[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.

September 8, 2026 Town of Mocksville Board Meeting

Transcript