[0:00] 6 o'clock we'll go and get started with
our meeting. I'd like to welcome
[0:02] everybody here tonight u for our uh
September meeting. Uh this year is going
[0:08] by fast and there's not that many more
meetings left in the year. So So let's
[0:12] uh let's get started with a moment of
silence. If we could please if you'll
[0:15] please join me uh in a moment of
silence.
[0:26] » Amen. If you'll please stand with me and
face the flag and join me in the pledge
[0:30] of allegiance.
[0:34] » I pledge algiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[0:40] republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[0:46] justice for all.
>> Thank you.
[0:50] » First item uh is our conflict of
interest statement. I want to ask Al if
[0:54] he'll read that for us. Thank you, Mr.
Mayor. Pursuant to North Carolina
[0:57] General Statutes and Town of Boxville
Code of Ethics policy adopted November
[1:02] 9, 2010, amended as of January 6, 2016,
2019, further endorsed on August 9,
[1:09] 2022. I would ask each of you before you
adopt the agenda if there are any actual
[1:14] potential or perceived conflicts of
interest with respect to any matter on
[1:18] the proposed agenda which will come
before the town board of commissioners
[1:22] for consideration andor decision at this
meeting. If so, please speak up and let
[1:27] the board know at this time before the
agenda is adopted. [clears throat]
[1:31] » Anything not and we'll move on to our
next item which is the adoption of
[1:36] tonight's agenda. Lee, I think you have
something to announce on.
[1:39] » Thank you, Mayor. Um I would uh ask that
the uh commissioners look at item 6A um
[1:46] which is a public hearing for proposed
incentives to alum. Um we we have been
[1:52] informed uh that alumor has not come uh
to terms on their commitment to the
[1:58] number of jobs per our economic
incentives policy. Uh Davy County has
[2:03] taken this off of their agenda for their
meeting tonight. I'm asking you to amend
[2:08] the agenda that we do not have a public
hearing on item 6A.
[2:13] Anything else to be added or deleted on
the agenda for tonight?
[2:17] Not then we need a motion to adopt the
agenda with the deletion of the first
[2:21] public hearing.
>> Make a motion.
[2:23] » We have a motion from Jenny and a second
from Johnny. All those in favor say I.
[2:27] » Any opposed? That passes. Uh the next
item on our agenda is our item number
[2:33] four, communications from boards,
commissions, and agencies. We do have a
[2:36] special um presentation tonight and uh
it's one of those bittersweet moments
[2:41] that we have in the town of Moxville. Um
Rob Taylor who who has sat in this seat
[2:46] for as long as we've had this table, but
before that he was sitting around the
[2:49] round table and he has he has served
Moxville for 14 years and and I know
[2:55] that uh we we've had board members come
and go, but Rob has has done an
[2:59] excellent job as far as uh adding uh to
our to our governance here in Moxel. And
[3:05] uh there was lots lots of times during
this process over the last 14 years
[3:08] where he could u he could put to words
things that nobody else could in a way
[3:13] that only he could do it. And I really
appreciate his his guidance and
[3:16] leadership. So tonight we do have a
special presentation for Rob. A couple
[3:19] of different things. U Rob I'm going to
ask if you'll come stand up here at the
[3:23] front.
[3:31] We don't we don't present this very
often and and that's for a good reason
[3:35] because um because it's we we want it to
be very special and I think this has
[3:41] only happened a few times since I've
been mayor and that's been a long long
[3:44] time but um but we're going to present
Rob with a key to the city and it's also
[3:49] got a picture of the current board on
there.
[3:52] So Rob Rob has Rob has been here with
lots of different board members
[3:56] throughout the years. Uh this is the
current board and the current key to the
[3:59] city. Uh I told somebody the other day
that if the uh town ever locks the keys
[4:03] in the city that then they can call Rob
and he [laughter]
[4:08] and we also have one other special item.
I'm going let you open this. This is
[4:11] from the town. Uh
>> oh.
[4:19] [laughter]
>> She just asked me what what they did
[4:22] with it.
So, they probably threw it in the
[4:25] garbage when I walked out last time. But
that's awesome. I will I will cherish
[4:29] that forever. And I just appreciate
everyone. My time here on the town was
[4:33] um interesting at times as it can be uh
and trying to govern a small town. But
[4:39] uh it was always hopeful. It was always
full of a lot of hardworking people
[4:44] especially our our department heads, all
of our department individuals, all the
[4:49] people who've come and gone. Le and I
are going out together almost around the
[4:53] same time. Uh but you have a fantastic
board staying here and I look forward to
[4:57] hearing great things from you. We wish
you the best of luck in your ne next
[5:00] endeavor as RDA. So [clears throat]
>> congratulations.
[5:04] » Thank you very much guys. Thank you.
[applause]
[5:12] [applause]
[5:19] » Congratulations. Thank you.
[5:28] Thank you, sir.
>> Just take care of that.
[5:37] » So, we do have uh we do have a couple of
other presentations tonight. First of
[5:41] all, uh before we get to uh some
proclamations, I'm going to ask Mike
[5:45] Boutier with the Davy County Sheriff's
Office. He's going to make a
[5:47] presentation about our traffic model.
[5:54] » We just do this up here. Either way,
>> because the way the seats are angled, I
[5:58] really don't want to make it where you
have to
[6:00] » Okay.
>> turn your head the whole time. So, I do
[6:04] all all of the radar trailers you see
everywhere, but I also do covert. So,
[6:12] people don't know that I'm checking
roadways. So, I'm the guy that everybody
[6:17] calls and goes, "Hey, everybody's
speeding." Everybody, doesn't matter who
[6:19] it is, everybody on my road right now
has just went by my house at 75 miles an
[6:24] hour. That's what I hear most of the
time. So, the reason I am going to
[6:28] explain this before I give you stats is
I want you to know that when I pull
[6:33] stats on a radar trailer, most people
don't realize
[6:38] that it's a full breakdown. And when I
say a full breakdown, it's every single
[6:42] vehicle going either direction. So, even
if you see the sign and you see your
[6:47] that's my speed, the guy going the other
way is also being clocked. So, it's
[6:52] both. So, I can tell you the time of day
your car went by. I can tell you how
[6:56] fast you were going. I can tell you when
traffic is busier, when it's not. I can
[7:02] tell you the stats to the 85th
percentile of who's doing most speeding.
[7:08] I have put trailers out in people's
yards before
[7:11] to where they say, "Hey, I had to put
this trailer here because the speed is
[7:15] just outrageous in my neighborhood." So,
I set the trailer up.
[7:19] I wait. I activate it. I tell them just
hang tight a minute while they're in
[7:24] their front yard. Here comes a car. I
say, "Hey, do me a favor. How fast do
[7:28] you think that car is going?" They
always look at me always and say 56, 58
[7:33] miles an hour right now. And I don't
even turn my head and I say, "Will you
[7:39] look at the display on my trailer?" And
they do. And the average is 32 to 36.
[7:45] It's because it's a misconception when
you're standing still, speed coming
[7:48] towards you. And unless you're trained
to know how to do it, it seems like when
[7:52] that car goes by or that truck goes by,
especially if it's a truck and the wind
[7:56] blows my hair everywhere. Blows my hair
everywhere. So, I figure, hey, he had to
[8:00] be running 70. But it's a lot of
misconceptions and that's kind of why
[8:05] I'm here. So, I've been running a ton of
radar in Mogville. You see, I've now put
[8:09] up permanent ones. I have the library. I
have the one in downtown now.
[8:14] I also did a covert on by Sterling Drive
on Country Lane because I kept hearing
[8:19] everybody country lane is horrible. Oh
my god. I have had to rethink things a
[8:23] lot because I lived in Atlanta 16 and a
half years. So there is no traffic here
[8:27] to me. There's no speeding
[clears throat] here to me. There's no
[8:31] crime here to me. It's a wonderful
place. I wouldn't I'm not going to
[8:35] complain at all ever. I don't care how
many people I've arrested. I have no
[8:37] complaints about anything in the entire
county compared to where I used to be.
[8:42] So, this is just some stats I want you
to really pay attention. The radar mount
[8:48] at the courthouse, the one in the
square, I ran it from March the 3 to
[8:55] June the 4th. That is only three months.
Three
[9:01] 388,850
vehicles.
[9:05] Most people when I say that, they go,
"That's impossible." No, it's not. If
[9:10] that had been in downtown Atlanta, that
would have been 25 million vehicles.
[9:14] There's the difference. So, when you
think of it that way, then oh yeah,
[9:16] okay, it's not that bad. Um, the
vehicles in over posted speed limit by 8
[9:23] miles an hour or above. And the reason I
say 8 miles an hour or above, because
[9:27] people get mad is we pull you over at 1
mile an hour over.
[9:31] » Oh my god, he pulled me over for 1 mile
an hour over. I don't do that. I drive
[9:34] when I'm off work and I know how fast I
really drive when I'm off work. So, I'm
[9:37] a hypocrite if I pull you over for 1
mile an hour over. The average speed was
[9:42] 22 miles an hour in a 20. 49% of people
were speeding, but 3% of them were over
[9:49] 8 miles an hour over. 3% out of that,
which made it 10,139 vehicles over 8 mph
[9:56] above the speed limit. It's a very
minute amount. uh the fixed radar at the
[10:02] library that everybody loves so much to
see their speed coming in and going from
[10:08] March I mean from February the 10th to
June the 8th. So that's four months
[10:14] 882,921
vehicles. That's both directions. Keep
[10:20] that in mind. both directions.
[clears throat] Vehicles over posted
[10:22] speed limit 10 mph above it were 5,13
out of 882,000.
[10:31] 513
were 10 miles an hour above. The average
[10:35] speed is 32. 30% of people are speeding,
but 0.006%
[10:40] were 10 m an hour or above. Once again,
everybody tells me, "Oh my god, they're
[10:46] speeding everywhere."
So, I did Salsbury Street because
[10:50] everybody, oh, when the from South Davy
beyond, those people are gunning it.
[10:53] They're just uh, you know, you need to
set up traps. Well, if we set up mark
[10:59] units, who drives fast? There's, oh,
there's a marked car. Uh, I can't even
[11:03] hardly get down the road sometimes when
I have somebody in front of me and they
[11:06] see me behind them in my marked vehicle
and they're driving like 45 and a 55
[11:10] because they think I want to pull them
over. I don't. um at 462 South Salsbury
[11:16] Street from June the 8th to July the
7th, one month. And think of it this,
[11:23] this is out of school time. So it's 68
to 77, 59,42
[11:28] vehicles. Vehicles in overposted speed
by over 6 miles an hour were 3,886.
[11:35] Out of 59,000, the average speed is 37.
It's a 35. 28% were speeding, but 0.065%
[11:43] were over 6 miles an hour over. It's
really that minute. I put it outside of
[11:49] the city of Moxville, I put tons of
them, uh, Bailey's Chapel Road and over
[11:55] by Davy Medical Center, you know, there,
that's the worst speeding in the entire
[11:59] county by Davy Medical Center. And
everybody knows if you're up that way,
[12:03] you come out of a 50, boom, you're in a
35. You come off the interstate, when
[12:07] you come around the exit ramp, you're in
a 35. But you just got through used to
[12:11] cruising around at 70 mph down the
interstate and you've just hit a 35. It
[12:15] is what it is.
People that want to discuss traffic
[12:19] delays on Yakinville Road, which is the
most complained I have, except for the
[12:24] three-way stop sign, which I'm not going
to discuss that. None of us had anything
[12:28] to do with that, so it is what it is.
[laughter]
[12:32] » Lee, nobody had anything. Anyway, um the
average, and this study was done by me,
[12:38] so this is not official, but I did it
because I got tired of everybody telling
[12:41] me the reason I pulled you over is
you're speeding. Where are you in a
[12:44] hurry to go to? Well, this line of
traffic is horrible, and I always take
[12:47] them everywhere to get home. During
morning commute, you have a 7 to 12
[12:51] minute delay
from one end to the other. That's from
[12:54] in town to Walmart, but it feels like an
hour. Took me two hours every day to go
[13:01] home in Atlanta. though.
>> Okay. Um, during lunchtime traffic,
[13:06] which is pretty horrible for here, 7 to
14 minute delay of steady traffic. Gina
[13:12] brought up a good point. Getting out of
your like turnouts, that's where the
[13:16] problem is because you can't get out.
People just need to be more courteous
[13:20] and go, "Hey, come on out." That's what
really needs to happen. Um, and the last
[13:23] thing is I did the Sterling Drive one,
but I did it last year, but I figured
[13:27] I'd give you these stats anyway because
near Sterling Drive on Country Lane,
[13:30] I've been blown up about it. People keep
coming to me about it. So from July 23rd
[13:36] to October 2nd of 2025, there were
275,855
[13:42] vehicles. There were 67,236
in oversp speed range. Anything over the
[13:48] 45 mark, right? The average speed though
was 49. The over speed range was 24%.
[13:55] The vehicles over five miles an hour
over of speed limit were 20,389
[14:03] out of 275,000
which gives you a 00739%
[14:08] 5 mph over. So if anybody does need me
to do a study, I'm more than happy to do
[14:15] it. I can do it covert or I can do it
where you have a sign like the trailers
[14:18] you see where you see the the sign it
says, "Hey, you're doing whatever." I
[14:23] can even set it where it says slow down.
doesn't do any good, but I can tell you
[14:26] that. And there's some people that play
speed games with these. They want to see
[14:31] how fast they can get on my sign.
>> So, that's pretty much everything I
[14:36] have. Does anybody have any questions
before I sit down or does that pretty
[14:39] much put out there what people were
asking about speaking? I
[14:44] » think
[clears throat] any questions from the
[14:46] commissioners? No.
>> Okay. Thank you, Mike. Is that clear?
[14:49] » All right. We appreciate you doing that.
>> Thank you. Thank you. We'll
[14:52] » get a ra
[14:56] So the next thing on our agenda is a
proclamation for Smart Start Month. And
[15:00] we do have our executive director of
Smart Start here, Gina Taylor, who's
[15:03] Rob's wife. Um, so Gina, we are we
actually we've got an official
[15:08] proclamation I'm going to read. This is
the same proclamation that Josh Stein is
[15:12] reading and they're reading over at the
um at the county commissioner meeting.
[15:17] So, um, whereas the nationally
recognized Smart Start Network has
[15:21] worked to ensure all young children
enter school healthy and prepared for
[15:24] success throughout North Carolina for
more than 30 years. And whereas the
[15:28] first five years of life are critical
windows of development shaping a child's
[15:32] brain architecture and building the
foundation for future cognitive, social,
[15:35] emotional, behavioral, and health
outcomes. And whereas high quality
[15:39] birthto five strategies and programs
focusing on early education, health and
[15:44] well-being, and family support create
better K12 and mo and post-secondary
[15:49] educational opportunities for students
and a more skilled workforce for
[15:52] employers. Whereas the Smart Start
Network supports quality early care and
[15:57] education, preventive health services
and family support for children from
[16:01] birth to 5 years old. And the Smart
Start Network has a proven track record
[16:05] in improving early childhood education.
I will mark and proclaim Smart Start
[16:10] Month as in uh 2026 as this month. I
know Carl's daughter works there, my
[16:15] wife works there. We are all connected
to Smart Start in so many ways, but our
[16:18] kids are connected in even more ways.
So, we appreciate all that you do for uh
[16:23] for Davy County and Mox with Smart
Start. I wish you the best of luck in
[16:26] continuing to grow that organization and
I hope hope uh for the best one for you.
[16:31] Thank you. Is there anything you would
like to say?
[16:32] » Thank you for acknowledging Smart Start.
Thank you.
[16:37] Manager Rollins for serving on our
board, our newest board member this
[16:40] year. We have 17 members. Please visit
our website.
[16:45] » Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you for
being here. [applause]
[16:52] » Our next um proclamation is for family
promise and we have Carllin Armsworthy
[16:56] here that she's our VIP and dignitary
here with Family Promise. We also have a
[17:00] board member Jenny Stevenson who's on
that board. I think part of being a town
[17:05] board member sometimes means you're on
other boards. So, thank you Jenny for
[17:08] serving. Uh we do have a proclamation
for family promise. Whereas in September
[17:13] 2017, Family Promise of Davy County
began operations dedicated to helping
[17:17] the most vulnerable among us, children
and families who are at risk or already
[17:22] experiencing homelessness. Whereas
Family Promise of Davy County provides
[17:26] homeless prevention, homelessness
prevention, shelter diversion, temporary
[17:30] shelter, transitional housing, and
ongoing stabilization support, thereby
[17:35] making a real difference in the lives of
local families. Whereas believing that
[17:39] every child deserves a home, family
promise of Davy County and its numerous
[17:43] partner congregations and volunteers
empower families in making their
[17:46] transition from homelessness to
sustainable independence. Whereas over
[17:50] the past nine years, Family Promise has
served over 700 families, more than 1300
[17:55] children, 90% of which are still stably
housed one year after receiving
[18:00] services. Now, therefore, I will Mark,
mayor of the town of Mosel, do hereby
[18:04] proclaim the week of October 5th through
the 9th as Family Promise Week. Uh Carl,
[18:09] would you like to say anything?
I will echo Gina and say thank you for
[18:14] recognizing family promise and the work
that our board and the volunteers of the
[18:18] organization do. We are happy to be one
of the many wonderful nonprofits
[18:24] and services. Thank thank you for being
here tonight. We appreciate all you do.
[18:30] [applause]
[18:34] Finally, I do have one uh one other
proclamation. As you well know, this
[18:38] week we have September 11th Day of
Remembrance. Thomas Shoemaker with our
[18:43] fire department is here representing the
fire department in our day of
[18:46] remembrance 25th anniversary. Whereas in
an unprovoked and senseless act of
[18:52] terrorism, four civilian aircraft were
hijacked on September 11th, 2001 and
[18:57] crashed in the New York City,
Pennsylvania and Pentagon, resulting in
[19:00] a momentous loss of innocent US lives of
all heritages. And whereas while we
[19:07] still continue to recover from the loss
of innocent lives, the spirit of the US
[19:11] has been revitalized, giving way to
expressions of patriotism. And whereas
[19:15] inspired by the heroism of our nation's
public service personnel, military
[19:19] service members, and countless
volunteers, our nation found unity and
[19:23] strength. Whereas from the tragedy of
tragedy of September 11th emerged a
[19:28] stronger nation renewed by the spirit of
national pride and a true love of
[19:32] country. Whereas Americans also have
fought back against terror by choosing
[19:36] to overcome evil with good by loving
their neighbors as they would like to be
[19:41] loved, contributing to relief efforts
and volunteering their time to aid to
[19:45] those in need. Now therefore, be it
resolved that we, the board of
[19:48] commissioners of the town of Moxel, do
hereby proclaim September 11th, 2026 as
[19:53] the 25th anniversary of the attacks of
911 and also the 911 national day of
[19:58] service and remembrance in the town of
Moxel and urge our citizens to recognize
[20:02] the heroism of firefighters, rescue and
law enforcement personnel, military
[20:07] service members, and the many volunteers
who responded to these tragic events
[20:11] with courage, selfless compassion,
determination, and skill. and to
[20:15] remember the victims and innocent lives
lost as a result of the tragic events on
[20:19] September 11th, 2000. Is there anything
you would like to say, Thomas? Okay.
[20:24] Thank you for being here today. We uh I
know that this is a tough time in our
[20:28] moment in our country's history, but uh
but I think that it's something that we
[20:32] can recognize and we don't want to let
future generations forget the u
[20:36] sacrifices that were made. So, thank you
for being here.
[20:40] [applause]
[20:44] biblical proclamations needing to be
read. I will move on to our citizen
[20:47] comments. Um we've got three citizens
that have signed up to speak tonight.
[20:51] I'll ask that uh when I call upon you if
you'll step to the podium. You'll have
[20:55] three minutes to speak. Lynn, who is
right back here, she will you guys are
[20:59] free to stay or leave if y'all would
like. I know y'all got things you can
[21:02] do. Uh but you're more than welcome to
stay or leave. Uh thank you for being
[21:06] here. Thanks, Rob.
>> Thanks, Carlin.
[21:10] Thank you, sir.
>> Um, so you'll have three minutes to
[21:13] speak. Lynn will be your timekeeper. If
you would please adhere to our three
[21:17] minutes so we can continue on with our
meeting. Uh, I'm going to ask Jeff Plot
[21:20] if he would come up and and lead us off.
[21:27] » All right. Uh, Mayor Marklin, members of
the board of commissioners, I'm here
[21:32] tonight on behalf of the residents who
live, work, and raise our families here
[21:35] in the town of Moxville. We are watching
what is happening across Davy County and
[21:39] we're deeply concerned by the lack of
leadership coming from this board
[21:42] regarding data center developments.
While our county leaders had the sense
[21:46] and courage to enact a moratorum to
protect our community, the town of
[21:49] Moxville continues to hide behind talks
of zoning loopholes and bureaucratic
[21:53] limitations. Let's be clear about what
you are opening up the door to. Massive
[21:58] industrial data centers consume millions
of gallons of critical water supply,
[22:02] putting an unsustainable strain on our
local power grid and shatter our
[22:06] peaceful neighborhoods with non-stop
industrial noise and pollution. In
[22:10] exchange, our community gets virtually
no permanent jobs, plummeting
[22:14] residential uh property values and
long-term harm to the health and
[22:17] well-being of the people not only in the
town of Mosville, but also those who
[22:21] live out in the county of Davy as well.
When you sit quietly and while potential
[22:26] developers target our town, it sends a
message that you are that you value
[22:30] corporate revenue over the citizens who
elected you. Taking a passive stance is
[22:35] not neutral. It is a choice to sell out
the future of the town of Moxville as
[22:40] well as the people of the town of
Moxville. We are not asking you to
[22:43] rubber stamp whatever proposal
lands on your desk. We are demanding
[22:49] that you use every ounce of your
authority to protect the community,
[22:52] close the zoning gaps, put the brakes on
heavy industrial encroachment, and
[22:57] prioritize our health, our resources,
and our quality of life. Mayor Marklin,
[23:01] commissioners, you are you were elected
to represent us. We the people, not some
[23:07] big heavy industrial server farms. We
elected you to protect our land, our
[23:12] water, and our future. Stand with the
people who elected you. The residents of
[23:16] town of Mox are paying attention and we
will not forget who stood up to protect
[23:21] our town and who looked the other way
when it mattered most come election day.
[23:25] Thank you.
>> Thank you, Jeff. Next on our list is
[23:29] Silus Johnson.
[23:38] [clears throat]
[23:41] Good evening, Mayor Marklin, honorable
commissioners. My name is Silus Johnson.
[23:45] I'm a junior at Davyy and I'm a member
of Davy's JCPC and also of
[23:49] Superintendent Mo Green's advisory
council. And I'm here today to talk
[23:53] about the same topic of data centers. I
know firsthand that we've all heard the
[23:57] concerns about water, electricity,
noise, and environmental concerns
[24:01] regarding data center development. And
I'm not here to discount any of those
[24:04] concerns because I personally hold them
all. But I would like to come at the uh
[24:08] the topic from a little bit of a
different angle. Now, the general
[24:12] statutes describe a municipality as an
entity organized for the better
[24:16] government of the people within its
jurisdictions. And everyone in this
[24:19] room, we are all Americans who just
celebrated our 250th anniversary. And we
[24:23] all know that the Constitution of our
own state says that our people have the
[24:26] inherent sole and exclusive right to
alter their government. I've lived in
[24:31] Moxville my whole life, which looking
around the room is not as much of a brag
[24:34] as I expected it to be. Uh, but
I think our town is a great example of
[24:39] the values of self-government and being
involved and making change in your own
[24:44] community. And [clears throat]
state law and federal law and really
[24:49] just common sense are very clear that we
elect office holders with the intent of
[24:53] representation.
Now, of course, I did not vote in the
[24:58] last election. I'll be voting in the
next election in 2028. Uh, but my peers
[25:01] parents voted for you. My parents voted
for you. members of the community voted
[25:06] for you and Moxville is a small town
about six,000 people I think uh and
[25:12] everyone more or less knows pretty much
everyone from what I have seen and the
[25:16] result of that is that everyone also
knows what everyone thinks and to
[25:19] continue this discussion of democracy
and of the values which are foundational
[25:23] to every type of representative
government in our nation I couldn't name
[25:27] really a single person I've spoken to
who supports data center development in
[25:32] our county and much less in the town of
Moxville. Now, in June, dozens of people
[25:36] gathered at the library to speak out
against data center development. Uh last
[25:41] month, we also had or pardon me, in
June, the county commissioners meeting
[25:46] was held at Davy High because so many
people were interested in coming and
[25:49] speaking in support of a moratorum. And
I'm honored to live in a county whose
[25:53] government is that receptive to what its
residents are asking for. Everything
[25:58] I've heard about the Monsville Board of
Commissioners has made me come to the
[26:01] same conclusion over the past several
years. And I'm just here to express my
[26:05] sincere hope that that continues and
that we are able to put that faith and
[26:09] that amount of trust in our local
government. And I would like to close
[26:14] with a message from a good friend of
mine, Piper Schilling, who also attends
[26:17] Davy High, but she couldn't come tonight
because she had the flu. And she said,
[26:21] "I have grown up around Davy County
since I was four. I've eaten at Millers,
[26:24] gone to Davy High, walked around River
Park, golfed at Oak Valley, loitered in
[26:28] downtown Moxville, and done a whole tour
to Davyy. I am proud to be a Moxville
[26:32] resident, and because of this, I only
want the best for Moxville. I do not
[26:35] believe the data center will bring any
real value to the town, and I think
[26:38] you'd be hardressed to find anything
close to a majority that doesn't feel
[26:41] that way. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Sal.
[26:45] Our next speaker is Hal Mudrick.
You
[26:49] » want to follow that?
>> That was good, young man.
[26:55] So, you heard everything Jeff said and
you heard everything this gentleman
[26:59] said. Um, I asked myself,
why? Why do we need a data center? And
[27:08] I'm not going to go through the pros and
cons. Last time I spoke, I think it was
[27:13] about a month ago, I offered my
services. I have personally
[27:18] um designed and built data centers. So,
I've got experience on what it takes to
[27:23] do something like that. And I'll offer
my services again here if you've got
[27:28] activities going on that I can
participate and ask the tough questions.
[27:36] So,
there's probably data center stuff going
[27:40] on. We've got across the way we've got
discussions going on about Duke Power.
[27:46] You don't build a data center, you don't
need Duke Power. you don't need that
[27:50] plane. Um, if you don't use AI, you
don't need this data center. I don't
[27:56] know how many of you have used AI. Um,
AI is telling you how to do things
[28:04] better because it thinks you need to
know how it do how to do it better. Um,
[28:10] last time I checked on opening the
refrigerator or using the toilet, I'm
[28:15] pretty sure I don't need AI to tell me
how to do it better. So
[28:23] why not put why not consider a
moratorum? Why not put ordinances in
[28:29] place that as the gentleman said talk
about electricity?
[28:35] How are we going to control the rates
around here in electricity? Who's going
[28:38] to pay for it? Yeah, you're going to get
millions of dollars back, but I don't
[28:42] know if you've checked on what it cost
to build out a data center. $50 million
[28:47] is nothing. Um I saw Duke Power offering
I think the total package was
[28:54] $100,000$25,000
for a park river replenishment. There's
[28:59] not going to be a river if this stuff
goes in. So, back to my point, why not
[29:04] put ordinances in place to control
electricity, to control zoning, to
[29:10] control water replenishment,
to control noise letter uh noises?
[29:17] Why not consider that stuff? Why are you
guys not being transparent with us?
[29:23] Really, what do you what do you got to
lose? As you heard Jeff and this
[29:27] gentleman say, we put you in office. we
voted you in office because we want you
[29:31] to do the job for us, right? So, I'm
just I'm just asking respectfully,
[29:36] think about putting some barriers up. If
it's going to happen, okay, it's going
[29:42] to happen, but why not why not let us
control how it happens? Right now, it's
[29:48] a toy. It's a a candy shop. They're
going to come in here and they're going
[29:52] to tell you what they're going to do and
they're going to make you pro promises.
[29:56] Go ahead, put some barriers in place.
that that would be the great thing to
[30:00] do.
>> Thanks for Thank you. Uh I know Mr.
[30:04] Brown, you didn't make the uh the list.
Did you want to say anything? I know
[30:07] sometimes you like to speak. Okay. Thank
you. Any other folks that want to speak
[30:11] for public comment? If not, then we'll
close out the public comment section of
[30:15] our meeting and we'll move right on to
uh our first public hearing. Uh we have
[30:22] a public hearing uh adopting the town of
Mosul comprehensive plan. I'm going to
[30:25] let Lee uh introduce that. Thank you,
[clears throat] mayor. I'm happy to have
[30:29] uh Jason Eley here to just make a brief
presentation to you. Um I think we're at
[30:34] the culmination for you to uh uh
consider uh after uh this public hearing
[30:42] uh to uh adopt the comprehensive plan.
It's hard to believe this process
[30:46] started in May of last year. Um
so, um lot of lot of public input
[30:52] sessions. I don't want to steal Jason's
thunder. I'll let him go ahead and come
[30:56] up and and just provide a brief overview
for you before you have the
[31:00] [clears throat] public hearing.
[snorts]
[31:08] » All right,
mayor, members of the board, it's
[31:11] pleasure to be back and um sorry I did
not ask the officer earlier. I saw a
[31:15] bunch of guys with baseball gloves, you
know, his radars that he had set up. I
[31:18] don't know how
>> Yeah. throwing pitches
[31:20] » and [laughter]
I wanted to ask him if that would make a
[31:22] difference, but oh well. have to wait
till next time. Uh, as Lee was saying,
[31:27] this has been a 12-monthlong process uh
led by the planning board uh that we've
[31:32] worked with as the oversight for both
the comprehensive plan and the downtown
[31:36] master plan. Uh the downtown Moxville
Collaborative was engaged during the
[31:40] process to provide additional guidance
specific uh to the downtown master plan.
[31:45] Uh we had uh public participation
through survey meetings uh and
[31:50] workshops. We heard from just over a
thousand people that were engaged during
[31:54] the process. A little over 600 people uh
participated in the survey. Um you can
[32:00] see that so on and so forth. We had
about a hundred that participated in
[32:03] downtown workshops. Uh we had
approximately 30 folks [clears throat]
[32:07] that came to the public input meetings
uh on the drafts back in April.
[32:13] to start off with the goals for the
downtown plan. I know you've heard this
[32:16] before, but just want to reiterate those
you as we're, you know, getting near the
[32:19] end of the process here and culmination
uh potentially with adoption tonight.
[32:23] You know, maintain downtown as the heart
of community. That's something we heard
[32:27] throughout the process throughout the
community surveys uh which is why you're
[32:31] working on the now master plan. uh
prioritize compact growth over sprawling
[32:36] expansion. And that's really about
utilizing the uh existing uh services
[32:42] and infrastructure that you have close
into town versus, you know, sprawling
[32:46] out. And you'll see some of these
repeated uh and expanded upon in the
[32:51] comprehensive plan as well. Create
streets that put people first. I had a
[32:55] discussion with someone before the
meeting how DOT is finally starting to
[32:59] think about roads as more than just
moving vehicles. uh starting to think
[33:02] about roads for you know alternative
modes, sidewalks, bicycles uh and and
[33:08] the downtown is looking at streets as uh
entertainment venues. You know those get
[33:12] closed for events and special events uh
and things like that. So streets are
[33:16] more than just moving cars. Uh they've
become uh places especially in downtowns
[33:21] where people can gather uh you know for
things like that. make strategic public
[33:26] investments. Uh you know, as you look at
making improvements, make sure those are
[33:31] leveraging uh private investment uh and
making sure that your investment goes a
[33:37] long way. That's not just something that
will fade away. Uh but to make sure that
[33:41] you know when you do make a public
investment in street lights and
[33:45] utilities and infrastructure, make sure
it's going to get get you that return.
[33:49] Um
facilitate high quality and attractive
[33:53] development. Uh you on the left uh is a
vacant lot. It used to be old gas
[33:57] station in downtown Salsbury. And then
the image on the right is what was built
[34:01] after you know downtown Salsbury has
historic district guidelines. Uh and
[34:06] that's why the building on the right
looks historic. Uh you know it helped
[34:10] that the architects from Salsbury and
has a heart. Uh but that's part of why
[34:13] he invested in the town in the
community. But those guidelines gave him
[34:18] uh the guidance on how to construct the
building. And there's several buildings
[34:21] that have been done like this in
downtown that have that historic look
[34:25] and feel. It's obviously not historic,
but it keeps that uh you know integrity
[34:29] and that character of the downtown.
In the downtown plan, there are over 80
[34:35] strategies uh that include
implementation partners, planning level
[34:38] cost estimates so you can make plans
over the next, you know, one to five
[34:42] years on how to move forward with the
plan. Just to highlight some of those,
[34:46] I'm going to go real quickly. Uh this is
a building uh right here just a couple
[34:51] blocks away uh where a mural can go a
long way to helping make a difference.
[34:56] This is one of those uh lowhanging
fruit, easy to implement uh lowcost uh
[35:02] projects that can be done within that
first year or two of the downtown plan
[35:05] uh being adopted. this a little bit more
extensive, but building on that same
[35:09] concept of creating great places for
people to gather, uh, you know,
[35:13] beautifying the space. And this, you'll
see this word a lot, public, private,
[35:17] uh, in downtowns. That's where you have
the unique intersection more than you do
[35:20] anywhere else in the community of lots
of, you know, government agencies,
[35:24] private property owners, all those
things kind of join here uh, in the
[35:28] downtown. So, you're going to see that
need for public private partnerships uh,
[35:32] throughout to make some of these things
uh, happen. parking improvements. We did
[35:36] look at, you know, places where on
street parking could be expanded. We
[35:40] found about 46
additional spaces that could be marked
[35:45] for parking in the downtown. Uh bigger,
longer term. Uh you know, we looked at
[35:51] this at a previous meeting with you
behind North Main and East Depot. Uh you
[35:55] know, once again, that public private
partnership idea. And this is not just
[35:59] private property owners, [clears throat]
but it's also uh you know public and it
[36:03] serves a greater purpose for the entire
community here in the downtown. So it's
[36:07] an opportunity to create that uh and
improve and add parking spaces in that
[36:12] particular location.
Ordinance improvements uh you know we've
[36:16] heard a little bit about that as I
showed you the image earlier. The way
[36:19] you get there is having ordinances that
address uh the character and how things
[36:24] are built and developed. and you're in
that process uh now or will be soon. I'm
[36:29] not sure where you're at exactly with
that uh moving forward, but I know
[36:32] that's something that's a priority for
the uh the town moving forward is
[36:36] creating this new unified development
ordinance that will address uh a lot of
[36:40] the recommendations from the downtown
plan and the comprehensive plan. Uh
[36:44] gateways, we heard, you know, time and
time again during the meetings, not just
[36:48] gateways into downtown, but gateways uh
you know, on the outskirts of town uh as
[36:54] well.
placemaking and streetscape. This is
[36:57] here in the heart right here on the
square. Uh this was kind of the big
[37:01] picture vision. This is not something
you'll do overnight. Uh this is
[37:04] something that can be done with uh
lowcost incremental steps, even painting
[37:09] and restriping. You're already closing
it sometimes for special events anyway.
[37:13] So, it's an opportunity to explore some
of these ideas without having to invest
[37:18] on the front end with, oh, we're
definitely going to put this in. you can
[37:21] test these ideas before you actually
move forward with it. Uh expanding
[37:26] downtown, looking at the former Energy
United site. Uh there's been a lot of
[37:30] studies done on this uh with the UNCC
school of government and during the
[37:35] workshops we looked at this uh just to
give you an idea of what that looks
[37:39] like. Uh this is what it looks like
today. uh and based on input and those
[37:43] preliminary ideas, this is a vision, a
concept of what this site, you know,
[37:48] right behind us here could look like in
the future, fully developed out.
[37:54] So, the vision for the future, the town
of Moxville will strive to preserve and
[37:57] enhance our small town character and
charm, sense of community, and high
[38:01] quality of life through wellplanned
growth that strengthens and complements
[38:04] our community. And this is something the
planning board worked on uh over a
[38:08] course of several meetings earlier this
year.
[38:11] The goals that came out of the
comprehensive plan, very similar uh as I
[38:15] mentioned to the downtown plan,
obviously strengthen and revitalize our
[38:18] historic downtown as a carryover into
the comprehensive plan. Promote
[38:24] compatible in infield development. Once
again, it's that same notion. It's like
[38:28] grow where you have services, grow where
you have infrastructure. Uh you don't
[38:32] have to send, you know, two miles of,
you know, water and sewer out somewhere
[38:37] when it's right here. uh that can serve
new development infill here in the the
[38:42] heart of town. Uh develop a strong and
authentic tourism economy. This is
[38:46] building off uh some of the same
concepts from the downtown plan,
[38:50] activating an alley, creating this nice
public space as you see here on the
[38:53] right. But while you're doing it, also
take advantage of that history that you
[38:57] have. This is a, you know, potential
Boone family statue that could be part
[39:01] of a his history trail. Uh so when
people come to town, they could visit
[39:06] these different historical markers,
learn about the history of the
[39:09] community. Uh like with the murals, you
could have a mural trail uh as well. So
[39:14] there's lots of ways to leverage that uh
to build your uh tourism economy as
[39:19] well. This is something we heard a lot
about throughout the meetings, uh
[39:22] enhancing walkability and connectivity.
Uh and I think you're seeing that as
[39:27] you're putting together bits and pieces
of sidewalks. You know, a lot of people
[39:30] might see what's going on out the
roundabout with the new sidewalks being.
[39:34] It's like, well, where's that going?
Well, it's it's part of putting that
[39:37] network together, bridging those gaps
and connecting uh to your existing
[39:42] network so that you can walk. Um, and
there's some places that don't have
[39:45] sidewalks at all. Uh, and you know,
following through with those plans. How
[39:49] do we connect uh key destinations
throughout the community? So, I think
[39:52] that's something that came across
through the public input uh and the
[39:56] public meetings as well.
make strategic investments in public
[40:00] infrastructure and services. You've done
that. You've had these great
[40:03] partnerships with water and sewer. Uh
and then moving ahead, continue to look
[40:08] at that with your streets and working
with DOT uh to make improvements as
[40:12] well.
Support sustained business and industry
[40:15] growth. Uh this particular example on
the screen is from the Pilgrim Sanford
[40:19] agricultural marketplace. I think this
is a really good example of, you know,
[40:24] public private coming together. Again,
uh this is not just a farmers market,
[40:28] but it's also a commercial kitchen that
serves uh people in the community that
[40:33] want to start a restaurant, but maybe
don't have the income to do it yet. Uh
[40:38] so they want to try out grandma's
cookies. They've had this recipe for
[40:42] it's been passed down for hundreds of
years. I don't know. And but you have to
[40:46] have a commercial kitchen to package
that and produce it. uh this gives you
[40:50] that an entrepreneur that opportunity to
start that business and maybe move into
[40:54] a vacant storefront and start a new
business uh here uh in Moxville. One
[41:00] example I love to use is from the
Norfick Portsmith area where we worked
[41:04] with a maker space. Uh was a little bit
different model than the agricultural
[41:09] marketplace. But this young man started
making candles in his garage, graduated
[41:14] to this maker space and these candles
were like [clears throat]
[41:17] made out of different cereal cereal
brands. So, you know, smelled like your
[41:21] favorite cereal whether it's Frosted
Flakes or whatever. and he now has a,
[41:25] you know, almost a $2 million business
in a building that employs about 10
[41:29] people in downtown now. So, that's a
[clears throat] it's a neat idea. You
[41:34] know, we invest money, like I said
earlier, in extending water and sewer
[41:38] lines out, but investing money in small
business infrastructure can help create
[41:42] that next entrepreneur and business here
in your community.
[41:47] How we'll grow the future land use map.
And really this map reinforces that idea
[41:51] of promoting infield development uh
that's compatible with the surroundings
[41:55] directing industry where roads and
infrastructure can accommodate it. Uh
[41:59] you know where do you have those
utilities in place to support it? Where
[42:02] are they being planned? Where are they
being put in now? Uh can the roads
[42:06] support it? Expand the downtown
boundary. Uh and we've done that. We've
[42:10] looked at areas where the downtown can
grow. And then this overall idea of
[42:14] transitioning from uh what you have a
typical zoning now, but looking at, you
[42:19] know, more formbbased designed uh you
know, type of development to make sure
[42:23] that it's not just meeting certain uses,
but that it's being placed on the
[42:28] property in the the right way. Uh that
you've got, you addressing connectivity
[42:33] with other development, connectivity
with sidewalks. uh making sure that
[42:37] you're thinking about more than just the
use, but you're thinking about things
[42:40] like buffers, uh you know, trees, things
like that.
[42:46] And then with the uh same with the uh
downtown plan, the comprehensive plan
[42:49] also has uh strategies and objectives uh
with priority time flame time frames uh
[42:55] resources and partners to implement uh
as well.
[43:00] So, the next steps tonight, you know,
consider adoption. Uh, you know, the
[43:05] planning board recommended this to you
all, uh, back at their August 13th
[43:10] meeting, I believe it was. Uh, they
recommended approval to you of both the
[43:15] downtown master plan and the
comprehensive plan. And then certainly,
[43:19] you know, moving forward, implementation
is a is an ongoing thing. Don't see this
[43:24] as just, hey, we're going to put this on
the shelf and be done with it. Uh
[43:28] [clears throat] this is an opportunity
to let the planning board bring issues
[43:32] to you every year. Uh you know, as
you're thinking about budget, as you're
[43:35] thinking about other changes, uh you
need to be looking at the comprehensive
[43:39] plan, the downtown master plan. Uh is it
tracking the way you want it to go? Are
[43:43] there changes that need to be made? And
that's good. You need to make changes.
[43:47] It shouldn't be seen as something that's
set in stone, but something that's a
[43:51] framework and a guide to get you moving
in the right direction. Uh and certainly
[43:55] things are going to change. you know,
you may receive funding for a particular
[43:59] project that's in the plan that you just
never dreamed would have happened. Uh,
[44:03] you know, building a sidewalk, you know,
one of these streets that we talked
[44:06] about that doesn't have one. Uh, you
know, maybe DOT comes to you one day and
[44:10] you've got that partnership and you do
it, you move forward with it. So, things
[44:13] could change, time frames can change,
and I just want to encourage you to
[44:17] think about the plan as that framework
and that guide, but that it can change
[44:22] and it, you know, you should be looking
at it every year. I'm not saying you
[44:25] need to overhaul it every year, but you
should be thinking about it. You should
[44:29] be, you know, especially during budget
time and every year as well. But I've
[44:33] enjoyed working with everyone and be
happy to answer any questions.
[44:36] » Any questions from the board for Jason
at this time?
[44:41] » If not, then we're going to have a
public hearing. Sure.
[44:43] » And then we will we will move on. Uh uh
first of all in the public hearing, this
[44:48] is a chance for anybody that may have
come tonight that wants to speak uh
[44:51] about anything regarding the uh
comprehensive plan. This is your time to
[44:55] come up. You've got five minutes to step
up to the podium and speak either for it
[44:59] or against it.
So if no one wants to speak on that,
[45:04] then we'll close the public hearing and
we'll go to the board. Board, you'll
[45:07] notice on page 22 and 23 of your packet,
there are two resolutions. one uh to
[45:13] adopt the town of Mosville comprehensive
plan and one to adopt the town of Mozel
[45:17] downtown plan. U does anybody have any
questions for Jason or for Lee so we can
[45:22] move forward on on this item?
>> If if I may just make a brief comment.
[45:26] One, I I want to thank you uh
commissioners for making uh a
[45:31] significant investment in this. Uh
you're required by state statute to have
[45:35] a comprehensive plan. Uh but but I'm
committed and and our team will be
[45:40] committed to utilize this as our guide
um as we work with you all on budget
[45:46] process and prioritization
to make these goals and these objectives
[45:51] a reality.
That's that's my commitment to you.
[45:58] And I and one thing to go along with
that, Lee, I know that you you brought
[46:02] this to the table. Jason's worked hard
on this that the all the volunteers, the
[46:06] planning board, and the folks if you can
just convey to them that the board's
[46:09] thanks. I know we we kind of stayed away
from it uh to let them do their work,
[46:14] just convey uh the thanks to them once
once you do reconvene at some point in
[46:17] time and let them know. Uh
>> we we'll do that and and folks with the
[46:21] downtown Moxville uh collaborative. I
don't want to put on the on the spot,
[46:25] but she's very involved. Um, so we we've
got a lot of great uh business folks and
[46:31] residents that have been very involved
in this process to sort of come to where
[46:35] we are today. Thank you, Donnie. So, any
questions from the board?
[46:44] Okay.
If not, then uh on page 22, you'll see
[46:48] the resolution to adopt the town of
Matzo comprehensive plan. I'll just
[46:53] leave the motion as such.
[46:58] Okay, we have a motion from Carl and a
second from Johnny Fry. All those in
[47:02] favor say I. I.
>> Any opposed?
[47:05] » And that resolution passes. Uh the next
resolution is to consider resolution to
[47:10] adopt the town of Moswood downtown plan
which goes along with the uh
[47:13] comprehensive plan and it's on page 23.
>> Make a motion.
[47:18] » We have a motion from Jenny.
>> Second and
[47:20] » a second from Justin. All those in favor
say I.
[47:23] » Any opposed? And that passes
unanimously. Thank you so much for uh
[47:27] for working on that and making this
happen. Thank Thank you for uh bringing
[47:31] this to us. Okay, we'll look forward to
seeing what what comes of it. Okay.
[47:37] » U next item on our agenda, we do have
another public hearing, public hearing
[47:41] to receive comments from the public
concerning the submitt of a proposed
[47:44] community development block ground. I'm
ask Lee if he'll introduce.
[47:47] » Thank you, Mayor. Um uh uh pleased we
have uh Michael Waler, longtime
[47:52] consultant uh with the town that has
worked on uh many many CDBG uh grant
[47:58] applications. So Michael, if you don't
mind, just just go ahead and uh toss it
[48:03] up to the uh commissioners for this uh
SBA uh grant.
[48:07] » Thank you, Lee. Mayor, board members, as
as you're well aware, SBA Homes is
[48:12] located at 134 Gil Gild Drive. And to
date, they they've invested well over
[48:17] $50 million in their manufacturing
process. And they have 194 new jobs.
[48:22] They had promised 76 new jobs in in two
years, and they're at 194. They're
[48:27] looking at a phase two project to expand
their uh their company's manufacturing
[48:32] capacity um to meet the production
volumes of the company. uh they're
[48:36] looking to invest machinery and
equipment that's going to cost in excess
[48:40] of $ 1.5 million
and they're still saying they're going
[48:43] to add an additional 26 jobs by the end
of the year as a result of this phase
[48:48] two. So they're asking the town to apply
for this $750,000 CBG grant that will be
[48:54] used to reimburse the company for
machinery equipment. Okay.
[48:57] » And let me answer any questions you
might have.
[48:59] » Any questions for Michael? I I might
just add uh mayor, thank you for being
[49:04] part of uh meetings. We've had the
assistant secretary of commerce and the
[49:10] state director for uh CDBG program in
Moxville and toward SBA home. Um so, you
[49:17] know, it's just a great opportunity to
to utilize the funding available u for
[49:21] for their continued growth and and I
will just say having toured that
[49:26] facility from at the beginning of this
process and more recently, it is
[49:30] amazing. and the robotics in there is
something that the whole board should uh
[49:34] we need to do a field trip and go see
what's going on there because I I never
[49:37] thought I would see anything like that
in Moxel. So, it it is amazing and
[49:41] they're wanting to add to it. So, that
it's a great day.
[49:44] » So, uh moving on with that, we do have
to have a public hearing on this because
[49:47] the community development block grant
requires that. So, I will open up a
[49:51] public hearing. If there's anybody here
that would like to speak against
[49:55] receiving a grant for $750,000,
please uh come up and speak as such.
[50:01] » Or anybody that would like to speak for
it. So So that's our public hearing. Uh
[50:06] we will take action on that it looks
like in our new business. Yes. Uh thank
[50:10] you, Michael, for speaking. I appreciate
it. Um moving on, we've got a consent
[50:13] agenda to uh to approve. That's our
minutes and financials from the prior
[50:17] meeting.
>> So have a motion from Justin to approve.
[50:22] Second from Jenny. All those in favor
say I. Any opposed. Uh that passes
[50:27] unanimously. Um there is no old business
to speak of. Moving on to new business.
[50:32] Lee, we're considering a new town seal.
>> Thank you, mayor. If you'll look at page
[50:35] 66 uh of your agenda packet, uh you'll
see work that um has been sort of in
[50:43] conjunction uh with the conversion of
our website and with our comp plan.
[50:49] » [clears throat]
>> uh to the left uh you'll see the uh town
[50:52] seal that has our our fountain inland on
it. We've begun
[50:57] um implementing that more in our visuals
with our new signs uh in our downtown
[51:03] area. And then on the far right it says
visit Moxville. We have that, you see it
[51:08] there. Uh we're reserving that for TDA.
Um, so we are beginning the process
[51:13] where we're creating a little bit of
separate uh messaging with official town
[51:18] notifications
uh and then TDA notifications. It got a
[51:23] little bit um
uh combobulated and I think we need to
[51:28] make a clearer delineation. So, um,
you've all asented to this change, but
[51:33] I'd really like for the record for you
all to to be on record as stating, uh,
[51:38] that this would be our new town seal,
and then this would be the TDA's, uh,
[51:42] marketing message. And with that
approval, then we'll begin the process
[51:46] to go ahead and update some of our other
materials.
[51:50] » Motion to approve.
>> We have a motion from Carl to approve
[51:53] the new town seal.
>> Second.
[51:55] » A second from Justin. All those in favor
say I. Any opposed? That passes. So, we
[52:00] have a new town sale. Uh, moving on.
Cons. Item number B, consider adopting a
[52:06] resolution to accept ownership and
maintenance of streets. Lee,
[52:10] » thank you, mayor. Um, I want to thank
our public works director, Brian Moore,
[52:13] for uh getting everything together for
your agenda packet. Um, it it certainly
[52:19] uh has my recommendation for you to
adopt a resolution to officially accept
[52:24] ownership of uh maintenance of these
streets.
[52:27] Okay.
>> Yeah. As we grow as a uh town, we're
[52:31] going to get new streets and I and they
are up to DOT guidelines.
[52:34] » That's correct.
>> As such, so we will get power bill money
[52:36] for for the
>> That's right.
[52:38] » streets. So, any questions for Lee on
the street adoption? Okay.
[52:42] » So, move.
>> Motion from Justin, a second from Johnny
[52:44] Fry. All those in favor say I.
>> Any opposed? That passes. Item number C,
[52:50] consider adopting a resolution to
concept ownership and maintenance of
[52:53] streets, some other streets.
>> Thank you, mayor. Uh again, this is the
[52:57] Hudson Glenn subdivision. Uh I want to
thank Brian uh for uh checking to make
[53:03] sure that we dotted eyes and cross te's
on this. So we just uh we just need for
[53:08] the record for the commissioners to
approve including this into our street
[53:12] system so we can get it on our power
bill map.
[53:17] » So move a motion from Justin, a second
from Jenny. All those in favor say I.
[53:21] » Any opposed? And that passes. Um item
number D, consider adopting a budget
[53:27] amendment number three, the enterprise
fund. Lynn,
[53:30] [snorts]
[53:33] » good evening, mayor, board of
commissioners.
[53:36] Uh there are a few on page 87. Uh there
are a few budget amendments for the
[53:40] enterprise fund to consider totaling
$218,000.
[53:45] Explanations I've included and I'd be
happy to answer any questions.
[53:53] Any questions for Lynn on this? This is
on page 87 of the packet.
[54:06] » We just need a motion.
>> We have a motion from Jenny,
[54:10] » a second from Johnny Fry. All those in
favor say I.
[54:13] » Any opposed? Thank you, Lynn. Um
[clears throat and cough]
[54:17] item number D, consider appointment for
uh filling the town commissioner vacant
[54:22] seat. Lee,
>> thank you, mayor. Of course, uh Rob
[54:25] Taylor seat is vacant. Um as as a board,
you have the opportunity to to appoint
[54:31] someone to that seat. Uh one method is
the motion uh and vote method. I've
[54:37] talked to you informally about that. Um
it appears that may be the process that
[54:41] you would like to take, but I just
wanted for the record to note that um
[54:46] the motion and vote method is one uh
valid option uh for you to to choose.
[54:52] » Okay.
So, uh any any uh direction on this as
[54:57] such? Make a motion to appoint Neil
Cheek.
[55:01] » Second.
>> Okay. Have a motion and a second uh for
[55:04] Neil Cheek. All those in favor say I.
Any oppose? And that passes. Neil Chica
[55:09] is coming off the planning board, so he
has years and years of service. So,
[55:13] he'll be a great addition to our town
board. U and I will talk to him and he
[55:17] should be here at our October meeting.
>> Okay. Next item is to consider approving
[55:23] an agreement with codeight planners in
the amount of 146500. Uh Lee,
[55:29] » thank you, mayor. Um, uh, we put out an
RFP, um,
[55:34] updating our our zoning ordinance, our
development ordinance has been a
[55:38] priority, um, since I came a year and a
half ago, but we wanted to allow the
[55:43] comprehensive plan process to work
through. Uh, and now that we've done
[55:47] that, um, I'm recommending to you, uh,
codeight planners. Chad Meadows is the
[55:53] principal. They're out of Durham.
They're well regarded. Um and uh they've
[55:58] got a a small staff uh and their
proposal uh calls for them to come to us
[56:04] unlike a couple of others that wanted to
do team meetings. This is important
[56:09] enough where they need to come uh to us
to be able to do this work uh to update
[56:14] our unified development ordinances a UDO
and um Mr. Meadows I think will be very
[56:21] helpful. um he stays uh uh very in tune
with what's happening in the general
[56:27] assembly and their change of laws which
I think will be of help to uh to our our
[56:33] town attorney. It it will be another uh
12 to 14month process. Um but um I I
[56:41] think uh for us for this group to come
in coming off the comprehensive plan,
[56:47] listening to feedback, listening to you
all, we we need to rewrite that unified
[56:51] development ordinance and and and make
it more user friendly and provide
[56:55] absolute clarity for our expectations.
>> Any questions for Lee on this?
[57:00] » Motion to approve.
>> Have a motion from Justice, second from
[57:03] Carl. All those in favor say I.
>> Any opposed? So that passes. Uh item
[57:09] number G, consider a resolution for the
town of Moxel's application for
[57:13] community development block grant. This
is going back to what Mr. Walner
[57:17] introduced to us. Uh we just need a
motion to adopt the resolution to submit
[57:21] a formal application to the North
Carolina Development Department of
[57:25] Commerce.
>> Motion from Justin,
[57:29] second from Johnny Fry. All those in
favor say I.
[57:32] » Any opposed? And that passes. Thank you,
Mr. Walter. Appreciate it. Uh we do have
[57:38] an item number H on page five. Consider
a resolution authorizing application for
[57:43] funding for the merger reutilization
feasibility study.
[57:46] » Thank you, mayor. Again, this
[clears throat] is the next step in the
[57:49] process in our utilities. We are now
officially a bulkwater customer. Uh
[57:54] David County has been supplying us water
for a little over a week now, and I came
[57:58] home uh from holiday and I had water
pressure. So, so far so good.
[58:02] Everything's working well.
I've talked to you before. Um,
[58:08] we don't control utilities. Utilities
controls us. It's a numbers game and it
[58:13] has to be a numbers game. So, so the
next step uh Chuck uh Willis uh has
[58:18] recommended that there's uh grant
funding available for feasibility study
[58:22] that would help us with uh water
modeling between Davy's system and our
[58:27] system. So, as we look to the future, we
can have those numbers. The county uses
[58:31] Hazen and Sawyer. We use Willis
Engineers and and uh if we receive this
[58:37] grant, I think it's $50,000
that would go toward a larger study
[58:42] between the county and the town.
>> But the 50,000 grant would allow us to
[58:46] pay our our part for that.
>> Any questions for Lee on this?
[58:52] Seems like it goes right in line with us
and and opening the new plant.
[58:56] » Doesn't always work that way, but so far
that's the intent. Yes, sir.
[59:00] » Motion. We have a motion from Justin,
second from Jenny. All those in favor
[59:04] say I.
>> Any opposed? That passes. Thank you.
[59:09] That is all of our new business. Uh,
moving on to communications from town
[59:12] staff. Al, do you have anything tonight?
>> I do, Mr. Mayor. Just briefly, I'll have
[59:17] to tell you folks to um try to monitor
as best you can the actions in Raleigh
[59:22] at North Carolina General Assembly. And
of course, if you have questions to
[59:27] raise those, I will tell you that the
budget bill passed recently. And the
[59:31] budget bill had, we'll just call them
non-budgetary matters contained therein.
[59:35] Several affect you. I won't go over that
laundry list, but I do commend it to
[59:39] your review and education to learn about
that. I will talk about one thing and
[59:44] then one opportunity. Um, there is
something called a snap error rate
[59:50] penalty. SNAP is supp supplemental
nutrition program that was formerly
[59:58] known I believe as food stamps. It's
county administered. It's it's federally
[1:00:03] funded through the state and county
administered. You don't administer it
[1:00:07] but there was a federal piece of
legislation whose name is not memorable
[1:00:13] but the newspaper name is one big
beautiful bill. And as part of one big
[1:00:18] beautiful bill, there were things buried
within that. One of the things was a
[1:00:23] penalty regarding public assistance and
there was going to be a pass down of
[1:00:29] responsibility and a result of that pass
down through the states is that the
[1:00:34] state has in turn mattered well that's
not the right word. The state has passed
[1:00:38] on some of the obligation downstream.
So, uh there is something called a snap
[1:00:45] error rate penalty
and this penalty is going to be passed
[1:00:50] um down to the counties and then a
percentage is going to go to
[1:00:54] municipalities
and it may have budgetary impact.
[1:00:58] » Uh this is not the form to talk about
that, but certainly if um questions come
[1:01:03] up about that, I'm available to answer
it, but it could have budgetary impact.
[1:01:08] So, it's worth knowing that that's a new
change in the law that's going to
[1:01:12] happen. Secondly, as you may know, uh
the North Carolina League of
[1:01:17] Municipalities has its 2026 legislative
summit that's taking place at the Benton
[1:01:23] Convention Center, which is in your
sister city, Winston Salem. It happens
[1:01:28] on 30 September, 2026.
Uh starts at 11. It's a five-hour
[1:01:34] program one day and if you choose to go,
you can register for it. You can
[1:01:38] register online, but it's an opportunity
to find out about the legislative
[1:01:42] process, what's happened. And really, I
think what they're going to try to do is
[1:01:45] to create a legislative agenda that of
course the League of Municipalities is
[1:01:49] somewhat of a um advocacy organization.
Think you're members and they advocate
[1:01:55] to the elected officials matters of
concern to towns and cities. As you
[1:02:00] know, North Carolina has a handful of
big cities, but it has 570 small towns.
[1:02:07] » Uh, many of which many of which are
smaller than Moxville. Moxville is three
[1:02:12] times the size of the town I grew up in.
This is a big city for us.
[1:02:16] » So, um, anyway, just wanted to make sure
you knew about that. If you haven't
[1:02:19] registered, you should, but it's coming
up in uh in about three weeks. So,
[1:02:23] that's what I have for you.
>> Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it. uh
[1:02:27] Lee, [cough]
>> I [clears throat] think you've had an
[1:02:28] opportunity to to meet informally, but
um I am very very pleased to announce
[1:02:33] two new team members uh joining us. Uh
Kim Wells, who's with uh Lynn, uh Kim uh
[1:02:41] will be coming to us Monday. Is that
correct?
[1:02:43] » Yes.
>> Uh Kim is currently the finance director
[1:02:46] and and town clerk in Booneville. Um uh
she uh has 27 and a half years of
[1:02:53] accounting experience. I think she
worked at Wetti for a period of time.
[1:02:58] So, she has a working knowledge of sort
of how the federal funding levels work.
[1:03:03] Um, and Kim, we are very pleased to have
you uh join us. And u I'm grateful that
[1:03:09] uh Lynn uh committed to uh staying on
board with us uh through the end of
[1:03:15] November. And uh she has agreed uh to be
on retainer for me as necessary. Nothing
[1:03:22] against you, Kim. So, [laughter]
so um uh we will we will uh have have
[1:03:28] Len available. And then uh Eric Nance,
today was his first uh day. Uh Eric
[1:03:34] comes to us. He was a former planning
and inspection director in Stokes
[1:03:38] County. Um he is a certified zoning
official through the school of
[1:03:42] government. He also has a background in
in public works in water and sewer and
[1:03:47] street maintenance. We talked about that
a little bit at lunch. Um but um we are
[1:03:52] happy to have Eric on board and he and I
are meeting with Johnny Easter Thursday
[1:03:57] uh to begin that transition period uh
where all that is uh coming in house for
[1:04:03] zoning and planning for the town as you
had directed me and and had budgeted
[1:04:07] for. So very very pleased to have new
team members on board
[1:04:12] to be here.
>> So um okay. Anything else?
[1:04:16] » That's it. Mayor, I want I want you not
to have to break a record for longevity.
[1:04:21] Got a lot going on tonight. So,
[laughter]
[1:04:23] Jenny Stevenson, good. Carl,
>> good tonight. Thank you.
[1:04:28] » Good.
>> You're all good.
[1:04:32] » So, uh so I would like to welcome Kim
and uh and Eric. I I know that uh you
[1:04:37] don't see it see it right now, but we
got a great team here. This is probably
[1:04:41] the the one of the highest functioning
town boards and uh staff that we've ever
[1:04:46] had that I know of and I and I and I I
appreciate [snorts] everybody uh working
[1:04:50] toward that. We've got a lot going on.
We are a small town in in some towns
[1:04:54] eyes, but yet we are a big town and we
got a lot of heart. So uh so as we
[1:04:59] continue to move forward, I I know that
you are going to add to our team and
[1:05:02] we're going to do great things. Um I
know we got we got a water plant to
[1:05:06] decommission that's coming up. So, uh,
so lot lots of big things happening in
[1:05:09] the future. I'm hearing lots of great
things about the sidewalks going in, um,
[1:05:14] and and things are moving forward. So,
let's continue to do that. Um, if
[1:05:18] there's nothing else that anybody has to
add, then I'll just ask for a motion to
[1:05:22] adjurnn. So, motion from Justin, second
from Carl. All those in favor say I. Any
[1:05:27] opposed? We arejourned. Thank you for
coming tonight.