Town Council - Special Meeting

Garner Town Council's special meeting of June 23rd, 2026. It's special that we dispense with some of the other formalities and some of the presentations and things, and we get right down to business. I'm going to ask our town clerk to please call the roll.

Mayor Gupton?

Here.

Councilmember Singleton?

Here.

Councilmember Stallings?

Here.

Councilmember Vance?

Here. Thank you. And one of our first orders of business here is to make a motion, if possible, to approve Councilman Matthews' request for remote participation, including deliberations Motions and voting. Is there a motion so move second? There's a motion by Mr. Stallings a second by Mr. Vance to permit the remote participation. This were preplanned out of town event and we seem to have it lined up live on the zoom team team. so there's a motion in a second all in favor of permitting remote participation please signify by saying aye aye aye any opposed by nay hearing none mr matthews you are accepted thank you thank you thank you hey we can hear you you look look good too very small but looking good we have another motion another issue that's coming up here Council Member Dellinger has a family situation that requires his absence, and he has request that we grant an excused absence for him this evening. Is there a motion to that effect? So moved. Second. Motion by Mr. Stallings, a second by Mr. Singleton to permit an excused absence. If there's no discussion, we'll go ahead and have a voice vote. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed by nay? Hearing none, that's unanimously passed. No presentations, part B. No public hearings, part C. That brings us right along to part D, new and old business. And we're going to talk about the budget amendment. That's the fiscal, the 2026 fiscal year end wrap up, close out, you might say. And I believe we're going to call on our town council, on our town manager, please, to give us a little overview on this spot.

Yes, good evening Mayor, members of Council. This item is a follow-up item that was on your consent agenda for your June 16th meeting. Council wanted some additional information on the fiscal year 2026 end of the year budget amendment. We provided that information in terms of the specific line items and departments. And so now this is backed for council's consideration. The action that's proposed is adopting ordinance 20265340N. I'm happy to answer any questions that council may have. Our chief financial officer, David Beck, is also available remotely if there's any specific questions that council has on the additional information provided.

Okay, and if you would tell us one more time exactly what this. This is understand it to be kind of routine accounting function or this done at the end of each year. In this case we have some money that has been allocated. But not all of it was spent and now the time is to go back and put in the proper boxes if you will the proper location and make an account of what what was done.

So the proposed budget amendment aligns revenues and expenditures to approximated actuals as part of our fiscal year closeout. Closeout happens on June 30th. Some expenditure line items are being increased to ensure that departments have enough funding to finish out the year, the next week or so, and to build a margin for anything unexpected that may have occurred that we hadn't planned for. Adjustments are also being made to the account for the lease and IT-based subscription liabilities. This is something that was recommended by our auditors as well. This is a standard financial practice that the town completes in June as we prepare for the closing out of the fiscal year. So for clarifications, it's not an actual spending of these dollars. It's allocating these dollars in terms of making sure that from an accounting standpoint, We have enough funding for these line items to close out the fiscal year. If the proposed budget amendment ensures that we do not receive a budget violation, avoids a pre-audit violation and aligns with guidance from the North Carolina Local Government Commission. So this is a standard practice that we perform every June as we close one fiscal year and prepare for the next fiscal year.

Thank you for that explanation. There is time for a little discussion here. Let's start with Councilmember Singleton and we'll work away. Questions, comments, sir?

I appreciate the additional information where we'll see each department and where the line items are going. And so that is, I think, important information for us to see that firsthand. So thank you all for providing information.

Certainly.

Thank you.

Mr. Stallings. No comments. Mr. Vance.

I would just like to echo Mr. Singleton. Thank you all for all the hard work you've done, the town manager and staff and everyone bringing this budget together and getting us to this point. Well, I have.

And let's don't forget Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews, comments, questions?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I do appreciate the staff. All the diligent work has been provided and the opportunity to be a part of this remotely and hopefully all will go well and we can move forward and get ready for a new year. Just thank you.

Well, you've done pretty good for your first Zoom team meet here. We try. Well, that being said, if there's no other discussion, I will accept a motion and a second to adopt this ordinance. So moved. Second. A motion by Mr. Vance, a second by Mr. Stallings to adopt ordinance 2026-5340N, the reconciliation at the end of the year. Is there other discussion, other questions we want to bring up? Hearing none then, I think we're safe in calling for a voice vote here. All in favor of adopting this ordinance for this closeout, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed by nay? Hearing none, that passes unanimously. Thank you very much. That brings us along to item number two, fiscal year 27, budget adoption. Again, our town manager, Ms. Miller, is going to give us a little overview here and see what other questions and comments might come up on this.

Mayor and Council, before you this evening are the ordinances and actions to approve the FY27 budget. So during your June 16th meeting, Council provided direction to prepare the FY27 budget ordinances. Just to review, the direction that Council provided included a 53.5 cent tax rate per $100,000 for FY27. That puts $0.44 for town operations, $9.5 for debt service that funds our capital projects, includes 10 new FTEs, bringing our total FTE count for the town to 375, and then also reviewed and council reviewed and provided direction to move forward with the FY27 fee schedule as prepared. So for council's consideration and action tonight, there are three separate actions that need to be completed. The first is approving the operating budget ordinance 2026-5386. The second is approving FY27 project budget ordinance 2026-5387. Those are for our capital projects. And the final motion is approving the FY27 fee schedule. So with that, Mayor, members of council, happy to answer any questions that council has.

Okay, well, while you're there, let's do ask any questions or comments. Let's start with Mr. Vance this time. Questions or comments on these issues?

I will just have a comment for the staff, and that is thank you for all the hard work again, for all that you've done in putting this budget together and getting us to this point. budget process. It has been one in which we've done, you all have done a lot of work and answered a lot of questions. And we've learned, I've learned a tremendous amount more than I knew before. And the effort is clearly one of a community that's expanding and growing rapidly. And in my opinion, meets the needs going forward. But again, thank you for all the work that's been done by the staff. It is appreciated, it is recognized.

thank you mr stallins um just a comment um i want to thank the staff all the hard work put into um providing this budget ordinance um i know it's been a long process but just listening to council members incorporating the feedback um that we've had to get us to this point um i definitely want to thank y'all and give you all the hats off because it's definitely important and i know nobody wants a tax increase but we definitely do want to continue to maintain and provide the services that our residents want and deserve so with that being said thank you for bringing us a ordinance that does those things while still simultaneously providing the things that you heard from feedback from council members so thank you

Thank you. Mr. Settleton.

Yes, I agree with everyone. Thanks for the information. I stated our last meeting that I was opposed to the penny and a half increase. I'll be voting against the budget.

Mr. Matthews.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Again, like my colleagues, I do want to thank the staff, all the hard work and efforts. This is quite a project we deal with every year and as As we grow, it's not gonna get simpler, I'm sure, but sitting around 45,000 people and looking at a 97 point plus million budget, but we, have one big town here and i'm just so thankful that we have the caliber of staff that we do because it was obviously noted in the the the award we received here a few weeks back on financing and budgeting and that spoke well for the town of garner being in such a small circle when you consider it nationwide and uh but we do have to provide for everybody and and this state nobody likes taxes increases but it's a cost of businesses because people won't fire they won't police They won't public works. Absolutely. So when something does happen and there were the parks and recs, they want the amenities. It's made us what we are. And we were so fortunate. We got the caliber staff is that we don't have some of the financial issues. A lot of towns around are having. And it gives me personally a sense of confidence that we're not going to have those issues. And I want to thank the staff and everybody involved on this thing for what they have done. And when we got that caliber of people working on it, it makes it easy to vote an affirmative vote. Thank you.

Thank you for those comments Mr. Matthews and for all the council members here. I'll just repeat one short item that I talked about last time and that is hearing from the other municipalities and their mayors and some of them are consciously going into their savings accounts to pay current expenses rather than raising taxes. means that they're using up future future resources uh that would be costly in the end and we're glad not to be in that situation we're you know the largest part of this tax increase the one cent actually goes into a savings account for future projects that we know that we need for example fire stations And public works facilities, those kinds of things. It will be way cheaper to save a penny now than to cost two or three pennies later on. So I'm very proud of our staff for guiding us through that. So we've had a general discussion and I just want to do this parliamentary exactly correctly. And I believe it will take three separate motions for three separate ordinances.

That is correct. So there needs to be three separate motions and votes. The first one on the operating budget ordinance 2026-5386. The second on the project budget ordinance 2026-5387. And then the final would be approving the FY27 fee schedule.

Okay, so let's look first at the fiscal year 27 operating budget ordinance, and we'll get a motion and a second, and if then there's some discussion, we can have it at that point. Is there a motion to adopt the operating budget? So moved. Second. Motion by Mr. Stallings, second by Mr. Vance. So now that's on the floor, and let's run through the council members present again to see if we want to talk specifically about the operating budget. Mr. Singleton.

No, sir.

Mr. Stallings? No. Mr. Vance? Mr. Matthews? No, sir. Okay.

Mr. Mayor, if I may, before you vote on that motion, I just wanted to do the Transparency Act. compliance certification the fiscal year 27 recommended budget includes appropriations to 17 non-profit organizations and although three council members serve on the boards of three of these organizations Mr. Dellinger on the Garner Elite Board, Mr. Stallings on the DGA Board, and Mr. Vance on the GEDC Board. Because the town manager makes and administers each of these contracts with the nonprofit organizations, all council members are permitted to vote on the budget. There are no conflicts of interest prohibited by the Transparency Act.

okay thank you for that clarification that applies to all three of these elements that we will be looking at i understand okay so the one before the council at this moment is the operating budget ordinance 2026-5386 and we got a motion and a second on this and let's have a roll call vote on this and let's start with mr vance in favor signify by saying aye aye aye No, and Mr Matthews.

All right.

So that sounds like 3 eyes and 1 night part 1. Operating budget passes. Okay, that takes us to item number 2, and that is the project budget slightly different part of this that we've talked about at length before. And if we can get a motion in a 2nd, we can have some more discussion on that. There's a motion by Mr Vance and a second by Mr Stallings and now we can have some more discussion or questions related to the project budget ordinance 2026-5387. Let's start with Mr Vance this time. Any questions, comments?

No further questions.

Mr Stallings? No questions. Mr Singleton?

I'll be voting against this too because of my concern that I mentioned last week that we continue to add FTEs, but the cuts that were made were the capital projects, one-time expenditures versus adding recurring expenditures. So I think some of these projects were cut. Excuse me, some of these line items were cut. I think that's got to pay for them sometime. So anyway, I'll vote no also.

Mr. Matthews, comments from you? no comment thank you okay uh so we've got a motion in a second and let's have a roll call vote on this and let's start again with mr vance in favor say aye opposed by aye mr stallins mr singleton no mr matthews aye so there's three eyes and one day uh that that ordinance passes as well so that brings us to item number three the fiscal year 27 fee schedule that we talked about in general and if we can get a motion in a second we can discuss this one So moved. Aye. I'll second. Motion by Mr. Stallings and second by Mr. Vance. So let's hear any other comments or questions about this particular piece of it. Let's start with our friend who's on the West Coast right now, Mr. Matthews. Comments request no question.

No questions. Mr. Mayor. Thank you.

Mr. Singleton.

No questions.

Mr. Stallings. No questions. Mr. Vance. Any questions? No questions. No questions. Okay. If there's no questions, let's have a roll call vote on this one. And again, let's start with Mr. Vance. Aye or no? Aye. Mr. Stallings. Aye. And Mr. Singleton. Aye. And Mr. Matthews.

Aye.

That's four ayes, that's unanimous. That fee schedule is adopted. Is there any other information or questions related to that part?

Yes, yes, thank you. And before I leave the podium, I just want to take a moment of privilege and say thank you to everyone who's been part of the FY27 budget process. mayor and council working with you throughout the year, starting at your retreat, looking through the recommended budget, having discussions, deliberations. We're able to come together on a budget and approve a budget we can all be proud of and realize that it meets the needs of our community. So thank you for your time and attention and focus and working with the staff on the budget. A special thank you to the budget team, Sarah Warren, David Beck, Celeste Cora Purcell, Josh Feshmeyer, John Hodges, and Matt Poole, the dedicated team that works through the budget process, everything from looking at initiatives to looking at requests from departments, putting together the recommended budget, and then providing follow-up information as needed as counsel goes through their deliberation. So appreciate their dedication, their expertise, in doing this work and realizing that putting together a budget is a marathon. It's not a sprint, but it's really important work that we all do together. And finally, just want to say a special thank you to our department directors and staff. They work with us every year on the budget process, helping us understand their needs, opportunities, how it aligns with council's goals, how we plan for the future. And so this is really a team effort in doing this work. And it's something I think we can be all be very proud of. So just want to say a special thank you to everyone involved.

And I want to add to your list of people that we're thanking, two other major components of the process here. Number one, our council members. This has been the most proactive, detailed, committed analysis that I've seen, and I'm real proud of everybody who has gone in there and can handle these details and deal with it. It's a credit to all of us. And the other group is our citizens who have spoken freely and often about this with many different points of view, many different levels of input. We can't make everybody happy all the time, but at the end of the day, I think it's been an open and transparent process with great input from a wide variety of people. I'm real proud of what we've done and of the result and look forward to the day that maybe we won't have a tax increase. And there are several of us on the council who have some ideas about some things we can do to minimize that going forward. But more on that later. Thanks again to everyone who's helped get this done. And that brings us along to item E, closed session. There is no closed session this evening. And if there's no other business, I will accept a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. Motion by Mr. Stallings, second by Mr. Vance. All those in favor of adjournment, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Anyone opposed by nay? Hearing none, special meeting adjourned. Thanks for your help.