EAST SPENCER — After a Monday night public hearing on the town budget and other ordinances, the board decided to wait on the approval of the budget. No one spoke in favor or opposition to the budget, which stands at $1,301,210 with no tax increase, said Town Administrator Macon Sammons Jr.
The board is expected to adopt the budget at a meeting set for June 17, which would give the board ample time before adopting the budget July 1. The town is required to adopt the budget within a certain timeframe following a public hearing.
The board also had a few questions about the revenue and where some of the money was coming from, Sammons said.
The board approved keeping the tax rate at 63 cents per $100 of assessed value and has not been increased in a number of years.
The board also held a public hearing regarding two ordinances — one for parking in front yards and the other concerned moving junk, abandoned or nuisance vehicles from yards. Both ordinances were adopted with some amendments.
The town currently has an ordinance that speaks to residents not being allowed to park their vehicles in places other than their designated driveway. The ordinance, however, did not define a penalty if it was violated. A Post reporter requested the specific penalty for violation of the ordinance, but was unable to immediately obtain the penalty.
The town had an existing ordinance requiring residents to remove junk or abandoned vehicles. If residents refused, the town could have the vehicles removed. The ordinance was rewritten to include nuisance vehicles.
“The state statute in dealing with junk or abandoned vehicles is complex. It’s a time consuming process. We’ve broadened our tools or methods for dealing with it. By adding an additional method we can use to tell owners they need to have them tagged and operable or get them removed from their property,” Sammons said.
The board also:
• Approved a security camera and lock system for town hall in part because of a concern for the safety of employees from possible disgruntled former employees and the general public. The board wanted a system that would allow them to use a key fob or card pass and a high resolution camera that was easy to maintain. The staff was able to narrow their choices down to four.
The board received those four bids and quotes in mid-May, one of which came from China Grove’s Tarheel Safe & Lock Inc.
Sammons said the board decided based a number of reasons it would proceed with the China Grove company. The company had a complete proposal while some others were partial, he said.
The cost of the system and its installation will be $8,353.92, which was not the lowest bidder but the closest in proximity and the company had a wealth of experience and a good reputation.
Owner Steve Stroud is a former law enforcement officer and has numerous contracts throughout the county and state. The town staff believed if there was a problem, the company could provide a quicker response than some of the other bidders that included Statesville and Charlotte companies.
• Signed a letter of agreement from the Blanche & Julian Robertson Family Foundation Inc., for a $50,000 grant to aid the town in its renovation of Royal Giants Park.
The grant will be awarded over two years is a first step to a larger project, Sammons said, it will help the town raise a match for a larger Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant it is seeking.
“We are trying to get ourselves in a position to file an application in January,” he said.
The town has set aside $45,000, but will still need to raise an added $300,000 to complete the project. The project is expected to cost about $600,000.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.