[1:09] City Council regular meeting of Tuesday,
September 8th, 2026. And I want to thank
[1:15] everybody that has come here in person.
It is always wonderful to see a full
[1:20] house of uh constituents and also
everybody that is watching us on the
[1:26] live stream. So, thank you all for
attending. I want to start by
[1:31] introducing everybody that is sitting up
here. On my far right is our city
[1:36] attorney M. Mckeler.
Next to Mac is Councilman Lauren Wise.
[1:42] Next to Lauren is Councilwoman Pamela
Holder.
[1:46] Next to Pamela is Councilman and Mayor
Prom Aaron Baker. I'm Mayor Moren
[1:52] Copelof. On my immediate left is our
city clerk Denise Hodston. Next to
[1:58] Denise is Councilman Gary Daniel. Next
to Gary is Councilman Dean Lidle. And at
[2:05] my far left is our city manager, Wilson
Hooper.
[2:10] And
I don't think I see Reverend Rob Field
[2:17] anywhere in the audience.
Okay,
[2:23] just checking the door. No, I'm not
seeing him walking in. That's that
[2:27] that's another pastor walking in.
[laughter] But I tell you, I got a whole
[2:31] lot of backups here today.
>> Wow.
[2:35] Yeah.
[laughter]
[2:40] » Well,
>> you got drafted.
[2:43] [laughter]
>> I I normally would be asking Reverend
[2:47] Rob Field to stand up and give the
invocation, but Rob is not here. But um
[2:56] » [laughter]
[2:58] » There it is.
>> Look at this. I'm filling. [laughter]
[3:03] » Okay.
>> I know.
[3:08] [laughter]
[3:12] » Sean, would you be willing to give the
invitation?
[3:15] » Certainly. I'd be happy to.
>> She just happened to walk right in.
[3:20] » Absolutely. All right.
[3:26] our source. We're grateful for this day,
for this space, for the opportunity to
[3:31] shuffle our feet in here, for all that
happens, for the conversations that we
[3:36] have, for the business that is held, for
your presence that is with us. Bless us
[3:41] with the opportunity to be at our best,
for this community we all call home, and
[3:47] we will be grateful. Amen.
>> Amen.
[3:52] And while you are standing there,
[3:57] I believe you are the pastor at Brevard
College. Can you tell us a little bit
[4:02] about that?
>> Absolutely. So, I'm the dean for
[4:04] spiritual and religious life at Brevard
College. Uh I've been there for a
[4:09] growing amount of years and it's uh my
honor and pleasure to work with our
[4:14] younger, most times younger and uh
bright individuals who are shuffling
[4:19] into this world.
So that's what I get to do.
[4:22] » Well, we are so glad that you do that
and we are so glad to have the college
[4:27] and the young folks as part of our
community and I want to thank you for
[4:32] your great flexibility as you [laughter]
come into the room tonight.
[4:36] » Absolutely.
>> Thank you.
[4:37] » Thank you.
[laughter]
[4:40] » All right. Would everybody please stand
and join me in the pledge of allegiance?
[4:48] Attention, honor.
I pledge algiance to the flag of the
[4:53] United States of America and to the
republic for which it stands. One nation
[5:00] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
[5:09] [clears throat]
[5:11] » All right, Madame Clerk, do we have a
quorum?
[5:14] » Yes, Madame Mayor, you have a quorum.
All members are present. All right,
[5:18] council, you have the draft agenda in
front of you. Are there any proposed
[5:24] modifications to the agenda?
>> Yeah, I'd like to propose that we
[5:30] combine items L2 and M1.
Uh, I think our discussion is probably
[5:36] going to be referencing one or the
other. So, I think it's just best if we
[5:39] tackle those,
>> put it both under
[5:42] » combine them both under M as M1.
>> Right.
[5:45] » Okay. Very good. Mr. Manager, did you
have a
[5:50] » Yes, ma'am. Chief Winsel and I would
like to propose a modification to item
[5:54] M3, automated license plate readers, and
I'd like to ask her to come to the
[5:58] podium and explain.
[6:04] » Mayor and council, good evening. Over
the last several months, the Bvard
[6:07] Police Department has spent a
significant amount of time researching
[6:11] automat automatic license plate reader
technology, developing policy
[6:15] safeguards, reviewing the legal issues,
and presenting the proposal several
[6:20] times to the public safety committee and
to our community members. Through all of
[6:24] the research and discussion, my
professional view of the technology
[6:28] remains the same. I believe ALPR cameras
are incredibly valuable as investigative
[6:33] tools because I've seen firsthand the
difference they can make. I have seen
[6:37] these cameras help locate missing and
endangered people and bring loved ones
[6:41] home. I've been able to assist in
recovering stolen vehicles, identifying
[6:45] vehicles connected to serious crimes,
and I've seen where it has given
[6:49] investigators information that help
bring justice to victims of violent
[6:53] crime. Those benefits are real, and my
belief in the value of the technology
[6:57] has not changed. But what has changed is
my belief in that this is the right time
[7:03] for Bvard to move forward with it. We
held the public information session
[7:07] because we wanted people to come hear
what we were proposing, ask questions
[7:12] and tell us how they felt. And the
citizens showed up and they did exactly
[7:16] that. We heard concerns about privacy,
surveillance, the potential for the
[7:22] technology to expand beyond its original
purpose, whether this type of technology
[7:26] belongs in a community such as ours and
our size, and whether the benefit was
[7:31] worth the concern that it caused within
the community. People also questioned
[7:36] whether the meeting was truly an
opportunity to be heard and whether
[7:39] showing up and speaking could actually
make a difference. Of all the concerns
[7:43] voiced, the one that I heard most
clearly was about trust. Trust between
[7:48] the community and the Bvard Police
Department. After the public information
[7:52] session, we regrouped and we worked hard
to address the concerns that were heard.
[7:57] We further tightened the proposed
policy. We shortened retention periods,
[8:01] restricted access and sharing, added
monthly auditing, and established
[8:05] meaningful consequences for misuse.
Without a doubt, I believe the police
[8:09] department could effectively and
responsibly operate this program. But
[8:13] just because we can responsibly
implement a tool does not necessarily
[8:16] mean we should implement it right now.
Building trust within the community is
[8:20] more important to me than winning the
approval of technology.
[8:24] The APL cameras proposed as part of a
larger axon package which also included
[8:28] new tasers and bodywn cameras for our
officers. We will continue moving
[8:32] forward with the tasers and the bodywn
cameras, but not the ALR ALPR portion
[8:38] proposed in the budget. I was recently
asked what would prevent Bvard Police
[8:43] Department from simply bringing back
ALPR cameras at a later date without the
[8:47] same level of public discussion. The
answer is simple, our desire to be
[8:51] transparent. If Bvard Police Department
was ever to consider ALPR technology
[8:56] again, it would require significant
budget requests that would come before
[8:59] council. any future consideration would
be handled openly with the same
[9:04] commitment to public information and
transparency we have maintained
[9:07] throughout our entire process. Again,
this is not a statement that we feel
[9:11] ALPR technology is bad, ineffective or
without value. It is simply an
[9:15] acknowledgement that our community has
expressed significant concern and at
[9:19] that point listening carries greater
value than moving forward with
[9:23] technology.
[clears throat]
[9:25] Right now, I believe it is the best
decision for the Bvard Police Department
[9:28] to listen. We asked for the community's
voice and they gave it to us and it
[9:33] mattered. Therefore, I'm respectfully
withdrawing the Bvard Police
[9:36] Department's request to implement a
proposed ALPR program and ask that the
[9:40] council take no further action at this
time. Thank you. [applause]
[9:48] All right. [applause]
All right, guys.
[9:52] Come on.
All right. So, Mr. Manager, you are you
[9:57] are asking to withdraw item
>> M3. [clears throat]
[10:01] » M3 off of the agenda. All right.
Council, any further modifications to
[10:06] the agenda?
>> I don't know if this is the time to say
[10:10] it or not, but I would like to see the
agenda that Aaron proposed that we leave
[10:14] it as it is. L2 and was the other one? M
>> he was combined. He combined L2. see
[10:25] remain separate.
[10:29] » Okay. Well, we'll have to vote on
>> way to go.
[10:34] » All right.
Right now, what we have is a proposal to
[10:41] have a modified agenda with M3, the
automated license plate readers, removed
[10:49] [clears throat] and M1 and L2 combined.
Do I have a motion to approve that
[10:56] modified agenda?
>> So moved.
[10:59] » Do I have a second?
>> Second.
[11:02] [clears throat]
>> Okay.
[11:07] All in favor?
>> I
[11:09] » opposed.
>> Opposed.
[11:11] » Opposed.
>> So, two nos and three yeses.
[11:17] So, the modified agenda passes.
All right.
[11:23] So, we've got an agenda.
[11:28] Council,
you've got the June 5th, 2026 specially
[11:33] called budget workshop minutes. Are
there any corrections or modifications
[11:37] to those minutes?
Do I have a motion to approve those
[11:42] minutes?
>> So moved.
[11:44] » Do I have a second?
>> Second.
[11:48] » All in favor?
>> I
[11:50] » opposed.
Minutes are approved. You also have the
[11:55] minutes of the August 17, 2026 regular
meeting. Do I have a motion? Are there
[12:01] any uh modifications or corrections to
those minutes?
[12:06] Do I have a motion to approve those
minutes?
[12:09] » So moved.
>> Do I have a second?
[12:11] » Second.
>> All in favor?
[12:14] » I
>> opposed. Those minutes are approved. All
[12:18] right. We are going to go forward into
certificates, awards, and recognition.
[12:23] And we have two wonderful proclamations
tonight.
[12:41] All right. Our first proclamation is for
the 30th anniversary of Rise and Shine.
[12:46] And I would like to ask Maurice Jones,
the executive director of Rise and
[12:51] Shine, and anyone else Maurice that you
wanted to join you up here. I don't know
[12:57] if you brought anyone else from the
organization.
[13:00] » There are a lot of supporters and
partners.
[13:03] » I can see that. Okay.
It's been such a great
[13:13] pleasure
to
[13:16] proclamation number 2026
21 the 30th anniversary of rise in
[13:23] shine.
Whereas in response to public
[13:28] clan rallies held in Bvard in 1988 and
again in 1992
[13:35] An interracial group gathered by social
activist FA Walker began to meet monthly
[13:42] for dialogue around dismantling racism,
racial justice and reconciliation.
[13:49] Whereas after this coalition called
friends hosted a series of talks
[13:54] entitled
racism everybody's problem at Bethl A
[14:00] Baptist Church. it Frederick Gordon
suggested steps to be taken to help
[14:07] underserved children and families
beginning with the youngest.
[14:12] Whereas Pastor Gordon and FA Walker
worked together diligently in
[14:17] collaboration with parents and community
members to design an afterchool program
[14:23] built around individual attention and
the encouragement of children and their
[14:28] families with its signature to be daily
one tutoring.
[14:34] Whereas the founders recruited teams of
volunteer tutors and mentors from local
[14:40] churches and community based
organizations
[14:44] and inaugurated the rise and shine after
school program in October of 1996
[14:52] with a handful of students called
scholars in attendance.
[14:57] Whereas in the following 30 years the
program has been nurtured by countless
[15:03] devoted community volunteers and
institutions and supported by local
[15:09] businesses and individuals to serve a
capacity of 50 scholars each year.
[15:15] Whereas the legacy of enriching
children, empowering parents,
[15:21] encouraging community, and building the
beloved community of racial justice and
[15:27] reconciliation
has become the hallmark of rise and
[15:31] shine. Now therefore, I, Moren Kopalof,
mayor of the city of Bvard, hereby honor
[15:38] the 30th anniversary of Rise and Shine
and ask our citizens to extend their
[15:44] appreciation for the exemplary work Rise
and Shine continues to do in our
[15:50] community.
>> [applause]
[15:57] [applause]
[16:01] » Tell us a little bit. I think you're
having a big birthday celebration,
[16:05] right? Tell us about that.
>> Um, Roger will be celebrating it 30th
[16:10] anniversary with a gall that's held
at the Parker Concert Hall. Tickets are
[16:17] still available. We would love for all
of you to come join us. We want to
[16:20] celebrate this great organization and
great thing about it is people like you,
[16:26] everyone in this citizen in this room
that helps organizations like we have so
[16:32] many nonprofits
over 400
[16:38] and it's amazing how we support our own
how we come in
[16:44] uh help we help fund we do all things
keep
[16:49] what you guys have done for rise and
shine.
[16:53] Rise and shine.
[16:57] Please come to this event and enjoy and
celebrate with us.
[17:01] » October 3rd.
>> October 3rd. 6 p.m.
[17:06] » And as always, a fun event. It's one of
my favorite gayas of the year.
[17:11] » You'll be there, right?
>> I absolutely am going to be there. I'm
[17:14] one of your sponsors.
[17:18] Anyways, Rise and Shine is an incredible
organization. I've been involved with it
[17:23] a lot longer than I've been involved in
politics here. It goes way back and they
[17:29] do such an incredible job with the
scholars, you know, just teaching them
[17:34] not just academic subjects and I think
they have like 100% graduation ready for
[17:41] high school. Yes. And you're gonna keep
that up, right?
[17:45] Okay.
>> But they also teach them really
[17:49] self-confidence and selfresect and just
things that are so important for success
[17:55] in today's world. So it is a wonderful
program that supports our children and I
[18:00] couldn't be happier than to recognize
his 30th uh anniversary and I look
[18:05] forward to seeing everybody at their
gaya. So thank you Maurice.
[18:09] » Thank you very much. [applause]
[18:15] » [applause]
[18:18] » All right. And our next proclamation is
for Constitution. And we have several
[18:24] members of our local
Still Avery chapter of coming up. We've
[18:30] got Sharon Powell and we've got uh Nina
Brown and Nina is actually Nina. Oh,
[18:37] Nina. Sorry. Yes. Oh, okay. Get that
one. Um But uh Nina is actually the
[18:44] district or you're
>> the second
[18:48] » person
agent. Okay. Well, so we've got the big
[18:52] big guys here, [laughter]
>> but we appreciate um you know, I was
[18:58] just saying that, you know, I see them
at so many events and you know, one of
[19:03] the things that's so important today is
to teach people about and about the
[19:09] constitution, about is important in our
country and the D really steps up and
[19:15] does that in so many different forums
throughout the world. So with this
[19:20] proclamation number 2026 22 constitution
whereas the constitution of the United
[19:29] States of America the guardian of our
liberties embodies the principles of
[19:35] limited government in a republic
dedicated to rule by law
[19:40] where September 17th, 2026
marks the 239th
[19:47] anniversary of the drafting of the
Constitution of the United States of
[19:51] America by the Constitutional
Convention. Whereas it is fitting and
[19:56] proper to official recognition to this
magnificent document and its memorable
[20:02] anniversary and to the patriotic
celebrations which will commemorate the
[20:07] occasion. Whereas public 915 guarantees
the issuing of a proclamation each year
[20:15] by the president of the United States of
America designating September 17 through
[20:21] 2030 as Constitution Week. Now therefore
I Moren Kop by virtue of the authority
[20:28] vested in me as mayor of the city of
Bvard do hereby proclaim the week of
[20:34] September 17 through 23 as constitution
week in the city of Bard and ask our
[20:40] citizens to reaffirm the ideals the
framers of the constitution had in 1787
[20:48] by vigilantly protecting the freedoms
guaranteed to us through this guardian
[20:53] of our liberty.
remembering that lost rights may never
[20:58] be.
Thank you very much, ladies.
[21:09] [laughter]
[21:12] » [applause]
[21:19] » chapter of the D continues to work with
school children and adults, people who
[21:26] have what
[21:30] and so we just try to instill that and
bring that back to life.
[21:37] » Well, I just might add that we give
[21:48] Most years
graders specifically
[22:04] have
my pocket constitution.
[22:09] my desk in my office.
>> Good for you.
[22:13] » Thank you.
[22:30] » All right, we are moving into public
comment.
[22:37] The public is invited to speak during
public comment at this time on any topic
[22:42] unless it is a public hearing item on
the agenda. Anyone who wants to speak
[22:48] must register with the city clerk, which
is the signup sheet. When it is your
[22:53] turn, step to the podium in front of
city council. State your name and
[22:58] address clearly. Limit comments to three
minutes or less and avoid repetition.
[23:04] And I will give you a warning when you
have 30 seconds left. Direct comments to
[23:09] the full council, not to an individual
council member or to staff. Now I will
[23:14] call people up in the order that you
signed. Our first speaker is Ashley
[23:19] Hart.
[23:26] Hello, mayor, city council, and staff.
Hello, everybody. I hope you're having a
[23:31] great day. I wanted to thank the police
chief for what she said. The people
[23:37] appreciate the fact that you ended that.
Thank you so much for standing up for
[23:42] the people and what the people wanted
because it's the people you have to make
[23:46] happy.
Thank you guys all for participating in
[23:51] that properly. The people of Bvard do
not want to be under surveillance and I
[23:56] don't want them to be under surveillance
either. I had a big speech I I was going
[24:00] to give you guys, but you guys switched
it up. So, I'm gonna switch [laughter]
[24:03] it up. Um, so it's Constitution Week,
September 17th through September 23rd.
[24:09] The signing of the Constitution was
September 17th, 1787.
[24:15] The United States Constitution brings
with um begins with the most important
[24:20] three words, we the people. Those words
remind us that the Constitution belongs
[24:25] to the people. Our government deres its
authority from the consent of the
[24:30] governed.
[snorts] Preserving liberty is not
[24:34] solely the responsibility of elected
officials. It's it also is required from
[24:39] the people to be engaged
and to understand the constitution.
[24:45] We have a responsibility to pass these
principles of liberty and
[24:49] self-government to future generations.
[24:57] I was going to ask you guys to vote no
on it. [laughter]
[25:00] I was I was going to ask you guys to
please vote no on it and you guys did
[25:04] that without me having to ask you. So
again, I praise you guys for holding a
[25:09] public forum for the people to speak. I
live in Transennsylvania County. They
[25:13] did not provide us with that and um it
really mattered. So I wanted to thank
[25:19] you guys. It really opened my eyes up
and um I'm proud of you guys for making
[25:25] the right choice for the people that you
represent.
[25:28] And
I'm going to end with the same line I
[25:32] was going to end my speech with. We the
people are where it begins and we're
[25:36] also where it ends. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Miss Hart. [applause]
[25:48] Okay. Our next speaker is
>> Robert.
[25:51] » Robert.
>> I'll help you. [laughter]
[25:53] » All right. All right. Robert, what's
your last name? I can't
[25:57] » J A Z O W S K I.
>> Okay.
[26:00] » So, not only is it hard to say,
>> I have a hard time. [laughter]
[26:07] » So, [clears throat]
uh, good evening. Thank you for having
[26:12] me here.
So, I wrote this God's Hour yesterday
[26:18] and probably haven't slept a heck of a
lot since then, but I did go through
[26:22] this and I wanted to hit all my bullet
points. Fortunately,
[26:27] our sheriff heard us and I truly
appreciate that. There's nothing like
[26:32] being heard of being, you know, a
citizen being heard and having the
[26:36] engagement and having the action the
action of actually following people.
[26:41] » So, thank you very much. I truly
appreciate that.
[26:44] » Um, I'm no fan of the I'm I'm no fan of
the cameras. I'm no fan of the system
[26:50] behind it. Um, and I'm just going to
kind of leave it at that, but uh I don't
[26:56] want want to keep this moving along. So,
thank you very much and have a wonderful
[27:00] evening.
>> Thank you.
[27:03] Our next speaker is Rodney Locks.
[27:12] Good evening, council. My name is Rodney
Locks. I live at 187 South Rice Street.
[27:18] I'm here to say vote no.
[laughter]
[27:23] And using the Rosenwall funds
[clears throat] for the extension of the
[27:28] sore
lines.
[27:32] And it baffles me
to realize that that's your only option.
[27:39] There's got to be some other funding
source to fund the sewer line.
[27:46] But the city has not
given you another option.
[27:52] And I know in most cases you have more
than one option. And you have rejected
[27:57] those options before. and I ask you to
reject this option and find another
[28:04] option for extending the short sewer
line. When you get to M3, my top
[28:09] priority is using the money as seed
money for the shelter and the bathrooms.
[28:16] There are lots of projects on there that
are nice. One of the projects that's not
[28:21] on there is
storm water. Our other big issue is
[28:26] storm water. and I'd appreciate it if
you think about that and figure out
[28:32] address the storm water issue in
Rosemont. Thank you.
[28:36] » Thank you. [applause]
[28:42] » Our next speaker is Frankie Gordon.
[cough and clears throat]
[28:57] Good afternoon to the mayor and city
council board. I'm River Frankie El
[29:03] Gordon and my address is Silverstein
Drive here in Bard.
[29:07] My home is located in Mickey Park and my
concern is the removal of the tannery
[29:14] and I would like to know I will ask the
question, have the city put in place a
[29:19] plan to remove any creature that is
located in that stacker at the moment?
[29:26] um before it is torn down. So I just I
just asked that question. Have the city
[29:33] put something in place to eliminate them
before the stacker come down? Thank you.
[29:39] » Thank you, Miss Gordon.
[29:43] Our next speaker is Heath Carter. Did I
get there? Okay.
[29:54] » Write my down on there, but it's 135
Milbourne Ridge in Pisca Forest, North
[29:59] Carolina. [laughter]
>> 135 Milbour
[30:02] » Milbour.
>> Pisca Forest.
[30:05] » And how do you spell your last name?
>> C A R T E.
[30:10] » Thank you.
>> Um, and I'd come to speak on the ALPRS,
[30:14] but looks like that's done. So, thank
you. I I'm impressed. When I was in, I
[30:21] wish I could have got a chance to work
for someone like you. That's impressive.
[30:24] Thank you. And anybody that voted
along with what she said, thank you as
[30:30] well. That's all.
>> Thank you.
[30:32] » Oh, and you're supporting the roadless
rule. Thank you very, very much. That
[30:36] helps what I currently do.
>> Thank you.
[30:41] » All right. Our next speaker is
Abraham Stratton.
[30:49] » Good evening. My name is Abraham
Stratton and I live with my family at 21
[30:54] Barbberry Heights Drive off of Island
Ford Road. Our family moved here about
[30:59] three years ago and I serve as one of
the pastors at Bethany Baptist Church um
[31:04] right off of Queenville Highway past the
elementary school and before you get to
[31:08] Wilson Road. Um I serve alongside of
Paul Wit who Coach Wit coached Bvard
[31:14] High School basketball team for several
years. Some of you [clears throat] may
[31:17] know him. Uh, two things. I just wanted
first to thank council for your work on
[31:23] the July 4th America 250 celebration.
Um, our family really enjoyed that and I
[31:30] am grateful especially for the public
reading of the Declaration of
[31:33] Independence. As we heard earlier
regarding the Constitution, I think uh
[31:38] having our citizenry more familiar with
our founding documents is always a good
[31:44] thing. And so I'm grateful to each of
you for your participation in that. and
[31:48] I would be an advocate for reading the
Declaration of Independence every July
[31:52] 4th. But thank you for your work to do
that. And the second thing is I wanted
[31:56] to let you all know that I pray for you
on a regular basis and our church prays
[32:00] for you. Uh this past Sunday, we
actually prayed for you in our morning
[32:04] service on Sunday. So in the Bible, God
tells his children to pray for their
[32:09] leaders. So I pray for you, Mayor Marine
Kopalof. I pray for our city council
[32:13] members. I pray for our sheriff and our
other leaders. So, I wanted you all to
[32:18] know that we're grateful for your work
and uh I know you sit in hard seats and
[32:23] make hard decisions and so I pray for
you to make decisions which are for the
[32:28] flourishing of our community and not for
personal agendas but for the good of our
[32:32] our citizens. So, thank you for the work
that you do.
[32:36] » Thank you. [applause]
[32:40] » Our next speaker is Sheila Mooney.
[clears throat]
[32:50] Mayor, council members, I'm Sheila
Mooney. I live right down the street at
[32:54] 34 Mills Avenue.
Thank you, Mayor and Council members.
[33:01] I'd like to thank the young lady that
reminded us of the statement in the
[33:05] Constitution, we the people. Like to
thank the chief for her statement about
[33:10] the importance of listening to said
people.
[33:16] So, thank you for your service to the
city of Bvard and thank you to the whole
[33:22] city of Bvard. Thank you for
acknowledging our beautiful Rosenwall
[33:27] community. Thank you for understanding
the value of our rich history.
[33:36] And because we trusted you, we voted for
you and we expect you to treat Rosenal
[33:44] with the same fairness,
compassion, consideration, and the trust
[33:49] that we put into you. Rosenwall is very
important to us. As you heard about the
[33:56] rise and shine program,
it's more than that. I was here in 1988.
[34:03] I was here in 1998. I was here in 1963.
And that means something to us. So,
[34:12] please consider we the people of Rosen
Mall. Thank you.
[34:17] » Thank you, Miss Money.
[34:21] [applause]
>> Our next speaker is Harvey Seni.
[34:38] My name is Harvey Sanki. I live 51
uh trail uh lakehouse trail in Bard.
[34:46] Good evening, Madame Mayor and city
council members.
[34:50] I attended all of the safety committee
meetings at [cough and clears throat]
[34:53] the public meeting on September 1st that
discussed the placing of three acts on
[34:59] cameras where crime data would be
appropriate.
[35:03] The safety committee asked many
questions which were answered by the
[35:08] chief of police, the city attorney and
the city manager. I have attended many
[35:16] committee meetings over the past three
years and this request was among the
[35:21] most thoroughly researched by any
commission. [clears throat]
[35:26] I want to thank that committee for the
work they did on the research. And I
[35:31] want to thank everybody who participated
in this uh in the in the committee and
[35:39] also Chief for the work that she did,
the city attorney for the work that he
[35:46] did, and also Wilson Hooper for the work
that he did. I am a little disappointed
[35:52] at the outcome, but I appreciate what
you've done and how you've handled it,
[35:59] and I hope we can continue on with a
very good relationship with the police
[36:06] department in the future. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mr. Seni.
[36:12] Our next speaker is Doug Powell.
[cough and clears throat]
[36:17] » [snorts]
[36:21] » Good evening, Madame Mayor, council
members, and staff. I trust everyone had
[36:25] a very restful Labor Day weekend. I
would like to commend the city council
[36:29] on a couple of things this evening.
First, taking your oath of office
[36:33] seriously and specifically a commitment
to the first amendment. As you know, any
[36:38] legitimate government derives its just
powers from the consent of the govern.
[36:42] And the first amendment is an American
citizens mechanism to voice their
[36:45] concern, displeasure, or agreement with
a policy, ordinance, or law that is
[36:50] being contemplated by you, our
representatives. By you and your staff
[36:54] organizing the town hall meeting last
week to present information to us, the
[36:58] citizens of Bvard and Transsylvania
County, regarding the Axon surveillance
[37:03] cameras, uh our go our five god-given
freedoms of the First Amendment were on
[37:07] full display. One, our freedom of
religion in vo voicing our rights of
[37:12] conscience as sovereign individuals.
Two, our freedom of speech and openly
[37:16] expressing our views on the subject.
Three, our freedom of the press with
[37:20] those of the media who were present plus
those who express their views on social
[37:24] media. Our freedom of four, our freedom
of assembly as we came together as a
[37:28] citizens citizenry in the same place.
And five, perhaps our least remembered
[37:34] right to petition our government for
redress of grievances. This is our right
[37:38] to freely express any complaints to
those we have trusted to lead us. I
[37:42] would like to express thanks to Chief
Wel for the thorough assessment of the
[37:47] Axon surveillance cameras from her
department's point of view and the
[37:51] respectful listening to our uh concerns
and the decision tonight and also an
[37:57] appreciation of how city staff made sure
that everyone who felt compelled to
[38:02] speak was given that opportunity
including questions and answers as the
[38:06] mayor. so eloquently reminded us a few
moments ago uh in the in the council's
[38:11] constitution week proclamation, lost
rights may never be regained. That is
[38:17] why we need to guard our liberties with
vigor and ferveny, whether that be the
[38:21] first amendment, the fourth amendment,
or any other any of our other
[38:25] constitutional rights. What I gleaned
from the town hall was overwhelming
[38:29] support of law enforcement while still
holding a legitimate distrust of
[38:33] third-party data collection companies
and the possibility of other government
[38:37] agencies to access that data too. One
thing that wasn't said in the meeting
[38:42] was Axon entered into a commercial
partnership with Flock Safety on April
[38:47] 2, 2020, indicating their desire for
those two companies to be fully
[38:51] integrated and throwing around terms
like vehicle fingerprint technology. It
[38:56] is not a giant leap to conclude that if
our data is collected and stored, even
[39:00] if it is intended to be used only by
local law enforcement, it is not a
[39:03] matter of if, but when another state
>> or federal agency will come knocking.
[39:08] And lastly, how many government agencies
and private corporations have been
[39:11] hacked, compromised, or their data been
breached? Our data being safe in the
[39:15] cloud is impossible to guarantee. So,
thank you again for protecting our
[39:19] God-given rights under the Constitution
this past week, and may you continue to
[39:23] hone your understanding of its original
intent and meaning, as this is your
[39:27] constitutional duty as representatives
of our dear city of Brevard. Happy
[39:32] Constitution Week.
>> Thank you, Mr. Powell.
[39:38] Okay, our next speaker, I'm trying to
read your name.
[39:45] Lane Hurlinger.
>> Did I get that sort of close? Okay.
[39:52] [clears throat]
[39:57] » My name is Lane Hurlinger. I live at
1131 Sutton Creek Road. Um, yeah, I also
[40:03] had a whole spiel of things to write off
and read. Um, but I'll spare y'all. Um,
[40:08] also I apologize for my appearance. Um,
I came straight from work. I had planned
[40:12] to, you know, go home, take a shower,
and look a little bit more presentable,
[40:15] but, uh, you know, today's day kind of
took a turn. Um, and
[40:21] so, I'll switch it up from what I wrote
and tell you that, um, you know, Chief
[40:26] Wel, I really appreciate you. I wanted
to be there last Tuesday to be at that
[40:30] meeting. Um,
you know, life took a turn as well, but
[40:34] um, I fully support your decision and
and listening to the people, man, that
[40:38] means so much to me. Um, first time I
saw one of those cameras, it like, man,
[40:43] it felt like I had a girlfriend who
cheated on me. I was I was so
[40:46] disappointed, dude, my heart sunk. I was
like, "No way. What is happening?" Um,
[40:51] so I really appreciate you listening to
us. It really um, you know, makes me
[40:56] want to stand behind you, all of our
elected officials. um and you know
[41:02] support y'all because y'all listened and
uh you know we appreciate that. That
[41:05] means more to us than you realize.
So thanks for listening and and I think
[41:11] doing ultimately doing the right thing.
Um we really appreciate it and I hope
[41:15] everybody has a killer week.
>> Thank you.
[41:19] All right, that is everybody that signed
up for public comment.
[41:25] All right, we will move on to the public
hearing.
[41:29] And we have one public hearing. It is a
proposed amendment to the city of Bvard
[41:35] traffic schedule to add a stop sign on
Thomas Street at the intersection with
[41:40] West Main Street. And I believe our city
manager is going to walk us through
[41:46] this.
>> Shnie, would you mind coming up and
[41:48] pulling the picture up from the agenda?
Uh, yes, ma'am. Mayor, so there's an
[41:53] appendix to our code of ordinance called
the traffic schedule. And the traffic
[41:57] schedule lists every four-way stop,
every three-way stop, every stop
[42:01] [clears throat] light, every two-hour
parking zone. Anything that has anything
[42:05] to do with roads and streets in the town
is listed in the traffic schedule. Um,
[42:12] and to update it requires council
approval. Now, what it doesn't require
[42:17] is a public hearing. And so in the
months to come, I'm going to ask the
[42:21] public safety committee if maybe we can
streamline this process by having these
[42:26] on consent rather than subject to a
public hearing because traffic
[42:31] engineering is a science and I think
that it ought to be guided by the
[42:34] science rather than uh by public
comments. But uh in this case, the uh
[42:42] intersection in question is Thomas
Street and West Main Street. This is the
[42:45] residential part of West Main Street.
Um, as you can see from the map there,
[42:50] Jordan approaches it at an oblique
angle, which makes the sight lines
[42:55] difficult. And what you can't see on
this map is that both of those sides of
[42:59] West Main Street are coming downhill.
So, this is kind of in a bathtub, so to
[43:04] speak. And there's the potential for
folks coming at excessive speeds from
[43:09] both sides. We're still trying to tackle
that problem and figure out some traffic
[43:13] calming solutions that might work, but
in the meantime, we want to make this
[43:17] interse intersection safer in uh ways
that we know will work. And one of those
[43:22] is changing this yield sign. Shaunie, if
you'll go down to the next picture
[43:28] to a stop sign so that uh cars coming
down Thomas Street will be required to
[43:33] stop and look both ways. We find that
now with a yield sign there, uh they
[43:39] might not and they might pull out in
front of a car that's uh coming down the
[43:44] hill on either side. Uh the other thing
that we're going to do, and we might
[43:48] have already done this, uh but if not,
we're going to do it soon, is go out and
[43:52] trim back some uh foliage that's growing
into the ride ofway on both sides of
[43:58] this picture and obstructing the sight
line. And so we think that between
[44:02] changing this to a stop and trimming
back those um sight line obstructions,
[44:09] we will make this intersection a little
bit safer. Um but we're not done with it
[44:14] yet. And so for tonight, I'm asking you
to hold a public hearing on this
[44:18] proposal. And if you're willing, go
ahead and pass this proposal so that we
[44:23] can go ahead and uh install that stop
stop sign and and repaint that stop bar
[44:28] there which you can see is kind of faded
in the picture. And if you are willing
[44:32] to take action tonight, the um required
ordinance is in front of you. We
[44:39] accidentally omitted that from the
agenda package and so it's here on the
[44:43] sheet in front of you if you're ready to
take action.
[44:47] » Right. Thank you, Mr. Manager. Council,
this is a public hearing. Do I have a
[44:51] motion to officially open the public
hearing?
[44:54] » So moved.
>> Second.
[44:56] » All in favor?
>> I.
[44:58] » The public hearing is officially open.
However, no one signed up to comment at
[45:06] the public hearing.
So
[45:10] I will go ahead and close.
>> Oh, wait. Is there somebody wants to
[45:15] comment?
I will I will allow that. Mr. Jones, you
[45:21] may comment on the public hearing. Let
me give you the rules.
[45:26] » Although I'm sure [laughter] I think I
think after however
[45:30] » I think you know it have been a while.
So
[45:34] » you have five minutes or less. Okay.
I'll leave it at that.
[45:38] » Okay. Well, I I just want to thank you
for allowing me to uh speak a little bit
[45:43] about this. Um
hopefully your meeting won't go too long
[45:49] tonight because I know how that usually
tends to happen.
[45:52] » But um I live
right across the street so I see that
[45:58] from my porch every day all day when I'm
at home.
[46:04] I don't believe that I've seen any
issues there. But I will tell you when
[46:09] you're coming down Thomas Street, it is
difficult to see towards your left
[46:15] um and right. So a stop sign there could
help, but in most cases, most cars have
[46:22] to stop just so they can see if a car is
coming because you have to kind of roll
[46:27] out into the street to look that way.
But if you're going to do some uh
[46:32] cleanup, cutting back some of that
brush, um I believe that will definitely
[46:38] be something that will help with the
line of sight coming through there. But
[46:44] um as as of now, I haven't seen much of
an issue. But there is if you're driving
[46:49] through there sometimes difficulty to
see traffic coming. So having a stop
[46:55] sign there, will it make a big
difference? I'm not sure. Time will
[46:59] tell, but uh it's a it's a good thing
that you're taking the time going around
[47:07] the city of Bvard looking at issues like
this and I understand how long that
[47:11] takes. Um, so I just want to say kudos
and I think that could make a big
[47:17] difference for those individuals
traveling down Thomas and for those
[47:22] traveling up and down West Maine because
it could it could be an issue there, but
[47:27] I haven't seen one over the past couple
of years. Thank you.
[47:31] » Thank you, Mr. Jones. All right. Nobody
else has signed up for the public
[47:37] hearing. Okay.
Council, do I have a motion to close the
[47:43] public hearing?
>> So, move.
[47:45] » Second.
>> All in favor?
[47:46] » I.
>> Public hearing is now officially closed.
[47:50] I will open it up now for questions and
comments from council members. And we'll
[47:56] start with Mr. Lidle.
>> No, no comment. I think it um I I I will
[48:01] like to see things like this go to the
the safety committee. Um
[48:06] it's I'll have to understand why it's
already not. I I'll uh I'll get that
[48:10] information from you at some other time.
But yep, makes sense to me.
[48:15] » Mr. Daniel,
>> um I agree with uh Mr. Jones. I walked
[48:20] it quite often down this road and I'm
I've not observed any issues there. I
[48:28] was kind of wondering why it was an
issue, but at the same time
[48:34] I can seems like a a low impact decision
financially and logistically as well. So
[48:45] I don't see any problem with it. I'm
just wondering why it was why it came
[48:49] up. I guess
>> Mr. Baker,
[48:54] » I have no questions or comments.
>> Miss Holder. No comments or questions.
[48:58] Thank you,
>> Mr. Weise.
[48:59] » No comments or questions.
>> Council, are you prepared to act on this
[49:05] tonight? If so, do I have a motion to
approve the ordinance amending the city
[49:11] of Bvard traffic schedule?
>> So moved.
[49:13] » Do I have a second?
>> Second.
[49:16] » All in favor?
>> I
[49:18] » opposed.
Motion passes.
[49:22] » All right. Moving on to the consent and
information.
[49:27] The following items are on the consent
agenda. One, resolution in support of
[49:32] the roadless area area conservation
rule. Two, capital project amendment
[49:38] Hillview Mills Avenue Culvert Repair
$350,000.
[49:44] Three, Proclamation number 2026, TAC23,
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
[49:52] Four, Rosenwald Community Advisory Board
meeting minutes, May 21st, 2026.
[49:59] Five, Parks, Trails, and Recreation
Committee meeting minutes, July 15,
[50:04] 2026.
Six, Rosenwald Community Advisory Board
[50:09] meeting session notes, July 16, 2026.
Seven, Finance and Human Resources
[50:15] Committee meeting July 27th, 2026. and
eight, public safety committee meeting
[50:21] minutes July 27th of 2026. Do I have a
motion to approve the consent agenda?
[50:28] » So moved.
>> Do I have a second?
[50:30] » Second.
>> All in favor?
[50:31] » I proposed consent agenda is approved.
Moving on to unfinished business.
[50:40] The first item is the proposed amendment
to the city of Bvard Unified Development
[50:45] Ordinance Chapter 17 and the code of
ordinances chapter 70 fats, oils, and
[50:52] grease regulations.
And I believe our assistant city
[50:57] manager, David Todd, is going to talk to
us about the fog.
[51:03] » Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Good evening,
mayor, council. So last council meeting
[51:08] we uh brought a proposal before you for
an amendment to the UDO unified
[51:12] development ordinance and the code of
ordinances related to implementing an
[51:17] enforcable program on our fats, oil, and
grease. As a reminder, um this was kind
[51:24] of uh brought forward from a compliance
finding we had from the Department of
[51:30] Environmental Quality reminding us that
our uh wastewater collection system
[51:36] permit requires us to have an
enforceable fats, oil, and grease
[51:39] program. And the compliance finding
letter uh asked us to be sure that we
[51:44] instated a program. So we do have a fat
oil and grease program now but it is not
[51:50] currently enforceable. So had the
presentation last council meeting and
[51:55] this evening we would like to ask if you
would approve the or the I guess it's an
[52:02] ordinance resolution in front of you to
uh approve those text amendments.
[52:08] » Okay. Thank you Mr. Todd Council. I will
go ahead and open it up for comments and
[52:14] questions and we will start with Mr.
Weise.
[52:18] » Uh I feel like I'm pretty familiar with
this one because we've looked at it in
[52:22] committee and we've talked about a
number of times. I think this could be a
[52:25] great program for Bvard and I really
don't have any additional comments of
[52:29] what we've talked about before. Miss
Holder,
[52:35] » trying to find again how it affects the
taxes
[52:41] in your presentation.
[52:45] » Just how it how it affects taxes.
>> Yes. Um there's no impact uh directly to
[52:51] taxes, but the fee schedule in the
budget was revised in last year's budget
[52:58] to include um the different tier levels
of uh fines or fees that could be
[53:05] assessed if folks uh failed to follow
the guidance from the fog program.
[53:10] » That's what I was looking at. Okay,
[53:16] » I don't have any questions. Sorry. Okay,
Mr. Baker.
[53:19] » Yeah. Um, just [clears throat] want to
thank everybody for their work on this.
[53:22] I know it's a it's a kind of a dense
document, so I know a lot of work went
[53:27] into it. And I'll just uh repeat what I
said last time. I think just encourage
[53:32] staff to really have some proactive
outreach to the restaurants and the food
[53:37] service providers we have in town,
including, you know, the college and
[53:40] other places like that. And um I know
you've already done a little bit of
[53:47] that, but I think just that
communication is going to go a long way
[53:50] to uh not only getting compliance, but
also getting it and keeping our
[53:56] restaurants happy with us and not not
upset. So um
[54:02] keep up the good work.
Daniel.
[54:06] » Um, I would just like to remind folks
again that this is something that we're
[54:12] mandated to do.
So,
[54:16] and I think it's pretty clear and u I
think there has been some outreach with
[54:21] the local restaurants and merchants as
to what we're doing and why. So, I
[54:27] appreciate that. Thank you,
>> Mr. Widle.
[54:30] » Thanks for the work on this. Um the one
thing that uh I would request is 12
[54:35] month report penalties, inspections
we've done and any business impact that
[54:40] it's had. Um just so we can we can stay
on top of that. And then obviously you
[54:46] know an education first
um posture here before any penalties are
[54:53] are assessed.
>> Yes sir. Thank you. Council, do I have a
[54:58] motion to approve the unified
development ordinance in the code of
[55:01] ordinances amendments as presented?
>> So moved.
[55:04] » Do I have a second?
>> Second.
[55:06] » All in favor?
>> I
[55:08] » opposed. It's approved. All right, we
are moving on to new business.
[55:14] And that is the menu of options for
surplus fund 82, the Rosenwald fund
[55:19] dollars. And I believe city manager is
going to walk us through this.
[55:24] » Yes, ma'am. So, I'm going to ask council
and everyone in the room to sort of take
[55:29] a mental picture of the table that's on
the screen here because this is the
[55:34] funding proposal for the Cashers Valley
Road sewer extension that I made a few
[55:39] weeks ago and that you all tabled. It
does include a $25,000 contribution from
[55:44] the Rosenwald fund, but as you can see,
the majority of it comes from other
[55:48] sources. Um, I'll call your attention to
the far right column. That is the
[55:54] remaining balance in each of those
sources after the contribution has been
[55:58] made. And so you can see that there is
still money left in each of those
[56:03] accounts. Uh Shaunie, if you would
please move on to the next table. Now,
[56:08] um we sent you a version of this table
in your agenda last Thursday, but on
[56:14] Friday we got some new information and
so there is a revised version of this
[56:19] table on the screen in front of you. Uh
Shaunie, I wonder if you can make it so
[56:24] that we can see all all of it at the
same time.
[56:30] A little Okay.
All right. Almost. Um but here's the
[56:35] menu of options that we've put together
for the fund 82 dollars themselves. As
[56:42] you can see at the top, well, no, as you
can't see at the top, but I'll share
[56:46] with you that the balance is about
$89,000.
[56:49] Um, before I get into the rest of my
remarks, I want to say that uh uh
[56:58] $89,000 isn't really enough to do any
significant infrastructure improvements
[57:03] on its own. And so even though back in
the spring when you all instructed us to
[57:10] do this as part of the budget
discussions, I think there was an
[57:14] expectation that it would be applied to
infrastructure type projects. Um, I just
[57:19] want to say that I don't think it's
realistic to be able to fund an entire
[57:23] infrastructure project with this alone.
And so this is a mix of uh
[57:29] non-infrastructure projects and the
early phases of potential infrastructure
[57:34] projects.
The one exception to that would be the
[57:38] Cashers Valley Road um sewer extension,
which we could fund entirely with these
[57:44] dollars if you so choose. And I think
that's just luck. Just the circumstances
[57:48] of that, the fact that we'd be doing it
all inhouse uh means that we could do
[57:53] that entire project for 88,000, but
that's the exception.
[58:00] Referring to what you see on the screen
here, one through four I think are
[58:06] pretty self-explanatory. I do want to
draw attention to the first three lines
[58:11] there. what I'm dubbing uh option one,
option one A, and option one B.
[58:16] [clears throat and cough] Those are
permutations of the traffic calming uh
[58:21] project on Carolina Avenue. When we
talked about this in the spring, that
[58:26] was a $14,000 project. Uh when we
refined our number numbers, we
[58:31] discovered that it will actually be a
little cheaper than that because the
[58:34] road is not as wide as Probart Street
and so we only need two humps rather
[58:39] than three. And so we can cut that um
cost down by a third. We can cut it down
[58:46] even farther if you decide to install
two speed bumps instead of four. The
[58:53] original proposal was for four. Uh if we
do two, it'll be slightly less
[58:59] effective, but we think still calm
traffic on that street. Uh and we can
[59:03] cut that cost down in half. Again,
that's option 1 A. Option 1B is to
[59:09] install two speed bumps on Carolina
Avenue and then one a piece on McMmin
[59:15] to deter folks who might try to skirt
around the Carolina Avenue traffic
[59:20] calming measures by taking those other
streets. But one way or the other, um
[59:25] the most we'll spend on traffic calming
in that area is $8,300. And in the
[59:30] spring, you did instruct us to move
forward with that. And so, um, I I I am
[59:36] expecting the usable balance to be about
$80,000 if we deduct $8,300 from the
[59:43] overall balance.
Option two is the tax rebate program and
[59:48] and mayor, I think you have some
information on that that might inform
[59:52] the conversation.
>> Yes. [clears throat]
[59:53] Um, the tax rebate program is something
that we have been trying to put in place
[59:58] for the last two years. Uh, we were not
able to fund it last year. However, this
[1:00:04] year there was a grant opportunity with
Dogwood uh health uh foundation uh for a
[1:00:12] collaborative grant and the city uh
joined with the Haven, the Cove Sharing
[1:00:18] House and uh Pisca Legal and has put in
a grant application for $500,000.
[1:00:27] uh it would be dispersed across those
different organizations,
[1:00:30] but the city's portion of that grant is
$60,000 specifically for the tax rebate
[1:00:38] program, $30,000 a year for the next two
years. Today, this afternoon, I attended
[1:00:45] a meeting with Dogwood. They got 198
grant applications
[1:00:52] against the funding that they have. 40
of those grants went forward for a
[1:00:58] in-depth conversation.
The collaborative grant that the city is
[1:01:03] part of was one of the 40 and we had
that in-depth conversation with dogwood
[1:01:08] this afternoon. So that is very
promising. I mean there is no guarantee.
[1:01:14] Uh but what they said was that they are
planning to fund approximately 30 of the
[1:01:19] 40 uh that they have identified and are
actually we spent an hour answering
[1:01:26] questions with Dogwood um and that they
would be announcing the awardees around
[1:01:33] the middle of October. So because we
have this grant out there and because it
[1:01:39] is looking so promising, I would ask
council to hold any tax uh you know
[1:01:45] dollar funding of this in obeyance uh
you know [clears throat] until we hear
[1:01:50] whether or not we actually get that
grant uh because if we do then there
[1:01:54] would be no need to fund it out of this
fund or any other fund. So that's the
[1:01:59] latest as of three hours ago.
>> Thank you mayor and council. By the way,
[1:02:05] the HRNF committee approved a revised
set of guidelines for that program. We
[1:02:10] haven't brought those to you for
approval yet, but if it looks like this
[1:02:13] is going to be funded somehow, we'll
bring those guidelines to you for full
[1:02:17] approval before we implement the
program.
[1:02:22] Number four, of course, is the sewer
extension I just described.
[1:02:26] And then five and six are the ones that
need a little bit of explanation. Six
[1:02:31] being the one that is different from the
table we sent to you last week.
[1:02:43] [snorts]
[1:02:47] Five Carver Street supplementary paving.
At the moment, only portions of Carver
[1:02:54] Street are
scheduled to be paved here in the next
[1:02:59] year or so.
And even those are far enough down our
[1:03:04] paving list that we need to get our
quotes back first before we know how far
[1:03:10] our dollar is going to stretch and
whether those are going to be delayed
[1:03:13] even further. But if the pricing comes
back as we expect,
[1:03:19] segments of Carver Street should be
paved in the year to come. But it would
[1:03:24] be a patchwork. It would only be the
sections that are damaged the most. And
[1:03:29] so number five would add some money from
this account to our POW bill funds,
[1:03:34] supplementing them so that we can fund
the entire stretch of Carver Street from
[1:03:39] Oaklan to um the city parking lot there.
And then number six is the one that
[1:03:48] requires the most explanation, and I
might need David to step up to the
[1:03:52] podium and help me out, but six is a
proposal to use some of the fund 82
[1:03:59] balance to to fund the design and
engineering of a larger
[1:04:04] capital improvement project to Carver
Street and its intersection with
[1:04:10] Oakdale. Am I getting the roads mixed
up? the street that runs by the church
[1:04:15] there. And this project would see the
Carver Street sidewalk widened, made
[1:04:22] more ADA accessible,
and the intersection of Cashers Valley
[1:04:29] Road and Oakdale near the church
improved to enhance pedestrian safety.
[1:04:35] However, the cost of that project, the
construction cost of that project would
[1:04:39] be probably $600 to $750,000.
And so, we would need to find a new
[1:04:46] funding source in the future to actually
pay for the construction. But this money
[1:04:51] would pay for the design and engineering
so that we could have bid ready
[1:04:54] documents to release on that project.
That project would be Powell Bill
[1:04:59] eligible. So POW bill could fund the
whole thing or we could supplement other
[1:05:04] sources with POW bill. But if you chose
to spend POW bill on the construction of
[1:05:09] that project, it would be about three
years worth. And so it would delay
[1:05:13] paving of other needed streets across
town for three years in order to
[1:05:18] construct that project. Um but David, if
you can go into a little bit more detail
[1:05:22] about what that project would include.
>> Yes, sir. I think you did a a good job
[1:05:27] of explaining it. the sidewalk portion
that we are speaking of specifically.
[1:05:35] I [snorts] have to look as well because
I I will say I'm backwards every time.
[1:05:38] From Oaklan down to Oakdale is where the
sidewalk would be put in place and it
[1:05:44] would uh narrow the road about a foot um
to allow the sidewalk to be made wider
[1:05:52] into in the street direction by about a
foot. then it would at places right now
[1:05:57] there are utility poles in the middle of
the sidewalk or on one edge of the
[1:06:01] sidewalk that restrict the width of the
sidewalk. Adding that foot does not
[1:06:06] resolve that uh the width of the
sidewalk that's needed for an
[1:06:10] accessibility issue. So, we would obtain
uh encroachment easements on the few
[1:06:16] properties that have utility poles in
front of them to allow the sidewalk to
[1:06:20] come around the utility pole in those
places so that we would have a fully
[1:06:25] accessible width sidewalk in addition to
a wider sidewalk. Um, another kind of
[1:06:31] complicating factor is that that
sidewalk crosses many driveways as it
[1:06:35] comes down Carver. So there would have
to be improvements made and ramp
[1:06:40] adjustments made everywhere the sidewalk
crosses those driveways. So that would
[1:06:46] also require us to get uh a permanent
encroachment agreement to um basically
[1:06:52] tear out and rebuild part of the
sidewalk as well or excuse me the
[1:06:55] driveway as well as a temporary
construction easement because that would
[1:07:00] go a little further up into the driveway
to get the slopes set correctly right.
[1:07:05] So, you know, we may be working in three
foot of their driveway, but we may have
[1:07:08] to reour six foot of the driveway to fix
that. And then down at the bottom of the
[1:07:13] road right now, um, where Carver, it's
not the bottom. Carver actually
[1:07:18] continues over to the Culver. It's a
little confusing. It ends at Casher's
[1:07:22] Valley Road, but where Carver intersects
Oakdale Dale there, the sidewalk there
[1:07:30] to Mary C. Jenkins is non-ontinuous.
were missing about a 100 foot section of
[1:07:36] sidewalk and that has to do with our
current inability to get an easement
[1:07:40] from that intersection to the Mary C.
Jenkins Center. So, this project would
[1:07:45] take advantage of the width of the road
to narrow the road a little bit, move
[1:07:49] the sidewalk into the the road and make
a connection so that we would create a
[1:07:55] little landscape buffer and have that
full connection from basically the
[1:07:59] church all the way to the Mary C.
Jenkins Community Center. and then it
[1:08:02] would take that intersection and add
proper crosswalks and accessibility
[1:08:07] ramps to all of that. So, it's a a very
full uh it's a very full project. One
[1:08:14] thing, if if the work were done,
the paving work is done first and then
[1:08:21] we do the sidewalk. We're going to end
up tearing up some of the new paving
[1:08:25] work to do the sidewalk work. So it
really proper construction sequence
[1:08:30] would really be to do the sidewalk work
first and then the paving work. Now
[1:08:35] that's not to say it can't be done the
other way, but it will wind up in new
[1:08:40] asphalt that in turn has patches on it.
Mr. Hooper, anything else you want me to
[1:08:46] add to that? The one other um piece of
information council that I think you
[1:08:51] need for your discussion tonight is that
none of these are timesensitive except
[1:08:57] five. If you think you're leaning
towards going for number five, we need
[1:09:02] to know that soon because we want to um
let that contract as soon as we can.
[1:09:08] It's out on the street now. We're
waiting for bids. We want to be able to
[1:09:11] act on those bids as soon as they come
back in so we can reserve our spot and
[1:09:15] get that paving started as soon as
possible in the spring. And so it would
[1:09:19] be helpful to know what the scope of
that contract is going to be. And so if
[1:09:23] you're leaning towards five, we'd like
to know that right away. If you're
[1:09:27] leaning towards any of the others, then
it's less important and you can take
[1:09:31] another week or so to or another few
weeks to decide um before you you give
[1:09:36] us our direction.
One more piece on that too is it's two
[1:09:40] years worth of power bill spending. So
it's roughly $500,000 worth of power
[1:09:45] bill spending on the paving that will
occur. So it's a substantial amount of
[1:09:48] paving that I just don't want to miss
our opportunity to get a slot to get on
[1:09:52] the contractor's schedule.
[1:09:57] » Thank you, Mr. Todd. Okay. Well,
council, I'm going to open it up for
[1:10:03] comments and questions.
And uh we'll start with Mr. Lidle.
[1:10:09] » You might want to stay up here.
[laughter] It's I I just want to make
[1:10:13] sure I'm I'm following because um um got
lost a little bit between five and six
[1:10:20] and all that. Yes, sir.
>> So most of what you were discussing was
[1:10:24] six, correct?
>> Yes, sir.
[1:10:25] » Okay. So, um
>> all of all of what I was discussing is
[1:10:30] » is six. Okay. And so what I heard was is
that if six were the option,
[1:10:36] um I I believe I heard that it would
delay or it would it would uh redirect
[1:10:42] dollars from other projects. Is that is
that right?
[1:10:46] » Did I hear correctly?
>> If we chose to fund this with POW bill
[1:10:51] money, which it could be fully funded
with POW bill money,
[1:10:53] » right? It's estimated to be somewhere in
the $600 to $700,000 range, which is
[1:10:58] about three years of Powell Bill money,
which is all the money we use to pave
[1:11:04] » the entire
>> Yes, sir.
[1:11:05] » Yeah.
>> So, it would move paving from other
[1:11:08] areas if if we used Powell Bill funding,
>> right?
[1:11:13] » And otherwise otherwise we could try to
find another another source. Um, and
[1:11:20] then if we were to choose five, um,
would that be sort of lost dollars in
[1:11:28] work if later on we decided we really
wanted to do six and find the funding
[1:11:33] for it? In other words, we pave um
sections with with uh with what's
[1:11:40] already scheduled, the way we supplement
that, right? pave, then we want to do
[1:11:45] the, you know, the intersections and the
complete improvements, we would have to
[1:11:49] repave again. Is that correct?
>> We wouldn't have to necessarily repave
[1:11:55] fully, but it will um
>> for whatever reason, the the way the
[1:12:00] pavement condition assessment is done,
it breaks Carver Street up into four
[1:12:04] sections,
>> and those are prioritized differently.
[1:12:08] They're not kind of prioritized top to
bottom. So, for example,
[1:12:13] um
Cunningham to Jordan is in the highest
[1:12:18] priority category. Oakdale to Casters
Valley Road is in the highest priority
[1:12:22] category. Oakdale to Cunningham is in
the next year's priority. And then
[1:12:28] Jordan to Oakdale is in the next year's
priority. So, you know, if we were to
[1:12:32] take this money and if we were to spend
current POW bill funding to do Carver,
[1:12:38] you would have one little piece up here
and one little piece down here. Then
[1:12:42] when the sidewalk is done, that work
would be cut, especially if we move the
[1:12:47] the sidewalk into the road. So, we'll
have to patch some of that back. So,
[1:12:51] it'll just your nice new asphalt section
is going to now have a a patch on it,
[1:12:57] right?
[1:13:01] Um,
[1:13:04] so the um
[1:13:09] can I add another
>> Sure.
[1:13:11] » Mr. Hooper, do we want to discuss the
other option we had talked about with
[1:13:15] accessibility?
>> Yes. So, one other possible option would
[1:13:21] be to just do sidewalk enhancements
where the utility poles are in the
[1:13:28] sidewalk. And there's one place I think
you're familiar with where there's a a
[1:13:33] wall and a and a utility pole both on
the sidewalk. So, we could address just
[1:13:39] those portions of the sidewalk to help
with the the width and the
[1:13:44] traversability of it. It doesn't make it
accessible. It doesn't make it any
[1:13:48] wider. It doesn't fix any of the
driveway crossings, but that would be
[1:13:52] another potential option to help the
sidewalk. That's probably I'm I'm
[1:13:58] guessing it might be $20,000 to to
correct those two items that then might
[1:14:05] get further adjustments when the whole
sidewalk was done.
[1:14:09] » Okay.
And
[1:14:13] 1B is two speed bumps
on on two separate two separate streets.
[1:14:24] » Sorry. Can you can you explain
>> four speed bumps?
[1:14:28] » Two on
>> Oh, two on each.
[1:14:29] » Yeah. Two on Carolina, one on
Washington, and one on
[1:14:33] » Got it.
And that's to that's to prevent from,
[1:14:36] you know, redirect of of traffic trying
to get around the speed bump.
[1:14:40] » Yes, sir.
>> Well, um,
[1:14:43] you know, first of all, a full public
disclosure, I live on Cover Street and
[1:14:47] but I I promise it's it's not because I
I live on Cover Street, but it is um but
[1:14:53] it does lend itself to me knowing what
the issues are. Um if you're getting to
[1:14:58] this nice new beautiful um community
center from downtown and you want to
[1:15:04] encourage walking, Carver Street is
where you're going. Um and today um
[1:15:09] there are um lots of falling hazards.
There's footprints that folks can trip
[1:15:15] over. Um and like uh the manager said,
there are um there are utility poles
[1:15:21] that have concrete blocks around them,
which is also a hazard. And also I have
[1:15:26] a family member and I'm sure there's
others. It's it's it's actually
[1:15:30] impossible um to get down uh Carver
Street in a wheelchair. It's it's
[1:15:36] impossible. You have to actually will in
the in the road. Um so for all those
[1:15:41] reasons I think it is important. Um and
so for me um and another thing I would
[1:15:46] think um uh can you can you help me
understand
[1:15:51] um since there is a there's a large um
uh budget left in in
[1:16:01] sewer budget
and this budget is so small.
[1:16:07] Why why not take
Why are we proposing to take 25,000 from
[1:16:12] this from this budget into a suit and
not use SER funds?
[1:16:20] going back up to the table before I
answer.
[1:16:29] We've been deliberately trying to build
up our reserves in the utility fund in
[1:16:35] preparation for the big expense that's
on the horizon and that's the wastewater
[1:16:39] treatment plant um improvement.
Also, the
[1:16:46] » [snorts]
>> um Cashas Valley Road sewer extension is
[1:16:50] really a general fund project because
it's in support of housing, which is a
[1:16:54] general fund u funded endeavor. And so
I didn't think it was fair to tax the
[1:17:03] savings in the utility fund that we know
we're going to need
[1:17:07] um for a voluntary project when we had a
another source of general fund dollars
[1:17:14] available for voluntary projects.
[1:17:20] Well, um you know, when we discussed
this and obviously there there was some
[1:17:25] opposition, but we ended up um deciding
that um these funds would go to
[1:17:33] infrastructure projects
um in the Rose Mall fund and and at that
[1:17:37] time um and I still, you know, believe
the same the same way is that those
[1:17:43] should be visible projects and
especially since we do have another fund
[1:17:47] and specifically earmarked for sewer.
Um, I think those are the funds that we
[1:17:52] should use for this. And the the $25,000
in that fund represents a a pretty small
[1:17:59] percentage, whereas in this fund, it
represent a really large percentage. And
[1:18:04] I uh appreciate the fact that there's a
lot of projects that because it's not a
[1:18:09] lot, um, complete projects are few and
far between, but there are some in here.
[1:18:15] Um and namely
um Carolina Avenue. Um I think that's a
[1:18:20] visible project that goes straight to um
you know you know [clears throat]
[1:18:26] u the neighborhood and it's and it's um
something that that we know we need to
[1:18:31] do. Uh and then I would advocate for and
I know we don't need to make this
[1:18:35] decision tonight but then again if it is
number five we do. I would advocate for
[1:18:40] number five. Those are two complete
projects that would be done with these
[1:18:44] funds and they're also visible. Um and
they also would um
[1:18:50] would relieve dollars from the general
fund in uh what would otherwise be used
[1:18:55] from the general fund. So that's that's
my thoughts those two.
[1:18:59] » Thank you Mr. L. Mr. Daniel. Um, so the
uh my first point would be that we did
[1:19:08] say that we were going to do the
Carolina Avenue traffic coming in at our
[1:19:13] earlier meetings
and I would say that I would personally
[1:19:17] prefer oneb
uh simply because [snorts]
[1:19:21] as was pointed out to deter evaders u
that we would hope to not create a
[1:19:29] problem somewhere else by calming the
traffic on Carolina. So, that seems to
[1:19:34] me to be a given. Um, the tax rebate
program, I'm not sure why it's on here
[1:19:41] because, as was pointed out, this was
intended to be uh for infrastructure in
[1:19:48] the Rosenwall community and this is
obviously not
[1:19:52] uh infrastructure and it's not I don't
think would be limited to the Rosenwall
[1:19:58] community. Is that not correct?
>> That's correct. would be citywide, which
[1:20:03] would be great. I think it's a great
idea. I'm just not sure how it comes out
[1:20:09] of this fund after the discussions that
we've had in the past. Um the U
[1:20:16] Silverstein Park money, this uh the seed
money for the Silverstein Park shelter
[1:20:23] seems to be a workaround uh to some of
our reluctance to fund this at this
[1:20:29] point. So, I'm not in favor of that. Um,
the uh hack cashers valley sewer
[1:20:37] extension has to happen in my mind.
That's a priority. Um,
[1:20:43] whether it comes from here or comes from
the sewer fund, um, that's obviously
[1:20:50] something to be discussed, but if I were
spending this money, I would be making
[1:20:55] sure that that happened. Um and then
Carver Street, you know, if it's already
[1:21:01] in place, as I understand that that's
going to happen regardless of the
[1:21:06] funding from this, uh fund. Is that
correct?
[1:21:10] » Portions of it.
>> Portions of it.
[1:21:12] » Yes, sir.
>> So, um again, my priority is is going to
[1:21:19] be the housing period.
That's all I have.
[1:21:24] » Mr. Baker.
>> Yeah, I'll start with a basic question.
[1:21:28] So, why why is Duke Energy,
a multi-billion dollar company with
[1:21:33] record profits,
allowed to put telephone poles in the
[1:21:38] middle of sidewalks?
[1:21:42] You may not have an answer, but I I this
this is a thing that happens all over
[1:21:47] the city and I know that we have
happened
[1:21:52] to run into issues with Duke asking them
to move polls previously and it's like
[1:21:58] takes an act of Congress to even
get them to consider it. And then when
[1:22:03] they do consider it, they give you a
price tag that's like astronomical.
[1:22:08] And
I just think as a small city that's
[1:22:13] trying to do what's right for people to
move around safely,
[1:22:18] especially people who are handicapped or
in a wheelchair, it's just absurd that
[1:22:24] Duke Energy is not willing to help out
with things like that and that we're the
[1:22:28] ones that have to go around their polls.
And I've seen them
[1:22:33] replace a pole, put it right back where
it was,
[1:22:38] which I don't even know how that's legal
because if we replace something and we
[1:22:43] don't bring it up to ADA compliance,
then we're in trouble. But Duke can just
[1:22:49] plop in a brand new pole, rering
everything up, and good to go. I just I
[1:22:55] know that's a tangent from what we're
actually talking about, but it just
[1:22:58] drives me nuts. And I would actually
[clears throat] like us to talk to our
[1:23:02] representatives at Duke about helping us
out about this because it's not just
[1:23:06] Carver Street. Carver Street is probably
the worst
[1:23:10] um situation because it's on an incline
and there's some other things going on
[1:23:14] there. But but we've got this all over
the city and it it it drives me crazy.
[1:23:18] Um okay, so back to this the question on
number six,
[1:23:25] the construction of that. I know you put
you put a big pretty big price tag on
[1:23:30] that 650 to 700. Is there any part of
that that can be phased can be done in
[1:23:36] phases or is that all all or nothing all
at once?
[1:23:45] » I think it uh you could definitely
uh phase it. You would probably spend a
[1:23:51] little more money in phasing it. I mean,
you could choose to do the, you know,
[1:23:55] top third of the of Carver coming down
the hill or the bottom third coming up,
[1:24:01] um, or half of the road. I mean, I'm
sure we could do that, but we are
[1:24:05] because we're narrowing the road, you
know, we'd have to,
[1:24:08] » right,
>> or some kind of transition that you
[1:24:10] would then later remove. The paving is
included in that number. The paving
[1:24:17] could be patched and delayed, but it's
already in, you know, really rough
[1:24:21] shape. Um, we could leave out the
crosswalk at the bottom, but I think
[1:24:27] that's a uh lower cost item than what's
there. The number here is is design.
[1:24:36] Having that design done would allow us
to, you know, more fully and carefully
[1:24:41] budget. we could uh put it on the street
and see what it what it actually cost.
[1:24:47] We might make a decision we couldn't
afford it once we actually had a you
[1:24:51] know real bid number. Um but there are
there's a significant amount of design
[1:24:57] work that has to happen with the
easements being acquired. That's part of
[1:25:01] this is assuming we can get the
easements right because every every
[1:25:05] driveway, every yard that has a utility
pole, one of the houses has a little
[1:25:10] like garden wall that'll have to be
moved and redone. Um it potentially has
[1:25:15] some impact on the church. There's a set
of stairs that exit the church on the
[1:25:21] one end nearest the sidewalk. I I don't
think it's impacted, but it might. we
[1:25:26] would want to look at that and make sure
that we, you know, didn't do anything
[1:25:29] that impeded or changed that if we did
anything on that end. Um, but I I think
[1:25:34] there's some opportunity, but it would
it would ultimately cost more money,
[1:25:38] » right?
>> Um,
[1:25:43] well, I I really
I guess I I feel like that sidewalk
[1:25:48] enhancement is is it's a high priority
for me. I mean, I I travel that way a
[1:25:55] lot and walking or u driving or on a
bike and it's it's pretty clear that the
[1:26:03] the sidewalk infrastructure there is
just I mean it's probably the worst
[1:26:08] we've got in the city. Um and we're
going to have to address it at some
[1:26:12] point. I understand that's not visible.
Um, and it's tough to
[1:26:17] to assign dollars to something like that
that's that's not going to be, you know,
[1:26:24] it's not going to be a completed
project, but but we do need to plan for
[1:26:28] it. Um, and and we don't have the money
to plan for it right now.
[1:26:33] Um
the
[1:26:37] on the on the house the housing front
and and the hack project. I just want to
[1:26:44] remind everyone that this is kind of it
it's connected to a grant that we're
[1:26:49] that we've applied for that. I can't
remember the total amount of the grant.
[1:26:56] Do you remember
>> six million? Is Emily over there? I
[1:26:59] can't see her. Oh, she is. Okay. Um,
and if we get that grant, not only would
[1:27:06] it build 26 homes in Rosenwald that
would be um, affordable for and home
[1:27:14] ownership, not rental homes, uh, home
ownership, but the grant also included a
[1:27:19] million dollars for home repair for
existing homes. Um, and those are
[1:27:25] restricted to or not restricted, but we
would focus those efforts in Rosenwald
[1:27:30] as well. So,
homes that need a new roof or um a ramp
[1:27:38] for someone to enter them, uh that's a
million dollars uh that would go towards
[1:27:44] existing homes to uh to update them. Um,
so in my mind, I mean, that's that's a a
[1:27:53] great return on investment of, you know,
building the the sewer project so that
[1:27:58] that grant can be can move forward. Um,
and, you know, being able to build not
[1:28:06] only build home affordable homes for
folks, but also repair existing homes in
[1:28:11] in the neighborhood.
Um, and then finally, since Dean got us
[1:28:16] started talking about where we live, I
live on Mcmmin. Um, and the I appreciate
[1:28:24] the the idea behind putting speed bumps
not just on
[1:28:30] Carolina, but also on the surrounding
roads so that people don't cut through.
[1:28:34] I will say that Washington,
if you if you live over there or travel
[1:28:39] those streets, you the exit of
Washington onto Silverstein is is crazy.
[1:28:46] There's like a like a what is that like
a five foot drop, six foot drop.
[1:28:51] Yeah. And I I find it hard to believe
that people would want to navigate that.
[1:28:56] It's kind of its own traffic calming. Um
so I'm not sure a speed hump is
[1:29:01] necessary on Washington. Um, and I would
think about maybe allocating that
[1:29:07] somewhere else. Maybe we get an extra uh
hump on Carolina. But, uh, but I I do
[1:29:12] agree with um, Gary. we did in the
budget. You know, I think there was
[1:29:18] consensus that we would move forward
with those traffic calming projects and
[1:29:23] we've heard we've continued to hear from
folks on Carolina and other people in
[1:29:28] the neighborhood
um that that speeding is an issue over
[1:29:32] there. Um,
so I my personal preference on this,
[1:29:40] um, and this would be a bit of a
compromise here would be we move forward
[1:29:45] with one of the traffic calming measures
at $8,300.
[1:29:50] um we move forward with the Carver
Street sidewalk um enhancements
[1:29:57] and then the remainder which I have as
20,000
[1:30:02] $669. So that's
you know four 4,000 and change less than
[1:30:10] the original $25,000
request from for the hack sewer. Um that
[1:30:18] we do that as well.
So that would be three different
[1:30:23] projects.
[1:30:29] » I believe the design cost was the update
on item number.
[1:30:35] » Right.
So, I've got 60,000 for the sidewalk,
[1:30:40] 8,300 [clears throat] for
um the traffic calming, and then the
[1:30:46] difference
of the total that
[1:30:50] » what's left in the fund I had at 20,000
>> about 20,000
[1:30:53] » 600. So, we would use that for the
>> the sewer extension,
[1:31:00] » Miss Holder.
[1:31:03] Okay. I have lots of comments and
questions. Um the first thing that comes
[1:31:10] to mind is first of all I would like to
hear from the public hear from residents
[1:31:14] about what they want. Um we see the six
options. I can give you my opinion and
[1:31:21] my option but is that what
our constituents want? Um so I'd like to
[1:31:28] hear from the public. I'd also like to
hear options about what we can do about
[1:31:34] the sewer extension. If this money were
not here from Rosen Wall, how would you
[1:31:38] address that problem? Perhaps we could
go to the developer or find ways other
[1:31:43] ways to do it as has been done when
other homes were built. So that would be
[1:31:48] my next question is to give us options
as one of our citizens has already asked
[1:31:53] us. I want to highlight that and say
even more so I'd like to see options um
[1:31:59] for the sewer extension for cashiers.
This is not the only option
[1:32:05] and it can't be because Rosen Wall's
money has not always been there and we
[1:32:10] have other sewer projects that are
complete. So I'd like to see other
[1:32:13] options. Um
Silverstein Park was promised a restroom
[1:32:19] and a shelter years ago. I've been
hearing it ever since I got here that
[1:32:23] they were promised that years ago. Still
don't have a restroom. Still don't have
[1:32:28] a shelter. And as was pointed out um
before this conversation began, if there
[1:32:34] is seed money there, it may be easier to
find more money and people to invest so
[1:32:39] that Silverstein Park can have a
restroom and a shelter. Um
[1:32:45] how are the roads and the sidewalks paid
for now? And how did this, to your
[1:32:50] point, um the sidewalk in Rosenwald get
to be the worst in the city before it
[1:32:57] was addressed even now? So that's that's
another concern. We have already given
[1:33:03] 11,000 or 14,000 to the soccer field
from this fund. And so we're chipping at
[1:33:09] it bit by bit and there still won't be a
shelter and there still won't be a
[1:33:13] restroom. So I would like to see what
the other options are. It's a small
[1:33:17] budget. Uh to uh Lidle's point, it's a
small budget. It's not that much money.
[1:33:23] $89,000 is not that much money. And so I
feel like that there can be other
[1:33:28] options to address these other problems
and get back to maybe the promise that
[1:33:32] was made years ago and address that. Um
when um other another community came and
[1:33:41] needed speed bumps, it seems like it
happened expeditiously. And so why are
[1:33:46] we having to go into this fund to get
speed bumps? And so those are my
[1:33:51] questions. Those are my comments. Those
are my concerns. And I would like to
[1:33:55] before we move forward in this and not
make a decision tonight to get comments
[1:34:01] from our constituents, find out what
everybody wants and let's be in
[1:34:05] agreement with this.
>> Mr. Wise.
[1:34:10] » Yeah. One question first about the um
HAC housing.
[1:34:14] » [clears throat]
>> We were talking about time-sensitive
[1:34:16] projects. Is that not a little
time-sensitive to get that funded,
[1:34:22] whatever way we choose to do it?
>> I mean, there's got to be a a finite
[1:34:27] timeline on this.
>> Well, we've made the commitment.
[1:34:29] » Yeah.
>> And so,
[1:34:30] » well, that's what I'm worried about.
>> That's right. And so, we've sort of
[1:34:34] reset the shot clock a little bit by
making the commitment. Um,
[1:34:39] but we don't need to know uh where the
money is coming from until the invoice
[1:34:44] comes to and we don't expect that to be
till when do we learn about the when do
[1:34:49] we learn about whether we receive the
grant or not?
[1:34:51] » We are hoping to find out about the
grant in November. um we then would need
[1:34:56] to move pretty quickly on the actual
excuse me on the actual construction of
[1:35:02] that because um not only would it be
contingent on that federal dollars but
[1:35:07] um hack would then be able to move
forward with their project and and slot
[1:35:13] in some other funding sources. Um, but I
I will just as a reminder, the
[1:35:19] uh sewer extension is part of our
agreement in giving hack that property
[1:35:26] for affordable housing. So, it it's part
of a larger agreement for for that site
[1:35:30] to be able to be feasible for housing in
the first place. So, um though the
[1:35:35] actual construction on it is is going to
be on a quicker timeline if we're able
[1:35:39] to get this grant, um it is something
that was still part of the the
[1:35:43] contemplation of the site in the first
place. [clears throat]
[1:35:45] » Okay. Thank you. Um,
so we we made a very clear promise I
[1:35:52] feel like during our budget negotiations
about what this um, you know, remember
[1:35:58] this money was moved into fund 82 from
our general fund and we made a promise
[1:36:04] to keep it there for infrastructure
dedicated to Rosenwald as a commitment
[1:36:09] to um to that community and to the needs
of infrastructure which may or may not
[1:36:15] have and have been neglected over time.
And so we're trying to do what we can to
[1:36:20] improve that infrastructure improvement.
Um I will also say the number top two
[1:36:26] things that I hear about and I think
most of city council hears about are is
[1:36:30] affordable housing and sidewalks and
streets. Those are certainly the top two
[1:36:36] that I hear about and and people are
there is no housing uh in our community
[1:36:42] and all over the city. Now, Carver may
be one of the worst. It's it's not the
[1:36:48] only worst one. We have issues. And
Rosenwald is is is lucky because it's
[1:36:54] the only neighborhood that has a
discrete fund right now that we made a
[1:36:59] promise to use for these exact projects.
So, I want to honor that promise and use
[1:37:08] this for those kind of infrastructure
projects. And as Mr. Baker said the the
[1:37:14] housing hack housing to me is critical
because one it's the number one thing we
[1:37:19] hear about. It is home ownership and it
could provide a million dollars for home
[1:37:26] repair targeted in Rosenwald which is an
opportunity I think we cannot pass up.
[1:37:33] And then Carver Street. My mom was in a
wheelchair for a long time and I've
[1:37:39] actually seen people on Carver trying to
negotiate that street and I just don't
[1:37:45] see how if we have the option to move
forward and and fix it that we don't.
[1:37:50] Um, you know, I think it is one of the
worst sidewalks in the community and I I
[1:37:56] can't justify why that is the case, but
we have a chance now to to fix that and
[1:38:01] I feel like that's that's really
critical for us. And finally, during our
[1:38:06] budget retreat, we did make a promise to
deal with Carolina Avenue. I mean, we we
[1:38:11] made that clearly. We we talked about
it. So for me, I love all the things in
[1:38:17] this list and I think this is why making
these decisions
[1:38:22] um can be really challenging because
yes, I would love to fund all of them,
[1:38:26] but we can't we can't do that. Um so we
have to prioritize
[1:38:31] and when I hear what the public tells me
about what their priorities are, I think
[1:38:35] this list sort of begins to to sort
itself. Um, and so that's why I would be
[1:38:42] in favor of of the Carver sidewalks. I'm
very apprehensive about paving Carver
[1:38:48] and then having to go back and tear it
back up. Um, to me the the housing is
[1:38:53] critical. I don't I don't see that's so
important. And then we made we did make
[1:38:58] a promise to Carolina Avenue.
And that's all I have.
[1:39:04] » Miss Holder, did you have another
comment?
[1:39:05] » I do. um for Emily. She's still here.
She's there.
[1:39:09] » Yes, she's here.
>> Um when the promise was made to provide
[1:39:15] the sewer extension, where were you all
thinking the funding was coming from at
[1:39:18] that time? Because this funding was not
brought up.
[1:39:24] it was
>> well um the the first part of that I
[1:39:28] guess is that the total project cost and
it's eluding me right now what the
[1:39:33] original project cost was but um the
project costs went up significantly with
[1:39:38] um the Culver improvements and and um
expansion that needed to be done. So
[1:39:43] that made it uh much more expensive than
originally anticipated because of the
[1:39:47] route it needed to take. Um I cannot
speak towards the the remainder of that.
[1:39:53] Do you know how much more?
>> I can get it in one second.
[1:40:00] » Um,
[snorts]
[1:40:03] and it's not that you all know how I
feel about housing. I feel very strongly
[1:40:07] about it. I don't disagree,
but I feel like this project was already
[1:40:12] discussed and decided upon to build the
housing project and provide sewer before
[1:40:18] the Roser Raw money came up. And so I'm
trying to understand why we're trying to
[1:40:22] put it in there. Um in in other words,
look at other options.
[1:40:27] Um
>> Shnie, while she's looking, would you
[1:40:30] bring the other table back up on the
screen, please?
[1:40:34] » And then the other issue with the uh
million dollars that's been mentioned a
[1:40:38] couple times. I think that we need to do
something to provide trust in the
[1:40:44] community. I've been hurt told that
historically there was money that was
[1:40:49] given to the Rosen Wild community, a
grant corre correct me if I'm wrong, but
[1:40:55] they didn't see what was promised and
anybody can correct me if I'm wrong. So,
[1:41:02] I think that we need to build up the
trust in the community that if if this
[1:41:05] million dollars comes, who is it going
to serve and in what way
[1:41:11] rather than just getting a little
trash can or something. So, I'm y'all
[1:41:18] know I'm transparent and um I'm just
trying to get to the answers and get to
[1:41:22] the bottom of it and be fair. Uh when it
comes to the infrastructure with the
[1:41:26] seat with the streets, uh Carver is um
in need of repair and so is Mills
[1:41:32] Avenue. is is poor
and uh I've been driving that route
[1:41:38] since um the detours there and it's it's
in poor condition and both roads lead to
[1:41:45] the uh center.
[1:41:50] » Thank you,
>> council member. This is the funding
[1:41:53] strategy that I proposed for the sewer
extension a few weeks ago. And note that
[1:41:58] it did include 25,000 from fund 82.
>> Okay, I understand that. But I'm going
[1:42:02] back before three weeks ago, even to
last year when we talked about housing,
[1:42:09] building the housing in uh on cashiers.
The
[1:42:14] » we weren't talking about Rosenwall money
at that time.
[1:42:18] » I I can't speak to to that, but the
original cost estimate was about 40,000
[1:42:23] for design and materials with city staff
labor. And then um because of the added
[1:42:28] complexities of the area uh the proposal
was at 88,400.
[1:42:36] » So where was that coming from when the
promise was made to provide the sewer?
[1:42:43] » It was unfunded because there wasn't as
there wasn't a time crunch. Um
[1:42:49] that was when we set the budget. We
didn't know that we were going to apply
[1:42:53] for this grant that was going to
accelerate the schedule as much as it
[1:42:57] did.
>> So, can we get other options?
[1:43:03] » Well, so as you can see in the right
hand column there, those are the
[1:43:06] » those are the options you're providing.
>> Yes, ma'am.
[1:43:12] » I would like to see Rosen Wall taken out
of those options.
[1:43:31] I don't
[1:43:35] » sewer fund.
>> Yeah, that's
[1:43:39] » Yeah, I'd like to see other options.
>> The sewer fund is there.
[1:43:45] » Okay. Thank you. We have additional
comments, Mr.
[1:43:48] » L. Yeah, I just, you know, I want to re
try to reiterate in case folks didn't
[1:43:54] didn't hear my first comments. Um,
$25,000 on an $88,000 budget is a pretty
[1:44:02] large percentage. I'm terrible at math.
I'm sure somebody knows what that is.
[1:44:06] $25,000 on a $2.4 million budget.
Um, I'm not sure why we're even
[1:44:14] discussing it, to be honest. take it out
of the the fund that water sewer is
[1:44:19] meant for water and sewer. And if all
you need is 25,000,
[1:44:25] um
I'm not sure why it needs to come out of
[1:44:29] anywhere other than the water and sewer
budget.
[1:44:32] It's not a it's it's not like there's
$500,000
[1:44:37] uh shortfall where we need to find other
other areas. $25,000 taken out of out of
[1:44:44] that um
out of the fund balance. At the end of
[1:44:49] the day, I'm not sure I'm not sure why
we need to redirect any of those dollars
[1:44:55] to take $25,000 out of an $88,000
budget. And also I just wanted to say um
[1:45:02] affordable housing obviously, but
remember anyone
[1:45:08] um including folks that don't live in
Transsylvania County can can
[1:45:14] um take advantage of of the housing uh
that's going up in Rosenwald. they can
[1:45:20] obviously uh we're doing our best to
communicate that to the folks in in the
[1:45:25] community and the folks Bvard folks in
Transsylvania County, but um the most
[1:45:31] recent communication that I've heard is
that very few very few um so far are uh
[1:45:39] you know currently live in the
community.
[1:45:42] And that's no one no one's fault. That's
just the reality. So, um the the housing
[1:45:51] can happen, but this isn't um it will
happen whether or not $25,000 is taken
[1:45:58] out of this fund. So, let's again I say,
you know, let's let's let's put it in
[1:46:04] infrastructure projects that are that
are visible. Um
[1:46:10] $60,000 for engineer drawings. I know
they're necessary. Um,
[1:46:19] but I I I I think that
we get a finished product if we if we um
[1:46:28] supplement the the power bill, the work
that's already being done. We get a
[1:46:31] finished product and it's it's safe
right away. Um, and I would say that
[1:46:37] that street is is likely used. Um it's
likely a very main thoroughfare to get
[1:46:46] from downtown
um to the community center and back. Not
[1:46:52] to say that folks don't come from other
other streets. Um so again I' I'd
[1:46:57] reiterate I'm not sure if it's a debate
that we should be having to be honest.
[1:47:02] $25,000 take it from the fund that it's
earmarked for water and sewer and uh
[1:47:07] Carolina Avenue. I think we're all in
agreement of that. Um and then um again
[1:47:12] I would advocate just to get the project
uh complete and safe and folks can walk
[1:47:17] up and down the street.
>> I'd like to make a comment.
[1:47:22] » Yes, Mr. D.
>> So I was against establishing this fund
[1:47:27] when we discussed it in our budget
organization. I felt like it was
[1:47:34] creating a fund just for one community
at the expense of the other communities
[1:47:39] in our city.
And so now we sit here uh we created
[1:47:43] this fund for infrastructure in
Rosenwall and now we're sitting here
[1:47:48] having a debate about not spending it
for infrastructure in Rosenwall
[1:47:55] because the hack community is in
Rosenwall. We are talking about sewer
[1:48:02] infrastructure
and the people who will be living in
[1:48:05] those houses
are going to be citizens of the
[1:48:09] Rosenwall community by the fact that
they live there. Um, so I I don't
[1:48:16] understand why this is a problem, why
anyone would say that we shouldn't spend
[1:48:22] this money on this sewer system. I mean,
if there is money elsewhere, that's
[1:48:28] fine. But I think the point's been made
that that money is needed elsewhere as
[1:48:34] well. So this is money that's
unallocated.
[1:48:39] We're what we're trying to do here is
allocate the money and this is a small
[1:48:45] amount
that's coming out of a fund that was
[1:48:49] created for this purpose.
So I don't get it. uh
[1:48:57] is $25,000
of infrastructure in Rosenwall which is
[1:49:02] what this fund was created for. So
say that
[1:49:08] » you madame mayor. May I make sorry I
know round robin.
[1:49:12] » Yes. Go ahead M. I just I do want to say
that in terms of this 2.5 million water
[1:49:18] sewer, I want to remind people that we
are on the cusp of a 80 million
[1:49:24] wastewater treatment plant. So I don't
know what the percentage of 80 million
[1:49:28] and 2.5 million is. But not to mention
that we also would love to we're looking
[1:49:34] at a new water intake because we only
have one water intake plant. So, not to
[1:49:41] mention the
David, I don't know how many miles of
[1:49:45] underground infrastructure we have to
maintain in terms of sewer and water
[1:49:49] right now that we just finished mapping
um and have found multiple issues with.
[1:49:56] So, um I think it's a bit disingenuous
to look at this 2.5 million is just
[1:50:01] money sitting around with no use. It's
actually so overallocated at this point
[1:50:07] um with all the other infrastructures
that would improve the entire city
[1:50:11] include including everyone who lives in
Rosenwald. Um that I would just be
[1:50:17] careful about thinking of that as just
money where whereas we do have a
[1:50:21] discrete fund specifically for
infrastructure improvement in this
[1:50:27] neighborhood which is what we're talking
about that here. So just be cautious
[1:50:32] when you when you talk when you see a
number and try to figure out what that's
[1:50:37] really being used for. That's all.
Sorry.
[1:50:41] All right. Well, we've had quite a good
discussion on all of the options that
[1:50:47] the manager has put forward.
As uh [clears throat]
[1:50:52] the staff report said, there was no
action requested tonight. This was for
[1:50:57] information and discussion and to give
the manager an idea of where people's
[1:51:04] position was. So, you're not looking for
any actual motion or vote this evening.
[1:51:11] Is that correct?
>> That's correct, manager.
[1:51:13] » It sounds like I've got a few follow-up
items uh that I'll bring back um in the
[1:51:18] weeks to come.
>> Okay. Very good. All right. We will
[1:51:24] quickly move on to our last item of new
business
[1:51:28] which is the appointment of at large
member to the acousta trail advisory
[1:51:33] board and I believe Mr. Lidle is going
to present this.
[1:51:37] » Sure. The uh uh acousta trail board uh
met uh we have um uh vacancies on the
[1:51:46] board. Uh we had applications from great
uh great uh two great candidates that
[1:51:51] submitted um and we decided that uh
given where we are um in the process for
[1:51:58] the acoustic trail board that Mr. Joseph
Moore um was uh uh the strong uh the
[1:52:06] strong candidate that we'd like to put
forward. So we're asking for that uh
[1:52:10] that appointment uh for Mr. uh Joseph
Joseph Moore uh to fill that fill that
[1:52:17] seat.
>> Okay. Council, do I have a motion to
[1:52:20] appoint Joseph Moore to the Acousta
Trail Advisory Board?
[1:52:24] » So move.
>> Do I have a second?
[1:52:26] » Second.
>> Open it up for any other discussion.
[1:52:29] Miss Holder.
>> No comments. Mr. Wise,
[1:52:32] » you know, the name is strangely
familiar, so [laughter]
[1:52:36] I feel confident in this.
>> Mr. Baker,
[1:52:39] » I have no comments.
>> Mr. Daniel,
[1:52:41] » no comment.
>> Mr. Lidle.
[1:52:42] » No cover.
>> All in favor?
[1:52:44] » I.
>> Motion passes. All right, that is the
[1:52:48] end of new business. We will quickly go
through final remarks.
[1:52:52] » Oh, I don't know about that.
>> Oh, yes. [laughter]
[1:52:57] All right. And uh we will go ahead and
we will start with Mr. Weise.
[1:53:03] » I have no comments.
>> Oh, boy.
[1:53:05] » Oh, excellent. [laughter]
>> I'm basking in the love and I just
[1:53:12] Miss Holder.
>> Okay, I'll I'll I'll take his time.
[1:53:17] [laughter]
>> That wasn't That wasn't the implication.
[1:53:22] » I don't have many, but I I do want to
say
[1:53:27] thank you, Chief.
Thank you. Um I know that took a lot
[1:53:34] because when a leader makes a decision
to do something and we have to go back
[1:53:38] on it uh is not without clear thought.
Um the process of um letting go but also
[1:53:48] the process of realizing
um what the people want and you did
[1:53:54] both. Thank you.
Um
[1:53:59] to the
[1:54:03] the $2.5 million to Lawrence Point,
the $25,000 in Rosenwald. I hate to keep
[1:54:11] beating this horse is only it's not it's
about 1% of that 2.5. Am I right? I'm
[1:54:18] not a good mathematician, but it's not
that much money um for money to Midle's
[1:54:24] point that was already set aside for
sewer. So, I will always hold to that.
[1:54:30] Um I just had a realization here that is
is bothering me. I heard someone say
[1:54:38] that um you know the citizens of Bvard I
mean the citizens of Rosenwall and we
[1:54:44] should feel lucky that we have this
money in Rosenwall. I think we if we can
[1:54:50] wrap our heads around myself included
that we're not just citizens of
[1:54:55] Rosenwall we are citizens of Bvard. And
if we look at each other like that we
[1:55:00] won't even have to have these
conversations. All of the roads will be
[1:55:04] equally well taken care of.
we wouldn't have to have conversations
[1:55:08] about where money is coming from from
sewer because it's in Rosenwall.
[1:55:12] I think if we look at each other as
citizens of Brevard
[1:55:16] and not you live here, I live there, but
we all live together. We work together.
[1:55:22] We eat at restaurants together. I don't
go to a restaurant and say I'm a citizen
[1:55:25] of Rosen Wall. I live in Bvard. That's
what's on my license, driver's license.
[1:55:31] I live in Bvard. We live in Bvard.
Amen.
[1:55:36] » Amen.
>> That's all I got,
[1:55:40] » Mr. Baker.
>> I I'll I will say amen to that. Um, but
[1:55:44] I also am going to
uh speak on that a little bit further
[1:55:51] and
[1:55:54] say that
[1:55:58] the
the existing of the existence of this
[1:56:04] Rosenald fund and what we did tonight
was essentially like a budget exercise.
[1:56:11] And I think everybody up here is aware
that like the most painful [laughter]
[1:56:16] things we do all year are budget
exercises.
[1:56:21] And now we're talking about a budget
exercise for a
[1:56:26] single a a neighborhood and a
neighborhood with a history of
[1:56:32] um being underfunded by the city and
all of you know I mean that that's
[1:56:41] putting it very lightly but it makes
these conversations extremely
[1:56:48] difficult and hard and tense.
And it creates a division
[1:56:54] amongst
the folks up here that I just
[1:57:00] I don't enjoy it
[1:57:08] » because
I'm sorry we have to think about and I
[1:57:12] live on Mcmmin, you know, Mickey Park.
My neighbors are they're looking at me
[1:57:19] and
And when we're having these discussions
[1:57:24] about the Rosenald Fund,
you know what goes unset is that there
[1:57:29] are two black council members up here
and there are three white council
[1:57:32] members up here.
And no one I don't like thinking about
[1:57:36] that. I hate it. I hate it. [snorts]
[1:57:43] I don't want to do that anymore
because as Councilwoman
[1:57:49] Holder said, we are all citizens of
Bvard and
[1:57:55] that is why I I
happens with the Rosenwald fund and
[1:58:02] we're going to make those decisions
later. We we need to we need to close
[1:58:07] this
chapter out. We need to do what's right.
[1:58:11] And I don't I'm not sure what that is
right now, but we'll figure it out. And
[1:58:14] then we need to we need to
get back to doing the business of the
[1:58:19] city as the whole city.
And
[1:58:25] um I believe we can do that. Um I hope
we can do that.
[1:58:31] And
I'm going to move on to another tense
[1:58:36] topic, which is the the cameras.
[laughter]
[1:58:39] Um, and we didn't get a chance to talk
about him earlier, so I'm going to take
[1:58:43] a just a second now to talk about. And I
do want to thank the chief um, uh,
[1:58:49] Councilman Lidle and I serve on the
public safety committee, so we were, you
[1:58:53] know, we heard about this a lot,
multiple meetings there. Um, and we
[1:58:58] hadn't served together very long, so,
you know, you're always kind of feeling
[1:59:02] people out when you're on a committee
with with them. And I it was great
[1:59:06] because I just like pushed my seat back
and just let Dean go crazy with his
[1:59:12] questions and he asked so many good
questions. Um and we learned a lot
[1:59:17] through that process. Um but here we are
at the end. I I think uh again the chief
[1:59:24] did such a great job about
uh informing us about the issue but
[1:59:32] beyond that she had policies written and
ready to go um that I
[1:59:38] am comfortable saying would would keep
um keep the citizens of Bvard safe and
[1:59:45] that our officers would um would handle
that in a in a in a good way. Um, but
[1:59:54] as I learned more about this, I mean,
these are not just cameras um connected
[1:59:59] to, you know, a server or
a server that's located within the
[2:00:06] police department. You know, you think
of them hooked up, they're going they're
[2:00:11] feeding into a tape machine somewhere
like it's 1995.
[2:00:15] um the these photograph all this data is
housed somewhere else Atlanta who knows
[2:00:22] where and you know we sign a contract
that says well we own that data you know
[2:00:28] but
and I'm not naive I know that the modern
[2:00:32] world um you know you own movies or you
own music that you never actually hold
[2:00:38] in your hands but when we're talking
about sensitive information from the
[2:00:42] public it's hard to trust a thirdparty
multi-billion dollar security company um
[2:00:50] that
this sensitive data is going to be safe
[2:00:55] and and that is why I I am not a fan of
these and and moving forward with this
[2:01:02] right now. Um and I also think and I
didn't get a chance to to say this at
[2:01:08] the committee level and I probably
should have but I do think that there's
[2:01:12] a larger
[2:01:15] theme here which is the vision that we
have for the police department and we've
[2:01:20] been through a lot with the department
over the last few years. We had a
[2:01:23] complete uh turnover in the leadership
over there. But throughout that, we were
[2:01:28] pretty clear we wanted a community-based
uh police department that were out and
[2:01:33] about that we they were vis visible.
And I know that this technology does not
[2:01:39] mean that they would be sitting behind a
screen doing all their police work
[2:01:42] there. Um, but it does make you think
about what putting cameras up symbolizes
[2:01:51] in terms of where our department is
going. And uh and so I'm glad we didn't
[2:01:57] we didn't make that decision tonight. Uh
I'm also glad that the public was able
[2:02:02] to weigh in and I'm really proud of the
transparent process that we we undertook
[2:02:08] and um I hope we can continue doing that
in the future.
[2:02:14] Um, [snorts] one question for Wilson.
Have we heard a response from the county
[2:02:20] about with our letter on the courthouse?
>> No, sir.
[2:02:23] » I discussed it today with their vice
chair.
[2:02:27] » Okay. Just want to say that publicly.
Um, still waiting on a response on that.
[2:02:33] Um, and that is all that is all I have.
>> Mr. Daniel,
[2:02:40] » I'd like to thank Mr. Baker for his
words about the Rosenwall
[2:02:45] account because I felt like those
comments were directed at me personally.
[2:02:50] Uh as I am the one who used the term
Rosenwall community, but uh this is a
[2:02:59] an a account that was set up that has
the name Rosenwall on it. So, it is just
[2:03:06] the Rosenwall community's money and
we've heard that said by members of the
[2:03:11] Rosen Wall community that it's our
money,
[2:03:15] not that it's the city's money, it's
their money. So, um but I won't pursue
[2:03:22] that any further. I do want to kind of
bring back up u I'd kind of like to see
[2:03:27] us get refocused on the acousta trail
some. I feel like we've as a council.
[2:03:35] We don't talk about it much and we're
not really uh I still don't feel like
[2:03:40] we're ready for what's coming our way.
Um, I read an article that, uh, David
[2:03:47] Bradley wrote about the acoustic trail
and he mentions a fellow by the name of
[2:03:53] Steve Bert of the Institute of
Transportation
[2:03:57] Research and Education at North Carolina
State who I believe is has written a
[2:04:04] study on how this trail will affect the
city of Bvard in particular. And I would
[2:04:10] ask that our staff follow up on that. If
that actually exists, I'd be interested
[2:04:17] to see the results of that. But I would
like to encourage us and remind us that
[2:04:23] the there's a title wave coming our way.
It's called the Acousta Trail. It's
[2:04:29] going to be a huge economic driver and
we need to be ready and I'm not sure
[2:04:34] that we are right now. So that's all I
had to say.
[2:04:39] » Mr. Lidle. Um yeah, I I I I see uh
tonight as a positive. Um we're elected
[2:04:47] to um to challenge each other. We're not
elected for group think.
[2:04:55] And when we when we challenge each
other, it allows us to get to decisions
[2:05:00] that uh that are best, right? So I see
tonight as a complete positive and
[2:05:06] there's no one uh right after this
meeting is over. If we can go quick
[2:05:10] enough I will have coffee with everyone.
>> Also I grew up in Rosenwald.
[2:05:17] » I rode my bike every weekend. Uh Mo uh
we rode together all the time to to
[2:05:24] Franklin Park. We played football by the
library. This whole town is is all of
[2:05:31] ours. And I see myself um as a citizen
of Bvard and my thoughts about tonight
[2:05:39] would have been the same. It doesn't
matter where I lived in the city. My
[2:05:44] thoughts were based on logic, my own
logic and what I thought was best. Not
[2:05:50] because I live in Rosenwald.
I've prepared a statement tonight
[2:05:55] because I think it's worth it uh given
uh what's transpired the the last few
[2:06:00] days and what tonight. So I I I I did
that so that the the chief understands
[2:06:06] uh understands how important I think uh
this is and I I just want to say a few
[2:06:12] words about the license plate discussion
and the public session we held. Uh first
[2:06:17] I want to thank everyone who came to
that and participated regardless of
[2:06:21] where everyone stood on the technology
itself. I learned something important at
[2:06:25] that meeting.
What I heard was a deep level of concern
[2:06:29] about privacy and especially about how
much trust people currently have uh in
[2:06:35] the federal government and in large uh
corporations when it comes to the
[2:06:39] personal information. It occurred to me
that most citizens don't have many
[2:06:44] meaningful ways to push back on those
larger institutions.
[2:06:48] They can't walk into a boardroom of a
major tech company. And most people have
[2:06:53] very little direct influence over public
over federal policy.
[2:06:58] But they can come here. They can stand
in front of their city council and tell
[2:07:03] us what concerns them. In some ways, the
discussion was about more than just
[2:07:08] three cameras in Bard.
[2:07:12] Uh this was one place where people felt
uh they can make their voices heard
[2:07:19] uh about much larger concern over
privacy and surveillance.
[2:07:23] I think it's important that we listened.
I also want to recognize Chief Wel.
[2:07:29] She and her department put a tremendous
amount of work into researching this
[2:07:33] technology, developing safeguards,
answering our questions, and engaging
[2:07:37] with the community. Her decision to
withdraw the request should not be
[2:07:42] viewed as a failure of proposal.
I view it as a demonstration of
[2:07:47] leadership.
[2:07:51] She has only been chief for a relatively
short time, but I've been very impressed
[2:07:56] with what I've seen.
She's shown that public trust matters to
[2:08:00] her and that she's willing to listen
even when that means considering
[2:08:05] something she believes could not be
could help her department.
[2:08:09] There's a difference between having
authority and having trust of the
[2:08:13] community you serve. The best public
safety leaders understand you need both.
[2:08:20] I believe the chief demonstrated that
here and I appreciate her leadership.
[2:08:26] This also doesn't mean that Bvard can
never discuss emerging public safety
[2:08:30] technology again. It means that when we
do, the community deserves to be a part
[2:08:35] of that conversation and public trust
has to be a part of the decision.
[2:08:42] » Thank you,
>> Mr. Attorney.
[2:08:47] » I have nothing to add. Just a reminder
that we have a little bit of business to
[2:08:50] do after
>> we have a close session. Yes, madame
[2:08:54] clerk.
>> Nothing for me. Thank you,
[2:08:56] » Mr. Manager. Um, following up on um,
Council Member Daniel's remarks, uh, a
[2:09:03] reminder to the board that at our next
EAB meeting at the end of this month,
[2:09:07] there will be a presentation on the
estimated cost of the trail. And we were
[2:09:11] holding off on doing a lot of additional
work regarding the trail until we found
[2:09:16] out whether or not we were going to be
able to afford it. And I can report that
[2:09:21] the estimated cost is within the realm
of the of possibility. It's not $50
[2:09:26] million. It's not something gody that we
could never afford. It's in the
[2:09:31] neighborhood of what we expected.
There's still some work to do to close a
[2:09:34] small funding gap. Uh but I do think
that the trail will move forward. We
[2:09:37] will be able to build it. And so we're
going to pick up some of those issues
[2:09:41] that have been tabled uh for a little
while, Gary. Uh and redouble our efforts
[2:09:46] to make sure we're prepared for the
arrival of the trail here.
[2:09:51] » All right. Well, I too want to thank
Chief Wel and I want to thank the public
[2:09:57] because one of our priorities as your
elected leaders and our staff is to hear
[2:10:04] what people have to say. And we go out
of our way to give opportunity to the
[2:10:09] public to come to us in different forums
and express your opinion. And we do
[2:10:16] listen. That is so important. And yes,
it is we the people and That was
[2:10:22] demonstrated, I think, very clearly with
the public input session that we had
[2:10:28] such wonderful turnout at, as well as
people coming here tonight prepared
[2:10:33] again to speak. Um, but your elected
leaders listened to you. We heard your
[2:10:38] concerns and we reacted and took action
on those. And that's what it's all
[2:10:44] really about. One of the other things
we're going to start doing because we
[2:10:50] really do believe in transparency and we
really believe in communication
[2:10:55] and that is we're going to start holding
quarterly town hall meetings around the
[2:11:01] city in different portions of the city.
We held one in Rosenwald a couple months
[2:11:07] ago. We're going to be holding our next
one in the Pisca Forest section of
[2:11:12] Brevard. uh and uh it's going to be of
course open to everybody, but it's going
[2:11:18] to focus on things that are happening in
that section of town. And I just want to
[2:11:22] mention to people that that is going to
be September 29th. So mark your
[2:11:28] calendars uh from 6:00 to 8 and we're
going to hold it in the recreation
[2:11:33] center there and staff will be there to
give updates on things like the acousta
[2:11:38] trail like uh what's happening at the
rec center at the parking lot, what's
[2:11:43] happening with the proposed housing uh
that looks like it might be moving
[2:11:48] forward on Morris Road. Uh, so, oh, and
we're going to also have NC DOT
[2:11:54] come to talk about what's happening with
the big NC DOT projects, including the
[2:12:00] Wilson Road uh, project. So, all of this
is going to be at our next
[2:12:06] [clears throat]
completely open, transparent town hall
[2:12:09] meeting. And so I encourage people to
take advantage of the fact that we
[2:12:14] really are trying to put information out
and then give you a chance to give us
[2:12:19] feedback afterwards. And so of course
there'll be time for feedback there. So
[2:12:24] that is coming up. Um also on September
24th is my next meet the mayor meeting.
[2:12:31] I hold one every month. I've now held
over 50 of them. Uh, and I encourage
[2:12:37] people, this is just another very good
way informal setting to come and express
[2:12:43] any of your concerns or your
suggestions. And it's 11:30 to 1 at the
[2:12:48] Mary C. Jenkins Center on September
24th. So, your city government really is
[2:12:55] here to represent you and to listen to
you and we do want to hear from you. So,
[2:13:01] thank you. And with that, I need a
motion to go into close session for
[2:13:06] economic development.
>> So moved.
[2:13:08] » Do I have a second?
>> Second.
[2:13:10] » All in favor?
>> I.
[2:13:12] » We are in close session. Please stop.