“We don’t have to enforce this,” Womble said.
“If we’re not going to enforce something, I don’t see any reason do it,” said Councilman Chet VanFossen, who suggested the business owners resolve parking on Center St. themselves.
“I was asked to bring this up,” Womble said. “I’m trying to help the citizens. They asked me to do this.”
Councilman Tim Sack suggested keeping an eye on Center St. parking and not placing time-limited parking signs there currently. Mayor Dick Sears said he had spoken with Mims office building employers, who he said would encourage employees to park off Center St.
A prepared motion to adopt a parking time zone on Center St. near the Mims office building was not voiced by any councilman.
In other parking news, the council voted to approve an ordinance designating no parking in a circle at the cultural center, along one side Stinson Ave. and along the street leading to the Sunset Oaks subdivision water park.
Womble also asked town staff to consider creating a parking area closer to the Town Hall building for handicapped parking than the current handicapped parking spaces in the parking lot. Residents give budget suggestions The council held a public hearing to receive comments before beginning work to formulate next fiscal year’s budget.
“It gives the public an opportunity to give us some input about what they’d like to have in the budget,” said Town Manager Carl Dean. Two residents approached the council. Glenn Myrto requested “fundamental changes in way town charges for its services.” He asked for fees, such as the fee to read water meters, to be placed in municipal taxes rather than being charged on water bills. “Putting it in a fee … is hiding it,” he said.
“Let me write it off on my taxes,” Myrto said. “Otherwise, charge me by what I use. Don’t charge me a flat fee.”
He also asked for billing envelopes not to have cellophane windows and suggested not giving town employees a cost of living raise this year. He asked for the town to reduce taxes, also.
“There are places we can cut back and make it better for the people,” he said.
Former councilman Hank Dickson also addressed the council, representing the Golden Hawks Club, the athletic booster club for Holly Springs High School. He encouraged the council to continue to consider giving grants to local nonprofit organizations. He discussed the Golden Hawks Club’s service.
Councilwoman Linda Hunt Williams supported Myrto’s call to reduce taxes. Sears suggested prioritizing the Police Department in the budget with parks and recreation following. Other business The council approved a $10 million loan for 18 years at 4.9 percent with BB&T to expand the Utley Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Councilman James Cobb asked if the town received other bids. Finance Director Drew Holland said out of seven banks queried by the town, only three responded.
“Most banks are having trouble right now doing any type of long-term financing,” he said.
Holland said that utility rates and other utility fund sources will be considered in upcoming discussions about the next fiscal year budget.
The council approved a contract amendment with Davis, Martin and Powell to add a $64,000 Harris Lake discharge environmental assessment, evaluating an alternative wastewater discharge location – either Utley Creek or Harris Lake – as opposed to piping waste to a future regional plant that would empty into the Cape Fear River. Dean said the change could save the town up to $20 million. The study is the town’s next step into securing definitive permission for the discharge, staff said.
The council also recognized employees completing the town’s first Supervisors Academy, which trained staffers, excluding department heads and senior management, who supervise other employees.
Town staff reported on the town’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System mapping projects, which town staff completed rather than outsourcing to a contractor.
The council also approved entering an inter-agency agreement with the North Carolina League of Municipalities for Holly Springs to participate in the league’s Municipal Environmental Assessment Coalition.
As part of its consent agenda, the council approved a lease amendment for space on the Lee St. water tower. Alltell had leased the space for more than $2,000 per month, and since the company recently was acquired by Verison Wireless, the town has been in negotiations about the lease. The council also declared two 1996 Jeep Cherokees and one 2000 Ford Expedition as surplus property and approved a $62,470 increase in the Hunt Center renovation project. The council received $8,000 in grant proceeds for the Police Department and approved an extension of time to the Methodist Church downtown parking lot project.
Also in the consent agenda, the council approved spending $4,154 with amendments with the Jordan Lake Partnership water supply. The partnership, which the town entered last year, was established to undertake regional water resource planning. The amendments approve the town’s participation in updating a water supply plan and in renewing a water allocation request.
During the public comment period, resident Ken Webster approached the council about allowing backyard hens. He and his wife outlined the space needed for a coop using streamers.
“Four hens is a no-brainer,” Webster said.
He said a Dixie cup would contain two weeks of waste produced by one hen and said other communities nearby allowed backyard hens.
“Residents of Holly Springs should never be forced to leave the town they love because they want to have their own garden and supplement it with their own eggs,” he said.
Webster concluded by asking council members to email him about “what it would take to secure your vote” for backyard hens. The council recently voted not to support backyard hens, with only one councilmember, Williams, supporting the hens.
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