The 18-year-long partnership providing Granite Quarry police services to the Town of Faith is in jeopardy.

The Faith Board of Aldermen voted to terminate the current agreement between the two towns, effective July 1. After the vote, Faith officials delivered a letter signed by Faith Mayor Randall Barger to Granite Quarry on Thursday that stated:

“Please be advised that the Town of Faith Board of Aldermen has voted to discontinue police services with the Town of Granite Quarry effective July 1, 2025.

The Town of Faith appreciates the police service provided over the years and has enjoyed working with Granite Quarry as well.”

Barger said in a phone call on Friday that the decision ultimately came down to a requested increase in the amount Faith pays Granite Quarry for the police services. Granite Quarry has asked Faith to increase its contribution to $225,000, up approximately $49,000 from the current amount.

“That’s a big chunk. Maybe we got shell shocked by that, but they’re only being honest with us in that that’s what it takes. Granite Quarry is taking a big chunk (of the total costs). I wish our town had a lot of money that we could just give to help them, but we know what we’ve got to operate on and we’ve got to keep a certain amount in our accounts,” said Barger.

Both Barger and Granite Quarry Mayor Brittany Barnhardt have said that there is no animosity between the two towns.

“Faith trusted us with the safety of their town for nearly two decades, and we did not take that responsibility lightly. We thank them for that trust and wish them nothing but success moving forward,” wrote Barnhardt in a release from Granite Quarry.

Barger praised the work that Granite Quarry Police Chief Todd Taylor had done with the department and said that Faith had no complaints with their officers, they just were not certain that they could afford the agreement going forward.

“The town of Granite Quarry is growing, they’ve annexed and taken more territory. Faith, five years from now we’ll probably be the same size and have the same amount of money we’re taking in now. This (agreement) just needs to be what we can afford for our citizens,” said Barger.

The letter from Faith follows discussions between the two towns about laying out a multi-year contract for the police agreement.

Those talks stemmed from a disconnect by the towns on what the history and current status of the agreement has been. While the department is called the Granite Quarry-Faith Joint Police Authority, the department has always been solely a branch of the town of Granite Quarry, which then contracted its services to Faith on an annually renewed basis.

The towns have been operating under joint authority since the passing of House Bill 925 in 2007, which gave them the authority to establish a joint department that gives officers jurisdiction in both towns. A board governing the authority was also established, but has since ceased to exist.

Following the letter, Barger said that he reached out to Barnhardt and Taylor with the intention of reopening conversations, adding that he felt there was time to reach a compromise before budgets need to be approved at the end of June.

Barnhardt said Granite Quarry’s board already has another meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 20 to discuss special projects and at that meeting she will bring Barger’s request for another meeting to the board.

“In all honesty, we owe it to Granite Quarry to sit down and try to work this out,” said Barger.

Barger said that the town has discussed the potential for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office to take over coverage in the past. If the two towns are unable to reach a compromise, continuing conversations with the sheriff’s office would be one of the primary options for moving forward, he said.

For now, Granite Quarry has stated that it will not reduce the proposed budget for the police department even if Faith pulls out.

“To our police department, fire department, all town departments, and most importantly, the citizens of Granite Quarry: Your Council wants you to know that the needs identified in this year’s budget process will continue to be prioritized and maintained as presented. You will have our full support and unwavering dedication as we continue building a stronger, safer and more resilient Granite Quarry,” wrote Barnhardt in the release.

The budget proposes two new police officer positions, as well as salary increases to help a department that has been struggling to fill those positions.

“Our proposed 2025–2026 police budget of $1,183,449 will remain despite the news from the Town of Faith. This represents our council’s commitment to excellence and readiness. It includes salary increases, adjustments for increased insurance costs, an expanded part-time staffing budget, increased fuel allocations in anticipation of increased patrol staffing, and critical funding to replace aging equipment that no longer meets safety or operational standards,” wrote Barnhardt.