Snow Hill Faces Growing Problems With Water Meter Readings and Utility Costs
"It’s galvanized pipe, which means it’s going to bust again, and it’s going to go again, and it’s going to keep on until it’s completely replaced."
Some meetings wrap up in an hour, and everybody goes home satisfied. Monday night’s Snow Hill Board of Commissioners meeting was not that kind of meeting. The agenda was long, the conversations were longer, and by the time the board moved into closed session, the evening had already tested the patience and the stamina of everyone who stayed to see it through.
Agenda Amendments and Consent
Mayor Dianne Andrews called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and asked Commissioner Faye Daniels to give the invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Before moving to routine business, Andrews noted two new amendments to the agenda: a presentation from Samantha Darlington, the Community Economic Development Planner for the Southeast Region with the NC Main Street and Rural Planning Center at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and a new action item to formally approve a contract with Barrow, Parris, and Davenport for the 2026 audit. Both were added without objection. The consent agenda, covering minutes from the March 9, 2026, retreat and the April 13, 2026, regular meeting, was approved without discussion.
Public Comments
With the routine business out of the way, Andrews opened the floor for public comments. David Jones was the first to step to the podium.
Jones directed his remarks at two issues he described as unresolved for most of his lifetime: policing and infrastructure on the south side of Seventh Street, with particular attention to Jordan Avenue, Pine Street, and Hart Street.
He recalled three officers who once made those streets part of who they were: Melvin Hodges, Lynnwood Edwards, and George Dixon. “Some of you in this room know those names because they were policemen south of Seventh Street,” Jones said. He described how those men knew the elderly residents, the shut-ins, the disabled, and the families who needed looking after, and how those residents saw them often enough to trust them by name. “I frequent these areas basically every day,” Jones said. “There are people there who are struggling, physically, mentally, financially, and any other way you can think of, and they don’t know who the police are.” Residents in the Jordan Avenue area had told him the same. They did not know who the police chief was. They did not recognize the officers who drove by.
On infrastructure, Jones was equally specific. “I’m going to turn 75 soon, and all of my life I’ve been seeing Jordan Avenue, Pine Street, and Hart Street continually breaking down, getting repaired, breaking down, getting repaired again,” he said. He called on the board to look south of Seventh Street as it pursues economic development. “Do it right,” he said.
Jones returned to his seat, and Chief Josh Smith walked over to him and quietly handed him information about the Cop Companions program, a community outreach initiative the department launched in 2025 to put officers in regular contact with isolated and elderly residents through structured, scheduled visits. Any Snow Hill resident can sign up by picking up a form at Town Hall or requesting one by email.
Next to the podium was George Mewborn, representing the Greene County Museum. The museum is in its 24th year of operation in Snow Hill and has secured four traveling exhibits from the America 250 North Carolina committee, exhibits currently circulating to universities and large urban communities across the state.
“We’ve been able to secure them for our museum for the people of Greene County and Snow Hill,” Mewborn said. He asked the board to consider a donation to help cover the cost of those exhibits and the programs and speakers the museum hopes to build around them, with the 25th anniversary approaching.
Aclara: Thirteen Years, 58 Percent, and a Long Overdue Reckoning
If one topic had been casting a shadow over town meetings for months, it was the water meter system. The board had heard about it again at the April 13 meeting, when Town Manager April Vinson laid out the full picture with the precision of someone who had been trying to get this resolved for a very long time.
The automated meter reading system, installed in 2013 and managed by a company called Aclara, was operating at 58 percent. That meant roughly 400 of the town’s approximately 1,200 meters required a staff member to physically drive or walk to them and read them by hand every billing cycle. Vinson had also described how two previous Aclara representatives had appeared before the board on separate occasions, promised a software upgrade, and never delivered it. Both had since left the company.
The only reason Vinson could prove what had been promised was that Town Clerk Mary Cantey had retained an audio recording of one of those board meetings. “Thank goodness Mary still had it,” Vinson had said during the April 13th meeting. “Because if not, it would have been my word against those two that were no longer here.”
Monday night, Aclara sent its answer to that history. Jim Hendricks, the company’s local North Carolina representative, led the presentation. Beside him stood Tyler Simpson, Aclara’s Vice President of Global Water Sales, who had flown in from Minnesota specifically for the occasion. “I flew in from Minnesota to really show the town of Snow Hill that Aclara is really keen to move forward in Snow Hill and kind of go down the right path to really fix what I think has not been managed well on the Aclara side,” Simpson said.
Hendricks, who has spent 35 years in this field, did not soften the situation. He explained the system from the ground up. Every water customer in town has a meter. Attached to each meter is a radio transmitter, called an MTU, which sends readings to fixed data collectors positioned around town. Those collectors relay the data through cellular connections to cloud-based software that feeds the billing system. When the chain works, the process is invisible and automatic. When part of it fails, a staff member reads that meter by hand every month.
The town’s system is 13 years old. Roughly 300 MTUs are not reporting any data. Another 300 water meters have aged to the point where they no longer communicate with their radios. Combined, that produces approximately 600 accounts without automated reads every billing cycle. “I don’t think anybody in this room, ourselves or any of you, would say that is where we need to be,” Hendricks said.
The failures are layered. About 30-meter box lids remain metal rather than plastic, and MTU radios cannot transmit through metal. Some radios were installed improperly years ago, placed in the bottom of boxes rather than mounted to the lid, leaving antennas buried under dirt or sitting in standing water. And critically, the version of Aclara software the town is running does not support newer MTU hardware, meaning that replacement radios staff had physically installed in the ground could not communicate with the system until the software is upgraded first. It is a circular trap.
Back in late 2024, Aclara representatives Ryan Cooper and Dave Rubin met with the town, acknowledged the system was underperforming, and agreed to waive approximately $29,765 in unpaid 2024 and 2025 software fees. They also provided 400 replacement MTU radios at no charge. Neither is still with the company.
Hendricks became the local territory manager, and town staff installed more than 300 of those radios themselves in 2025. Everyone watched to see the result. The read success rate remained at 58 percent. It was not enough.
What Aclara is now proposing is a comprehensive remediation with a clear division of financial responsibility. The company will upgrade the town to its hosted AclaraONE 2.0 software platform, valued at $28,546, and cover the $9,842 installation cost for a new data collector to be mounted on the water tank on Route 13. It will provide 194 replacement MTUs on an existing warranty return, waiving the prorated co-pay of $47,822, and supply an additional 432 new MTUs at a value of $17,000. Aclara will pay installation contractor PVI $18,666 to replace 300 MTUs on existing meters, cover $37,853 in project management and training, and write off $29,765 in previously unpaid software fees. The total commitment from Aclara comes to $202,380.
The town’s share, totaling $100,674, covers the AclaraONE annual software and network fees of $16,674, 300 new water meters at $40,500, replacement of approximately 30 metal meter box lids at $1,500, and payment to PVI of $42,000 to replace both the meters and the MTUs at those locations.
The goal is a read success rate of 98% or higher. After the remediation, roughly 1,000 of the town’s 1,600 MTU radios will have been replaced, and 300 water meters will be new. Hendricks cautioned the board that the remaining 600 radios and 1,300 water meters are still aging and will eventually need a replacement plan of their own. He pointed to the city of Leesburg, Virginia, which runs the same AMI technology across 17,000 accounts and has maintained 98 to 99 percent for 17 years by addressing problems monthly as they arise. “If we fix the system and things fall out due to attrition and they aren’t addressed on an ongoing basis, it snowballs,” Hendricks said. “Next thing you know, you’re spending too much time manually reading stuff that isn’t working, and it makes it that much harder to do repairs.”
Hendricks was plain about the mutual obligation involved. “For Aclara to spend $200,000 on this, we won’t do it if the town won’t do the stuff in their column. Because if we did everything in our column, the system’s still not going to work well enough for anybody to be happy.”
Town Attorney Brian Pridgen pressed whether Aclara would stand behind its commitments beyond the standard warranty. Simpson confirmed the company’s obligations on both product and labor. Commissioner Courtney Harrell noted that roughly 60 percent of meters were not being read and pressed Hendricks on the full scope of the failure. Hendricks confirmed the number without qualification.
Commissioner Deborah Harper raised questions about the software warranty accompanying the upgrade. Harrell also raised coverage concerns for areas near the Route 13 corridor, which factored into the rationale for adding the new data collector at the water tank on that road.
Juneteenth Festival Plans Take Shape
Joanne Artis-Stevens, representing the Rosenwald Center for Cultural Enrichment, brought the evening’s warmest presentation. The center has been in operation for more than 30 years, advocating for Rosenwald schools, economic development, and cultural programming in Greene County. Monday night was the sixth year Artis-Stevens has come before the board with Juneteenth plans. “We were promoting Rosenwald schools when no one knew what Rosenwald schools were,” she said. “We did Juneteenth before anyone was doing those things.”
She opened by thanking the town of Snow Hill, Mewborn, and the Greene County Museum, Lenoir Community College, the County of Greene, and the Arts Council. “We wouldn’t be at six years if it had not been embraced.”
The festival spans two days. On Friday, June 19th, events begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Charters of Freedom courtyard in downtown Snow Hill. Saturday’s activities take place at South Greene, at the Rosenwald ball field and school, and in the gym on the Lenoir Community College campus. Stevens described the Friday downtown venue as significant. “I think that is monumental, because we have the opportunity not only to celebrate our freedoms as far as Juneteenth, but to do it collaboratively as well.”
She acknowledged an error on the printed flyer, which listed June 19th as a Saturday when it falls on a Friday. Corrected flyers will be distributed, and a QR code on the existing flyer links to accurate registration information.
The theme is “Our Roots Run Deeper,” timed to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary. The Rosenwald Center plans to open the Rosenwald school museum for public tours around the last week of May, with exhibits tracing the Tuscarora history and other deep roots of the community. The Greene County Museum will simultaneously feature its America 250 exhibits. “We’re collaborating,” Stevens said. “They’re highlighting the 250th, and we’re highlighting our roots run deeper.”
There is also interest from a professional recording artist group in hosting a concert on June 21st with performers who have previously appeared at the Dreamville Festival.
The Dreamville Festival is a massive annual music and arts event created and curated by the Grammy-winning hip-hop artist J. Cole alongside his Dreamville Records team. The festival is held at the historic, 308-acre Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. It serves as a major cultural celebration that brings together top-tier global musical talent, local food vendors, and community art installations. Snow Hill's own Marlanna Evans, better known globally as the Grammy-nominated rap artist Rapsody, is heavily involved in this massive home-state event and has been a staple of the festival since its inception, taking the main stage to showcase eastern North Carolina's deep musical roots to tens of thousands of fans.
“It has brought young people from eastern North Carolina together without incident, without issues or without problems,” Stevens said. “We can’t operate in fear. We’ve gotta operate with authority and put components in place where we can have events such as these.”
Channel 12 reporter Valentina Wilson has requested an interview with Stevens about the event on June 3rd. A community member had also suggested inviting local churches to offer prayer intervals throughout the weekend. “That is honestly amazing to me,” Stevens said.
Vinson confirmed the town has a formal contract in place with the Rosenwald Center requiring liability insurance, which Stevens is expected to finalize the following morning. Events drawing more than 50 people require coordination with the Police Department. Because Greene Street is a state highway, any road closure requires an application to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, a process Vinson offered to help navigate.
Town Attorney Brian Pridgen told the board his office is preparing a formal special event application to be used not just for Juneteenth but for all future events, covering insurance requirements and fee structures in a single document. He expected it to be ready by the end of the week.
Vendor fees are structured simply. Merchandise vendors pay $40 for the full weekend. Food vendors and food trucks pay $80. Those who bring their own power supply pay nothing additional. Those who need electricity from town power sources pay a separate charge to cover that cost. Word had circulated in the community that the festival would include a parade. Vinson was direct: that was not part of any discussion. Classic car owners who want to come are welcome, and Stevens said she would coordinate with Smith on parking logistics.
Economic Development: A Five-Year Blueprint for Snow Hill
Samantha Darlington returned to Snow Hill with something the town had not had before: a completed, formal five-year Economic Development Strategic Plan.
Darlington has been building it since the summer of 2025, working with Vinson, a dedicated community work group, and a public visioning session open to all stakeholders. Finance Officer April Williams distributed printed copies of the plan to board members as Darlington prepared to present, having carried them through much of the evening, waiting for the agenda to reach this point.
“What I bring in front of you today is the combination of all of those efforts,” Darlington said. “It moves the town from being reactive to economic development to being proactive and having a strategy and really guiding the growth that you all are seeing in the county and in your town.”
She asked the board to close their eyes while she read the plan’s vision statement aloud, something she does with every community she works with. “An important part of the vision is being able to see it,” she said. The statement reads: “Where the creek bends and history endures, Snow Hill offers peace beyond the chaos while remaining closely connected to education, health care, and regional opportunity. Downtown drives connection, culture, and commerce as the community celebrates its heritage, elevates local flavors and outdoor experiences, and cultivates thriving small businesses that create belonging for every generation.”
The plan rests on three strategies. The first is to celebrate and preserve Snow Hill’s cultural and historic identity, with goals focused on facade and streetscape improvements to at least eight priority properties or downtown segments by 2030, at least two preservation or adaptive reuse projects tied to historically significant assets, and at least three recurring downtown cultural activations per year by 2029.
Renderings in the plan show what updated lighting, landscaping, and building facades could look like, along with a mural crosswalk concept similar to ones completed in other North Carolina communities. One rendering depicted the long-vacant theater building reimagined with retail at street level and residential above.
The Rosenwald school was identified as a priority historic asset and an acknowledged challenge. “Because of the historical identity and all of the different stakeholders involved, we think that this is a really good project to help build some of those bridges and partnerships,” Darlington said. She recommended the first step be convening all relevant stakeholders to evaluate long-term use options rather than leaving the building in limbo.
The second strategy focuses on enhancing quality of life through experiences, and Contentnea Creek sits at its center. Goals include improving trails, lighting, signage, and physical access to the creek, and programming the space with a festival, kayak rentals, and family-friendly activities. Darlington pointed to a sign that already exists near the creek at the Boat Landing, which advertises kayak rentals, noting that the phone number on it connects to nothing. “It’s taking something like that and making it a reality,” she said. “Being able to rent out those kayaks, being able to go out on the water, is an important part of the history of Greene County.” She said she heard story after story from community members about memories made at the creek and described a goal of creating new ones for the generation growing up in Snow Hill now.
The third strategy addresses economic vitality through local business support and entrepreneurship, with goals centered on building a small business network, recruiting businesses to fill identified gaps, and marketing available spaces to prospective owners. Connecting youth to local opportunities was a recurring theme throughout the planning process. “You already have a strong community college presence in the area,” Darlington said. “Utilizing those youth more, getting them more involved, so that they realize there are opportunities for them in Snow Hill and they don’t have to leave and never come back.”
Four projects were identified as early priorities: downtown streetscape improvements, convening partners around the Rosenwald school, improving creek access and trail infrastructure, and activating vacant or underused spaces through temporary business use and incubator opportunities.
Darlington offered examples from communities the center has worked with in the past. Kannapolis eventually developed a site that became the Macy’s e-commerce fulfillment center, the largest job announcement in Rowan County history, partly as a result of planning work with the center. Roseboro has since secured multiple grants and completed a major downtown building renovation. A mural crosswalk was painted by elementary school students in partnership with the North Carolina Museum of Art.
“This document is a living document,” Darlington said. “It’s not a contract that you all are signing to get every single one of these projects done.” She recommends returning at least once a year to help with project development and grant applications. “It’s not, here’s your plan, good luck. It’s here’s the plan. Now what do we do next?”
After the presentation, Pridgen recommended that the board amend the agenda to formally adopt the plan as an action item. A motion was made and seconded. Mayor Andrews noted the committee had worked hard on it and called it a fluid plan the board could build from. A motion to adopt the plan was made, seconded, and the board voted unanimously.
Action Items
With the presentations concluded, Vinson moved the board through the action items.
The board also returned to George Mewborn’s donation request on behalf of the Greene County Museum. The question of whether the museum is a for-profit or nonprofit organization was raised. It is a nonprofit. The board had voted at its April 13th meeting to deny a $3,500 grant submission from the museum. Vinson had reminded commissioners at that meeting that the board had previously voted to remove such donations from the budget. Pridgen noted that the museum’s needs were something the board could consider addressing through the budget process. Commissioner Daniels pointed out that the board had supported the museum and library’s annual funding request every prior year.
The Juneteenth celebration was ratified by recorded vote, formalizing the email poll consensus the board had reached weeks earlier. Mayor Pro Tem Rosa Wilkes had expressed some concerns at the time of the poll, and the formal vote captured the record.
The grass cutting contract was ratified, awarding the work to Tee’s Lawn Care. Five bids had been received, and the contract had been polled by email to get the contractor started in early May.
The chemical storage building at Well No. 1, used to house chlorine gas cylinders, was approved at a revised cost of $12,800. The original quote of $13,449 was for a structure Vinson believed was larger than needed. After consulting with the state, an eight-by-eight-by-eight building was determined to be sufficient. Scott Palms Home Improvement, the same contractor who completed the Public Works building renovations, provided the revised quote covering demolition of the existing structure and construction of the new one, without a concrete pad or lighting. The funds are available.
The water and sewer rate discussion returned with revised numbers. Vinson walked through the proposed water rate structure. The current residential flat rate for in-town users is $13 per month, with $7 per thousand gallons. The proposed rate moves to $15 flat with $8 per thousand. Outside residential users would move from a $21 flat and $7 per thousand to $23 flat and $9 per thousand. Commercial users on two-inch meters inside town limits would go from a $13 flat rate to $36, with $8 per thousand. Outside commercial two-inch users would shift from $21 flat to $44, with the per-thousand charge rising from $7 to $12.
The sewer side was more complex, as the town currently has no flat rate at all. Vinson presented two scenarios. A flat rate of $19.50, with the per-thousand rate unchanged at $11.50, would generate approximately $100,685 annually. Cutting it to $9.75 flat would bring in approximately $93,727, a difference of about $7,000. Commissioner Harrell had raised the concept of structuring the flat rate to include the first thousand gallons, giving lower-volume users a predictable monthly amount to budget around. Vinson committed to running those numbers and sending revised figures by email for a poll response the following day.
“This is the elephant in the room that we have to address,” Vinson said. “A band-aid has to be ripped off, and I need y’all to tell me which way you want to go with it.”
The Barrow, Parris, and Davenport audit contract was approved at $19,700, a $700 increase over the prior year. The firm delivered the 2025 audit on time and within the December 31st deadline set by the North Carolina Local Government Commission. Williams had already begun working with the firm’s staff in anticipation of the renewal.
Monthly Reports
Police Chief Smith had been on his feet much of the evening and read the room accordingly. “Y’all have taken in a whole lot tonight, so I’m gonna be real brief,” he said.
His report covered the prior month’s activity. Several cases were inactive or under investigation, some with jurisdictional issues, and three were closed by arrest. The department issued 41 town citations and 50 state citations and investigated seven traffic crashes. School walkthroughs are continuing at Snow Hill Primary and West Greene Elementary School.
Smith reminded the room about the Cop Companions program. Residents can sign up by picking up a form at Town Hall or requesting one by email, choosing how often they want officers to check in. He said the department provided police protection for RAM Fest on May 18th, describing it as a very large turnout with no issues. “Everything went really smoothly,” Smith said.
On personnel, Officer Oliver completed his standardized field sobriety training at Pitt Community College, with additional training scheduled. Corporal Megan Johnson completed her field training officer certification. “It’s a huge asset to have that from a liability standpoint for the town,” Smith said. Johnson is also enrolled in Crisis Intervention Team training. The two new patrol vehicles that the board previously authorized are outside the building. Smith said installation of existing equipment is underway, and he expects both cars on the road within a few weeks. A third replacement vehicle is on its way back.
A cadet currently in Basic Law Enforcement Training is expected to graduate at the end of July. Once he completes field training with the department, Smith will have a full road staff for the first time, with Vinson noting the School Resource Officer position remains unfilled. At that point, the department will return to a full six-on, six-off rotation with 24-hour coverage.
Commissioner Lorraine Washington then addressed what Jones had raised during public comments. She told Smith she had personally received complaints from residents in those same south-side neighborhoods who did not know who the police chief was and were not seeing officers on their streets. “I think it’s very important that citizens know who our police chief is and who our officers are,” she said.
Smith asked what she would recommend. She asked him to have officers get out of their vehicles, walk around, and introduce themselves. She told him to stop, be friendly, and let people know who they are and where they work. Smith acknowledged that for the first eight months of the Cop Companions program, he was the only officer participating in it. Staffing had been too thin to sustain a consistent community presence. He agreed that Facebook alone is not reaching everyone. Vinson suggested putting the Cop Companions information on the water bill since every resident receives one. Smith called it a good idea.
Financial Report
Williams delivered the financial report, finally reaching her moment after standing through the entire evening. The debt set-off program, which intercepts state tax refunds from customers carrying outstanding balances, generated additional recoveries during the month, with more already arriving for the current period. Payments went toward Well No. 1, Green Engineering for the rate study, the AIA water and sewer project, and Project 4, the $4.2 million wastewater treatment plant improvement, including administrative costs tied to the lead service line replacement loan. Williams noted she had not updated a date on one portion of the report, but confirmed all dollar figures were accurate. No questions were raised.
Public Works Report
Public Works Director Travis Warters delivered his monthly report. Spring Cleanup Week runs from May 18th through 22nd. One pass, no exceptions, no callbacks. A list of items the town cannot accept is posted on the Facebook page and website. The Consumer Confidence Report, the state-required annual water quality document, was completed the prior week and is available online. The 2025 Local Water Supply Plan has been completed and submitted to the state.
Warters also presented pricing for automatic shutoff valves for all four active wells, totaling $70,686 for a full installation. The safety rationale was specific. Well No. 5 sits in the middle of a trailer park with children playing nearby. “If you have a chlorine gas tank that’s leaking, especially Well 5 that’s in the middle of a trailer park and kids playing within yards of that, you kind of need that to turn that tank off instead of just a light going off and somebody hoping they see it before something happens,” Warters said. Well No. 5 has been offline for three years and will need an estimated $880,000 or more in rehabilitation before it comes back into service.
It was during this portion of the meeting that Vinson addressed the infrastructure concern Jones had raised during public comments about the streets on the south side of Seventh Street. The problem is not how the repairs are done. The problem is what is underground. It’s galvanized pipe, which means it’s going to bust again, and it’s going to go again, and it’s going to keep on until it’s completely replacedshe said. “But we don’t have that kind of money to go in and change every water line in this town. You don’t have it, and until you start increasing these rates, unfortunately, we’re way below average compared to any other community.”
A Staffing Crisis in the Water Department
What followed from Vinson during the public works discussion may have been the most urgent news delivered all evening, and it came in two parts.
The town’s only licensed, certified water operator is working seven days a week with no days off and no backup. The situation traces back further than Monday night. In the spring of 2025, the town’s then-certified operator, Joey Arthur, was facing serious health challenges. The board approved a contingency contract with Drake Robart of Liquid Utilities. Robart had previously served as Snow Hill’s public works director and knew the town’s infrastructure well. The contract was structured to activate only if Arthur became unable to continue, serving as a bridge while the town worked toward cross-training additional staff. Arthur passed away from cancer in July 2025.
Warters now holds the required certification and carries the full operational load of the town’s water system alone. “Right now, he is required to be in this town seven days a week,” Vinson said. “So he doesn’t get a break.”
Vinson said she has been in discussions with Greene County about licensed operators willing to do part-time weekend coverage at $50 per day, costing the town $100 for a full weekend, giving Warters two days off. It would also provide backup coverage if he were to become ill or unavailable. She said she was comfortable proceeding under her existing budget authority and wanted the board to be aware.
Then came the second piece of news. Wastewater treatment plant operator Joe Roberts has given notice and will be leaving at the end of the month. Roberts is the plant’s only operator, and the plant cannot run without a licensed one. “So we are now searching for a new operator,” Vinson said. If a replacement is not found in time, the town may need to contract with an outside company to keep the plant running. She said she has been trying to get current staff cross-trained and into certification coursework, but the process takes time, and no one holds the required license yet. “You do still have that hanging in the distance over there,” she told the board.
Manager’s Report and Budget Discussion
Vinson reminded the board of the NCDMV ribbon cutting scheduled for the following morning, Tuesday, May 12th, at 9:00 a.m., at the new office near Highway 55, coordinated through the Greene County Chamber of Commerce.
On the budget, she told the board there is no point scheduling a workshop until the rate structure is decided, because without revenue figures, she cannot build the document. She expected revised sewer rate numbers incorporating Commissioner Harrell’s flat-rate-with-first-thousand-gallons concept to reach commissioners by the following day. Commissioner Daniels noted she would be unavailable the week of May 18th due to her grandson’s graduation. The group settled on the week of May 26th, after Memorial Day, targeting the 26th or 27th with a morning start. Vinson said the workshop would walk the board through everything she has built, set up the required public hearing process, and position the board to adopt the budget at the June 8th meeting before the June 30 fiscal year deadline.
Comments from Mayor and Board
Board comments were brief, given the length of the evening. The conversation about police visibility in the south-side neighborhoods, the water department staffing situation, and the budget timeline each surfaced briefly before the board wound down.
Closed Session
With public business concluded, the board voted to enter closed session to receive legal advice from Pridgen under North Carolina General Statute Section 143-318.11, which authorizes a public body to close a meeting to preserve attorney-client privilege. The board moved out of open session, adding still more time to a night that had already asked a great deal of everyone who stayed until the end.