[13:28] Order of business like bow your head
please. Most gracious heavenly father we
[13:32] come here again today celebrating the
blessings that you so generously give us
[13:37] each and every day. We just pray Lord
for those that are less fortunate, those
[13:41] who may not have the means that they
need to see about their daily lives and
[13:45] just ask that we be able to do things to
help enhance their lives, the quality of
[13:50] their lives. We pray Lord and thanks for
th this this country for what it stands
[13:56] for. We pray Lord that we might have
your guidance to help us in things that
[14:02] we need improvement on and celebrate the
things that have been fruitful for us
[14:07] all. We ask these things in your name.
Amen.
[14:09] » Amen.
[14:16] » I pledge algiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[14:21] republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[14:28] justice for all.
[14:37] The next item is the adoption of the
business agenda. Everybody's had an
[14:42] opportunity to review it. If there's no
need to make any changes in it when
[14:47] someone feels so led, we need a motion
to approve it as it is.
[14:52] » May I'll make a motion to adopt the
business agenda as presented.
[14:57] » Second.
>> Have a motion by Mr. Stain, second by
[15:00] Mr. Bale. Is there any more discussion
on the matter? There being none, all in
[15:05] favor signify by saying I. I.
>> All oppose, no. The agenda will be
[15:09] approved as it is presented. Um, item
four is special recognitions. I call on
[15:15] uh Chief Cook.
[15:23] Good evening, Chief.
[15:26] Good evening, mayor, council, citizens,
and guests.
[15:30] For those of you who may not know me, my
name is Richard Cook. I'm the fire chief
[15:34] of Rapids Fire Department.
It is my pleasure tonight to present our
[15:39] promotions and newly hired firefighters
thus far in 2026.
[15:44] At this time, I'd like to ask Brian
Hollowell, Will Harris, Chris Boyin,
[15:48] Jared Lynch, Seth Mathy, and Matthew
Pierce please come forward.
[16:06] Each of the me each of these men with
the support of their families and fellow
[16:10] firefighters has worked tirelessly
toward achieving their goals.
[16:15] Their dedication, commitment, and
willingness to serve our community
[16:19] are qualities that we are proud to
recognize. Tonight is my privilege to
[16:24] recognize each of them and congratulate
them on their accomplishments.
[16:31] Brian Hollowell began his employment
with City of Rapids on September 2nd,
[16:35] 2008, working with public works
department. On March 17th, 2009, he
[16:41] transferred to the fire department where
he had the opportunity to work alongside
[16:44] his brother Kenneth.
Brian was promoted to engineer on
[16:49] January 15th, 2013 and lieutenant on
July 12th, 2016.
[16:57] He holds credentials as a North Carolina
EMT,
[17:02] firefighter 1 and two, driver operator
pumps and aerials, fire officer one and
[17:07] two, fire instructor, and fire
investigation technician. the only one
[17:13] in our department. I'll say
[17:17] throughout his career, Brian has earned
the respect of his peers
[17:22] through his extensive knowledge of our
apparatus and his dedication to the
[17:26] department and his strong work ethic.
Tonight, it is my pleasure to recognize
[17:32] Brian for his years of service and
dedication to the city of Ronald Rapids
[17:36] and to announce his promotion to
assistant chief of operations. Brian,
[17:41] congratulations on your well-deserved
promotion.
[17:47] [applause]
[17:52] At this time, I'd like to ask Brian's
wife, Jordan, and his daughters,
[17:57] Ellie,
is Aubrey Aub Aubrey
[18:02] to please come forward and prize on
Brown's new badge on. And don't forget
[18:06] Charlie, the littlest one.
[18:15] decided not to. Oh, there she comes.
>> Here she comes.
[18:41] Good job.
>> Good job.
[18:55] Will [snorts] Harris began his career
with the Ronald Rapids Fire Department
[18:57] on November 27th, 2017. Proudly
following in the footsteps of his father
[19:02] BJ Harris, battalion chief of B shield,
Will was promoted to engineer on January
[19:08] 19th, 2020.
He holds credentials as a North Carolina
[19:13] emergency medical technician,
firefighter one and two, driver operator
[19:18] pumps and aerials, fire officer one and
two, and as a qualified fire instructor.
[19:23] Will also serves as a chairman of our
training committee. Will has earned
[19:28] respect of his peers through his
knowledge, enthusiasm, and consistently
[19:32] positive attitude. It is my pleasure to
announce the promotion of Will Harris to
[19:37] the rank of lieutenant. Congratulations,
WILL. [applause]
[19:46] At this time, I invite Will's brother,
Maul Carris, also a firefighter with
[19:50] Gaston Fire and Rescue, to come forward
and pin on Will's badge.
[19:55] Here
[20:06] we go.
[20:26] Chris Boyin graduated the Nash Fire
Academy in December 2023. He began his
[20:31] career with the Runt Rapids Fire
Department on April 22nd, 2024.
[20:36] He is North Carolina certified
firefighter 1 and two and he is
[20:40] currently working towards his drive
operator pumps and aerial certification.
[20:44] Chris is assigned to CE shift and has
quickly proven himself through his
[20:47] professionalism, commitment and strong
work ethic. It is my pleasure to
[20:51] announce the promotion of Chris Boyin to
the rank of engineer. Congratulations,
[20:56] CHRIS.
[applause]
[21:04] At this time, I' I'd invite Chris's
fiance, Cheyenne Price, to come forward
[21:08] and pin his new badge.
[21:29] » [clears throat]
[21:37] » Jerry Lynch began his career with the
Ron Rapids Fire Department on May 19th,
[21:41] 2014, working his way up to engineer and
eventually step-up lieutenant prior to
[21:45] his departure on October in October of
2023.
[21:53] [laughter]
[21:55] Our department proudly welcomed Jared's
return on February 9th, 2026. He holds
[22:01] credentials as a North Carolina
emergency medical responder firefighter
[22:05] 1 and two driver operator pumps and
aerials.
[22:09] Jarrett is currently assigned to a shift
and has quickly reaffirmed his value
[22:13] through his professionalism, team work,
and strong work ethic. It is my pleasure
[22:17] to announce the promotion of Jerry Lynch
to the rank of engineer.
[22:21] Congratulations, Jared.
[22:25] [applause]
[22:29] At this time, I invite Jared's mom,
Trina Lynch, to come forward and pin
[22:33] Jerry's new bag.
[22:49] I'm not
[23:06] Seth Mafy graduated the Nash Fire
Academy in June of 2022 and began his
[23:11] career with the Runner Rapids Fire
Department on March 9th, 2026. He is a
[23:15] credentialed as a North Carolina
emergency medical technician and
[23:18] firefighter 1 and two. Seth is currently
assigned to a shift under Battalion
[23:24] Chief Gray. It is my pleasure to
introduce firefighter Seth Mafy.
[23:30] [applause]
[23:34] At this time, I invite Battalion Chief
Tim Gray to come forward and pin self's
[23:38] badge.
[24:05] Matthew Pierce began his career with the
Ronald Rapids Fire Department on August
[24:09] 23rd, 2026. He is a credentialed as a
North Carolina emergency medical
[24:14] technician and has his firefighter 1 and
two. Currently is assigned a C shift
[24:18] under Battalion Chief Chris Hov. It is
my pleasure to introduce Matthew Pierce.
[24:23] [applause]
[24:28] At this time, I invite Matthew's wife,
Morgan Paris, to come forward and pin
[24:32] his new badge.
[24:54] If you will give these gentlemen another
round of applause.
[24:59] [applause]
[25:08] » Thank you guys. Yes, sir.
>> Thank you, chief.
[25:13] » All right.
So, that concludes special recognition.
[25:18] I've actually got one more item of
business I need to talk about.
[25:26] Where's my paper?
[25:36] So, as you know, we've been having
more issues with vacant buildings in
[25:44] inside the city of Rapids.
These buildings pose a threat to our
[25:49] firefighters
um and in some cases a threat to the
[25:53] public.
Um, we've had cases where we've had
[25:57] squatters in some of the buildings. As a
matter of fact,
[26:01] yesterday I was in two of the buildings
along with the PD obtaining evidence out
[26:06] of those out of said buildings that it
was really I can tell you from being in
[26:10] there, it was not safe for us to be in
there.
[26:14] Um,
[26:17] I know nobody here has actually crawled
around in a smoke filled room and tried
[26:22] to navigate their way through something
like that in 70 lbs worth of gear. Um,
[26:28] but they pose a great threat to our
firefighters. And with it with there
[26:33] being more and more of them, they're
getting harder and harder to identify.
[26:38] The
2018 version of the International Fire
[26:43] Code, which is the version that North
Carolina is currently using, does state
[26:47] that the fire department has the
authority to inspect the building. The
[26:52] fire marshall, if he deems the building
unsafe, then the building can be marked.
[26:59] This right here is how the building
should be marked.
[27:03] At every entrance, it is reflected.
We intend probably starting next week to
[27:10] start inspections
and we're going to start posting these
[27:14] signs. Now, the reason for this is is
when our officers back there pull up and
[27:20] they see this sign, then they know it's
a no-go bill. Unless they act, unless
[27:26] they absolutely have to, they see
somebody, you know, they see somebody at
[27:31] the window, obviously they're going to
save them. That's what they're trained
[27:33] to do. uh but they're not going to enter
the building if they don't have to
[27:39] because it is unsafe for them.
Um in years past, the way we've gone
[27:45] about this
um in years past, the way we've gone
[27:50] about this is there's always been an
understanding that we had buildings that
[27:54] were no-go buildings. You just you just
do not enter them. The problem with that
[27:58] is there's getting to me more and more
of them and it's hard to keep track of
[28:01] what's what. And specifically, I'll
mention the 200 block of Avenue. There's
[28:07] several buildings in the 200 block of
the Avenue that that it's not safe for
[28:10] us to go in. Um, we've recently had an
incident where power was being stolen
[28:16] from one building to the other and I
don't know why it didn't cause a fire.
[28:19] It it was caught.
Um, we've gone so far as to help out and
[28:24] try to secure those buildings. Um, as a
matter of fact, we put a chain last week
[28:28] on people's theater. Um, I was called
yesterday morning and we went and the
[28:34] chain had been cut. We're doing
everything we can to keep people out
[28:38] because we don't want to have to risk
the lives of these men back here.
[28:42] But we're starting to get backed up
against the wall. So, this is our remedy
[28:49] to that is we at least we can post it.
You know, we're going to continue to do
[28:53] everything we can to keep people out of
those buildings um because it's not safe
[28:58] for them.
But, you know, this allows our people
[29:03] when they get there at 3:00 in the
morning, because eventually one of these
[29:06] buildings is going to burn. When they
get there at 3:00 in the morning and
[29:09] they see that big red X at the entrance,
which is what the code states that it
[29:13] actually is posted at the entrance, then
they know it's a no-go building. So, we
[29:19] intend to start that probably next week.
Um, if everything works out.
[29:25] » Is that just for commercial buildings?
>> Just the commercial buildings. So the
[29:27] fire code does not address residential
buildings. So it's just commercial
[29:33] buildings. But I will tell you as
history has shown, you know, when
[29:39] firefighters
die, get injured. It's in buildings like
[29:44] that. I mean, that's that's what
happens. You know, the people that are
[29:48] in those buildings, they don't come
running out and tell you, "Hey, I was in
[29:52] there and I'm okay." like we teach
people to do because they're not
[29:55] supposed to be in the building to begin
with. And usually they're a direct
[29:59] result of a fire in those buildings.
Well, that you know, well, I say maybe
[30:03] not direct, direct, indirect, but you
know, could be accidental, could be
[30:08] deliberate. I don't know. Um, but we
wanted to make you aware that we do plan
[30:13] to start that that process next week in
case you get question on it.
[30:19] » Thank you for your work on that.
>> NO PROBLEM.
[30:24] » [applause]
[30:29] » ITEM FOUR IS SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS. We
have one individual, Mr. Brodsky had
[30:33] signed up. Uh
[30:50] » Good evening, members of council. My
name is Arfan Brodsky and I live at 936
[30:53] Eastn Street in Rono Rapids. I want to
begin tonight by reading a poem. It was
[30:58] written by Martin Neuer, a German pastor
who lived through the Third Reich and
[31:02] who to his lasting regret waited too
long to speak.
[31:06] First, they came for the communists and
I did not speak out because I was not a
[31:09] communist. Then they came for the
socialists and I did not speak out
[31:13] because I was not a socialist. Then they
came for the trade unionists and I did
[31:17] not speak out because I was not a trade
unionist. Then they came for the Jews
[31:21] and I did not speak out because I was
not a Jew. Then they came for me and
[31:26] there was no one left to speak out for
me. I'm Jewish and that poem's not
[31:30] history for me. It's my family story. My
mother's name is Shiffra. She was named
[31:35] after her paternal grandmother, also
Shiffra, who was hanged in the woods
[31:38] near her home in Poland by Nazi
sympathizers during World War II. Her
[31:42] crime was being Jewish. She didn't die
in a camp. She died close to home in a
[31:47] place she knew among people in her
community who decided that she no longer
[31:51] deserved to live. My son's name is
Joseph. He's named after Schiffer's
[31:56] husband, her Joseph, who survived the
Holocaust. He survived not because the
[32:00] world was just was just, but because the
villagers around him were afraid to come
[32:03] for him. He had been a decorated war
hero in World War I. He fought for his
[32:08] country and he killed many men. And so
they hesitated. That hesitation was a
[32:12] difference between his life and his
death. I carry those names with me every
[32:16] single day. And because I carry them, I
can't be silent when hate speech is
[32:20] allowed to stand without consequence in
this or any community. I want to be
[32:24] historically clear about something
because clarity matters here. Adolf
[32:27] Hitler did not begin with the Jews. The
Nazi regime's machinery of persecution
[32:32] and murder was built in stages. It began
with people the regime labeled
[32:36] defectives, people with physical and
mental disabilities who were subjected
[32:40] to forced sterilization and ultimately
to systematic killing. It expanded to
[32:45] include gay men who were imprisoned and
sent to concentration camps. It then
[32:49] swept up the Roma people, the gypsies,
who were persecuted, deported, and
[32:53] murdered in numbers that Europe is still
reckoning with. The genocide of European
[32:57] Jews, what we now call the Holocaust,
was not the spark. It was the direct
[33:01] result of a society that had already
learned step by step to dehumanize
[33:05] people in categories. That's what
unchecked rhetoric does. It doesn't stay
[33:09] where it starts. It teaches cruelty and
then it spreads. That's why I'm standing
[33:13] here tonight. You see, the mayor's wife
made racist and xenophobic comments. She
[33:18] has not apologized, not once, not in any
form. And Mayor Emory Dowy, the elected
[33:23] leader of the city, waited a full week
before offering a response that by any
[33:27] honest measure was too little, too late,
and too carefully worded to mean very
[33:32] much at all. That's not leadership. It's
damage control. And our community
[33:36] deserves to know the difference. Mayor
Dowy, your time is up. I also want to
[33:41] speak directly to the council. Your
silence is not neutrality. Silence in
[33:45] the face of racist rhetoric is a choice,
and our community sees it. Your combined
[33:49] statement doesn't mention the mayor's
wife by name or even her comments. It's
[33:52] simply a generic statement that didn't
really let anyone know where you stand
[33:56] on this specific issue. When talk of
dissolving the police department came
[34:00] about, each one of you made it a point
to take an individual stand and make
[34:04] individual public statements in open
session supporting our municipal police
[34:08] force. It's really telling that none of
you were brave enough to attach your
[34:12] name to a comment directly condemning
the mayor's wife or the lack of
[34:15] leadership our mayor showed by staying
silent for a full week while the
[34:19] national media picked up this story and
ran with it, further disgracing our
[34:23] city.
I want you all to take a step back and
[34:26] think, would you handle this the same
way if your spouse said what Ivon Dowy
[34:30] said? Would you handle this the same way
if your spouse had years worth of
[34:35] anti-Muslim xenophobic rhetoric
plastered all over her public Facebook
[34:38] profile? There's no path forward for Ron
Oak Rapids with Emory Dowy as our mayor.
[34:43] A leader who cannot promptly, clearly,
and sincerely condemn hate speech,
[34:48] including hate speech from within his
own household, has forfeited the trust
[34:51] this office requires. I'll be back. I'll
be back the next meeting and the one
[34:56] after that and every meeting that
follows until Mayor Dowy resigns or is
[34:59] otherwise removed because Ne Mueller's
great regret was that he waited and I
[35:04] prefer to live my life without regrets.
I brought my children here to watch me
[35:08] speak to listen to the message because
it's important. It's important as Jews
[35:12] to stand with everybody. And my
children, they're anti-racists as well.
[35:16] And when racist rhetoric is spread in
their schools, when they hear it, they
[35:19] have the responsibility to speak out and
to take action. and is large people. My
[35:24] son is 11 years old, 5 foot seven, 175
pounds. And he has an active instruction
[35:30] to actively go after anybody who says
anything racist in front of him.
[35:36] You need to go, Mayor Dowy. You need to
go. Thank you.
[35:54] » [clears throat]
[35:59] » While these uh individuals are making
their way out, we have one uh individual
[36:04] that has signed up for unscheduled
public comment. And we had some people a
[36:09] while back that um didn't know you had
to sign up. So that's why I'm letting
[36:13] everybody know that would like to speak,
you know, just by coming in and and
[36:17] signing up. And we welcome you to do
that. you have three minutes, not like
[36:21] five when you're on the agenda. So, soon
as everyone gets settled back down,
[36:26] we'll move on with that part of the
meeting. Okay. Okay. Okay.
[36:32] » So, if anybody else wants to comment in
public uh comment, just see the clerk
[36:37] now and and get signed up.
>> So, if anybody wants to speak, see the
[36:42] clerk signed up and you'll be welcome to
speak. Uh Miss Briggs, I believe, is
[36:48] first.
[36:51] Good evening.
>> Good evening. Thank you. My name is
[36:54] Amanda Briggs. I'm the president CEO of
the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of
[36:58] Commerce. I hit heavy on that regional
because I'm not just Lake Gaston. I do
[37:02] cover five counties. That one of those
being Halifax. I did want to come here
[37:07] tonight and make a special announcement.
About two hours ago, I got off the phone
[37:10] with Congressman Don Davis. Um he is
coming to the Lake Gaston area on
[37:16] Friday, September 4th at 9:30 a.m. at
the chamber office to do a meet and
[37:21] greet with small business owners. So it
is not a campaign stop. He is literally
[37:26] coming to hear from the small business
owners. So I wanted to make that
[37:31] announcement and let anybody know that
if you would like to come and attend,
[37:34] share your successes, share your
struggles, um anything that you would
[37:38] like to talk to him about, please do so.
So again, that's um Friday, September
[37:43] 4th at 9:30 at the Chamber of Commerce
in Lake Aston. That's it.
[37:49] Okay. Thank you very much.
And Mr. Garrett
[38:08] » [sighs]
[38:13] » Mayor, members of city council, I'm Jim
Garrett.
[38:17] Mayor, I'd like to say congratulations.
That was um quite a heroic
[38:24] demonstration. You standing up for your
wife. I know she's a private citizen and
[38:30] she has no bearing on your job and I
think it's commendable.
[38:36] I'm asking for the city manager to
resign because I see it's a clear double
[38:41] standard in our leadership. The mayor's
wife is a private citizen. She made
[38:47] comments on Facebook. The city manager
issued an official statement about these
[38:53] these comments and all of you signed
them.
[38:58] Now a city ploy employee, the city
librarian has entered the same fight.
[39:03] She identified herself as the librarian.
She criticized the mayor. She said the
[39:09] mayor should give away all of his pay.
And she um supported calls for his
[39:15] resignation.
The city should have a clear policy
[39:20] separating personal politics from city
employment. I've not seen any statement
[39:26] distance dist distancing yourselves from
the comments that Mr. Bronzk's wife, I
[39:33] believe, who is the city librarian, made
on Facebook, the city manager can um can
[39:40] publicly address the speech of a private
citizen like the mayor's wife. Why is
[39:45] there no clear standard when city
employees bring their position to the
[39:51] same controversy?
The manager decided to start policing
[39:57] Facebook and her job to hold everyone
accountable. The manager has a record of
[40:04] inconsistent leadership. I have lost
confidence in the city manager and I'm
[40:10] asking for her resignation or for you
all to replace her. Thank you for your
[40:15] time.
>> All right. Thank you, sir.
[40:21] That's all the names we have. Is there
anyone else at this time that would like
[40:24] to speak?
Okay.
[40:30] We will move on to the approval of the 8
August 18th, 2026
[40:37] minutes.
Need a motion to approve them.
[40:41] Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to
approve the city council meeting minutes
[40:47] of August 18, 2026.
Motion is made by Mayor Pro Tim Bryant.
[40:54] Do you hear a second to
Mr. Second by Mr. Jackson?
[41:00] There any discussion? There being none,
all in favor signify by saying I.
[41:05] » I. All oppose, no. Minutes would be
approved as they are presented.
[41:10] Item eight. Under new business, I'd call
on the deputy finance, Miss Ror.
[41:20] Good evening, mayor and council. Just
one budget amendment for you this
[41:24] evening. So, I would direct you to
ordinance number 2026.42.
[41:29] The city has received a donation or
sponsorship from Bright Speed in the
[41:34] amount of $15,000 in support of our
city's Main Street program. So, we ask
[41:40] that you approve 2026.42
to accept that $15,000 donation.
[41:46] » All right. You hear the finance
director. We need a motion to approve
[41:50] this.
>> Make a motion for me
[41:54] to $15,000
for sponsorship to support the main
[41:59] street.
>> Okay. The motion is made by Mr. Bale.
[42:02] Second to the motion.
>> Second.
[42:04] » Second by Mr. Strickland. Any more
discussion? There being none, all in
[42:08] favor signify by saying I.
>> I.
[42:10] » All oppose, no. Motion will be approved.
Thank you, ma'am.
[42:15] And next, we move on to the city
manager's report,
[42:19] Mr. Train.
>> Good evening, mayor and council. And I
[42:21] will ask um for our main street director
to um share some more information about
[42:26] the main about the sponsorship from
Bright Speed as well. But um the just a
[42:33] few items to note here. The Twilight
Festival is scheduled for Friday,
[42:37] September the 18th at Centennial Park.
It's a community event. Uh the Halifax
[42:42] County Board of Commissioners will hold
its on the road tour and um have its
[42:47] meeting on September the 21st here in
Reno Rapids in this building at 5:30
[42:52] p.m. Also, another community event
that's coming up is the NC DOT by annual
[42:58] fall litter sweep um scheduled September
12th through the 26th. There are
[43:02] resources available through NCDOT for
state roadways and we want to encourage
[43:08] and uh ask community groups to come
together and [snorts] whether it's
[43:11] picking a day or a couple hours each day
or do something to help um clean up
[43:17] litter throughout the city. Um during
that time frame,
[43:21] uh the police department held a
community meeting last night at Shiner
[43:25] Wreck. We were able to get record
attendance so far as requested. So I
[43:28] want to thank everyone for coming out.
Um, it was well attended, good
[43:32] conversations were had. Um, and it
really shows that people care. And um I
[43:38] commend our police chief and his and his
command staff and and all of our police
[43:43] officers and um administrative
assistants uh for their work in and and
[43:50] relaying the needs of the community and
really understanding that many of the
[43:55] problems that are faced are community
problems, not necessarily police
[43:58] department problems or city of Venic
Rapids problems, but um having those
[44:03] open conversations leads to better
results.
[44:07] Uh the next meeting uh will be scheduled
for Monday, October the 19th at the
[44:12] First Pentecostal Church on Becker
Drive. Um and more information will come
[44:17] about that soon. Uh the police club will
hold its cornhole tournament on
[44:23] September the 19th at TJ Davis. Um this
is a fundraiser for their Christmas for
[44:27] kids um program that benefits our
community. Um, for more information,
[44:33] please contact the police department
about it. In the planning development
[44:36] department, they've been uh busy and
also expanding um reviewing plans and
[44:42] progress out at the Cross Creek
subdivision on 125. Uh there's
[44:47] infrastructure that's near completion
and ready for new single family
[44:51] residential homes to be built. Um during
or probably at one of our next meetings,
[44:55] uh we'll ask council to consider
approving and accepting the streets. um
[45:00] that are proposed for the by the
developer for city um inventory.
[45:06] Um parks and recreation is planning for
the annual 5K and fun run and walk u to
[45:12] be held Saturday, September the 19th.
The race will start and end at the
[45:16] Dominion Day use park at the end of Oua
Avenue and the registration is available
[45:20] at www.rronoccanal.com.
[45:25] The senior center in addition to their
regularly scheduled activities has some
[45:29] other special events taking place
including grief support with Nancy Hugs
[45:33] at 2:00 September the 3rd and the 19th.
Hearing life screens will be held on
[45:38] Octo September the 9th. Medicare
appointments September 21st.
[45:44] ECU health screens September 29th. And
coming up on October the 1st will be the
[45:50] annual aging expo held at Kirkwood
Adams. [snorts] the fire department um
[45:56] is well chief changed but uh they're
sporting it's now September 1st which is
[46:01] also lymphoma awareness month and the
department will maintain its tradition
[46:04] of wearing the slime green colors to
increase the awareness of firefighter
[46:08] cancer risks that um plague the
profession
[46:12] and also September is uh suicide uh
awareness month and so uh we've received
[46:19] uh some armbands to remind folks and
also to promote the 988 emergency line
[46:25] or the health line um for anyone in
crisis. Um Public Works is preparing for
[46:30] loose leaf collection season that will
begin on November the 1st. They are
[46:34] assisting in securing vacant residential
structures recently completed 217 Monroe
[46:39] and 126 Wilin Streets. [snorts] Uh and
I'm in finance and HR. Um we've been
[46:45] facilitating the issuance of the um law
enforcement bonuses that have been
[46:50] directed by the general assembly through
the state bureau of investigation. This
[46:54] is part of the state's adopted budget.
Um so there is a level of effort
[46:58] involved um with the city administration
in that in addition to preparing for our
[47:03] fiscical year 26 audit services and uh
closing out that fiscal year. Uh the
[47:10] city will observe the Labor Day holiday
on Monday um September the 7th. So most
[47:14] of our facil most of our buildings or
city offices will be closed. Believe is
[47:19] parks and recreation open TJ will be
open that day. And then our next
[47:24] regularly scheduled um council meeting
will be Tuesday the September the 15th
[47:29] at 5:30 p.m. And um Miss Thomas, are you
prepared to to share some information? I
[47:36] I didn't want to leave you out, but um
want you to share about First Fridays
[47:41] and the Bright Speed sponsorship
[50:48] subject to your questions. That
concludes my report.
[50:54] Um, if I could make a comment on the uh
meeting that we had over at Chhatt uh
[51:00] recreation department last night. I know
you came in and police chief is he's not
[51:05] going to make make any comment. Is it
okay if I do something on it right
[51:09] quick? It it was a good group of people
there. It was it was pretty much full
[51:15] and um people asked a lot of good
questions and it was very um easy to
[51:21] discern that the individuals that were
there were very much interested you know
[51:26] we we've had some some comment about uh
defunding or doing away with our police
[51:31] department to me and and Mr. Strickland
and Mr. veil where they also it seemed
[51:36] like they were very much interested in
uh enhancing our police department if
[51:41] anything much less doing away with it.
So um they asked some really good
[51:46] questions. Uh they were very sincere
about um the difficulties that they had
[51:53] experienced and it it wasn't in just one
area of town. It was several areas that
[51:58] did people, you know, some live
downtown, some live across 158. And um I
[52:04] thought it was I've been to a couple of
those meetings. I thought it was by far
[52:07] the best one. And uh the chief and the
captains that were there u provided good
[52:13] information for the people. And I mean,
I felt like I got something out of and I
[52:18] think the people that came did also. So
I I think if he can continue those
[52:22] meetings that they would um have have
continued better uh attendance in people
[52:28] coming and um how how do you get the um
material you need for the fall litter
[52:35] sweep? How do you get that from public
works or where
[52:40] » uh there is a um request through you can
make a request through the county um DOT
[52:47] office
>> the county
[52:48] » through their maintenance office
[52:53] » I don't have the information in front of
me
[52:54] » would it be possible for public works to
kind of give us some spots that really
[52:59] needed I know I know one that pops into
my mind is out where Henson Street comes
[53:04] out on 10th street in that curve Yeah,
it's always it's always a bad place
[53:08] there. You think that's possible?
>> I'm sure we can come up with some uh
[53:13] areas that state roads um that would
benefit from that.
[53:16] » Okay.
I mean, that's that's something anybody
[53:19] that can walk and bend over can do. Uh
that's that's a good project and and you
[53:24] get you get immediate benefit from it. I
mean, you don't have to wait and see see
[53:28] how it's going to look. As soon as you
get finished, it looks nice. Does
[53:32] anybody else have any questions?
>> Yes. Okay,
[53:36] » Kelly, where are we at for second
[53:42] » demolition?
Uh the we have a order um for the
[53:49] demolition and removal. The owner of the
property has not complied with that
[53:53] order. uh the city council if should
desire we can
[53:58] uh we have the authority to complete the
uh remediation which is demolition in
[54:04] this case. Um the planning department
did solicit bids um back in April and
[54:11] did receive uh a bid in the matter of
$500,000 for the demolition.
[54:17] Um at this time um that project is not
funded. Um, and
[54:25] that's where that stands at this point.
[54:30] » Well, what do we got to do?
>> Appropriations by city council in the
[54:36] form of a budget amendment would be
appropriate.
[54:40] » Can I
Well, Mr. Davis came back several months
[54:44] ago. Um, Representative Davis,
he told us he could not help us if it
[54:50] was a private building.
What would happen if we were able to to
[54:55] reach out to the owners and purchase it
from them? Then it would be our building
[55:02] far as would it at least open up an
opportunity for us to get some funding?
[55:08] We don't know we get it, but is that is
that possible?
[55:12] and and maybe you can't answer that
question right now.
[55:14] » That's a that's a dangerous choice for
the city council to make until unless we
[55:20] are certain 100% that we're going to get
that funding. Um that's a that's a
[55:28] dangerous choice. I think it I think it
would be trivial for us to to take it
[55:32] into our possession, but then suddenly
now we do have that liability. um you
[55:37] know, as it is now, you know, if if
I hate to say it, but and I feel like
[55:42] I'm I'm maybe giving in to some kind of,
you know, social media kind of whatever
[55:49] you call it, catastrophic kind of
theories, but if the building were to
[55:53] fall down today and hit somebody, that's
not the city's problem. It's not our
[55:56] It's not our property. Just because
something happens in the city of Renick
[56:00] Rapids, it is not the city or our
liability carrier or our problem.
[56:06] um if the city owns that building, it is
absolutely our problem.
[56:12] And so I I'm I'm you know, if we had
some kind of of absolute guarantee and I
[56:17] don't know how I don't know the the the
function of facilitating that to where
[56:22] we have that level of guarantee, I I
don't see otherwise we would we would be
[56:27] there and it would be taken care of. But
um
[56:31] without that I would strongly discourage
that from becoming city property because
[56:38] we are accepting a huge liability. Um,
and
[56:44] you know, to to the to the I I guess
going to the the original question, you
[56:48] know,
we could clean up and and I think we
[56:51] we've kind of talked about this before,
but just to put a fine point on it, the
[56:54] the city has would have the authority
through various statutes to condemn and
[57:00] clean up a lot of properties that are
derelict, you know, um
[57:07] that have become a public nuisance that
um are in need of demolition. or repair,
[57:12] we have that ability to do that. We
could very quickly bankrupt the city
[57:16] doing that. Um because those costs fall
on us. And kind of like we've talked
[57:20] about before, the only way that you get
those costs, you know, we could could we
[57:25] do a budget amendment and take $500,000
out of fund balance and demolish that
[57:30] building? Yes. Um I certainly would not
suggest that. um if you ever were to do
[57:37] that or if you were to use any other
kind of funding funding mechanism and
[57:41] and like I say, you know, unless you're
going to our our budget is is our
[57:46] budget. There's really not really any
give there. Um so you're so there's only
[57:50] two places else that well there's only
one place else that the city could get
[57:54] funding um this fiscal year and that
would be the fund balance. Um, you know,
[57:58] in a longer term program, could the
city, and I I even hesitate to say it,
[58:02] but could the city raise taxes to fund
demolition efforts? Yes. Um,
[58:10] you know, so unless there's some kind of
outside grant or somebody that's going
[58:15] to give that money to the city, however
the city is paying it, the assumption I
[58:20] think should be is that that is money
that is going to that would be spent by
[58:24] the city that is not going to come back.
Um, you know, the idea that, you know,
[58:30] you're going to go out and demolish a
building and essentially create a vacant
[58:35] lot. Um, what does the value of a vacant
lot at the corner of Second and uh, Reno
[58:42] Avenue have? Probably not very much. Um,
certainly not $500,000
[58:48] um, worth. Um, and so, you know, it's
we're we're kind of back at that that
[58:53] same kind of question when you have
when you have aging buildings like this.
[58:59] And it's one of the reason, and I know I
always say this, it's one of the reasons
[59:01] that our building codes are so that that
modern building codes are so important
[59:06] is because one of the reasons why
we
[59:12] require developers to build buildings in
a certain way is so that they have a
[59:18] they have a a normal lifespan and that
we don't have to worry about them during
[59:24] that lifespan becoming derelict or um
because of, you know, shoddy
[59:29] construction or something like that
becoming a a burden that's then borne by
[59:34] the public at large. Um, and so, you
know, these obviously, you know, we all
[59:39] know that that that
those buildings on Reno Avenue um are
[59:45] very old. They're certainly older than
than I am. Um, and you know, they were
[59:51] when they were built, I I don't know,
you know, what somebody had in mind as
[59:56] far as their their normal lifestyle,
their their their
[1:00:01] um lifespan. Um, thank you. Um, I don't
know. I don't know what folks had as far
[1:00:06] as their their lifespan, but obviously,
you know, it it has come to the end of
[1:00:10] that. Um, and you know, does it need to
be demolished? I think we all agree that
[1:00:15] that yes. um you know with with the with
the level of asbestos contamination in
[1:00:20] there, there is no there's no other
solution. You can't you can't remediate
[1:00:24] that. You got to go down to the you got
to go down to the floor and if you're
[1:00:28] going to build something back up, build
something back up. But um
[1:00:33] there's [clears throat] there's just it
it's the city's real option unless
[1:00:39] there's unless you know the state
creates some kind of program tomorrow,
[1:00:44] you know, some
I don't know, you know, some um wealthy
[1:00:50] benevolent millionaire wants to uh give
us give us some money to take care of
[1:00:54] it. Um, you know, other than, you know,
something coming from outside,
[1:00:59] um, the only way that the city funds
demolition out there is by either
[1:01:04] essentially taking from savings or
creating new revenue to that level. And
[1:01:11] I, like I say, that's that's the dilemma
that that that we're all in. And
[1:01:17] you know, it's one of those things
where, you know, I think
[1:01:20] and and and maybe this is kind of
getting outside of my role as city
[1:01:23] attorney, but you know, I know that
folks want solutions for that. And I
[1:01:30] think sometimes they think that because
there is no that they haven't seen any
[1:01:34] solution out there, because we haven't
found the magic bullet or that maybe
[1:01:38] there is a magic bullet out there that
we're just choosing not to use. Um,
[1:01:42] that's that's not the case. if we if we
had some
[1:01:47] way of of solving this problem, I I I am
pretty certain that the city would go
[1:01:52] down that road and do it. Um, so I don't
know that that may be more than than we
[1:01:56] were looking for, more than I I have to
say. I don't know if the city manager or
[1:01:59] the uh planning director has anything
that that I may have missed or that you
[1:02:03] may think needs to be added. I'll just
echo that we continue to look for and
[1:02:08] pursue remedies for that building and it
has changed ownership since uh council
[1:02:16] uh adopted the ordinance on it. Um I
think that the owner of record has maybe
[1:02:23] corresponded with the planning
department one time but now at this
[1:02:27] point we don't hear back from any from
we don't the current owner has been
[1:02:33] unresponsive.
um on the level of effort for that
[1:02:36] building.
>> I have a question. How many bids were
[1:02:39] submitted uh with the demolition?
>> I I don't know. I think there could have
[1:02:44] been two, but
>> two
[1:02:45] » uh is there is there any hope of getting
a third or fourth?
[1:02:50] » Reasonable hope on that.
>> We can rebid the project and see what we
[1:02:54] come up with see what the return is. Um
we have advertised and that forbid a few
[1:03:01] times but because of the anticipated
cost we do have to follow state
[1:03:06] procurement processes and receive a
certain number of bids and then perhaps
[1:03:10] and if you still don't receive a certain
number then you have to readvertise and
[1:03:14] upset. Um and so it could be a lengthy
process uh that we're willing to pursue
[1:03:19] on that. that the struct standalone
buildings like residential homes or
[1:03:24] standalone buildings are much easier,
but when they are uh when there's party
[1:03:28] walls and shared walls, there's also
structural conditions that you have to
[1:03:32] be aware of and concerned about is um in
those scenarios. But
[1:03:38] um we'd be glad to pursue um additional
bids for that property.
[1:03:45] » Can we get a consensus on that? Maybe
just going to get
[1:03:49] try the bid process one more time.
>> So, you're saying you put it out for bid
[1:03:53] or do you contact each you pick out
people in contact or you just advertise
[1:03:58] we want to bid on demo demo in this
building?
[1:04:00] » There has to be a formal um bid
procedure uh advertisement and scope of
[1:04:04] work. So, um we would have to follow the
general statute guidance and our in our
[1:04:10] procurement policy on that. Um and a
council action is not necessarily
[1:04:15] required since you've already adopted
the the order for the demo and
[1:04:20] clearance. And so um we can again pursue
that um with the cost of advertising
[1:04:27] um as part of the process.
>> For some reason I was thinking it was
[1:04:31] 250,000. I don't know where I got that
number.
[1:04:33] » That that figure was
>> when you told me five I went wild.
[1:04:36] » That figure was shared several years
ago.
[1:04:38] » Okay. um
>> inflation
[1:04:41] » and and the majority of the costs have
to do with the wood, the disposal of the
[1:04:46] material there. It's a lot of brick,
metal, wood um and those materials
[1:04:52] assuming assuming contamination uh have
to go to uh asbestous receiving landfill
[1:04:59] um under certain treatment conditions.
And when she when the city manager says
[1:05:05] assuming contamination, it's not we
assume that it's contaminated. It's that
[1:05:09] the law requires us to to assume that
they are contaminated. That is it's it's
[1:05:14] not it's not a well, we're just guessing
they are. No, we know that they are. And
[1:05:19] so because some part of that structure
is, the law forces us to treat all of
[1:05:25] the materials that come from that site
as being contaminated. So it's not like
[1:05:29] somebody can sit there and kind of shift
through and say, well, you know, this is
[1:05:33] this is asbestos contaminated, but this
this part over here isn't. We are
[1:05:37] required by law to assume that all of it
>> and a lot and and that is because the
[1:05:43] unsafe conditions of the building don't
allow a full asbestous survey to be
[1:05:48] conducted uh where all the materials can
be tested.
[1:05:54] And generally before in in under the
normal process or the routine process,
[1:05:58] you have to remove the asbestous before
you're issued a demolition permit. But
[1:06:03] the unsafe conditions warrant that
you're it's you're not able to go in and
[1:06:08] effectively remove the asbestous
containing materials um prior to
[1:06:13] starting demolition activities. So
everything has to be treated as
[1:06:17] asbestous through approved methods uh
through environmental services.
[1:06:25] The walls, I understand, are like eight
bricks wide, thick. So, you know, it's
[1:06:31] probably it's probably not going to fall
when the roof continues to go down. So,
[1:06:37] I mean, we we might be looking at 30 or
40 more years unless we get a violent
[1:06:41] storm or something.
Everybody on this council and probably
[1:06:46] the people that work for the city and
and then anybody else that has people
[1:06:50] that come from out of town
They want to know what's going on
[1:06:54] downtown.
So, I think we need to continue to to
[1:06:59] try every angle to see if there's any
money that can come from somewhere.
[1:07:05] » Now, you said you going to follow up on
the Brownfield cleanup and assessment
[1:07:11] grant.
>> Yes. Um,
[1:07:15] as part of the Brownfield Coalition,
there's a meeting next week that will
[1:07:19] discuss the 27 application period.
>> Any reason why they decline 2425
[1:07:29] 26?
>> Those reasons? Well, it's a very
[1:07:33] competitive program through the United
States Environmental Protection Agency
[1:07:37] and um they're regional applications and
so people all over the United States
[1:07:42] review different locations. our
applications have been competitive um
[1:07:48] but there's not enough money to serve
all and so um those grant applications
[1:07:54] um are typically for a 3 to 5 year um
period of performance and
[1:08:02] um
we work with the upper coastal plane
[1:08:06] council of governments um because the
regional applications are determined to
[1:08:12] be the most success successful option
And so um there is feedback that has
[1:08:19] been shared with the applicant, you
know, with applicants as far as we'll
[1:08:23] learn more about what we need to do to
improve our application. Um but again,
[1:08:28] it's it's a very competitive program. Um
buildings all across the United States
[1:08:32] are experiencing similar conditions. um
they were built 100 plus years ago and
[1:08:37] and um but really the the owners failing
to maintain and then neglecting their
[1:08:45] properties is how we end up where we
are. and and you know and I kind of said
[1:08:50] it but she kind of said it too and I I
think it is something to kind of keep in
[1:08:53] mind is the kind of course of of
building over the the 20th century and
[1:09:00] the 21st century and that this is a
problem that is not is not unique to
[1:09:06] Reno Rapids. It's a problem that that a
lot of towns our size and smaller have
[1:09:11] in that you have um a a significant
amount of especially commercial
[1:09:19] um
structures that were built in the middle
[1:09:23] part of the 20th century and they
they've just reached the end of their
[1:09:27] lifespan.
And um you know because like cities in
[1:09:33] our case have have built out and kind of
moved away from their main streets um
[1:09:37] because of the cost of remediating a
building versus just building something
[1:09:41] new.
um
[1:09:44] you kind of end up in in these
situations where you have an an aging
[1:09:50] um main street in our case and in a lot
of cases that um
[1:09:56] the the costs just make it proative
probitative for even the for for the
[1:10:01] owners to remediate. And at that point,
you know, that there comes a point where
[1:10:07] the exposure to them is,
you know, that there's there's nothing
[1:10:11] that you can do. I think we've talked
before about when something is held by a
[1:10:15] LLC when it's and and that's the only
asset. Yes, I would we would love to be
[1:10:21] able to go after um the individuals
involved in the LLC, but the fact of the
[1:10:26] matter is is you generally cannot do
that. Not not for a liability such as
[1:10:31] this. Um, if courts allowed you to
pierce the corporate veil in scenarios
[1:10:37] like this,
you wouldn't have LLC's. There would be
[1:10:41] no there would be no point in that that
corporate protection. Um, is that fair?
[1:10:45] Is that right? In this case, it really
does, you know, hurt a city like ours in
[1:10:51] that um, you know, a a
the an LLC can own or a a corporation or
[1:10:59] corporate entity can own a piece of
property like this with no other assets
[1:11:03] and basically say, well, you know, it's
a there's we don't have any other
[1:11:06] assets. We just have liabilities. Um,
and so that that really, you know,
[1:11:12] constrains our our ability to be able to
um
[1:11:17] recover anything. You you can't get
blood from a turnup. Um and and you
[1:11:22] know, unfortunately, regardless of what
what some people may want or or may, you
[1:11:27] know, depending on how you look at it,
be just, you know, we're not going to be
[1:11:31] able to go out and and drag the members
of that LLC and and throw them in jail
[1:11:37] or or threaten them in any way to get
them to to do that. That's just not
[1:11:40] something that legally
we have the tools for in in this state
[1:11:44] or in in the country. Um, and so anyway,
that like again that that may be kind of
[1:11:49] getting outside of of the kind of
specific instance we're talking about,
[1:11:54] but that's the [clears throat]
that's the context that we're in. So,
[1:12:00] » okay. Thank you, Mr. Davis. Anything
else needs to come before us tonight?
[1:12:06] Mayor, I'd like to um suggest I think
I've talked with a couple of council
[1:12:12] members about this upcoming um fall
litter sweep and I think this would be a
[1:12:20] great opportunity for us to assist our
citizens in getting our areas cleaned
[1:12:28] up. Um Mr. Manning, I think it was said
that you could provide bags or something
[1:12:34] from the county. Is that correct?
>> Oh,
[1:12:39] » from DOT house for state first roads.
>> Okay, great.
[1:12:43] » It's Mr. Love.
>> Um,
[1:12:46] I just like to put the word out if we
have organizations that are willing to
[1:12:52] do some community cleanup during the
during that time. They've designated
[1:12:57] September 12th through the 26
to please
[1:13:02] do so. let me know personally if we have
other council members. I think Mr. Bale
[1:13:09] and Stain had possibly agreed. We'd be
happy to come out and help do some work
[1:13:15] and, you know, help beautify our city.
I don't know what we can do, how much
[1:13:22] difference it'll make, but if it's only
two or three yards that we get done,
[1:13:28] it's going to make it look better than,
you know, we not doing anything. and we
[1:13:33] invite other community groups to join in
and let us know if you need the bags or
[1:13:39] whatever and we can set a schedule as to
where we want to work during those some
[1:13:46] of those days. Thanks.
>> I like that idea.
[1:14:01] motion. Second second