TOWN OF STOKESDALE Regular Town Council Meeting 8325 Angel Pardue Road Stokesdale, NC2 27357 August 11, 2016 The Regular Town Council Meeting of the Stokesdale Town Council was held on Thursday, August 11, 2016, at the Stokesdale Town Hall on 8325 Angel Pardue Road in Stokesdale, North Carolina. COUNCIL MEMBERS: Mayor D. Randall Braswell, Mayor pro tempore William N. (Bill). Jones, Frank Bruno, OTHERS PRESENT INCLUDED: Katy Gregg, Town Attorney; Kim Hemric, Town Clerk; Diana Marcus, Deputy Clerk (left meeting at 8:30pm); Philip Pulliam, Finance Officer (left meeting at 8:00pm). CALL COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER: Mayor Braswell called the meeting to order at 7:00PM. INVOCATION: Given by Pastor. Jerry Walker from Oak Level Baptist Church in Stokesdale. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Recited by Council members and citizens in attendance. Vicki White-Lawrence, Tim. Jones. REVIEW AND ADOPT AGENDA: Mayor Braswell wanted to add Urban Archery Deer Season under New Business and Stokesdale Public Water System Director/Technician Job Description under Unfinished Mayor Braswell made a motion that Council adopt this agenda with these additions. Tim. Jones seconded READING AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE FOLLOWING: December 10, 2015 Regular Town Council Meeting; May 2, 2016 Special Meeting; June 9, 2016 Regular1 Town Council Meeting: Tim. Jones requested tol hold the. June 9, 2016 Regular Town Council Meeting minutes for one more month. Mayor Braswell made a motion that Council approve these minutes excluding June gth, 2016. Bill. Jones COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR: Dwayne Crawford, 1106 NCI Highway 150 West, Summerfield, advised he is opposed to the A& YGreenway. It has become political, expensive, and divisive. There are property ownersa along the proposed trail that do not want the trail on their property and a questionnaire was never sent out tot the property owners on Summerfield Road where the proposed trail is supposed to go. Business. the motion. All Council members voted aye and the motion carried. seconded the motion, All Council members voted aye and the motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: Report from Guilford County Sheriff's Department: Deputy Neese advised that in the last month there has been a decline in crime throughout the whole district. There were three Part One crimes. An ATM robbery at the Dollar General, a motor vehicle break-in on Bartonshire Drive, and a larceny of trees off 1 August 11, 2016 Town Council Meeting Book 13,1 Page 2948 Belews Creek Road. Please keep your car doors locked in order to prevent break-ins. There has been in Finance Report - July, 2016: Philip Pulliam provided the General Fund, Water Enterprise, and' Water- Toshiba N.C. Copier Maintenance Contract: Tim Jones made a motion to approve the Toshiba copier maintenance contract. Vicki White-Lawrence seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and Mayor and Mayor pro tempore to Work with Fire Department Board to Draft Agreement for Water Service: Mayor Braswell made a motion for the Mayor and Mayor pro tempore to work with the Fire Department Board to draft an agreement for water service. Bill. Jones seconded the motion. All Council Declaring Surplus Items (Resolution): Aquestion was asked if two separate resolutions were necessary because the Town wants to sell the automobile and wants to donate certain items to the Sheriff's Department or couldi it be done with one resolution. Katy Gregg advised thati iti isar resolution to authorize the staff to dispose ofi it. She thinks they can doi iti in one resolution that specifies a resolution to authorize stafft to dispose of thei items one through. six or seven, ift they are going to add the rifle, by donation to the Sheriff's Department and disposal of the car by selling. She thinks iti is one resolution for getting rid oft the Mayor Braswell made a motion that Council authorize the staff to draft ar resolution that declares the list that wasinventoried at the Sheriff's Department as surplus including the rifle, and once declared surplus, donate those items on that list back to the Guilford County Sheriff's Department, if they want to receive them. Tim Jones seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the motion carried. Mayor Braswell made a motion that Council authorize the staff to draft a resolution declaring the 2009 Dodge Charger as surplus. Once declared as surplus, sell it to the highest bidder on govdeals.com witha minimum bid of $8,500.00. Bill Jones seconded the motion. Mayor Braswell added to the motion for clarification: to attempt the first bidding to be sold here (Town Hall).. All Council members voted aye and Carolina Power Generation Maintenance Proposal: Mayor Braswell made a motion that Council add Carolina Power Generation to the Town's vendors list and file their estimate in with the other estimates the Town has on generator maintenance, and if they could please, as a part of this motion, clarify annual service of $295.00 and what is a part of that, such as a check sheet, ift they could just break that $295.00 Mayor Braswell requested a recommendation from the Safety Committee for Council to declare the generator at the Firel Department as surplus. The Safety Committee should look intoi the matterandreport increase of theft at construction sites. It has been quite in Stokesdale whichi is good. Sewer financial reports for July, 2016. Please see thet financial reports for details. the motion carried. members voted aye and the motion carried. surplus property that they can be specific with, or they can do two resolutions. the motion carried. down. Frank Bruno seconded the motion. back to Council next month. All Council members voted aye and the motion carried. 2 August 11, 2016- -Town Council Meeting Book 13, Page 2949 Discussion of Protecting Locate Markings - NC811 - Possible Ordinance: The Town pays to have the water lines located and marked whenany digging willl be done whichisr required by NC811. Mayor Braswell wants the Town to be reimbursed for locate markings that are damaged and/or removed and then need to be located and marked again, which is an additional expense to the Town. Katy Gregg advised that she does not see why the Town cannot enact an ordinance, but she thinks theyl have to be very: specific when doing that. There is nothing saying that you cannot seek civil remedies from someone who damages markings. Spray painted markings where the locate area may still be visible should be included in their decision on whether or not they can make someone payi if the spray painted locate area can still be seen. She thinks it would be possible but it would really need to be thought through. No action was taken at this time. Tapl Removal Discussion: At trustee with Stokesdale United Methodist Church has requested removal of at tap at 8008 Stokesdale Street because he plans to combine that property with another property and Katy Gregg advised that aj precedence would be created ifai tapi is removed. If Council is going to agree to remove the tap, then a procedure should be made, and ultimately it would be decided on a case by case basis. Possible appearance ofi impropriety, possible appearance off favoritism, and possible appearance of It was discussed that If a tap is removed from a property and then requested again ini the future for that same property, the property owner would be required to pay whatever the current ratei is at that time for Before Council would consider removing the tap at 8008 Stokesdale Street, the property owner would be Katy Gregg advised that the Town's policy also needs to encompass specific instances, as well as the what Mayor Braswell made a motion that staff send the trustees for Stokesdale United Methodist Church a letter asking for the new deed showing the combined lots, notifying them if we remove it, it would be removed at their cost which is our normal markups in pricing, notify them that we would be removing a retail valued tap that is $3,907.00, and ifi it is ever to be replaced, they would have to replace it at the current rates and the Council is taking it under advisement. Mayor Braswell amended the motion to include the request ofa current survey. And include ini the letter offer to meet with them one on one and we can all have a meeting here if that is what it comes down to. Tim Jones seconded the motion. All Discussion - Weekly Business Meeting of Town Council: Mayor Braswell wants to set a day and time eachweekf for Council to meet. It would bea a regularlyscheduled workshop andi the publicisalwaysi invited to attend. The meetings would be posted according to the general statute. A consent agenda would be Mayor Braswell made a motion that the staff poll the Council to find out what that best time slot is and thenmake it consistent. A motion for staff to generate an annual calendar with the best possible meeting only one tap will be needed, not two. unfairness across the board would certainly need tol be removed. thet tapi installation. required to provide valid proof that the lots were combined legally into one lot. ifs. Council members voted aye and the motion carried. made to take care of al lot of items that come up. 3 August 11,2016 Town Council Meeting Book 13,1 Page 2950 date and time during the week. Bill. Jones seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the Urban Archery Deer Season: Mayor Braswell made a motion for the Mayor to sign the agreement and return it back to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Tim. Jones seconded the motion. All motion carried. Council members voted aye and the motion carried. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Stokesdale Water System: Citizens' Comment Period on the Stokesdale Water System: John Flynt, 8133 Belews Creek Road, Stokesdale, previously received a copy of the original signed agreement for a dry tap on a property he purchased. All that agreement said was that the previous owner was willing to pay $200.00 for a dry tap fee. It did not say that he would bei forever bound to pay the dryt tapi fee or would never have any right to get out of that if he did not want it. It seems fair to him that if people paying the dry tapi fee want to get out of that, they should be able to do that. He understands that the Town has been running in a deficit on the water system for a number of years and the fee to connect to the water system have increased recently and the cost of water has also increased. People may be more hesitant to connect to the water system due to the significant cost increases, sO Council may want to look at that. He also disagrees with Council charging the Stokesdale Fire Department for hydrant water usage and thinks they should Other Issues Pertaining to the Water System: Mayor Braswell advised that he and Kim Hemric had to Poll of Council (Permanent Agenda Item): Mayor Braswell advised that this willl be a permanent agenda item in order to remind Council to ratify any decisions Council made prior toi the meeting. Ratify Water Meter Poll of Council: Mayor Braswell advised that a customer had requested his first month's water bill out of ai three-month billing cycle be reduced to the Town's cost. The vote was 31 to2 Mayor Braswell advised that one of the Council members suggested donating the residual equipment from the deputy sheriff contract. The vote was 4 to 1 to donate the equipment to the Sheriff's Follow Up on ABC Store: Frank Bruno advised that he is working on a presentation that he plans to present to the ABC Board in order to find out if it is economically feasible to open an ABC Store in Eileen Thiery, 8101 Meadow Springs Place, Stokesdale, looked into the matter of a ABC Store in Stokesdale. She contacted an ABC Board member, as a citizen, and wast told that Stokesdale does not have the population to warrant an ABC Store, and an ABC Store in Stokesdale would take revenue away from reconsider. buy $900.00 worth of chlorine last night at the request of Meritech, Inc. not to waive or discount the first month's fee, sol he was billed the full amount. Department. Stokesdale. Discussion took place. the ABC: Store in Oak Ridge. 4 August 11, 2016 -Town Council Meeting Book 13, Page 2951 Pastor Jerry Walker, 8308 McCrory Road, Stokesdale, would hate for Town Council to pursue having an ABC Store in Stokesdale ifi it is not their place to be doing SO. He found information on the internet that crime increased in towns allowed to open a liquor store. He feels the money the Town would make by having an ABC: Store in Stokesdale is not worth the increase in crime. Studies show that liquor availability increases consumption which increases crime. An ABC Store in Stokesdale is not good for our community John Flynt, 8133 Belews Creek Road, Stokesdale, does not think Stokesdale needs an ABC Store. Jason Riddle, 141 (unintelligible) Drive, Stokesdale, does not think an ABC Store in Stokesdale would generate as much money as the ABC Store in Oak Ridge. Hes suggests focusing on getting the sales and use Mayor Braswell is not pursuing an ABC Store in Stokesdale and does not want Council members pursuing Computer for Library: Frank Bruno wants to give internet access to the public on the library computer without affecting the security of Town Hall's computer files. Tim. Jones is concerned about the security of the Town Hall staff and feels that the space currently used for the library may need to be used for the water system to operate out of. He is not ini favor of buying al library computer and there have not been anyr requests for one. Mayor Braswell does not want to allow access toi inappropriate websites. Katy Gregg thinks thati ift the purpose oft this computer is fort the public tol have internet access, inappropriate websites can be limited for the security of the Town's server and computer, due to possible virus attacks. If the purpose of this computer is to allow public access to Town Hall's public records, those public records do not! have to be provided and a statute does not require that, so the ability of the computer can be limited. The computer can be made to allow the public access to the Town's website and nothing else. Also, children under a certain age can be prohibited from using the computer. The computer can also not be hooked up to the internet and just allow the public to use a read-only format of documents on the computer that the Town wants the public to see. So there are options available. If you are going to allow the public to look things up on the computer, such as their email or study websites, limits can be put in place for certain websites. Mayor Braswell wants some evidence that there is areal need for a computer Water Utilities Technician Job Description: Mayor Braswell wants staff to proceed with advertising this Mayor Braswell made a motion for staff to post this on waterOlistserv,gov and Southern City magazine with salary range or salary based on qualifications and have staff investigate what the cost of a recruiter would be for this position. A benefits package can be added if Council votes to move forward with a benefits package. Bill Jones seconded the motion if the benefits package will be added as part of this Discussion took place about how much experience with a municipal water system the candidate should Mayor Braswell, Bill Jones, Frank Bruno, and Vicki White-Lawrence voted aye and Tim Jones voted nay. and not something we need. taxi money back from Guilford County. an ABC Store in Stokesdale. int the library. position. Discussion took place about the job description for this position. position. have. The motion carried with a 4to 1 vote. August11,2 2016- - Town Council Meeting 5 Book 13, Page 2952 Report on Progress of Town Administrator Job Description: Mayor Braswell made a motion that appoints Kim Hemric as Stokesdale'sTown Administrator. Vicki White-Lawrence seconded the motion. Mayor Braswell spoke about Kim Hemric's qualifications and commitment for the Town Administrator Katy Gregg advised that the Clerk, Finance Officer, Budget Officer, and Town Administrator can be intertwined. She thinks that Philip Pulliam's position is more appropriate as Budget Officer, which is required by statute for the Town to have, and is the person who creates the budget and helps enact the budget. The Finance Officer is also required by statute for the Town to have, and is the person who does the day-to-day money collection, money depositing, the accounting system, and getting the finance report. The Clerk can bet the Finance Officer as well as the Town Administrator. A Clerki is also required by position. statute for the Town to have. Mayor Braswell amended the motion to add pending a full legal description of thatj job. TimJ Jones wanted tol knowift the Town. Administrator would be at the same rate ofp pay as what Ms. Hemric is currently receiving. Mayor Braswell advised that Council needs to meet with Ms. Hemric one-on-one to discuss that and suggested salary should bei increased on a graduated scale. Discussion took place about defining the Town Administrator position and hiring a Town Clerk in the near future with the intention of There was a resident, Tim Shields, that disrupted the meeting, SO Mayor Braswell asked him to leave. Mayor Braswell made a motion for a five-minute recess. Frank Bruno seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the meeting recessed at approximately 9:36pm and Mayor Braswell called the police department and requested that an officer remove Tim Shields from Town Hall because he had cross training them to evolve into the next Town Administrator refused to leave. The meeting reconvened at approximately 9:41pm. Mayor Braswell read to the public General Statute 143.318.17, Disruption of Official Meetings, which states "A person who willfully interrupts, disturbs, or disrupts an official meeting and who upon being directed to leave the meeting by the presiding officer willfully refuses to leave the meeting is guilty ofa Mayor Braswell amended the motion to add duly appoint. Mayor Braswell, Bill Jones, Frank Bruno, and VickWhite-lawrence voted aye and Tim. Jones votéd nay. The motion carried with a 4to 1v vote. Amend Town Clerk Title According to General Statute (Finance Officer): Mayor Braswell advised that Kim Hemric is actually performing the duties of the Finance Officer according to the description in the Mayor Braswell made a motion to duly appoint the Clerk/Town Administrator as Finance Officer and to Class 2 misdemeanor". For the record, that is the reason the gentleman was ejected. general statute. be sworn in tonight and that title will be retroactive to her hire date. 6 August 11, 2016 Town Council Meeting Book 13, Page 2953 Katy Gregg advised that if they are going to make Kim Hemric the Finance Officer, a motion also needs to be made to make Philip Pulliam the Budget Officer. She would also have to review the general statute to confirm that the Finance Officer title can be made retroactive to Ms. Hemric's hire date because Mr. Mayor Braswell said his motioni is to appoint her Finance Officer, swear heri intonight, and pendinggeneral statute review, if we can make it retroactive. Ms. Gregg said that the general statute may not define Mayor Braswell said the motion will be to appoint and swear in Kim Hemric as Finance Officer tonight. Discussion took place about whether or not Phillip Pulliam had already been sworn in as the Budget Officer, becausei if he wasn't, Ms. Hemric cannot be sworni in as Finance Officer. It was confirmed that Mr. Pulliam had been sworn in as Budget Officer and Finance Officer at an earlier meeting. Pulliam had already been sworn in as the Finance Officer. retroactive due to this situation being an uncommon experience. Vicki White-Lawrence seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye. Mayor Braswell swore in Kim Hemric as the Finance Officer. Discussion of "Resolution in Opposition to the A&YGreenwayi in the Town of Stokesdale"- References include: "A&' Y Greenway Feasibility Study" (184 pages prepared by Withers & Ravenel) - Continued from July 14th TC Meeting: Tim Jones made a motion to approve the Resolution. Mayor Braswell Discussion took place among Town Council about the feasibility study and the statements written in the Mayor Braswell and Tim. Jones voted aye. Bill Jones, Frank Bruno, and Vicki White-Lawrence voted nay. seconded the motion. Resolution. The motion was denied with a 3t to 2 vote. COMMITTEE AND BOARD REPORTS: The Safety Committee is quiet. The Ordinance Review Committee met to work on the proposed text amendments to the Stokesdale Development Ordinance. Public hearings willl be set upi fort the Planning Board and Town Council meetings. The Property Committee is keeping up with the progress being made on the soccer fields at the Town Park. The fields are progressing well and should be ready for the spring. The Parade Committee will be meeting at Town Hall on August 25th at 7:00pm. Departmental and Administrative Report - Town Clerk: Kim Hemric advised that the focus in the last 30 days has been on developing a strategici flushing program for the water system. The water meters will be read this Saturday, September 13th, and water bills will go out September 18th or 19th. Policies and procedures continue tol be developed bys staff. Approximately. 3.5 million gallons of water wass sold inJ July. 7 August 11, 2016 Town Council Meeting Book 13, Page 2954 Ms. Hemric will be attending a digital government technology summit on August 31st and September 1st. The Town of Stokesdale receives approximately: 300 to 350 emails per month that require a response. In July, there were approximately 190 incoming calls received at Town Hall and approximately 150 outgoing calls were made. Approximately 180 people visited Town Hall during the month of July. There were 15 water applications processed and three meters were sold to builders in July. The NC811 locates were trending very high for the months of July and August. She thanked Council for appointing her as Town Administrator. ANNOUNCEMENIS: Mayor Braswell read the announcements listed on the agenda. COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL: Tim. Jones is still a proponent of small government and is opposed toa Frank Bruno announced the 9/11 Honor & Remembrance Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, September property tax int the Town of Stokesdale. 11that 2:00pm in Linear Park next to the Stokesdale Fire Department. Bill Jones appreciates the public coming out to the meeting. It means a lot. Vicki White-Lawrence appreciates the public coming to the meeting because you learn a lot. It is tough Mayor Braswell apologized for getting upset earlier. They dot the best they cana and not everyone will agree ont things. Stokesdale is the greatest place to live and it is al blessing to live in a community like this. ADIOURNMENT: Vicki White-Lawrence made a motion to adjourn. Tim. Jones seconded the motion. All being up here and she appreciates the support. Council members voted aye and the meeting adjourned at: 10:45pm. AasMe Dianal Marcus, Deputy Clerk Approved: ABidhd D.F Randall Braswell, Mayor 8 August 11, 2016-Town Council Meeting Book 13, Page 2955