THE FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRITY NINTH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN

VILLAGE OF ALAMANCE

June 26, 2023- 7:00 PM

Present: Mayor Tichy, Mayor Pro Tem Isley, Alderman Andrews, Alderman Hunt, Alderman Cheap, Alderman Tichy, Alderman Crouse, Village Administrator York, and Clerk Farmerie

Absent:

Invocation and Call to Order given by Mark Reich

Alderman Tichy motions to approve the May 22, 2023, minutes, Alderman Hunt seconds the motion. The motion carries 6-0.

Public Hearing FY 2023-2024 Budget

Mr. York explains that the Village will be going revenue neutral to a tax rate of $.145 per $100 valuation. Mr. York explains that the Village will be raising water rates to $6.42 per 1,000 gallons of water and $7.60 per 1,000 of sewer. The Village will also be raising the flat rate of water to $9.50 and the flat rate of sewer to $10.00. Mayor Tichy explains this also applies to personal property such as car registration and boats so citizens can expect a 25% decrease in these payments. Alderman Tichy motions to approve the FY 23-24 budget, Mayor Pro Tem Isley seconds the motion, motion carries 6-0. Alderman Tichy motions to approve the budget amendments, Mayor Pro Tem Isley seconds, motion carries 6-0. Alderman Tichy motions to approve fee schedule, Alderman Cheap seconds, motion carries 6-0.

Public Comment

Naydine Sharpe remarks that items are discussed vaguely at Town Meetings. Mrs. Sharpe asks when items are discussed outside of regular scheduled meetings. Mrs. Sharp says that the public is uniformed as to what is being presented to the Board. Mayor Tichy says we’ve been discussing multiple items on the agenda for months. Mayor Tichy says he sometimes talks with Board members outside of meetings but does not try to change Board members’ opinions. Mrs. Sharpe then asks about issues in the past. Mayor Tichy explains that unless there is a specific issue from the past, he will center his discussion on the current agenda. Mayor Tichy explains that many of the issues Mrs. Sharpe presents are administrative in nature and are part of the day-to-day decision making of the Town. Mayor Tichy explains that the Village will commit itself to posting the agenda online one week before the Town meeting is scheduled. Mayor Tichy reminds the room that the Board is committed to only conducting Village business in public. Mayor Tichy gives an example of the location of speed sign placement being of an executive nature and not a question that would be appropriate to present to a legislative board.

Old Business

Engineer Report

Cardinal Lane outfall

Mark Reich explains that Breece Construction won the lowest bid at $357,695 and explains that the second lowest bid was only a $300 difference. Mr. Reich explains that the bid was as high as it was because of demand for service. He recommends awarding the bid due to the Village needing to assign General Assembly ARPA funds by Friday June 30^th, 2023 or having this taken back by the State. Mr. Reich explains that DWI requires a 5% contingency fund and that he recommends using direct federal ARPA funds to cover. Clerk Farmerie clarifies questions on the location and totals of ARPA funds being allocated.

Precision Safe Sidewalks

The report from Precision Sidewalks shows a total of 66 total hazards. Mr. Reich explains that there are portions of the sideway that are so damaged that they will need to be completely replaced and are not included with this service.  Mr. Reich is concerned with cutting around 2.5 inches precast curbs. Mayor Pro Tem Isley asks if we can utilize foam to raise the sidewalks. Mr. Reich explains that there might be a possibility to use epoxy to raise the sidewalk. Mayor Pro Tem Isley is concerned that the sidewalk could continue to settle and make this work irrelevant. Mr. Reich believes this is not a concern. This topic is tabled until next meeting.

Radar speed signs have been installed.

Street repaving

Mr. Reich explains that there are three options for paving within Heritage Glen. Option 1 exceeds the budgeted amount so option 2 or 3 are recommended. Option 2 is $108,000, option 3 is $93,100. Alderman Cheap commented that this is not a continuous need, and this section of street has not been paved in 20 years. The Board agrees that paving part of Cornerstone Drive will be included along with all of Londonderry CT, St. George CT, and part of Freedom St. The Board chooses to wait to repave small sections of Liberty Dr. and Cornerstone Dr. Alderman Cheap motions to approve $121,000 in paving authorization, Mayor Pro Tem Isley seconds, motions carries 6-0.

Mr. Reich explains that he and Mr. York will need to get together to build the invoice for Duke Power. He also notes that the sewer connections for 4122 and 4130 S. NC 62 are completed.

ARP Projects

Mr. York explained that the original budget for Cardinal Lane project was $222,400. The new construction cost will be $375,000 and the total cost of the project will be $414,000. Mr. York explains that this will require the Board to amend both sets of grant project ordinances. Alderman Cheap clarifies how the funding structure works. Mr. York explains that all of the ARP funding from the General Assembly will be allocated to this project, the remainder will be paid for using direct federal ARP funds. Alderman Andrews motions to amend the General Assembly’s allocation of ARP funding for the grant project ordinance to $92,600 for Cardinal LN project. Mayor Pro Tem Isley seconds, motion carries 6-0. Mayor Pro Tem Isley motions to amend the direct federal ARP funding allocation for the grant project ordinance to include $99,000 for the Cardinal LN project. Alderman Andrews seconds, motion carries 6-0.

Plaid Day

Clerk Farmerie gave an update on Plaid Day from the Plaid Day committee meeting discussions. The committee tabled the discussion on providing direct food or utilizing food trucks and decided that the regular meeting for the Plaid Day committee will be every 3^rd Monday of the month.

ORC Projects

Arnold informed the Board that equipment was installed on NC 62 and this is working great. He also informed the Board that they tested the THM and this was good.

New Business

Call for Board of Adjustment Hearing: Special Use Permit for 2869 Rob Shepard Dr.

Alderman Cheap motions to set the Board of Adjustment hearing for July 24, 2023, Alderman Hunt seconds. Motion carries 6-0.

Planning Board Appointment

Alderman Crouse motions to appoint Keith Miller, Roy Glasco, Jeff Sharp. Alderman Andrews seconded. Motion carries 6-0. Mr. York clarifies that Keith Miller is the ETA appointee and the terms will run until June 26, 2026.

Approval of Audit Contract

Mr. York explains that due to the Village’s level of expenditure of ARP funding the Village will require a higher level audit which will cost more then typical. Alderman Tichy moves to approve the audit contract, Alderman Cheap seconds, motion carries 6-0.

401(k) for Village Employees

Mr. York says that he will have a resolution to sign at the next Board meeting and the Board will need to decide on a level to match.

Speed Sign Data

Clerk Farmerie explains that information gathered from the speed signs indicate that the Village does not have a major speeding issue. Mr. Farmerie explains that only 6% of cars passing the sign by the bridge are traveling over 10 MPH of the speed limit and only 23% of cars passing this sign are traveling over 5 MPH of the speed limit. Mr. Farmerie continues by saying that the data obtained from the sign by E.M. Holt school shows 5% of cars traveling over 10 MPH the speed limit and 16% of cars traveling over 5MPH of the speed limit. Mr. Farmerie explains that there is a slight uptick around midnight to 4AM in speeders but this is not statistically significant compared to other times in the day. Mayor Tichy and Alderman Crouse agree that they see people slowing down when they get closer to the signs.

Finance Report/ Budget Amendment

Mr. York explains that these budget amendments are to ensure that the Village is still in good financial standing for each line-item. Alderman Crouse motions to approve the budget amendments, Alderman Cheap seconds, motion carries 6-0.

Utility Ordinance

Alderman Cheap makes note that this ordinance would require citizens that are within 200 feet of water and sewer lines to connect. Clerk Farmerie clarifies that this would not apply to current wells or septic systems. Clerk Farmerie also clarifies that this inclusion is because of public health reasons with the Village being able to monitor the quality of utility lines owned but cannot monitor the quality of private utility systems. Clark Farmerie also explains that 200 feet is roughly a single parcel. Alderman Cheap notes that there is a state bill that could eliminate this practice. Clark Farmerie explains that there is a bill going through the General Assembly that will remove municipalities’ ability to force utility connection. Clerk Farmerie explains that the Village will need to monitor if this bill gets passed and if it does it only removes this section of the ordinance. The remaining sections will continue to be enforceable. Alderman Cheap motions to approve the Water and Sewer regulation, Alderman Andrews seconds. Motion carries 6-0.

Reauthorization of Second Full-time Position

Clerk Farmerie explains that he is asking the Board to reauthorize the advertisement for the current position he holds, the Assistant to the Administrator/ Clerk. Clerk Farmerie explains that the day-to-day needs of the Village are too great to be able to investigate the long-term needs of the Village. Clerk Farmerie explained that the main reason why he was able to create a utility ordinance was because there were two people in the office. Mayor Pro Tem Isley says he is open to hiring a part-time assistant but would not agree with hiring a second full-time position. Clerk Farmerie explains that he would like to change the position to emphasize more of the financial aspect of the work over the assistant aspects. Clerk Farmerie explains that the big difference between these positions is the ability to obtain and administer grants. Mayor Pro Tem Isley asks if Clerk Farmerie has the ability to do that job or fill that role. Clerk Farmerie explains that he does not believe he can do this work with the other long-term needs of the Village. Clerk Farmerie explains that if he is running all the finances and maintaining grants, he will not have time to do other needs of the Village. Alderman Andrews asks if this is a position that needs to be filled right now or if this is something that can wait. Clerk Farmerie explains that this is ultimately a decision of how efficiently the Board wants the Village to run and recommends that hiring the second full-time position with knowledge in financials in the most fiscally responsible choice the Board can make. Alderman Tichy asks to see a breakdown of the job responsibilities between the two different positions. Mayor Tichy says that the question that needs to be answered is how much time is spent doing financial work and asks Clerk Farmerie for an analysis of the time spent doing financial work. Mayor Pro Tem Isley says that he does not know if the Village would be ready to move that fast and asks what would happen if in a few years the Village does not have a need for a second position. Clerk Farmerie explains that it’s human nature to change and that there will always be improvements to be found. He also notes that this position would serve at the will of the Board, so the Board has the ability to reevaluate this second position at any time. Alderman Andrews says that she would like to discuss the goals of the Village moving forward. Clerk Farmerie recommends holding a special meeting to discuss the future of the Village. Alderman Andrews asks if Mr. York has time to write grants in his current role. Mr. York says that he does but says that Clerk Farmerie’s vision of what the Village needs are different from his and that he will make more effective use of this position then Mr. York would. Clerk Farmerie says that he recommends making a decision on the extent of the second position before Mr. York leaves in August.

Other Business

Alderman Andrews motions to adjourns, Alderman Crouse seconds, motion passes 6-0.

____________________________________________ Don Tichy, Mayor

____________________________________________ Nicholas Farmerie, Village Clerk