AGENDA MEETING SEDALIA TOWN HALL 6121 Burlington Road January 27, 2025 7PM Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER: The regular scheduled meeting for the Town of Sedalia was called to order at 7:00 pm at the Sedalia Town Hall by Mayor Morgan. PRAYER & MEDITATION: Time was allotted for silent prayer and meditation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Time was allotted for pledge to the U.S. flag. ROLL CALL: Mayor Morgan, Mayor Pro Tem Faison, Councilwoman Jones, Councilwoman Wrenwick, and Councilman Sharpe. A. MOTION to approve the agenda was made by Councilwoman Jones and seconded by Councl.woman Wrenwick. Motion carried. B. MOTION to approve the minutes from the Councilwoman November 25H, Agenda meeting was made by Councilwoman Wrenwick and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Faison. Motion approved. C. REPORIS/DSCUSSIONS I. Monthly Finance Report was presented by Councilwoman Wrenwick. Since there was no Agenda meeting for the month of December, the Town Council will cover both November and December finance reports during this presentation. Monthly Finance Report- November 2024 Water Feasibility Study (-57) balance: $29,652.56 American Rescue Plan (-56) balance: $133,705.20 Powell Bill Fund (-48) balance: $135,965.16 Guilford County ARP Funds (-37) balance: $67,326.54 Savings Account (-21) balance: $284,712.62 Checking Account (-05) balance: $37,963.48 There was a transfer from the savings account to the checking account to cover general monthly expenses in the amount of $22,500.00 Monthly Finance Report - December 2024 Water Feasibility Study (-57) balance: $29,652.81 American Rescue Plan (-56) balance: $133,706.33 Powell Bill Fund (-48) balance: $145,952.90 Guilford County ARP Funds (-37) balance: $67,786.95 Savings Account (-21) balance: $207,363.24 Checking Account (-05) balance: $56,820.08 There were two transfers from the savings account to the checking account to cover general monthly expenses in the amount of $22,500.00 and $20,000. There was an additional transfer from There was an additional $50,000 transferred into the NC Capital Management Trust Government Portfolio bringing the total investment to $150,000 to date. The total interest earned since the initial investment is $1,153.36. Councilman Sharpe added that it was recently announced that the 2026 property tax rate is under review by the State of NC. By law, a re-evaluation of property tax must be done every 6-7 years. This review is arriving sooner than scheduled but iti is good to be aware as this will affect the Town should changes take place. Evaluation will impact the property values here in Sedalia which should be considered when the Budget conversation for 2026 becomes a topic of discussion. II. Planning Board Meeting Update Planning Board Chair Jay Riehle stated that the Planning Board has continued to work on reviewing the Town Development Ordinance with the plan to compare to surrounding towns for reference. Chair Riehle noted that this serves as both an educational purpose as well as an insightful way to look for potential updates needed to the Town's Ordinances. The Planning Board has reviewed most of Section 1 during the last couple of meetings. Chair Riehle also stated that the Planning Board is discussing the plans to collaborate with the Town Council and Town Staff to compose the Strategic Plan. III. Appointment of BOA Members, presented by Mayor Pro Tem Faison. The Town of Sedalia has 7 potential members who have agreed to serve as a part of the Board of Adjustment. A Board of Adjustment is a quasi-judicial body located within a local government that primarily hears and decides appeals regarding zoning regulations, including requests for variances and interpretations ofzoning ordinances, essentially acting as a review panel for decisions made by zoning officials when property owners believe the rules are not being applied fairly in their specific situation; they hold public hearings to make these decisions. It was recommended that the board vote to approve and appoint the following individuals as BOA members. Alton Rucker, Tanneshia Dukes, Robert Faison, Lillie Barnes, Tyler Thomas, Tony Gomes and Dianne Wilson. After reviewing the information presented, the Town Council expressed approval of the BOA appointment. The motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Faison to approve and appoint each member as stated as an official member ofthe Sedalia Board of Adjustment. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Jones. Motion Carried. IV. Website Map Removal Proposal presented by Mayor Morgan The Town of Sedalia currently has a link to an NCDOT Map which displays plans for a future bypass which was shown on the screen during the meeting. This map shows a potential bypass that if adopted, would run directly through the middle oft the property owned by Gerry Parker andtheir family. Mr. Parker stated that he has been trying to sell his land for some time but has not been able to get offers on the land because potential buyers have declined citing the plans displayed on the map located on the Town of Sedalia website. Iti is the family's request that the Town ofSedalia consider removing this map because this project has not been set in stone and there is currently no funding available for this project making it in Mr. Parker's opinion an unlikely plan for the foreseeable future. Mr. Parker stated that the family really needs to get rid of this land soon and this map in his opinion is a hindrance to the sale of his land. Mayor Morgan stated that this has been an ongoing plan for many: years. This project will happen because this area is growing, however the timeframe is in the hands of the NCDOT. This project discussion would need to be directed to the NCDOT and the State of NC and not the Town of Sedalia. There was further discussion by Mr. Parker's son, Gerry Parker Jr, with regard to his experience in trying to find and convince potential buyers despite this map being displayed. Mr Parker mentioned that he would like for the Town to speak on the Parker family's behalf when in talks with the NCDOT to help speed up this project SO that they can avoid being left in limbo while this project moves up the list towards the possibility of being funded. Councilwoman Jones asked Mr. Parker about his plans for the land surrounding the parts that will be directly impacted by the bypass should the plans proceed through their property. Mr Parker stated that the plans that run through their property will not leave very much land on either side that will be valuable to a future purchaser. There was discussion regarding a proposal that Sedalia Elementary School may consider purchasing part of the land in question to which Mr. Parker stated that it would be pointless to sell off parts of the land ifthe bypass isn'tg going to come. He implied that he would rather sell the property whole whether it be to the NCDOT for the bypass or to someone else. Gerry Parker Jr added that the topic of concern for him was that the Town of Sedalia has ai map on the Town website that impacts the sale ofhis family's property and they were never contacted prior to this being posted. Gerry added that this map practically condemns their property by displaying a future possible bypass running directly through the center of their land. He stated that this is a lot of money on the line and they have had al buyer decline citing this map on the Town's website. Mayor Morgan stated that this is public knowledge and accessible to anyone who wants to find it. Gerry stated that this information is not easily findable but the Town is making it easy to find by having this map on the website. Gerry continued by stating that as a government agency displaying this map without speaking with the family prior to posting this map is not okay. He said that the family should not have to go back and forth between other organizations i.e. the State ofNC and NCDOT to find a solution when this can be resolved by simply removing the map from the Town's website. Gerry stated that he has spoken to Mr Steven Robinson from NCDOT and he was informed that this is a long shot, a "pie in the sky project" according to Mr Robinson. This is unlikely to take place for a very long time. As landowners, the family cannot afford to allow this map to continue to remain posted unless the Town is willing to speak on the family's behalf to convince the NCDOT to bump the bypass project up and get it done sooner, The family is not interested in remaining in limbo with this. Mayor Morgan reiterated that this map is online and searchable outside oft the Town's website. These kinds of projects do tend to take a while to start but this will come to fruition especially with the growth coming to Sedalia. Furthermore, anyone looking to purchase a property of this size at the rate in which it is listed, would surely do their due diligence and research the property thoroughly before moving forward. Gerry stated that his family should have been contacted when the Boards and Council had their meetings to establish the 2022 Land Use Plan. He explained that their property was listed prior to this being put in place and with all ofthe meetings required to implement this plan, the Town should have reached out to the Parker family to give them a heads-up about this map and the plan but no one did. Councilwoman Wrenwick added that this map was produced not by the Town, but by NCDOT and it was established prior to the Land Use Plan being put in plaçe. This map was revised and adopted back in 2013. Our Land Use plan did incorporate this map to show what the future plans for this land would be. Mr. Parker stated that they would go to the DOT to speak directly with the powers that be. There was more discussion about the potential alternate plans B and C: for the bypass and how it in the opinion of Gerry Parker, was "destroying their buyers" because there has been a potential buyer who was "scared away by that website right there, your website" Councilman Sharpe added that even ift the Town were to remove the map from the website, that doesn't remove the fact that there is a project on DOT's books that would be discoverable through due diligençe. Gerry added that if that were the case then they (potential buyers) would have to go to DOT to get the facts, the Town isn't giving out facts. Administrator Dungee suggested that the Parker family check with DOT to see if they would be willing to draw up a notice stating either which plan they intend to move forward with ift that has been decided, or ifthey will draw up a document to give a projected timeline with a range to avoid having the property in limbo. Laura Parker, daughter of Mr. Parker spoke via Zoom. She reiterated that she was excited about the future of Sedalia and the potential growth. She expressed that she realizes that this is an emotional topic for their family because they are all aging and they would like to see something happen soon with this land. Jay Riehle, 302 Sharonwood - Added that he had spoken with the Guilford County DOT rep and he confirmed that this bypass would indeed happen but Mr. Steven Robinson from NC DOT told Gerry that this project was a "pie in the sky" SO there seems to be some discrepancies in the plans. Gerry concluded that as a government entity to have this map on the Town's website impedes their ability to sell their property and he disagrees with this being posted. Mr. Parker asked the town to mull it over, find a solution or proposal, and get back with the family. Mr. Parker stated that he may need to go visit Governor Stein to see what the plans truly are. The consensus of the board was that the increased traffic demand from the upcoming distribution centers that are being built would require additional access to regulate the flow of traffic. V. Proposal for Garbage Services for Sedalia Businesses Presented by Councilman Sharpe. The Town has received calls about missed trash pickup recently and after further investigation it was discovered that the address in question was identified as a business - Illusions Styling & Tanning Salon. Prior to this proposal businesses have been responsible for securing their own trash services. After further investigation it seems that this property was not removed from the collection list when the revised list was submitted during the previous year's audit. Once this issue was discovered, the correction was made and the property owners were notified that they were not eligible for trash pickup services per the Town ordinance which prohibits businesses from receiving trash services. It was recommended by Administrator Dungee that the Council review this practice to ensure that it is still in alignment with the Town's wishes moving forward. The Town currently pays for trash and recycle pickup for tax-paying residents and since business owners also pay property taxes, there was a question as to whether this should be adjusted to include businesses as well. Currently, the Town pays $6312.87 per month for garbage and recycling services with the breakdown of rates as follows, Garbage Collection Rate: $11.25 per household per month Recycle Collection Rate: $4.25 per household per month Recycle Processing Fee: $1.25 per household per month Adding services for the 3 known business properties (5 individual businesses) within Sedalia would increase the monthly fee by $83.75 which comes out to $1005.00 per year. It was noted that this would increase over time as new residents and or businesses move to Sedalia. The grand total projected cost to include the businesses mentioned above with the Town's trash and recycle pickup schedule would bring the monthly costs to $7317.87. An estimated amount of what the Town is getting each year from these businesses mentioned above is $4,710.76 Councilwoman Wrenwick added that anyone paying property taxes should be entitled to two bins, one for trash and one for recycling. Ifa additional bins or a dumpster is needed that would be arranged and at the expense oft the business owner. Mayor Morgan and Mayor Pro Tem Faison stated that they agreed with this plan to extend trash and recycling services to these businesses in town. There was discussion and clarification regarding the need for larger businesses i.e. Dollar General needed dumpsters and clarification that the Town would not at this time change the stance on dumpsters being the responsibility of the business to obtain and pay for. Councilman Sharpe motioned to allow businesses in town to receive 1 trash and 1 recycle bin. Mayor Pro Tem Faison seconded this motion. Motion carried. VI. Sedalia Guideline Policy for Elected Officials Presented by Councilman Sharpe. There were 4 sections that needed updates to align with the current Town policy and the State's current regulations. Changes made or added are as follows. Section I - Travel and Expense - update includes, "The board member will be provided with a detailed confirmation of expenses being paid" was added to A-3. "This includes an agenda, amount, event location, dates, and times" was added to A-5. "Once approved by the Town Council, expenses will be paid prior to the start date" along with "to eliminate the need for physical Town credit card use." was added to E-2. "Family members providing services for the Town for pay, is allowed but not encouraged. If work is done for pay, the amount per hour requires prior approval. An invoice or billing statement must be submitted for work completed. Receipts must be provided for reimbursements: was added to F-1. "For regular day-to-day requests or needed input, the Town Council shall follow up with the Town Clerk or Town Administrator within 5 days regarding matters ofi importance. Elected Officials shall be concerned and involved in Town matters where direction is needed and requested in order to proceed with action to resolve a situation." was added to H-5. Section II - Duties of Elected Officials, the following was added. Councilmembers statutory duties are to be performed, almost without exception, by the council as a whole. For example, the council, not the individual members, must supervise administrative officers, formulate policies, and exercise city powers. Councilmembers should devote their official time to problems ofl basic policy and act as liaisons between the Town and the public. Council members should be concerned, not only with the conduct of daily affairs, but also with the future development of the city. For regular day-to-day requests, or needed involvement, the Town Council shall follow up with the Town Clerk or Manager within 5 days regarding matters of importance. Elected Officials shall be concerned with and involved in Town matters where direction is needed and requested in order to proceed with action to resolve a situation. The most important single responsibility ofthe Council member is participation in Council meetings. In statutory cities, each Council member, including the Mayor, has full authority to make and second motions, participate in discussions, and vote on every matter before the Council." was added to section II. Section VI. - One Council, One Voice. "The Elected Officials of the Town of Sedalia shall act in unison as one body, one Council. It is expected that any member or members ofthe Council who participates in any type of gathering outside of the Town's jurisdiction does SO as an elected official and representative ofthe Town of Sedalia. Representatives shall ensure that prior to making affirmative statements or commitments to any persons those actions reflect the will of the Town Council. Should an Elected Official of the Town choose to speak on matters without prior agreement or understanding oft the council, he/she should be clear to those gathered that the opinions are not those of the Sedalia Town Council but are personal. Representatives shall be responsible for providing the Town Council with a general overview ofthe type of business conducted and what was relayed or what decisions were taken during those gatherings. Elected Officials shall make every effort to direct general questions, inquiries, and requests for information related to the business affairs ofthe Town to the Town Administrator. The Town Administrator or Town Clerk shall provide the requested information to all Elected Officials. Elected Officials may not submit a formal Public Information Request. Council members are not necessarily expected to agree with one another. Iti is expected that Elected Officials are civil with one another in their discussions. And, when in disagreement, each member of the Council shall commit to and support decisions made by the majority oft the Council. was added to this section. There was a discussion on each individual section to provide clarity to each section and to further explain why the mentioned sections were to be updated. Councilwoman Wrenwick asked if the Town would consider thinking through a plan for future conferences should a member sign up and then not attend or have to leave the conference or training early. Would there be a fee charged? Would the Council member have to reimburse the Town for any of the training or conferences that were missed? Administrator Dungee added that this has not happened in the past but that it may be a good idea to look into adding this with more detail for clarity. The Council agreed that this would be a great addition to the Elected Officials policy. This topic was determined to be moved to the next meeting for an official vote once the final updates are made. VII. NCLM Council Academy Conference Update. Presented by Councilwoman Jones who attended the conference. She informed the Council about the updates with duties and procedures, and reiterated accepted practices for conducting meetings. These documents were given to the Council Members for their review. Councilwoman Jones gave out the Local Rules of Policy and Procedure handouts from the conference as a reference. VIII. Presentation : Age Friendly Guilford - AARP with Mark Hensley and Bob Gerkin Presented by Mayor Pro Tem Faison, Guilford County has been working to implement age-friendly communities and activities to accommodate the growing senior age group. It was highlighted that there is a need for more opportunities for recreation and gathering, age-friendly living spaces, and community groups. Mayor Pro Tem Faison noted a quote from the conference that was eye-opening. "According to the US Census Bureau, by 2034 the country will have more people who are aged 65+ than those under the age of 18." It was discussed the relativeness to Sedalia with our Town being an older community. There is a committee that is working in Guilford County to put resources and ideas towards this movement to see it forward. Mayor Pro Tem Faison added that she spoke with the organizers of this conference to see if they would be willing to come to Sedalia and speak with the Council about ways that Sedalia can join this movement and become more age-conscious and age-friendly and they were more than willing. D. CITIZENS COMMENTS Mayor Pro Tem Faison, to revisit briefly the Map conversation and the request for Sedalia to remove the map from the website. I just wanted to make it clear that we are interested in being transparent with the community. If someone is looking to purchase land we want to be responsible for more than just the individual property owner; we want to be sure that anyone looking to buy land has this information. Mayor Morgan added that Bloomfield Rd was originally a part of Sedalia but Mr. Parker requested that it be removed years ago SO it is not a part of Sedalia. The land was removed upon the petition submission to Guilford County. Alton Rucker - I agree that iti is wise to protect yourself by maintaining this thought process regarding the map being displayed for future investors. Administrator Dungee - We do understand that this is a difficult situation and this is a personal matter for them but we are just maintaining that Sedalia is not responsible for this map. This map belongs to DOT. We are not in charge ofthis project. Councilman Sharpe suggested that the Town look into the legal side oft things as it relates to this map being posted on the Town website just to further cover the Town in case this causes more confusion in the future. There was further discussion regarding the Map, DOT plans, and how this project will affect Sedalia as a whole. E. ANNOUNCEMENTS All regular scheduled meetings are held at the Sedalia Town Hall at 7:00 pm. The next Town Council meeting will be held on February 3, 2025 The Planning Board meeting will be held on February 20, 2025 The next Town Council Agenda meeting will be held on February 24, 2025 The meeting adjourned at 8:45pm Submitted By: Approved By: Brittany Shaw, Town Clerk Howard Morgan, Mayor (SEAL) Date