Aldermen contemplate adding a fifth alderman seat

This November, Drexel’s governmental board may look a little different.

At their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the board agreed to begin the process of adding an additional seat to the town council. They also proposed amending the mayor’s term to four years rather than the current two-year tenure.

The Drexel Board of Aldermen currently has four members: Tim Franklin, Scott Coe, Allen Reed, and Mayor Pro-Tem Terry Yount. Because of scheduling conflicts and various illnesses, several aldermen have been absent from meetings this winter, and at times, the board has been unable to take action on agenda items due to lack of a quorum.

According to state law, unless it’s a declared state of emergency, aldermen cannot cast votes via phone or if attending a meeting virtually.

Town Manager Bill Carroll explained the dilemma the board faces when aldermen are absent.

“If we have two board members who are ill or who can’t be here, if something comes up, that creates a challenge,” Carroll said, “because we can’t pass ordinances.

“If we were to add a seat to the board, then we could have two (aldermen) absent and we could continue with business as usual and ordinances could be adopted and such,” he explained.

Aldermen also agreed to begin action to extend the town mayor’s term from two years to four, with discussion that a two-year term does not allow time for the town leader to accomplish issues on which he campaigned.

“When the mayor has a platform, he’s running on, he can’t accomplish it with two years most of the time,” said Alderman Allen Reed.

“Right now, I have to consider running every other year,” said Anthony. “A four-year term would give me more time to get my platform out there and accomplish a whole lot more than having to run for reelection every time I turn around.

“If it’s me or not me, (the next mayor) I think it should be a four-year term,” Anthony added.

The board agreed to ask Carroll to work with Town Attorney Rod Willcox to draft ordinances so that both changes can be presented, discussed, and possibly adopted in the coming months. Any change for the November contest must be adopted no later than July 7, when the filing period for the election begins.

In other business, Carroll gave an update on the town’s efforts to find a firm for site development and grading of the 100-plus-acre location of Drexel’s former furniture factory.

The town’s initial bid request last fall received only one submission. By law, because there were no multiple offers, that bid could not be opened. So, the town extended the window, and on Thursday, Jan. 16, officials opened two bids received for the project.

Carroll explained one of the bids was “well outside the range” of what he considers competitive for the job. The other, from Spartanburg-based Clary Hood, Inc., was for a little less than $6.4 million and included a 450,000-square-foot pad on the rear of the property.

The manager told the board the town’s current funding levels from grants, including utility work, is about $3.2 million.

“So that leaves a bit of a funding gap that we’re going to have to find a way to fill,” he explained. “At least we have a number now and we’re not just guessing,” he said, of the total cost for the project.

Carroll said he had engaged the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and hopes to meet with stakeholders next week to begin the process of finding additional funding.

“There will also be an opportunity for the town board to use some town funds to pay for a portion of it,” Carroll explained. “We just don’t know what that logistically looks like.

“Hopefully by our next meeting in March we will have a plan of attack,” he added. “We certainly want to push forward and start construction.”

Carroll explained the board will need to discuss whether they want to complete the project in phases, or if they prefer to pursue funding for the entire project.

The Board of Aldermen also heard an update from Foothills Broadband, a Morganton company currently installing wiring for fiber, high-speed internet to Drexel.

Representative Zachary Chiz shared the company’s current installation plan and informed the board that Foothills Broadband would like to complete the Drexel project by the end of March.

During the New Business portion of the meeting, aldermen approved a resolution declaring the town’s 1988 Pierce fire truck as surplus. The board authorized Carroll to list the truck on the auction site “govdeals,” with a minimum starting price of $5,000.

“We would accept it (the money) as revenue for sale of material and it will be put back in the general fund,” Carroll said.