Residents pack meeting to push for action on key projects

Ten minutes before the 6 p.m. start of the Valdese Town Council’s February meeting on Monday, the Town Hall parking lot was full and arriving cars were circling searching for spaces.

Inside the council room, five duly elected council members, the mayor, and the city attorney, sat stoically at the curved council table and watched the crowd file into the room and take all but a dozen seats.

Attendees had gathered to support — either visually or vocally — speakers and their topics.

The clock struck 6 p.m. and after an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Charlie Watts started the town’s business by opening the floor to public comments.

Three and a half hours later, Watts got home. It was another long Valdese council meeting. It was (and according to experienced participants) longer than most area council meetings by a factor of at least an hour, they say.

The first 45 minutes of the meeting were allocated to 10 residents during the public comments segment. These speakers, with their gesturing supporters in the room and their allowed 5-minute-limit time clock ticking down on several large LED video screens in front of everyone, encouraged the council to move projects forward rapidly.

Key topics were: a decision for the cover of Valdese’s public pool; action to preserve grant funding allocations for the Lovelady sidewalk project, and a timeline for the new public safety building projects.

The first speaker was a young man who telegraphed nervousness at the council podium while he read from a smartphone screen. He paused suddenly in mid-presentation. His discomfort was evident to all.

He slapped a hand across his mouth and rushed to his nearby front-row seat. Pale as can be, the speaker leaned forward and vomited.

Watts immediately cleared the room while maintenance crews cleaned. Ten minutes later the meeting resumed.

John Lafferty, a retired physician, was in attendance. He said he checked the speaker and told the council all was OK.

Mayor Watts later said it was probably a case of nerves.

The event was declared a first by most, if not all, of those attending the meeting.

FINANCIAL POSITION

Moving on, the council heard an update on Valdese’s fiscal year financials presented by Phil Church and Rick Hammer of the Morganton-based accounting firm, Lowdermilk Church & Co. They reported a stable financial position with no issues or corrections required.

Included in the report:

• The assets of the Town of Valdese exceeded its liabilities at the close of the fiscal year by $34,612,335 (net position).
• The government’s total net position decreased by $32,067.
• As of the close of the current fiscal year, the Town of Valdese’s governmental funds reported combined ending fund balances of $10,564,166, with a net increase of $330,173, in fund balance. Approximately 15.34% of this total amount, or $1,621,393, is non-spendable or restricted.
• At the end of the current fiscal year, the unassigned fund balance for the General Fund was $6,983,906, or 123.58% of total General Fund expenditures for the fiscal year.

The town’s total debt decreased by $477,867 (5.53%), reflecting a responsible approach to borrowing and repayment. North Carolina law limits a town’s borrowing capacity to 8% of its total taxable property value, which means Valdese has a legal debt margin of $35.6 million — giving it room to take on additional projects if needed.

Several economic factors continue to shape Valdese’s financial landscape:

The town’s unemployment rate sits at 4.1%, slightly above the state’s 3.6% rate but equal to the national average.

Property taxes remain the largest revenue source, followed by sales and utility franchise taxes, which have been growing but are expected to slow in the coming year.

The loss of textile industries continues to impact the town’s utility system, but residential growth and planned expansions are helping to offset losses.

Aging water and sewer infrastructure remains a challenge, requiring regular rate adjustments to keep up with maintenance needs.

Rising costs for materials and services are outpacing revenue growth, making it more difficult to maintain services and comply with state regulations.

ZONING ACTIONS

The council heard a recommendation from Ashley Young of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and Ben Hitchings with Green Heron Planning on a new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) for Valdese.

Communities across the state are adopting UDOs to consolidate many lengthy municipal ordinances, zoning and land use regulations, and flood damage prevention policies into one comprehensive document aimed at simplifying land development processes, increasing consistency, and aligning with state law.

Councilwoman Rexanna Lowman motioned to accept the UDO. It was unanimously adopted.

The council unanimously approved a rezoning request by the owners of a new daycare facility named MiMi’s Kidz, located at 401 Morgan St. SE. The request was made Kevin and Tomica Dixon, who plan to open the business March 1.

“We look forward to doing business here and being part of Valdese,” Kevin told the council.

MAYORAL TERM

With municipal elections for the Mayor’s seat and three council slots looming later this year, Councilman Glenn Harvey prompted a discussion on whether to change the town charter to reduce the mayor’s term to two years from four.

Among Harvey’s reasons for the change was a reduction of opportunities for a sitting mayor to get entangled in the election cycle, he said.

“I’ve got no ax to grind on this, but I just want to put it out for citizens,” he said. “If you think that’s a good idea, let us know. And if we’re going to do it, we need to do it pretty soon, probably at the next meeting, because it’s got to be a referendum.”

Lowman spoke in favor of the four-year cycle. “Longer terms can provide greater stability and continuity and leadership,” she said. “With a four-year term, mayors have more time to develop and implement their policies and initiatives without the disruption of frequent elections.”

Regardless of the cycle, said Councilwoman Heather Ward, “we all need to be on our best behavior as council people. We do represent our town, and I just want to make sure that we all stay out of it. I think it is only proper. It is not our place to choose who is on this council next year.”

In other business the Valdese Council:

• Tabled for 30 days a resolution to withdraw grant application funds from the Lovelady Road Sidewalk project that envisions a 7-mile walking loop through the town.
• Approved a Request for Quotes for engineer services for the Berrytown Waterline Replacement project.
• Adopted Community Development Block Grant-Infrastructure documents to upgrade the 2-inch waterline to a 6-inch waterline to serve residents of the Berrytown community.
• Received a report from Weichel that detailed Valdese’s capital investment at the community center, splash pad, and maintenance and repairs at the Recreation buildings from 2018 through 2024. Those investments totaled $3.1 million.
• Unanimously approved a property tax rate not to exceed 41.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, with no reduction of essential services or the fund reserves.

By the conclusion of Monday’s meeting, all but the dedicated and determined had departed.

The council did not take action on legally protected discussions during closed sessions regarding the Town Manager slot.

The council is scheduled to meet on Monday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. to review a proposed agenda for its March meeting.