The five hundred and eighty-ninth session of the board of Aldermen, Village of Alamance
February 23, 2026
7:00 p.m.
Present: Mayor Tichy, Mayor Pro Tem Isley, Alderman Crouse, Alderman Andrews, Alderman Hunt, Alderman Cass
Absent: Alderman Tichy
Invocation: Invocation given by Mr. Shawn Fransis.
Approval of Agenda: Alderman Cass makes a motion to approve the Agenda, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Isley. Motion carries 5-0.
Approval of January 30, 2026, Meeting Minutes: Alderman Andrews makes a motion to approve the January 30th, 2026, Meeting Minutes, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Isley. Motion carries 5-0.
Public Comment: ** NO PUBLIC COMMENT**
OLD BUSINESS
Engineer Report: Given by Mr. Trenton Novelli
Heritage Glen Phase 5C: Still ongoing; awaiting utility certification. Birch Street Pump Station: Still waiting for state approval. Mr. Novelli spoke with the state last Thursday and stated they are working to push it through, as Mr. Novelli has made them aware that it has become an emergency, and they are working with us. Citgo Gas Station: No additional submissions. Picnic Shelter: Mr. Novelli states that we were not approved for the T-Mobile Grant. Currently looking for potential funding opportunities.
ORC Report: Given BY Mr. Arnold Allred
Birch Street Pump Station: Mr. Allred states that there was another failure on February 10th: a pressure-output pipe broke. Fortunately, the ‘spray’ was all contained to the inside of the pit, so there was no environmental release. Pond Station: Everything is working well. NC 62: Everything is working well. Generator tested.
Distribution:
Everything is well. Chlorine will not switch over until mid-April.
Public Recreation Update:
Mrs. Folwell states that we were not approved for the T-Mobile grant this go-around. The plan is to resubmit in March. Mrs. Folwell states that the village will likely use the grant-writing services. **will speak on Grant Writing Services in New Business** The Public Recreation Committee plans to meet on February 28th to walk the property and get a visual sense of the Shelter’s possible placement and layouts.
Appointing PTRC Delegate:
Mrs. Folwell states that she spoke with PRTC, and they informed her that it is not a necessity to have a board member appointed for the position. What they need is a point of contact. As of now, since no one has expressed interest in being appointed, Mayor Don Tichy is the main point of contact. Essentially, this is to make sure that every municipality is fairly represented. If you opted to be the PTRC person, you don’t have to go to the meetings. They do offer things virtually, so that the Village has a voice in what they are doing.
NEW BUSINESS
Yard Waste Policy Updates:
Mrs. Folwell states there have been some issues with excessive yard waste. Because the Village does not specify what constitutes ‘excessive yard waste’, Mrs. Folwell believes the board needs to discuss updating the Yard Waste Policy.
Mrs. Folwell asks the Board to consider adding the following to the Yard Waste Policy:
• A maximum of four (4) piles of yard waste will be collected per property during each scheduled pick-up.
• Any piles exceeding four (4) will be subject to a fee of $25.00 PER PILE for each additional pile collected. Such charge shall be billed to the property owner.
• Failure to comply may result in the suspension of yard waste collection services until the violation is corrected.
Mrs. Folwell states that Christoper Howell (with Freedom Junk Removal) already shows tremendous grace with what he picks up that is not sectioned out in the correct lengths, per our current Yard Waste Policy. Mr. Howell states that he is always looking to find ways to help the Village save money. Mr. Howell informs the Board that the pile of yard waste pictured (during the conversation) probably cost the village an extra $175 for pickup. Mayor Pro Tem Isley asks for clarification on whether, if a resident sets out only 4 piles on the scheduled yard waste pickup day, they may set out 4 on the following scheduled yard waste pickup day. Mr. Howell states that it is up to the board whether they allow it to be left at the curb or left behind the house. Mayor Tichy states that if the policy states that a maximum of four piles will be collected and the number of piles on the curb exceeds four, the resident will be subject to the $25 fee. If they do not want to be charged the fee, they can keep the additional piles on the side or behind their house until the next scheduled yard waste pick-up day. Mr. Howell states that he brought this to the board’s attention because he has noticed that yard waste totals have increased due to piles like the ones presented.
Mayor Pro Tem Isley makes a motion to update the Yard Waste Policy as discussed, seconded by Alderman Hunt. Motion carries 5-0.
Personnel Policy Update:
Mayor Tichy states that the personnel policy is currently under review at the community’s request, and the previous personnel policy was inadequate for what the Village is doing these days. There will not be a vote on this tonight; this is for the Board to discuss and get back to Mrs. Folwell with their feedback. Mrs. Folwell states that she has gone in and included all the language required for the Village to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Personal Policy
lists Employment classification, probationary period, work schedule, holidays, vacation/sick leave, discipline, grievance procedure, and code of conduct. The village complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Some of the things the board should consider include compensation and benefits. Mrs. Folwell spoke with every municipality in Alamance County and conducted statewide research in North Carolina, and she states that every municipality offers health benefits to some degree, whether the town itself offers insurance or an ICRA or HAS plan. Mrs. Folwell states that the one thing the Village does not have, which every other municipality has, is longevity pay. All surrounding Alamance County municipalities offer a percentage, which increases based on how long you’ve been employed with the Village. These are in there for the Board to consider.
Mayor Tichy says he believes a satisfactory performance review should be required to receive the longevity bonus. Mayor Tichy also believes that the village should conduct annual performance reviews in June, prior to the new budget, and that the administrator will review other employees and forward their reviews to the board.
Grant Writing Services:
Mrs. Folwell states she reached out to NCLM because she remembered when Nick was here, the Village had grant-writing services. Mrs. Folwell was able to get in touch with someone who let her know that the league has enough funding for us to receive free grant-writing services from them. Mrs. Folwell has a meeting scheduled with Whitt O’ Brien scheduled for February 25th, where they will start discussing the types of grants we’re looking for.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Jeremy Vestel, 4533 Alamance Baptist Church Loop, states that he received a violation in the mail and wants to thank the village for making him aware of it and for getting it cleaned up. Mr. Vestal typed a letter to the board stating that he is aware of the violation and requests that everyone sign a copy to confirm they received it. Mrs. Folwell confirms with Mr. Vestal that he is appealing against the citation. Mr. Vestal states ‘Yeah, I’m working on it. As stated in the letter. Mayor Tichy asks Mr. Vestal if he intends to clean it up, & Mr. Vestal states Of course’ Mayor Tichy informs Mr. Vestal that if he intends to clean the mess up, there is no need to file an appeal. Mr. Vestal states this is just to cover himself.
Lorraine Ryan, 2738 Birch Ln, commented on the personal policy, asking for clarification on who’s supposed to report to whom if there is an issue with staff members. Ms. Ryan also states that, ‘in the public sector, it surprises her that we can provide benefits that far exceed what you get in the private sector. In the past, public sector employees were paid far less than their private sector, which is why all the benefits were allocated to them. Ms. Ryan believes Nick was an exception to the rule. Ms. Ryan states she thinks Nick was biding his time here to get a bigger, better deal. She thinks it is the Village’s responsibility to hire, interview, and train someone, and whether we’d like it or not, if we need to replace someone, we need to do it. She would like the benefits and bonuses to be considered more in-depth.
Deborah Cheap, 4312 S NC 62, states that she wishes more residents would attend these meetings to stay up to date on what’s happening. She states that while addressing the Yard Waste Policy, the village should use this time to discuss burn policies.
Randy Smith, 4520 Cornerstone Dr, states that there are two pipes that are sticking out in the road. Mayor Tichy states that those are two old pipes that we hit by a car. They have been scheduled for removal. Mayor Tichy informs Mr. Smith that they are the original water system pipes.
Alderman Crouse makes a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Alderman Andrews. Motion carries 5-0.
Mayor Tichy_______________________________________________________
Hannah Quigley. Clerk_______________________________________________