Page 208 Page 208 GASTONIA CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 6, :00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CITY HALL GASTONIA, NC

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1 Page 208 Page 208 GASTONIA CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 6, :00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CITY HALL GASTONIA, NC Mayor John Bridgeman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 in the City Hall Council Chambers, Gastonia, North Carolina. Before opening the meeting, Mayor Bridgeman made a few announcements. He acknowledged the passing of Mr. Bobby Brown, Mrs. Betty Seay, and Mr. Ron Owenby. Councilman David Kirlin opened the meeting with prayer. Mayor Bridgeman led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Ms. Sherry Dunaway, City Clerk, recorded the minutes. PRESENT: Mayor John D. Bridgeman Mayor Pro Tem Todd Pierceall Council Members: Robert Kellogg David R. Kirlin James Gallagher Porter L. McAteer David Humphries City Manager: Michael Peoples City Attorney: L. Ashley Smith ABSENT: None ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA Councilman Gallagher made the motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Councilman Kirlin seconded the motion. Council approved the Adoption of the Agenda unanimously. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES Councilman Kellogg made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 7, 2017 regular Council Meeting and the February 21, 2017 regular Council meeting. Councilman Humphries seconded the motion. Council unanimously approved the Adoption of the February 7, 2017 and the February 21, 2017 Regular Council Meeting minutes as presented. AWARDS, CEREMONIES, AND PROMOTIONS E.1: Recognition of 2017 Municipal Citizens Academy Graduates Mayor Bridgeman recognized Mr. Michael Peoples, City Manager, to present this item. Mr. Peoples stated that he was confident that after six months of hard work and dedication, that the Municipal Citizens Academy Graduates would be able to go out into the community to answer questions, and to communicate back to the City on issues that could be improved. The next

2 Page 209 Page 209 recruitment and training session will occur in January He asked that the graduates come forward to receive their certificates and then to group together in front of Council to have a picture taken of this event. Mr. Peoples read the names of the graduates: Ms. Angela Burgess Ms. Cheryl D. Comer Mr. Tyler Davis Mr. Glenn R. Fried Mr. Max Dixon Gray Mr. Kyle Westley Hearns Ms. Lacy Kelley Mr. William Bill Marino, Sr. Mr. James Leon Nebo Ms. Denise Onativia Ms. Christopher Chris Thomason Ms. Beverly BB Washington Ms. Johnine Williamson Mayor Bridgeman congratulated all the graduates. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 29.) Mayor Bridgeman read a complimentary and thankful received from a citizen, dated June 5, regarding the swift and professional action of the Police Department regarding an incident in the neighborhood. PUBLIC EXPRESSION Mayor Bridgeman stated two people have signed up to speak during Public Expression. He recognized Mr. Don Barkley and asked him to come to the podium. Mr. Don Barkley, 3101 Whitson Road, Gastonia, NC. Mr. Barkley stated that he asked for information on a Greenway when Mr. Munn was City Manager. He passed out an older, out of date map of the Greenway that showed two trails headed north. Now, new maps delete some original areas, and what concerns him is that a City Manager would be able to change a map on his own without Planning or anyone else having something to do with that change. He asked Council to consider if they prefer the original Greenway system designed by NC DOT, or the change through Marietta Avenue, which was not accepted by NC DOT

3 Page 210 Page 210 Ms. Rose Brown, 4814 Barrett Road. Gastonia, NC. Ms. Brown stated that she no longer resides in Gastonia but she wanted to speak at a City Council meeting before she competes for the title of Miss North Carolina in two weeks. She stated that her topics are poverty and homelessness in Gastonia. She offered a suggestion to help alleviate these problems and that is volunteering. Ms. Brown relayed her volunteer experience while working at the Gastonia Crisis Assistance Food Bank and encouraged all in attendance to volunteer at that location. She stated that Gastonia has a poverty rate of 27.5%, whereas the state of North Carolina has a poverty rate of 20%. Ms. Brown wanted to inform Mayor, Council, and all in attendance that this percentage concerned her. She offered her thanks for the opportunity to speak before Council Mayor Bridgeman thanked Ms. Brown for her comments and wished her luck in the Miss North Carolina pageant competition. CONSENT AGENDA G.1: Monthly Financial Report for April (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 30.) G.2: Budget Amendment $1,585,000. To Appropriate Electric Fund Balance to Cover Anticipated Purchase Power Costs for June 2017 and to Increase Hotel Occupancy Tax Revenues. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 31.) G.3: Ordinance to Demolish 1512 Collinston Drive (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 32.) G.4: Ordinance to Demolish 1820 Maxton Avenue (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 33.) G.5: Ordinance to Demolish 1044 Ridge Avenue (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 34.) G. 6 Budget Amendment , $8,900, Recognize Proceeds and Resolution for Offer to Purchase and contract for the Sale of 104, 108, and 112 Nat Barber Avenue. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 35.) G.7 Budget Amendment , $16,800, Recognize Proceeds and Resolution for Offer to Purchase and Contract for the Sale of 606 Moran Street, 616 Moran Street, and 703 N. York Street. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 36.) G.8 Final Recording Plat the Enclave at Cramer Woods Phase 1, Map 2 (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 37.)

4 Page 211 Page 211 G.9 FY Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) 85X Gastonia Express Bus Inter-local Agreement (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 38.) G.10 Agreement between City of Gastonia and United Way of Gaston County to Serve as Collaborative Applicant for the Continuum of Care ($35,000) (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 39.) G.11 Proposed Renewals of the Standard Enterprise License Agreement for ESRI GIS Software (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 40.) Mayor Bridgeman entertained a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Councilman McAteer seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. REGULAR AGENDA H.1 Adoption of Fiscal Year Annual Budget Mayor Bridgeman recognized Mr. Peoples for the presentation. Mr. Peoples presented: 1. Changes to the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year Mr. Peoples stated that these are very minor changes made from the City s last Budget meeting. 2. The Budget Ordinance for Fiscal Year Annual Budget. 3. The Project Ordinance for Fiscal Year Community Development Block Grant. 4. The Project Ordinance for Fiscal Year Capital Projects Budget. Councilman McAteer asked about funds being allocated from departments for the FUSE project. Mr. Peoples stated that there are funds for Electrical, Water and Sewer Department budgets for the relocation of utilities, water, and sewer to the FUSE District. To achieve the total cost of the FUSE project, an architectural engineering firm would begin a study to view all aspects of the project and determine a budget that would be brought before Council. The money set aside in this budget is for the cost of infrastructure. Councilman McAteer asked that all plans for the FUSE project should be planned well and to do it right then the City can go out and try to raise money for the project with confidence. Councilman Humphries stated that Ms. Melody Braddy, Ms. Crystal Falls, and other staff members have done an amazing job with the City s Budget and thanked them for their work

5 Page 212 Page 212 Councilman McAteer stated that there is no tax increase, no electrical, no water and sewer increases for citizens in this budget. Councilman Gallagher made a motion to accept the Budget as presented by staff. Councilman Kirlin seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall asked if the motion is for all items in Item H1. Adoption of Fiscal Year Annual Budget. Councilman Gallagher stated that it was for all H1 Items. Mr. Smith added that all three Ordinances were approved by this motion as presented. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 41.) Adoption of Consolidated Fee Schedule Mayor Bridgeman recognized Ms. Susan Klutz, Revenue Administrator. Ms. Klutz stated that several months ago, the City Manager asked staff for a Consolidated Fee Schedule of all City fees, rates, and charges. She stated that there are three changes involving Electric (effective 10/1/17), Water and Sewer Capital Recovery Fees (effective 7/1/17), and an Increase to Planetarium and Science Theater Admissions fees (effective 7/1/17). Councilman McAteer commended Ms. Klutz and her staff for all the hard work in compiling the consolidated fee schedule. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall asked if there was any public comment on the three fee changes and Ms. Klutz said there was none. Councilman Gallagher asked if it was easy to find fees on the City s website. Ms. Klutz said that she would have to defer that question to Technology Services as this information is in a PDF document and added that staff is always open to suggestions or requests for easier cross reference or indexing of information. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall made a motion to approve the Adoption of the Consolidated Fee Schedule as presented by staff. Councilman Kirlin seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 42.) Mayor Bridgeman asked that another item, H2A, be added for consideration and invited Mr. Peoples to discuss his Memorandum to Mayor and Council dated June 6. Mr. Peoples stated that in his memo, he is recommending for Council s consideration an Employee Appreciation Day for Monday, July 3, to be a one-time only day off for City employees in conjunction with the current holiday on Tuesday, July 4. Councilman McAteer thought that employees could take a vacation day on that day if they wished and he hoped that considering this additional day off was not setting a precedent. He was also concerned that there would be no garbage pickup on these scheduled days

6 Page 213 Page 213 Councilman McAteer proposed that Veterans Day be made a holiday for City employees as Federal, State, and County government offices all observe Veterans Day, and asked Council to consider it. Councilman Humphries appreciated Councilman McAteer s position on Veterans Day and supported it. Councilman Gallagher, Councilman Kirlin, and Councilman Kellogg also voiced their support of Veterans Day as an employee holiday. Councilman Humphries made a motion to approve July 3, 2017, as one-time employee day off and named it Employee Appreciation Day. Councilman Gallagher seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Resolution Amending the Composition of the Board of Directors of the Gastonia Tourism Development Authority Mr. Peoples stated the Board of Directors has been established since 2001, and its bylaws were amended in 2008 and in This month, a quorum of seven Board members was difficult to achieve. Staff has requested through Resolution that the quorum be reduced from seven to five members as presented in the agenda. Mr. Peoples foresaw more activities in the future for this Board with a new hotel being built on Cox Road, with the progress at the Conference Center, and with other participating opportunities to market the City. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall wondered why a quorum could not be met since there are only two meetings a year. Perhaps an attendance requirement should be added to the bylaws such as replacing a Board member if they miss two meetings during their term of office. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall made a motion to approve the Resolution as drafted, and to include an instruction that the City Attorney will add Clause (i) to Paragraph five with regards to mandatory attendance, and that the City Attorney will prepare the Draft, and that the Mayor will sign Signature copy as presented, if approved. After a brief discussion, Mayor Bridgeman entertained action to vote on the motion as amended. There were no objections and the motion passed with Councilman Kellogg voting in opposition. Mr. Smith reminded Council that as part of this agenda item, there are appointments to the Board to be approved. He related that the Mayor and the City Manager are automatically appointed to the Board per the terms of the Resolution. He stated that the appointees that represent the lodging industry are J. D. Deva, Maya Hotels, for a three-year term, and Beaux Schaffner, Choice Hotels, for a two-year term. The other appointee is Michael Nolan, General Manager, Gastonia Conference Center, who represents the travel and tourism industry for a three-year term. Councilman McAteer made a motion to approve the appointments as presented. Councilman Kirlin seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall requested that staff advertise the volunteer opportunities such as these to the public in the future. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 43.)

7 Page 214 Page 214 COMMITTEE REPORT(S) Citizen Committee Appointments Councilman Gallagher yielded to the Chairman of the Recreation Advisory Committee, Councilman Kirlin, who nominated Michael Dickson for the At Large, 3-year term, appointment previously held by Russell Adams. Mayor Bridgeman stated that Michael Dickson has been nominated and that there were no other nominations. Mayor Bridgeman asked for a show of hands in favor of the nomination and Michael Dickson was appointed unanimously to the Recreation Advisory Committee as the At Large member. (Reference as contained in Exhibit Book 5 to Minute Book 106 at page 44.) CITY ATTORNEY S REPORT Mr. Smith stated that he did not have a report on any pending matters. However, there is a request from the Human Resources Department asking Council for a closed session to evaluate the City Attorney performance. CITY MANAGER S REPORT Mr. Peoples thanked Tech Services for the updates to the audio/video equipment. He mentioned that the NC Biotechnology Center held a regional meeting at the Loray Mill. There was a tour and many positive comments were made about the facility. Regarding the weekly report to the Mayor and Council, he asked for their continued comments, and he hoped to keep the next report to one page. CITY COUNCIL S REPORT Councilman Kellogg thanked Mr. Peoples and staff for their work with the Citizens Academy. He said that he met with the Mayor of Greenville, South Carolina, regarding economic development. He went to the opening night for the Grizzlies and he also attended a Memorial Day ceremony. He attended a faith community meeting regarding the opioid crisis and thanked Rev. Dwayne Burke and Rev. Dickie Spargo for organizing the meeting. He reported that he attended the PGMA meeting this morning and related to the attendees what he had learned from his visit to Greenville. Lastly, he thanked Natalie Parker for the tour of the secondary campus of Piedmont Charter School. Councilman Kirlin stated that he and Councilman Gallagher attended the Schiele Board meeting last Thursday and mentioned the Dino Safari exhibit starting June 17 at the museum. There will be another concert at the Rotary Pavilion with an Eagles tribute band on Thursday with a DJ performing at 6:00 pm and the band starting at 7:00 pm

8 Page 215 Page 215 Councilman Gallagher stated that on June 1, he attended the Gaston County Educational Foundation meeting where a total of $52,000 in grants were allocated to teachers. On May 20, he went to Smyre Park and the I.C. Falls Park and thanked the recreation department staff and others for all their work on these parks. He said that he and the Police Chief went to the 9-11 Memorial Exhibit sponsored by Nissan and that he also attended the opening day for the Grizzlies. He added that he attended the Schiele Museum Bug Day with Councilman Kirlin. Lastly, he attended the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church Homecoming, 48th year, featuring Dr. Kimberly Moore. Councilman Gallagher invited Ms. Crisp to come to the podium to talk about what transpired at the Las Vegas Convention that involved the key to the City. Ms. Crisp stated that she created an update handout for the Mayor and Council that summarized information on different developers and businesses that staff met with at the convention and some were offered a token flash drive key to the City. The key summarizes the City s economic development information, the GO GASTON campaign, and retail strategy information, which were well received by developers interested in Gastonia. Mayor Pro Tem Pierceall offered congratulations to graduates of the Citizens Academy. He stated that he missed a lot of the local Memorial week activities as he was in Raleigh then in Washington meeting with legislators. He and Councilman Humphries attended the transportation MPO meeting which encompasses Gaston, Lincoln, and Cleveland Counties. He said that members continue pursuing the needed Catawba crossings. The MPO staff and the City staff are working hard with Charlotte and with developers in Charlotte. Lastly, he stated that he threw out the first pitch at the Grizzlies game, substituting for the Mayor who could not attend. Councilman McAteer had no report. Councilman Humphries stated that he filled in for the Mayor for the Memorial Day program, which was very successful, with a good turnout and with good food. He thanked Mr. Meeks for all the work on this event. He congratulated the graduates of the Citizens Academy. He complimented Mr. Peoples on his weekly report to the Mayor and Council as it will keep them informed. He asked all in attendance to keep our first responders, our military, and their families in their prayers. MAYOR S REPORT Mayor Bridgeman stated that he was privileged to attend the 9-11 exhibit program with Fire Chief Welch. He relayed that the band, Nantucket, appeared at Dino s recently, and that Eddie Blair, born here in Gastonia and whose father was a doctor here, is part of this popular band. The Mayor said that he gave a key to the City to Mr. Blair who was very honored and proud to receive it

9 Page 216 Page 216 ADJOURNMENT There being no other business to conduct, Mayor Bridgeman entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. Councilman Humphries made the motion to adjourn with Councilman McAteer seconding the motion. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 7:22 pm. Mayor John D. Bridgeman L. Ashley Smith, City Attorney Sherry H. Dunaway, City Clerk rc