Blue Ridge City Council members gathered for their first meeting of December Tuesday, December 8.
A Liquor License Revocation Hearing was scheduled for the meeting, but an agreement was made prior between the city and the offender, Fightingtown Tavern, owned by Jim Carruthers.
The establishment was under violation of the Alcohol Code Section 35, which involves Excise Tax on alcohol.
“In discussion with Fightingtown Tavern, we’ve reached a stipulation of facts, so we won’t have to have that (a hearing),” City Attorney James Balli said.
From June 2019 through October 20, the city did not receive their owed taxes from Fightingtown Tavern, Balli said.
The taxes has since been paid along with a 25% penalty.
In total, the city received $13,195 from Carruthers.
A Master Bond Resolution and Supplement Bond Resolution was passed.
“It is become standard practice for cities and counties to adopt a Master Bond Resolution that complies with SCC requirements, complies with the current banking standards and also sets forth transparent rules and regulations at stake if the city’s going to enter any kind of bond purchase or issuance that it must comply with these standards set forth herein, and the bond council’s prepared that as a Master Bond Resolution,” Balli said.
“If adopted this would stay in place until a replacement was adopted, but it helps on all different aspects of financial health with the city.”
The Supplement Bond Resolution was adopted in the case of “a specific instance of bonds coming forward,” Balli informed.
The resolutions were approved under two separate motions.
“The first Supplemental Bond Resolution proposes to refinance the water and sewer revenue bonds that were issued in 1997 and also the 2014 bonds, and we have a total bond that would be issued not to exceed 14.8 million at 5% per annum, the couponing 3.5% for the true interest cost.”
The resolutions were passed; however, official figures were reviewed and voted on during a special called meeting via teleconference Wednesday, December 16.
With opposition from Councilwoman Robbie Cornelius, the council approved to raise five-year and over employees’ sick time from 240 hours to 480.
Haight suggested that Finance Director Alicia Stewart begin presenting the council with monthly reports on delinquent taxes.
Panter suggested making the reports quarterly; the motion passed.
A Leave Donation Policy allowing employees to share a day, up to a week, of their sick time to another employee was voted in.
Updating council meeting rules and procedures were discussed. The following are some suggestions made by Haight:
•Incorporating public input at the end of meetings, in addition to at the beginning, to allow citizens to discuss a topic that was discussed during the meeting;
•Extend public commentary to five minutes from two and limiting the council’s discussion topics to five minutes and extended it as needed;
•Have agendas placed on the website prior to the meetings;
•Allow only the person who requested an item be placed on the agenda to remove it;
•Require the approval of three council members to cancel meeting; and,
•Require a point of order to be called in the event the mayor or council members act illegally and allow the mayor pro tem to step in.
Balli explained that due to the Charter’s wording that the mayor must “preside” over all meetings and that the mayor pro tem may oversee a meeting only in the “absence” of the mayor; therefore, the last recommendation was not possible without changing the Charter.
Councilman Mike Panter said he also had some suggestions to include, and Mayor Donna Whitener suggested forming a committee in order to come to an agreement on the changes.
While Councilman Nathan Fitts attempted to make a motion on the topic, Whitener interrupted to “call the meeting to order.”
“There’s a motion on the floor,” Fitts said. “I’d like to make a motion that we adopt the new meeting rules, policies and procedures excluding the items that would be a conflict with our charter, and at that time we’ll handle those through the charter.”
The motion failed with oppositions from Panter, Cornelius and Councilman Harold Herndon with Herndon saying, “No, it scares me.”
Whitener appointed Panter and Herndon to a committee to decide the changes.
After executive session, Jack Clemmons was hired as an assistant meter reader for the Water Department, starting at $11.50 an hour, and Shawn Scearce at the Police Department, earning $18.36 an hour.