The five hundred and eight-third session of the board of Aldermen, Village of Alamance

May 18th, 2026

7:00 p.m.

Present: Mayor Tichy, Mayor Pro Tem Isley, Alderman Crouse, Alderman Andrews, Alderman Tichy, Alderman Hunt, Alderman Cass

Absent:

Invocation: Invocation given by Pastor Justin Brown

Approval of Agenda: Alderman Tichy makes a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Alderman Hunt. Motion carries 6-0.

Approval of April 27th, 2026, Meeting Minutes: Alderman Andrews makes a motion to approve the April 27^th, 2026, meeting minutes, seconded by Alderman Tichy. Motion carries 6-0.

Public Comment: **No Public Comment**

OLD BUSINESS

ORC Report: Given by Mr. Arnold Allred

Birch Pump Station: Mr. Allred states that after all the issues we had in April at the Birch Pump Station, today both pumps are in and running. The bypass is still in place if needed, along with a spare pump that has been repaired. Mr. Allred also states that Jerry Warren with C & J Utilities has spoken with E.M. Holt Elementary about installing a bar stream box; they’ve got a contractor taking care of that.

Pond Pump Station: The pond station was cleaned. This is where they come in and clean the whole station out. Everything is working well.

NC 62 Pump Station: Pond station was cleaned out. Everything is working well.

Distribution: Everything is going well on the distribution side. Mr. Allred states that everything is going well with the switch back to chloramine.

Engineer Report:  Given by Mr. Trenton Novelli

Heritage Glen Phase 5C.2: Mr. Novelle is still waiting for the videos and testing. They submitted a plat that was reviewed and returned because we have not certified the utilities; therefore, they cannot approve the plat.

Birch Pump Station: Contract documents have been given to the contractor. They have not been executed, but he has ordered materials. The panel has an 8-week lead time, so Mr. Novelle states it was good that he went ahead and ordered it. For the Force Main replacement, not enough bids were received. There will be a rebid on June 2^nd. Mr. Novelle states that he called several contractors and that five of them said they would bid on it.

CITGO Plan Review: Mr. Novelle is still waiting on the final submission for review and approval.

NEW BUSINESS

Proposed Budget Presentation for FY 2026-2027: Given by Misty Folwell

Mrs. Folwell states that the most impactful changes for residents will be to the fee schedule and the water and sewer rates. Currently, the Village charges $11.28 for additional trash cans. Effective July 1^st, 2026, the rate for additional Trash Cans will go up to $14.00. The Village charges $5.66 for recycling. Effective July 1^st, 2026, the rate for Recycling cans will go up to $7.00. Most of the other fees stayed the same, except for the water assessments and tap fees. The Village has been on a cost-plus 3% basis for 6 years or more. The Village will move that to cost plus 8%. The irrigation tap went from $525 to $625. Mrs. Folwell states that the City of Burlington is going up 5%, so the Village will have to increase the water rates by 5%. This is also due to a slightly underperformed water and sewer budget; we did not bring in as much as we had hoped. Some of that will be due to the Birch Pump Station issues, and the Village doesn’t want to be in a situation where we cannot fund it on its own. Mrs. Folwell states that the in-town base rate went from $11 to $12. Water and Sewer rates will increase by 5%. Out-of-town, which is primarily the school, is going up 8%.

Mrs. Folwell states that the General Budget has increased from $325,477 to $340,000. This is because we typically come in with sales tax of about $40,000 or more above our forecast. So, to add a little to the budget without overestimating, Mrs. Folwell raised that number a bit. Mrs. Folwell states that we have a 99% collection rate with Property Tax. We typically have a higher percentage come in than we predict; there will be no change to the Villages Property Tax. It will remain the same at 14.5 cents. The interest earned in the General Cash Fund to date this year is $160,000. Mrs. Folwell went from $80,000 to $100,000. Mrs. Folwell put extra into the fund balance to go toward Public Rec for this FY.

Mrs. Folwell states that, due to the software conversion, we are still working out how everything looks across the different departments. In QS1, some of the line items were very specific, and now we have to sort through which ones were lumped in. So sometimes it looks like there is a jump in percentage, like Contractual Services, we had $1,200 in last year’s budget, and this year it is $20,000. When you see some of those increases or decreases, it’s due to the software switch. In the Finance Department, the General Fund for Administration went from $449,656 to $513,445; $630,789 increase. In the Finance Dept, there has been a decrease of $4,470. Part of that was going to Professional Services. Mrs. Quigley, the Village Town Clerk, has taken on the Finance Officer role, so we do not have to rely on Cobb Ezekiel as much for back-office accounting. Mrs. Quigley has been able to take that over, so Cobb Ezekiel will now oversee it instead of having to work through everything and enter those items into the system. So that will help reduce costs. The Public Safety is the Animal Shelter; Black Mountain did not have a code to put it under. So, $8,455 is the animal shelter contract, and that’s what’s estimated to cost this year. Parks and Recreation, maintenance and repairs/buildings: Mrs. Folwell has added $90,000 from the fund balance. Plaid Day decreased from $10,000 to $3,000. The Streets Department has $126,500. $80,000 in maintenance, repairs, and infrastructure. The Village does not have street projects planned, but it is in there just in case something happens. The total for all Departments is $1,000,110. Powell Bill will have the same amount in it. No changes there. This helps fund salting and maintaining streets. The Water Sewer Fund’s current budget is $558,974; the Village is seeking to increase it to $575,539.

Mayor Tichy requests for motion to schedule a public hearing for the next regular monthly meeting. Alderman Tichy makes a motion, seconded by Alderman Cass. Motion carries 6-0.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

No Public Comment.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Mayor Tichy requests a motion to go into closed session pursuant to GS 143-318.11(a) (6)- Conditions of Employment for a Public Office. Alderman Andrews makes a motion, seconded by Alderman Hunt. Motion carries 6-0.

Mayor Tichy requests a motion to return to Public Session. Alderman Crouse makes a motion, seconded by Alderman Tichy. Motion carries 6-0.

Mayor Tichy requests a motion to raise Mrs. Quigley’s salary to $50,000 for the 2026-2027 Fiscal year and to raise Mrs. Folwell’s salary to $70,000 for the 2026-2027 Fiscal year. Alderman Tichy makes a motion, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Isley. Motion carries 6-0.

Alderman Crouse makes a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alderman Tichy. Motion carries 6-0.

Mayor Tichy_______________________________________________________

Hannah Quigley, Clerk_______________________________________________