By Elisabeth Strillacci

SPENCER — In a two-day strategic plan meeting, town leaders and the public got an idea from staff about what the various departments see as priorities in the coming year.

But the discussions were not just focused on the 2025-2026 budget. As Mayor Jonathan Williams pointed out, “the first step in our journey has already been taken, we have already embarked. Our next step is right beneath our feet.”

The town developed a plan several years ago that was focused on growth and development, both residential, commercial and green spaces, and that plan is in the midst of implementation.

“A lot that we started in recent years is now either complete or coming to fruition,” Williams said. “Each year, we need to re-evaluate and adjust those plans as needed, and we need to make sure we are taking care of essentials important to our residents at the same time.”

One big point all members of the board of aldermen agreed on was the need to prevent, if at all possible, another tax increase this year.

“We had an increase last year and I think people understood it,” said board member Andrew Howe, but he agreed that the town needs to try to hold the line.

Costs continue to go up, and salaries, which in many instances are below average for the area, need to go up not just for recruitment but for retention, but between now and the end of the fiscal year, the town is going to try not to incur increases.

Reports from across the board, including finance, indicate the town of Spencer is on the cusp of big growth, both in number of residents and in commercial growth, and it is anticipated that growth will nearly double the tax base.

But that is not yet a reality, and no one wants to spend money not yet in pocket. Williams also noted that the current fragility of the market and the questions about federal grant monies makes things even more stressful.

There are things that at some point are going to need to be addressed, and the board is going to have to spend some time determining where the critical priorities lie.

Steve Blount, planning and zoning administrator, explained that a study determining the best flow and use of streets across the town needs to be considered, since “just about every town in Spencer allows for cars to park on both sides of the street and two-way traffic,” but Fire Chief Michael Lanning has advised him that there are roads that are not wide enough for the fire trucks to get through if parking is fully utilized that way.

Blount calculated that a road would need a certain width to safely accommodate four cars, then pointed out that there are only four streets in town that meet that measurement. The rest vary widely, from 16 feet across to maybe 30 feet. There are also alleys throughout the town that could be pressed into use but it will involve determining how the town can work with owners, likely the former railroad company, to pull them in to service.

“We need a really full-blown study to determine the town-wide traffic flow and accessibility, especially with the growth we are anticipating,” he said. He was not sure of the cost, saying he’d gotten estimates that range from $15,000 to $75,000, but thought a study that would extend far enough and provide enough information would likely run about $50,000.

He was not the only one who had priorities.

Both Police Chief Michael File and Lanning talked about two priorities — staffing and fleet. Both departments are nearly fully staffed, so recruitment is less of an issue, though not entirely.

“The six full-time firefighters I’ve just hired this year all came here for several thousand dollars in pay cuts because they wanted to work in this environment,” said Lanning. “We have both created a desirable place to work. But I know they also are aware we are in the middle of a pay study and they are waiting to see what the town is going to do.” He said he knows people from top to bottom in his department have offers from other organizations, and they don’t want to leave, but money talks.

“Especially for the young officers,” agreed File. “When you’re young with a wife and two kids and you live in a two-bedroom house where the kids share a bedroom and there’s no room to grow, that extra $5,000 a year can mean a three-bedroom house. And I can’t blame them. It’s not job satisfaction, it’s the money at the end of the day.”

A study presented showed that to bring the town in minimum range, addressing just offers for new hires, would require an almost $200,000 investment. It will take $300,000 to bring salaries farther in line both for new hires and for retention by helping reduce compression, meaning new hires coming in close to the same salary as longer term employees who then feel undervalued.

Asked which is the priority, File said “it has to be both.”

The police department has been working on developing an ongoing replacement plan for its vehicles, but a number of purchases made at the same time years ago means that in 2026, there are six cars that will need replacement. The average is expected to be between two and three cars, but that year, six cars will hit the essential expiration date of safe use.

However, File has two vehicles he is working to trade in that should cover the cost of one full new replacement, and he has found what is termed a “new old stock” car, one that is ready to go but was never put into rotation and still has a full warranty. If both of those efforts fall into place, it would reduce the number in 2026 to four.

“Is it at all possible to move one of those to 2027, where we anticipate two cars being replaced, so we have three and three?” asked Williams. It is, said File, but it would mean pushing another car 25,000 miles beyond the standard replacement point. And having done that in the long ago past is what led to the expected high number in 2026.

The department has already pulled several cars considered “spares” back into rotation as well.

Lanning said the fire department is about to put its new truck into service, pushing the old one to the background, but he added that fire trucks should be replaced every 10-15 years.

“It doesn’t mean we absolutely need to do that by a calendar, but we do need to establish and implement a plan for ongoing rotations,” he said. “So that when we finish making payments on one, we are ready to start paying for another one. Which means planning ahead and budgeting.”

The plans for additions and updates to the fire house are already in discussion, which Lanning says is wonderful, but also absolutely needed. And, as the town grows, more services are going to be needed, and one fire house is not going to suffice.

“At some point, we are going to need a second station,” he said. There are also staffing needs.

“I’d really like to staff for four firefighters on a truck,” he said. Staffing is currently for three, and he said that is acceptable, but not always doable. “I just had to rehire someone because one of our guys is going on a vacation, which he is entitled to do. But with him away, I do not have enough staff to have three on a truck. If we staff for four, if someone gets sick, goes away, whatever, it’s OK, we can rotate and handle it.”

Both men say they want to work with the town to find other ways to encourage retention.

“We both received broken organizations, and they have been transformed,” said Lanning. “You know, File and I both work very hard to give our people recognition, and I know they feel appreciated at least on the inside. People do not leave here because of job dissatisfaction. If we can’t give them as much money, we need to find a way to show, publicly, that they are appreciated.” It isn’t the same as more money in the bank, but it does speak to morale, and that does play a part in retention.

“I agree that we want to take care of our employees,” said board member Steve Miller. “We have great staff here in all departments and we want to do all we can to keep them.”

In addition to the budget and priorities, community involvement remains a priority for the board and the town staff. There was discussion of finding a way to get more youth involved, including the idea of a youth council. There was discussion of events centered around helping residents learn both the history of the town and how the local government works.

“I love the idea of getting the kids more involved,” said Mayor Pro Tem Patti Seacrest. “I think it will help develop future public servants, and I also think it would be great for our kids to learn about things like what taxes are used for.”

Skye Allan, who has been the impetus behind the mural project around town, said there are more coming, and the goal remains to eventually create a walking tour with QR codes that connect to details about each mural and the history behind them. She and Town Clerk Anna Ward said they have worked consistently to make sure residents are aware of upcoming events, and Ward said she is thrilled that the long awaited electric sign will be installed in front of the new City Park when it is completed, and anyone driving by can see events listed.

“We’re going to put more effort into trying to get notice out long enough ahead of time for events so that people have time to plan to come,” Ward added.

Everyone participating in the sessions hopped aboard the trolley for a tour of a number of the projects the town has either finished, is in the midst of, or has planned for the future, including a stop for lunch and a tour of the former Carter house. The couple donated land for part of the Fred and Alice Stanback Educational Forest, (formerly known as Spencer Woods), and then decided to go a step further and donate their house to the town. The building will become a research and education center for the park.

The tour included the Yadkin River Trailhead Park, the old Finishing Plant, several houses improved with CBDG money, and areas along 17th Avenue where water issues will be addressed.

“This will be a challenging budget season this year,” said Williams. “We have a lot to consider, but I think it is important that this year, we do our best to work with what we have. As growth happens, and our bottom line changes, we can and will adjust, as we always do. But our responsibility is to our residents first and always.”