By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Anchored by a warm sendoff for outgoing Commissioner Albert Yount after 16 years of service on Town Council, the Dec. 12 regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners provided a lot of warm and fuzzy municipal government moments.
Yount had only a few brief comments, most of which brought smiles or laughter from the standing room only crowd packed into the Town Hall council chambers. There were smiles and chuckles aplenty when Yount quoted Mark Twain, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
“On every board I have served, I have tried to use that as my North Star,” explained Yount, the former U.S. Navy serviceman bringing in a nautical reference for what has helped guide his decision-making.
Yount followed that up with the night’s best one-liner.
“I served 16 years, which is probably eight years too many. I think there should be term limits — for everybody except me, of course!” he deadpanned to raucous laughter.
With Yount dispatched into the night, Mayor Charlie Sellers got things on track with the business of the evening, starting with the swearing in of the recently elected starting their new terms. That started with Sellers being sworn in as mayor by Alamance County Superior Court judge Tom Lambeth, presiding over the ceremony. Then Town Clerk Hilari Hubner administered the oaths of office for returning Commissioner David Harwood and newly elected Commissioner Cat Perry.
In the Public Comments portion of the meeting, a Green Hill Road resident for the seventh straight year, he said, asked the Commissioners and Town to do something about the speeding on Green Hill Road. His most recent formal study was in 2021, he reported, with cars reaching as high as 60 miles per hour through the residential neighborhood and a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour. More commonly, vehicles are traveling in excess of 10 mph over the posted speed limit. Sellers thanked him for his comments and suggested to the commissioners that they take up the matter at January’s Winter Retreat, saying he had gotten other complaints about other streets, too, including Ransom Street and Hill Street, among others.
There was one Public Hearing in which Planning Director Brian Johnson outlined a proposed ordinance change for required setbacks where there were severe topographical features of a development site. The ordinance change allows the town administrator author to provide the calculations for determining any setback reductions. After discussion with questions and concerns particularly coming from Commissioner David Harwood as to necessity, the issue was tabled and will be addressed at the Winter Retreat in January.
Summary of Regular Agenda
- Tasha Brown was publicly sworn in as new finance director
- Presentation of the FY2022-23 Audit. Hunter Wiseman of the audit firm Scott, Price & Thompson presented the audit findings. The firm had one Financial Performance Indicator of Concern (FPIC) relating to “… expenditures exceeding legal budget ordinance.” According to the audit notes, “This indicates that the unit’s purchase order system, contract approval process and / or payment process is not in compliance with North Carolina General Statute 159.” The unit in question relates to Water and Sewer Operations and the town has 60 days to respond to the indicated concern.
- Commissioner Melissa Pickett was appointed by the Board as Blowing Rock’s representative to the High Country Council of Government Rural Planning Organization Regional Transportation Advisory Committee.
- Doug Chapman of McGill Associates presented both background and current information about the Memorial Park Improvements Project which had attracted bids significantly over budget in the spring of 2023. He discussed three options for completing Phase II. After discussion, the Board voted to address the matter at length in the Winter Retreat.
The Town Council went into closed session for informational purposes only with no decision expected when it reconvened in open session to adjourn.
