Last year

1:07:22we did open an account.

1:07:24Correct me if I'm wrong.

1:07:26But we did open an account for the

1:07:28community center and put $1,000 in it.

1:07:32Now my proposal here is and it's come up

1:07:36before, why do we have $6 million

1:07:39or $5 million unappropriated in our

1:07:42funds? Well, we've tried to explain that

1:07:45because these are the kind of things

1:07:47that we would use money for. Um I'd like

1:07:51to request that adopt an ordinance

1:07:54establishing a capital fund project fund

1:07:58for the planning, design, site prep

1:08:00preparation, and construction of a new

1:08:03community center. It would be ordinance

1:08:05918. [music]

1:08:07The ordinance would be to authorize the

1:08:09establishment establishment of a capital

1:08:12project fund for the design and

1:08:14construction costs of a new community

1:08:16center.

1:08:19A little bit of introduction presented

1:08:21I'm presenting this for the council

1:08:23consider consideration and a ordinance

1:08:26establishing this fund

1:08:30and prepared with assistance from the

1:08:32town manager, town and town staff to

1:08:35establish the financial and accounting

1:08:38framework necessary for this project.

1:08:41North Carolina General Statute 159-13.2

1:08:46permits a local government to budget for

1:08:48a capital project through a

1:08:51project ordinance.

1:08:53Appropriations authorized by a capital

1:08:56project ordinance remain available for

1:08:58the duration of the project and do not

1:09:01require reappropriation in subsequent

1:09:05substantial years.

1:09:07Uh the proposed ordinance establishes an

1:09:10initial project budget of $1,100,000

1:09:15consisting of $150,000 for the design,

1:09:19$900,000 for site preparation, and

1:09:22$50,000 for contingency.

1:09:25The initial project revenues consist of

1:09:28$1,000,000 transferred from the general

1:09:30fund, $35,000 in uh anticipated

1:09:34interest on investments, and $65,000

1:09:38in anticipated sales tax refund.

1:09:42The general transfer is supported by

1:09:44corresponding $1,000 $1,000,000

1:09:47appropriation of fund balance.

1:09:49Establishing project fund will allow

1:09:52revenues and expenditures associated

1:09:54with the community center project

1:09:57um

1:09:58to be accounted for separately and

1:10:01transparently over the life of the

1:10:03project. This would assign $1,000,000 of

1:10:06an unassigned unassigned

1:10:09fund balance, and leaving an unassigned

1:10:12fund balance of approximately

1:10:14$4,200,000.

1:10:16Or that's approximately 74%

1:10:20of our budget.

1:10:21Uh the cash

1:10:23com-

1:10:26project will enable the town to move

1:10:28forward with seeking outside funding to

1:10:31help make a community center and war

1:10:33hall a reality.

1:10:35Adoption of the ordinance establishes

1:10:37the initial financial framework for the

1:10:40project. It does not by itself approve a

1:10:43final budget,

1:10:46building design, or construction

1:10:48contract. Additional project designs,

1:10:51contracts, funding needs, or amendments

1:10:54will be brought before the town council

1:10:56for

1:10:56consideration as the project progresses.

1:11:00My recommendation would be adoption of

1:11:02the ordinance establishing the community

1:11:04center

1:11:05capital project fund in the additional

1:11:08amount of 1.1 million, assigning 1

1:11:11million of the town's fund balance

1:11:13[music] as a commitment to the project.

1:11:16Now, I'll open it up for discussion.

1:11:22>> Mayor, I have a few questions for you,

1:11:23if you don't mind. Okay.

1:11:25I think at the last meeting you were

1:11:26quoted saying the the rough cost would

1:11:28be around $2 million.

1:11:30>> Uh that's a guess to me.

1:11:31>> Okay.

1:11:32>> And all that's a guess to me. Just

1:11:35uh no no

1:11:37no one has put a number on that. And I

1:11:39was uh if you look at what Louisville

1:11:43spent and some of the other communities,

1:11:45it all depends on what the council

1:11:48decides. It could be brick and

1:11:50mortar. It could be a metal building.

1:11:52Obviously, that

1:11:54uh uh

1:11:55uh getting

1:11:57some

1:11:58you know, pricing and all that.

1:12:01>> And the location you said was the

1:12:03Alliance Park Alliance for the campus.

1:12:05And my concern with that, and I know

1:12:07that's not a part of this, but it seemed

1:12:10like the community center ought to be

1:12:11more

1:12:12in the center of the community.

1:12:17And uh

1:12:18of course, my my thoughts when I heard

1:12:20you say $10 million, I know now that

1:12:21that was a rough estimate on your part,

1:12:24but why would we consider a $10 million

1:12:27community center for town of 3,500 and

1:12:30then place it on the edge of that town?

1:12:36And then you mentioned the location.

1:12:38What land? So, I mean

1:12:41>> Well, the $10 million obviously was just

1:12:43a a guess to me.

1:12:46Based on the $7 million it cost for the

1:12:48fire department, um

1:12:50and I'd have to go back and probably 11

1:12:52million or more that uh we will still

1:12:55spend.

1:12:56It depends on what you want, but

1:12:59>> [music]

1:12:59>> I

1:13:00I envision a community center as not

1:13:04uh anything the size of this room. If

1:13:06you're going to have a true community

1:13:07center, I would

1:13:08envision it to be at minimum of the size

1:13:11of a basketball court. Um a lot of your

1:13:15community centers

1:13:17have that so they can have the

1:13:19kids have basketball and all that.

1:13:22If you visit Poplar Town, that's a metal

1:13:25building. Something like that probably

1:13:27would

1:13:28be a much less, but it's an old

1:13:30building, but

1:13:32I guess the question I would have to you

1:13:35is more in the center of town where

1:13:39any ideas?

1:13:41>> No, this was proposed to me.

1:13:42>> Yeah, I mean any I mean we're not we're

1:13:45on the upper end of town. That's on the

1:13:48lower end of town. The center of town

1:13:50would probably be

1:13:52somewhere down around the park or so,

1:13:54but to take I have enough land to do

1:13:57that would be a probably the issue.

1:13:59>> Yeah, that's fair enough. But

1:14:01my last concern is allocating this

1:14:03amount of money when we already have

1:14:05major projects on the table and debt

1:14:08from the fire department. I'm just

1:14:10Uh Homer had answered that by email and

1:14:12I'm just voicing my concerns now with

1:14:14the rest of the board.

1:14:16>> That if if I understand it correctly

1:14:18Homer and mayor

1:14:20um

1:14:22that money

1:14:24that money will be set aside

1:14:26for this project.

1:14:28It's not untouchable.

1:14:31Should that money ever be required in

1:14:33the future

1:14:34we have full access to that money to be

1:14:37brought back into other expenditures as

1:14:40required.

1:14:41And I think

1:14:43mayor, correct me if I'm wrong, but

1:14:45since we've heard this for several years

1:14:47the need for a senior citizen senior

1:14:50center

1:14:52which has developed into a community

1:14:54center which would cover a broad

1:14:56spectrum of

1:14:58community needs.

1:15:00Um

1:15:03we're trying to promote this and

1:15:05re-emphasize

1:15:07the desire for the town people for a

1:15:09community center as well as a means of

1:15:12future

1:15:13plans to make that come to reality.

1:15:17And along with that, I will stress again

1:15:21uh and it was sometime ago here this

1:15:22last year

1:15:24for those of you who are lifelong

1:15:27member citizens of the town of Rural

1:15:29Hall

1:15:30there is a fantastic opportunity for for

1:15:33philanthropy here.

1:15:35Someday that could be called Carol

1:15:37Newsom Community Center.

1:15:40June Cohen Community Center.

1:15:43Please give this some thought.

1:15:45It's a great opportunity to give.

1:15:46>> Lindell Bain

1:15:47>> Lindell Bain

1:15:48>> Lindell Bain Community Center

1:15:51>> But I guess guess to

1:15:53>> [clears throat]

1:15:53>> back to your point is yes, we're going

1:15:55to transfer those funds

1:15:58over to that account but it's not

1:16:00restricted to where it has to stay there

1:16:02should that need for those funds arise

1:16:05in another direction at a future date.

1:16:07Is that correct?

1:16:08>> Councilman Bain, that's correct. It It

1:16:10really is a mechanism for setting that

1:16:13aside so that you have an earmarked

1:16:15amount.

1:16:16It's you still have the flexibility to

1:16:17change your mind in the future.

1:16:19What this would give you is the ability

1:16:21to say to a funding partner down the

1:16:23road

1:16:25we have dedicated land that we are

1:16:27considering

1:16:28we have dedicated funding in place and

1:16:31we're needing assistance to do that.

1:16:33We're not just holding a hand out and

1:16:34begging.

1:16:35We're saying we've got some skin

1:16:36[clears throat] in the game. And I think

1:16:38the the concern that Councilman Wilcox

1:16:40shared about location is certainly

1:16:43something that you all would need to

1:16:44discuss down the road.

1:16:46We're not even looking at true location

1:16:48or design at this point. This is what

1:16:50the mayor's presented as a

1:16:52suggestion for a funding mechanism to to

1:16:55start or to really not only start, but

1:16:58we've already started, but to move our

1:16:59planning

1:17:01down the road so that we're further

1:17:03along in the planning process and we

1:17:05have a

1:17:06mechanism and dedicated funding.

1:17:10>> Can I say something?

1:17:11>> Yes.

1:17:12>> I could be wrong, but I understand the

1:17:16concern about it being on the other end

1:17:18of Royal Hall. But is it not right above

1:17:21the first the Trapper's Cabin or

1:17:25It's not It's not that house in the

1:17:28back,

1:17:29the Flint house?

1:17:30>> Mhm.

1:17:32>> Okay.

1:17:34Yeah, but isn't it But it's behind all

1:17:37that, correct? Okay.

1:17:40Okay. So, looking at that, that was

1:17:43where

1:17:44basically

1:17:48Okay.

1:17:50But that's what I was thinking about the

1:17:52land and we do have it and if we're

1:17:55limited of what we can actually do with

1:17:58it, it's not like I think we can sell

1:18:00it.

1:18:01Like you said, surplus or whatever.

1:18:03But again, that's something that's just

1:18:05down the road we'd have to look into,

1:18:07correct?

1:18:08>> Correct.

1:18:09>> a commitment.

1:18:09>> It's not set in stone where it would be

1:18:11at. Obviously, if I was going out here

1:18:14and and

1:18:16go to one of

1:18:18one of the big corporations and try to

1:18:20get a half a million dollars for sign

1:18:23for naming rights or something, they

1:18:25would like to know where it's going to

1:18:27be or potential where it's going to be

1:18:30and it would also need to be something

1:18:32that's really in the plans and has money

1:18:35earmarked for it. I believe there's a

1:18:37lot of opportunity

1:18:41is probably a lot of the opportunities

1:18:43going to come up from right outside

1:18:46our town limits because obviously we

1:18:49don't have a lot of those major

1:18:51corporations inside our town. But

1:18:54there's some it's

1:18:56there's some it's close enough that

1:18:57would probably

1:19:00well they

1:19:01we have a lot of them it's already

1:19:03donating money that's not inside our

1:19:05town limits anyway.

1:19:07So it would give us an opportunity to

1:19:09you know that land set for a long time

1:19:11and said future home of the Lions Club

1:19:14and it just set there and set there and

1:19:17then the Lions Club never existed. We

1:19:20have the land and we actually have the

1:19:23funding to get it started and um

1:19:28you know it's not really no reason and

1:19:30that's the reason we go out and get

1:19:31grants and try to build up the money. Uh

1:19:35that the community center has been the

1:19:38biggest thing that has come up in these

1:19:41mayor's town hall meetings. It started

1:19:44out it was a senior center and talking

1:19:46about maybe even having it in a place

1:19:49small [clears throat]

1:19:50but that's limiting. This a community

1:19:53center covers everyone. You could have

1:19:58your kids are involved. It could be uh

1:20:02rented out for a lot of big big events.

1:20:05You could have indoor uh

1:20:08indoor vendor shows if you wanted to. So

1:20:12it's

1:20:13you know a lot of small communities do

1:20:16have

1:20:17uh community centers. Like

1:20:20Poplar Town's not even a town. It has a

1:20:23huge community center. So so it's not

1:20:26just because we're small um

1:20:28that we don't need one and I'm not

1:20:31saying we need one. It's an opportunity

1:20:34to give back to the folks in the town.

1:20:37Um I think I heard someone mention the

1:20:41ideal place would be

1:20:43the park.

1:20:45Well, the park doesn't have any land.

1:20:48So, it's uh

1:20:50uh that's that would probably be your

1:20:53most center part of town, I guess. So,

1:20:56that's why we're looking.

1:20:58Um

1:20:58and you know, we say that's on the edge

1:21:01of the town.

1:21:02Is that on the edge of the town 5 years

1:21:04from now?

1:21:07I don't know.

1:21:09I don't know what the edge is going to

1:21:10be.

1:21:11So, uh

1:21:12and um

1:21:14it's to get things moving is basically

1:21:17what uh what it's doing.

1:21:30And it has been It has been said that we

1:21:33do have a community center fund account.

1:21:35We The only community center fund

1:21:37account we do have is of the $1,000

1:21:41uh that was put in there last year. Is

1:21:43that correct? Um

1:21:46>> Mayor, that's correct.

1:21:47>> Okay.

1:21:47>> No record of any other

1:21:48>> No record of any other funds being given

1:21:52to the town, donated to the fund from

1:21:55this council, previous councils. All

1:21:57this do not show any of that.

1:22:00Just want to make that clear.

1:22:06Okay, any other questions?

1:22:08Mayor pro tem

1:22:09uh

1:22:11Councilman Lane

1:22:13Councilman

1:22:14Woodcock

1:22:19And there is attachments. I see you

1:22:21reading those. So, any

1:22:23>> Yes, one of them.

1:22:42>> Well, personally speaking,

1:22:44um this is a question I've had since

1:22:46I've been on the council, especially at

1:22:49several of the meetings. I know the

1:22:51seniors um

1:22:53meetings I go to each month and I

1:22:55actually talked to them at this last

1:22:56meeting.

1:22:58And everyone there raised their hands

1:23:00that that's was what they wanted because

1:23:02I have tried to ask several people, how

1:23:04do you want me to How do you feel about

1:23:06it? Is it something [clears throat] you

1:23:07would want

1:23:08to see the town do? So, I've had a real

1:23:11positive

1:23:13response.

1:23:15>> Any negative responses with

1:23:18>> No.

1:23:19>> Like I said, the only one I've had was

1:23:21location.

1:23:23And you know, that just happens to be

1:23:26pretty valuable piece of land and you

1:23:29put that with it. You've got a very

1:23:31valuable start on a community center.

1:23:34And especially if you were approaching a

1:23:37corporation

1:23:39or some

1:23:40um to get some extra funding,

1:23:43um give you a little more to sell on.

1:23:52>> All right.

1:23:54I'll make a motion that we uh adopt

1:23:56ordinance establishing a community

1:23:58center capital fund project in the

1:23:59amount of $1.1 million.

1:24:02>> All right, we have a motion from Mayor

1:24:04Pro Tem Horn capital fund [snorts]

1:24:07ordinance number 918.

1:24:10>> Second.

1:24:11>> Seconded by Councilwoman Ring. Any

1:24:14further discussion?

1:24:18All those in favor

1:24:20>> I.

1:24:21>> All opposed?

1:24:22>> I.

1:24:26>> Okay.

1:24:29All right.

1:24:31You did get that notation. Okay.

1:24:34All right. Um

1:24:37Next item would be the fireworks

1:24:39contract for the Independence Day um

1:24:44>> We added one

1:24:45>> We added one uh

1:24:47I'm flipping page. Okay.

1:24:52Let me

1:24:57Yes, the Covington um

1:24:59Hold on. Let me get back to my

1:25:01papers that I've moved around.

1:25:05It would be the uh Part F grant amended

1:25:09amendment for Covington Park.

1:25:12>> Yes, sir.

1:25:13Mayor and council, this is one that came

1:25:15up after the publication of the agenda

1:25:17package. Uh I was on vacation last week

1:25:20and came back to an email

1:25:22yesterday with this contract amendment

1:25:25and then an email this morning from uh

1:25:27our Part F grant administrator

1:25:30regarding uh the annual inspection of

1:25:32our grant that is coming up over the

1:25:34next couple of weeks and

1:25:36this one is kind of time sensitive and

1:25:38that's why I've asked you to amend your

1:25:39agenda tonight and ask you to consider

1:25:41this amendment.

1:25:42As you know, we've been awarded a half

1:25:44million-dollar Parks and Recreation

1:25:45Trust Fund grant um for improvements to

1:25:48Covington Memorial Park, which are

1:25:50underway through the design process.

1:25:53Um our staff and project engineers have

1:25:55been working with the North Carolina

1:25:56Division of Parks and Recreation to

1:25:58refine the project scope

1:26:00and estimated costs

1:26:02including modifications necessitated by

1:26:05um unforeseen utility conditions and

1:26:08costs as we evaluated the potential for

1:26:11a splash pad

1:26:12as part of the project. Following

1:26:15discussions with the state, a revised

1:26:16project scope and budget have been

1:26:18reviewed and approved by the division.

1:26:21Amendment two, which is dated October

1:26:235th,

1:26:24formalizes the changes to the existing

1:26:26grant agreement. The primary change to

1:26:29the grant agreement is the elimination

1:26:30of the originally proposed splash pad,

1:26:33uh which is no surprise to this council.

1:26:35That is something that we discussed

1:26:36eliminating a while back

1:26:39and its replacement with a challenger

1:26:41obstacle course due to the unforeseen

1:26:44utility conditions and cost.

1:26:46The revised scope also incorporates

1:26:48demolition and hardscape improvements

1:26:51and adjust several existing project

1:26:52components, including playground

1:26:54equipment and accessible surfacing site

1:26:57amenities, fencing, landscaping, and

1:27:00other site improvements.

1:27:02The amendment reduces the total

1:27:03estimated project cost and required

1:27:05local match by $53,750,

1:27:09while preserving the full $500,000 Parks

1:27:12and Recreation Trust Fund grant award.

1:27:15The North Carolina Division of Parks and

1:27:17Recreation has reviewed and approved the

1:27:19revised project budget that is presented

1:27:21before you this evening.

1:27:24The proposed amendment, as I said

1:27:26before, was received after publication

1:27:27of this agenda package and was not

1:27:29available for inclusion in the original

1:27:31materials. Um once I got this in place

1:27:34uh earlier today,

1:27:35I had our attorney Hugh Campbell review

1:27:38and approve the amendment.

1:27:40The [snorts] state is proceeding with

1:27:41the amendment process and the town's

1:27:43recreation resource consultant

1:27:46has requested scheduling of the

1:27:48project's second on-site inspection

1:27:50during the weeks of October 12th or

1:27:52October 19th.

1:27:54Taking action tonight will allow the

1:27:56town to complete the required grant

1:27:58amendment documentation promptly,

1:28:01maintain coordination with the state,

1:28:03and avoid any unnecessarily delay

1:28:05in project administration. The amendment

1:28:07does not increase the park grant award

1:28:09or require additional local funding.

1:28:12Instead, the revised budget reduces our

1:28:14anticipated local match from $718,750

1:28:19to $665,000,

1:28:22representing a total reduction of

1:28:24$53,750.

1:28:27The revised figures are approved grant

1:28:29project budget amounts and do not

1:28:30constitute approval

1:28:32of a construction bid or contract. That

1:28:35would come back before you at a later

1:28:36date.

1:28:38Staff recommends that you approve adding

1:28:40the Covington Memorial Park to

1:28:42discussion as we have this evening,

1:28:44approve the amendment that is presented

1:28:46before you and authorize me to execute

1:28:48the amendment and complete the related

1:28:50administrative

1:28:52documentation on behalf of the town of

1:28:54Rolesville.

1:28:55I'm glad to answer any questions that

1:28:57you may have.

1:28:58This is a pretty straightforward

1:29:00amendment. I'm requesting that you spend

1:29:02less money.

1:29:03If you have an issue with that, please

1:29:05let me know and I'll be glad to try to

1:29:06explain that further.

1:29:08>> [clears throat]

1:29:10>> I don't have an issue with spending less

1:29:12money. What I have an issue with is not

1:29:14getting this email until 5:25 this

1:29:16evening.

1:29:17>> I have no idea why you didn't get the

1:29:19email. I can show you when I sent it and

1:29:21to whom.

1:29:21>> Because my email address isn't listed on

1:29:23here.

1:29:24>> Well, I apologize for the oversight. I

1:29:26wish you had mentioned that before the

1:29:27meeting.

1:29:27>> I did.

1:29:28>> I'd be glad to address

1:29:29>> At 5:25 when I needed it.

1:29:31I did in the group chat that you sent

1:29:34alerting us at 3:00. You sent it.

1:29:36>> And I think that was addressed and I had

1:29:38no other reason to address it, but I'd

1:29:40appreciate the courtesy in the

1:29:43>> I'd appreciate these not coming in at

1:29:45the last second for a decision to be

1:29:46made. That's what I have an issue with.

1:29:48It's not the reduction in the price.

1:29:50It's not getting the information in a

1:29:52timely manner.

1:29:52>> Okay.

1:29:54>> Thank you.

1:29:59>> Any further discussion?

1:30:04Seeing none, uh

1:30:06I'll entertain a motion to authorization

1:30:08to execute um

1:30:10the contract amendment for the park F

1:30:14grant contract.

1:30:17>> Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve

1:30:20amendment number two

1:30:22part F grant contract number 2024-1098

1:30:26for the Covington Memorial Park

1:30:27Improvement Project as presented.

1:30:31>> Okay, we have a motion by Councilman

1:30:33Lane.

1:30:34>> I'll second.

1:30:35>> Second by Mayor Pro Tem Horn.

1:30:39Any further discussion?

1:30:43Seeing none, all those in favor say I.

1:30:45>> I.

1:30:46>> I.

1:30:46>> Opposed?

1:30:47>> I.

1:30:53>> Thank you, Councilman.

1:30:55>> All right.

1:30:58Make sure I've got everything

1:31:03All right. Um,

1:31:06fireworks contract,

1:31:09that's attachment

1:31:11four.

1:31:12Uh,

1:31:14this is submitted by Whitney. Homer, you

1:31:16going to Whitney, which one? Which

1:31:19Direct this one to Whitney.

1:31:22>> So, at last council meeting,

1:31:24we decided on the date for next year's

1:31:26Independence Day celebration for July

1:31:282nd.

1:31:29So, I contacted Marilyn, who is our

1:31:32uh,

1:31:33contact for fireworks.

1:31:35And they were able to give me this

1:31:37contract. So, the contract shows

1:31:40their fee of $15,000

1:31:42to do fireworks for us on July 2nd,

1:31:452027.

1:31:50>> Is that pretty Is that pretty much the

1:31:52same as

1:31:53>> It seem It seems to be, yeah.

1:31:56Pretty much the same type of contract

1:31:57that we have had with them previously.

1:31:58>> Okay.

1:32:03Any questions to Whitney on that?

1:32:06>> Um two questions on the contract. There

1:32:09is a

1:32:10permit fees to be determined and fire

1:32:12watch to be determined. Is fire watch

1:32:14typically held by our own

1:32:17>> Yeah.

1:32:17>> Uh fire department. So, there would be

1:32:19no fee there.

1:32:20>> Correct.

1:32:21>> Okay.

1:32:22>> And the permit fees, do we have any idea

1:32:24what those were last time?

1:32:25>> what they were last?

1:32:26>> Do we pay permit fees to Versailles

1:32:29County?

1:32:30>> They get the permit and add it on. I

1:32:32don't know what it was last year.

1:32:34>> Okay.

1:32:35>> I can take a look and find out.

1:32:37>> Please. Thank you.

1:32:42>> Any further

1:32:46questions, comments?

1:32:50All right. Seeing none,

1:32:53entertain a motion to move forward with

1:32:55the

1:32:56contract for the Independence Day's

1:32:59celebration.

1:33:08Or

1:33:09I'll give you a chance to finish reading

1:33:11if you take however how long you want.

1:33:36>> So, basically no fire watch fees, right?

1:33:40But, we don't know how much permit,

1:33:42correct?

1:33:44>> Usually not more than a couple of

1:33:45hundred dollars.

1:33:45>> I'm thinking 250.

1:33:46>> Let me get back to you on that.

1:33:47>> 250 is what they have in the contract

1:33:49that they can't It says it's not

1:33:52written in [clears throat] stone,

1:33:53essentially, but it's generally around

1:33:55that amount.

1:33:56>> Okay.

1:33:58>> Does the county fire department issue

1:33:59those fees, uh, chief? Okay.

1:34:18I'll make a motion that we, uh,

1:34:20approve the funds for the, uh, Maryland

1:34:22Pyrotechnics.

1:34:24>> Okay, we have

1:34:26motion by Mayor Pro Tem Horn.

1:34:29>> Second.

1:34:30>> Second by Councilman Lane. Any further

1:34:33discussion?

1:34:36Seeing none, all those in favor.

1:34:39>> Aye.

1:34:39>> Aye.

1:34:40>> Opposed?

1:34:41>> Aye.

1:34:51>> Next item on the agenda is, ordinance

1:34:539715,

1:34:56um,

1:34:57regulating unauthorized entry on town

1:35:00property. That's our attachment five,

1:35:02and I think this was, uh, submitted

1:35:05Jason Hill, our public works director.

1:35:07You want to

1:35:08>> Thank you, Mayor. If you remember last

1:35:10month at your, uh, September meeting, I

1:35:12put out just a feeler to see if there's

1:35:15an interest from, uh, this body,

1:35:18um, for staff to put together an

1:35:20ordinance regulating unauthorized entry

1:35:22on town property, and I have that here

1:35:24for you tonight.

1:35:25Um,

1:35:27>> [clears throat]

1:35:28>> just a few things. Um, the proposed

1:35:30ordinance establishes a clear standard

1:35:33for access to town owned property,

1:35:35including restricted property, parks,

1:35:37recreation facilities, and other

1:35:39municipal facilities.

1:35:40Um, it provides clear notice regarding

1:35:42closures and access restrictions,

1:35:45establishes town's authority to regulate

1:35:47access, uh, and operating hours,

1:35:50identifies exceptions for authorized

1:35:52personnel and others legally entitled to

1:35:54access town property.

1:35:57Um, adoption would provide a clear local

1:36:00framework work for addressing

1:36:01unauthorized entry while preserving the

1:36:04applicability of North Carolina trespass

1:36:06law and other remedies available under

1:36:09state law.

1:36:11So, tonight uh staff has recommended

1:36:13that council adopt uh

1:36:15the ordinance relate regulating

1:36:18unauthorized entry on town property

1:36:21um to establish clear and consistent

1:36:23standards for access to and the use of

1:36:25town-owned property.

1:36:26Um,

1:36:27basically this just helps us um if we do

1:36:30have a problem like we discussed before,

1:36:33um it's more than just putting up a

1:36:34sign. Um, we are able to take action

1:36:37through our community policing officers

1:36:39and sheriff's office that assist with

1:36:41that. And I do want to thank you for uh

1:36:44working with us and um

1:36:45putting together um timely review and

1:36:48feedback. And I appreciate your

1:36:50assistance there.

1:36:51>> Oh, there he is.

1:36:52>> But I can answer any questions if you

1:36:54have any.

1:36:54>> Any questions from council?

1:36:56>> Jason, has there been ongoing events

1:36:58with trespassing? Is that what has

1:37:00spurred this ordinance?

1:37:02>> Mainly on the uh property off of Jackson

1:37:04Street where we have dirt stockpile, we

1:37:06dump our limbs and brush and everything.

1:37:09Um, there has been from time to time an

1:37:11increased uh use of UTVs, ATVs, dirt

1:37:14bikes, you name it um passing through.

1:37:17Um, and it really is

1:37:19a safety issue um a riding on the um the

1:37:23dirt pile mainly. Um, but that does

1:37:26allow us to uh take some action, not

1:37:28just go down there and say we have had

1:37:30luck uh just having conversations, but

1:37:32if we did need to move forward with any

1:37:34kind of action, that's also, you know,

1:37:36includes the park and after we close and

1:37:39and trespassing there and as well as all

1:37:41town properties.

1:37:42>> Thank you.

1:37:47Any further questions, Council?

1:37:51>> No.

1:37:54>> Okay.

1:37:56I'll entertain a motion to

1:38:01>> Mayor, I'll motion.

1:38:01>> Nope.

1:38:02All right, we have a motion for

1:38:03[clears throat]

1:38:04uh ordinance number 917 by Councilman

1:38:08Woodcock.

1:38:09>> I'll second.

1:38:11>> Seconded.

1:38:13Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Bourne.

1:38:15Um

1:38:16any further discussion?

1:38:19Seeing none, all those in favor?

1:38:21>> Aye.

1:38:21>> Aye.

1:38:22>> Okay, I see it's unanimous.

1:38:26Next item on our agenda would be the

1:38:28solid waste and recycling

1:38:30uh

1:38:31contract

1:38:33Meridian

1:38:35and that was back to Jason Elsea.

1:38:38>> Yes, sir. As we all have felt, uh fuel

1:38:40prices have increased significantly over

1:38:42the last year. Um and

1:38:45the [snorts]

1:38:45um solid waste and recycling agreement

1:38:47was signed back in April of 2025. Um and

1:38:51since then, uh price of diesel fuel has

1:38:54increased about $2.50 a gallon.

1:38:57Um

1:38:58so, they are feeling the pain just like

1:39:00everyone else in the room.

1:39:02Uh they approached us. We don't have a a

1:39:05fuel surcharge in the contract or

1:39:07anything uh any kind of language um

1:39:10that um associated with with fuel prices

1:39:13increasing or surcharges.

1:39:16Um

1:39:17>> [clears throat]

1:39:17>> the contract did uh there was language

1:39:19in there that um the vendor, Meridian

1:39:22Waste, could petition

1:39:24uh for an amendment for such things. Uh

1:39:27so, that's what's before you uh this

1:39:29evening. Um I'll just highlight um

1:39:33[clears throat]

1:39:33one thing in the introduction here that

1:39:36um Meridian Waste of North Carolina LLC

1:39:38has petitioned the town for an amendment

1:39:40to the solid waste and recycling

1:39:42agreement. The amendment establishes a

1:39:44fuel surcharge to address increases in

1:39:48diesel fuel cost when the EIA or US

1:39:50Energy Information Administration

1:39:53uh diesel fuel price exceeds $4.50 a

1:39:56gallon.

1:39:57So, I did look back in April of 2025,

1:40:00uh the fuel price was $3.50 a gallon.

1:40:03So, they are somewhat meeting us in the

1:40:05middle here.

1:40:07Um when the threshold

1:40:08is exceeded, the surcharge would equal

1:40:1010% of the monthly service fee with an

1:40:13aggregate annual cap of $20,225.

1:40:17The cap will be prorated if the

1:40:19amendment is in effect for less than a

1:40:21full calendar year.

1:40:23Uh the amendment provides an objective

1:40:25and trans-

1:40:26parent method for addressing elevated

1:40:28fuel costs while limiting the town's

1:40:31financial exposure. All other provisions

1:40:33of the existing agreement remain

1:40:35unchanged.

1:40:36And of course, uh staff recommendation

1:40:39for you tonight is to adopt uh amendment

1:40:42number one to the town solid waste and

1:40:45recycling agreement with Meridian Waste

1:40:47North Carolina LLC.

1:40:52>> Okay. Any questions to uh

1:40:55Jason?

1:40:56>> A quick one, and you may not know this

1:40:57one, but

1:40:58I'm not familiar with the EIA.

1:41:00Um

1:41:02how do they calculate the average Is it

1:41:04averaged over the month course? Has to

1:41:07be $4.50 or higher? It can't just be one

1:41:09day out of the month, and then they

1:41:11charge the fuel surcharge, right?

1:41:12>> Yeah, I I I'm not sure if it's weekly.

1:41:15Um it is it is an index. Uh we're in a

1:41:18region. There are different regions

1:41:19across the country.

1:41:21Um and basically, it's just uh gives us

1:41:23an idea in it for our region what that

1:41:26fuel price is. Um and I believe it's

1:41:28updated weekly. I could be wrong.

1:41:30>> So, it would be averaged out throughout

1:41:32the week. So, if one day is over that,

1:41:34but the rest of the days are under that,

1:41:35we wouldn't have an average of 450, so

1:41:37they wouldn't have a surcharge. But

1:41:39>> I I think you're correct. Mhm.

1:41:42>> And I saw that we can dispute it at any

1:41:43time without being in breach of

1:41:45contract, so if it an issue does come up

1:41:47later down the road, it's we can still

1:41:49maintain that service while hashing out

1:41:51>> Yes, sir. Yeah. Yeah,

1:41:52yeah, and this is probably um you might

1:41:54not agree with me, but this is um not

1:41:57technical or um you know, by his uh

1:42:00guidance, but they have been good to

1:42:02work with.

1:42:03>> Okay.

1:42:03>> Um and through this, and I sent this

1:42:05back. I appreciate Hugh and his quick uh

1:42:08response and emails and the manager as

1:42:10well um putting this together to make

1:42:13sure that

1:42:14um

1:42:15the town it serves the town's best

1:42:17interest here.

1:42:19Um we did add a few things um with the

1:42:21manager and attorneys' uh guidance, and

1:42:25um there are no questions asked. Um

1:42:27Meridian said, "Yes, send it back to

1:42:29us." And he he called today to follow

1:42:31up. I said, "I should have something for

1:42:33you in the morning."

1:42:33>> Okay. Thank you.

1:42:34>> So, they have been good to work with.

1:42:36>> I appreciate that.

1:42:39>> Any other questions to Jason?

1:42:45Okay, I'd entertain a motion to um

1:42:49for the amendment for the solid waste

1:42:51and recycling for the um

1:42:54um

1:42:55attachment six

1:42:59for the fuel surcharge.

1:43:02Mayor, I'll motion.

1:43:03I have a motion by Councilman Woodcock.

1:43:07>> I'll second.

1:43:08>> Second by Mayor Pro Tem Horne. Any

1:43:11further discussion?

1:43:13Seeing none, all those in favor?

1:43:15>> I. I.

1:43:16>> Okay.

1:43:20All right.

1:43:22Move right along to uh department

1:43:24reports. I'm going to let uh town

1:43:27manager Dearman start that off, and he

1:43:29can pass them around as

1:43:31he sees fifth.

1:43:32>> Thank you, Mayor.

1:43:34Council, I've provided my written report

1:43:36in your agenda package as have our other

1:43:39department heads. I won't go through

1:43:40every item tonight,

1:43:42but would like to highlight several

1:43:43items of work from the past month and

1:43:45address any questions that you may have

1:43:46this evening.

1:43:48September represented another very

1:43:50productive month for the town,

1:43:51particularly in the areas of financial

1:43:53management, transparency, long-range

1:43:55planning, community engagement, and

1:43:57professional development for our staff.

1:44:00One of our priorities has been moving

1:44:01through the work that was documented in

1:44:03the progress report on governance,

1:44:04financial management, and organizational

1:44:06improvements published in August

1:44:09from a discussion of corrective actions

1:44:10into the town's regular

1:44:12operating practices.

1:44:14I shared that report with the Rural Hall

1:44:16Area Business Association on September

1:44:18the 15th,

1:44:19and we made copies available at Town

1:44:21Hall through the town's website and

1:44:23social media,

1:44:24and at the mayor's town hall meetings

1:44:26during the month of September.

1:44:28I've answered lots of very good

1:44:30questions around those, and I think they

1:44:32have

1:44:33>> [clears throat]

1:44:33>> uh it has spurred some some very

1:44:34positive discussion on what you as a

1:44:37council have accomplished over the last

1:44:384 years.

1:44:40Council also adopted several updated

1:44:42financial policies in September dealing

1:44:44with the purchasing and credit cards,

1:44:46electronic funds transfers and

1:44:47disbursements, and cash management and

1:44:49investments. Those policies are

1:44:51important not simply because they

1:44:53address recommendations or best

1:44:55practices,

1:44:56but they help us ensure that financial

1:44:58controls

1:45:00and strong financial controls become

1:45:01institutional practices.

1:45:03Our objective is for sound financial

1:45:05management, transparency, and

1:45:07documentation, and internal controls to

1:45:09remain part of how Rural Hall operates,

1:45:12regardless of who happens to be sitting

1:45:14in any one of these chairs in this room

1:45:16at any given time occupying an elected

1:45:19or staff position.

1:45:21Our September 29th budget versus actual

1:45:23report continues to show the general

1:45:25fund in a generally sound position at

1:45:28this point in the fiscal year.

1:45:30Approximately 25% of the fiscal year has

1:45:32elapsed while general fund expenditures

1:45:35totaled approximately 1.276

1:45:38million or about 22% of our 5.8 million

1:45:42dollar annual budget.

1:45:44General fund revenues totaled

1:45:45approximately 571,000

1:45:48$731 through the end of September.

1:45:52As I've mentioned previously, revenues

1:45:54do not arrive evenly throughout the year

1:45:56and particularly significant property

1:45:58tax revenues are received later in the

1:46:01fiscal year. So, the year-to-date

1:46:02revenue percentage should be viewed

1:46:05in that context.

1:46:07One area that we're watching more

1:46:08closely is fuel as we just discussed.

1:46:11Our actual fuel expenditures as a town

1:46:14remain within budget and in some cases

1:46:16are actually below where they were at

1:46:18the same point in the fiscal year last

1:46:20year.

1:46:21However, fuel price did increase fuel

1:46:23prices did increase significantly during

1:46:24September.

1:46:26As I noted in my written report, late

1:46:28September prices in our

1:46:30greater Piedmont area were approximately

1:46:32$4.13 per gallon for regular gasoline

1:46:36and $6.16

1:46:38a gallon for diesel,

1:46:39which are considerably higher prices

1:46:41than 1 year earlier.

1:46:43There's no immediate budgetary concern

1:46:45based upon what we have actually spent

1:46:48uh particularly in the public works and

1:46:49fire departments.

1:46:51But, if elevated prices persist, we can

1:46:53reasonably expect additional pressure

1:46:56on those budgets and operating accounts.

1:46:59This is a good example of why we review

1:47:01our budget versus actual report

1:47:03throughout the year and we provide that

1:47:04in your agenda packets on a monthly

1:47:06basis not simply to identify problems

1:47:09after they occur but to be proactive and

1:47:11identify trends early on and early on

1:47:14enough to manage them.

1:47:16>> [clears throat]

1:47:16>> We also took another step during the

1:47:18month of September to improve the

1:47:19management of our cash. Donna and I have

1:47:22spent a good little bit of time over the

1:47:23last several weeks closing four checking

1:47:26and money market accounts at First

1:47:28Citizens Bank and transferring those

1:47:30funds to investment accounts with the

1:47:32North Carolina Capital Management Trust

1:47:34Fund.

1:47:35In addition to providing the opportunity

1:47:36for additional interest earnings,

1:47:38closing those accounts will eliminate

1:47:40approximately $360 in annual account

1:47:43fees that we're paying.

1:47:46Those changes become effective or became

1:47:47effective on September 30th.

1:47:50Individually, 360 bucks is obviously not

1:47:52a major component of a nearly $6 million

1:47:54budget,

1:47:56but the principle matters.

1:47:58Um good financial management is often

1:48:00the cumulative result of many relatively

1:48:02small decisions. Earning a little more

1:48:05here, saving a little more there,

1:48:07avoiding an unnecessary expense,

1:48:09strengthening internal controls,

1:48:10pursuing grants,

1:48:11and consistently asking the question

1:48:14whether public resources are being put

1:48:16to their best use. And I think this

1:48:17council does that

1:48:19on a regular basis, not only formally in

1:48:21this room,

1:48:22but in regular conversations that I'm

1:48:25privileged to have with most of you on a

1:48:27regular basis.

1:48:30Whitney and I have spent a great deal of

1:48:31time over the last month continuing to

1:48:33develop our understanding your town

1:48:35government FAQ series,

1:48:37uh or as I like to call it, make local

1:48:39government boring again.

1:48:41During September, one of the subjects we

1:48:43addressed was fund balance, what it is,

1:48:45how it differs from cash, why

1:48:47municipalities maintain reserves,

1:48:50and how those reserves can ultimately be

1:48:52appropriated, which of course was a

1:48:54significant portion of your discussion

1:48:56earlier this evening.

1:48:57This initiative reflects something I

1:48:59believe is increasingly important to our

1:49:01approach to transparency, and that is

1:49:03providing information,

1:49:06and not only providing information, but

1:49:08making that information understandable.

1:49:10Uh it's something I feel is equally

1:49:12important.

1:49:13A budget, an audit, a financial

1:49:14statement, an agenda packet, a statute,

1:49:17may technically make that information

1:49:20available if we hand it to somebody, but

1:49:21that doesn't necessarily make it

1:49:23understandable

1:49:24to the average resident. It's pretty

1:49:26understandable if we look at those kind

1:49:27of things on a regular basis,

1:49:29but most people generally don't

1:49:31understand or appreciate

1:49:33what that information actually is.

1:49:35Our goal with these FAQs is to take

1:49:38legitimate questions about town

1:49:39governance, verify the facts, and

1:49:41provide straightforward explanations and

1:49:43sources

1:49:45that our citizens can actually use. And

1:49:47I think those are becoming more and more

1:49:49helpful.

1:49:51In terms of communication and planning,

1:49:53September was a very uh active month for

1:49:56communication and community engagement.

1:49:59Uh earlier in the month, I attended the

1:50:00Rural Hall Jaycees organizational

1:50:02meeting on September the 3rd. That group

1:50:05has drafted a constitution and bylaws.

1:50:08They've elected their initial officers

1:50:09or acting officers,

1:50:11and they are hitting the ground running.

1:50:13I want to personally congratulate acting

1:50:15president Austin Brown,

1:50:17vice president Kelsey Lynch, and

1:50:19treasurer and secretary Trey Blackwood

1:50:21on stepping up and leading and doing

1:50:24something constructive in our community.

1:50:26It is very encouraging to see a civic

1:50:28organization developing in Rural Hall,

1:50:30and I look forward to seeing where their

1:50:31work leads.

1:50:33On September the 23rd, we hosted the

1:50:35first public input session associated

1:50:37with the Rural Hall area plan update.

1:50:40That has begun a broader community

1:50:42conversation about future land use,

1:50:44growth, transportation,

1:50:46infrastructure, community facilities,

1:50:47and other issues that will help shape

1:50:49Rural Hall's future.

1:50:51Earlier today, I forwarded you an

1:50:53informative email about the scoring

1:50:55process

1:50:56uh for transportation projects. I hope

1:50:58that you will take a look at that

1:51:00and help us get some of that community

1:51:02engagement information out as well.

1:51:05As the mayor pointed out earlier this

1:51:07evening, there will be additional

1:51:08opportunities for public input and

1:51:10participation as the planning process on

1:51:13the area plan moves forward. And I

1:51:15strongly encourage residents to

1:51:17participate.

1:51:18On September the 16th, I attended the

1:51:21Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities

1:51:2350th Anniversary Luncheon

1:51:25at Tanglewood Park.

1:51:27Uh 50 years of regional water and

1:51:29wastewater service and collaboration is

1:51:31a significant achievement and milestone.

1:51:33And it provides a reminder for us of how

1:51:35important intergovernmental partnerships

1:51:37are for us here in Rural Hall.

1:51:40Infrastructure growth, economic

1:51:41development, transportation, and public

1:51:43safety particularly require um extending

1:51:46beyond our municipal boundaries and

1:51:47working with others. And those

1:51:49relationships are very important. And

1:51:51thank you to each of you for the work

1:51:53that you're doing in engaging with other

1:51:56um

1:51:56colleagues on in our surrounding local

1:51:59governments.

1:52:00Councilman Elaine and I attended the

1:52:012026 North Carolina League of

1:52:04Municipalities Legislative Summit in

1:52:06Winston-Salem on September 30th.

1:52:08And I had a chance to speak with

1:52:10Representative Kyle Hall

1:52:12um on September 16th and September 25th

1:52:15regarding legislative matters and

1:52:17priorities affecting Rural Hall and our

1:52:19region.

1:52:21Several other projects continued moving

1:52:22forward during the month of September.

1:52:24Work remains underway on the Covington

1:52:26Park Improvement Project and our part of

1:52:28grant. We have asked our engineers to

1:52:31revisit portions of the proposed

1:52:33playground equipment to make sure the

1:52:34project provides engaging opportunities

1:52:37not only for younger children, but also

1:52:39children in the age uh 8 to 12 range.

1:52:42And we are awaiting updated cost

1:52:44estimates and designs from that work.

1:52:47We advanced work on the Broad Street

1:52:48Pedestrian Improvements Project,

1:52:50continued administration of the North

1:52:52Carolina Railroad Economic Development

1:52:53Grant, monitored fire department capital

1:52:56investments, and continued planning

1:52:58around future infrastructure

1:53:00and capital needs during the month of

1:53:02September.

1:53:03Finally, later in October, we will begin

1:53:06preliminary work on the fiscal year

1:53:0727-28 budget and longer-range capital

1:53:11planning.

1:53:12It may seem early to begin talking about

1:53:14the 27-28 budget, but I think starting

1:53:16earlier gives council and staff a better

1:53:18process.

1:53:20It will provide more time to identify

1:53:22departmental needs, evaluate revenues,

1:53:24prioritize our capital projects and

1:53:26needs, look at outside funding

1:53:28opportunities, and consider the town's

1:53:30long-term financial capacity before you

1:53:33reach the formal budget development

1:53:35period in the spring.

1:53:37Taken together, I think the work of the

1:53:39past month reflects where we want the

1:53:41organization to be headed as a whole.

1:53:43Over the past several years,

1:53:44considerable attention has appropriately

1:53:46been devoted to correcting weaknesses,

1:53:49strengthening financial management,

1:53:50improving your internal controls, and

1:53:52increasing transparency.

1:53:54The next stage, I believe, is making

1:53:56sure that those improvements are not

1:53:57just viewed as special corrective

1:53:59measures, but they should simply be how

1:54:01the town of Rolesville conducts our

1:54:03business.

1:54:04At the same time, we have to continue

1:54:06looking forward, planning for

1:54:07infrastructure, investing in parks and

1:54:09public safety,

1:54:11strengthening our community

1:54:12organizations, communicating better with

1:54:14residents,

1:54:16maintaining regional partnerships,

1:54:18pursuing outside funding, and preparing

1:54:20responsibly for future budgets.

1:54:22That combination of accountability,

1:54:24institutional stability, sound financial

1:54:26stewardship, transparency, and forward

1:54:28planning

1:54:30will continue to remain my focus.

1:54:33I appreciate the work of our employees,

1:54:35of each of you as elected officials,

1:54:37our community organizations, and

1:54:39governmental partners,

1:54:41um residents who continue to participate

1:54:44productively and ask questions about

1:54:46their town government.

1:54:48Mayor, that concludes my report, and I'm

1:54:49glad to answer any questions or direct

1:54:51any questions that you have to the

1:54:53appropriate staff member.

1:54:56>> Any questions to

1:55:05>> Okay.

1:55:12All right, does um

1:55:14any of the council have any other

1:55:16comments they'd like to make?

1:55:20All right.

1:55:21>> Um oh,

1:55:22go ahead.

1:55:22>> Just that this uh Saturday the Rohob's

1:55:26train depot is going to be celebrating

1:55:30DJ Redding's birthday at our open house

1:55:32with cake and lemonade if you've ever

1:55:34been.

1:55:35Come out and see the depot, go through

1:55:37the tour, but Mr. Redding's responsible

1:55:41for moving the depot where it is now.

1:55:44So, they're going to be celebrating him

1:55:47this weekend. And that's it. It's 1:00

1:55:49to 3:00 Saturday.

1:55:50>> Okay.

1:55:54Y'all have any?

1:55:56>> I want [clears throat] to follow up on a

1:55:57couple of things uh

1:55:59that might have gotten left out. I know

1:56:01um

1:56:02town manager talked about the JCs. They

1:56:05were

1:56:06uh did want to mention and he brought

1:56:08that up that he attended that last

1:56:10meeting and I've been in several

1:56:12conversations. They're almost uh

1:56:15got all their bylaws, everything. So,

1:56:18their charter will be and we also

1:56:21um

1:56:23town manager Derman said that

1:56:26Austin was going to be um

1:56:28uh the president and Kelsey vice

1:56:31president and they've got a secretary

1:56:33treasurer. But, I just also wanted to

1:56:35recognize Austin because tomorrow night

1:56:38he's going to be sworn in as interim

1:56:40town manager of Wanakoe. Uh

1:56:43so, we're getting we're getting a little

1:56:45bit of his expertise back over here for

1:56:49running a organization.

1:56:51Uh that is a young person's

1:56:53organization, 18 to 40. And we hear a

1:56:56lot of times that we, you know, cater to

1:56:59our senior citizens and and we leave out

1:57:02some of our younger group. Well, this is

1:57:05um

1:57:07one heck of an organization. It's uh

1:57:09they're they're going to be heavily

1:57:11involved, correct me if I'm wrong,

1:57:13Whitney. They're working with the

1:57:15Luminary Project. Uh that we're going to

1:57:18be doing

1:57:18>> That is correct.

1:57:19>> Okay. Also,

1:57:21uh I've got to bring this up because we

1:57:24did just have a cruise in

1:57:26over 400

1:57:28you know, the events that sometimes you

1:57:31hear people say we cut our money back.

1:57:33We had probably a cruise over over 500

1:57:37people that came out to that and I've

1:57:39got numerous texts about it being the

1:57:42best cruise in, best band. And it was

1:57:46and my concern on that was that the

1:57:48Catalinas was going to draw more of the

1:57:50older crowd, but we had so many young

1:57:53people out there having such a good

1:57:55time. And that's where

1:57:58having these events and keeping our

1:58:00community involved. Um again, the

1:58:03community center is not something that

1:58:05just come up uh

1:58:08top of my head. That has been mentioned,

1:58:11but most of the time

1:58:13as the JCs, just like the JCs community

1:58:16centers have been mentioned for a while,

1:58:19but

1:58:20you know,

1:58:21we are putting it into reality now

1:58:24instead of talking about it. Um

1:58:27The only thing um

1:58:29and I would like to say in Homer's um um

1:58:34comments too about the budget and all

1:58:36that stuff because I hear and and it

1:58:39really

1:58:40it doesn't offend me about hearing

1:58:42people talk about the budget, but one

1:58:43thing with the budget Homer,

1:58:46I know works very hard on that and I

1:58:49think he knows very well that when he

1:58:51hands me that, he knows I'm capable of

1:58:54looking at the numbers and know what I'm

1:58:56looking at and we actually work off each

1:58:59other sometime looking at the numbers to

1:59:01make sure and I ask questions all the

1:59:04time how much is this and why is that

1:59:06being spent or or what department is

1:59:09that. And that is very important to

1:59:12understand financial statements and a

1:59:14budget.

1:59:16Um, I think it's um, I've worked on

1:59:18budgets for over 40 years and we have

1:59:21one of the best budgets that I've looked

1:59:23at in a long time. So,

1:59:26um

1:59:27but anyway, with that being said, I'd

1:59:28like to thank all the staff. Um, if you

1:59:32had came out if you were at our um, car

1:59:34show or we'll call it a cruise-in or or

1:59:38um

1:59:39um

1:59:40Catalinas were here. Uh, the staff,

1:59:43that's where they it just comes

1:59:45together. I mean, that that was put

1:59:47together in about a 4-week time period

1:59:50and uh, there were I counted by the

1:59:53picture it was 83 cars out in that front

1:59:56lawn. Um, so so it was very good event.

1:59:59Thank the uh, public works department as

2:00:01usual. The

2:00:03um, chief, thank all the firemen, did

2:00:05great job. Whitney and all the staff

2:00:08that came out and to all the citizens

2:00:10that came out and enjoyed that. The only

2:00:13thing I think we we got numerous um

2:00:17compliments on it and only one

2:00:19complaint.

2:00:21I have to mention we did get a complaint

2:00:23for a noise ordinance, but we ended at

2:00:259:00 so it didn't fall in the noise

2:00:28ordinance. With that being said, uh, I

2:00:31entertain a motion to adjourn.

2:00:34>> I'll make a motion to adjourn.

2:00:36>> Second.

2:00:37>> Second. All right.