Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Madam. Okay. Good evening everyone. Uh, welcome to the board of commissioners work session meeting for March 24th, 2026. Are there any changes to the agenda? I'd like to make a motion to um request removal of the close session from tonight's agenda. Okay. Can I get a motion to remove the close session item? So moved. So we're removing D1. Okay. Can I get a motion to be to adopt the agenda as amended? So moved. Okay.

The agenda is adopted. Uh, business items. All in favor? I I forgot about that. I just figured everybody would be okay with it since we're here. Yeah. Oh, well, I you know what? It's not an official meeting, so I guess we don't have to do vot. Oh, it is.

Okay. Uh, see, business items. Our first one up is the discussion of the 2026 annual retreat report results. And, uh, Scott, you're up. Good evening. Um, you should have in your packet received the uh report of work uh that you folks did at your retreat. It was put together in a u report format for you folks. So, uh the objective of this evening is just to get your feedback on that report. Are you, you know, are you satisfied with it? Is there anything you would like to change or amend on it or areas we missed or those kinds of things? So, um, staff has read it. It's a fairly good representation, I think, of what happened that day. There may be some need to explain tier one, tier two, tier three, you know, maybe some explanation of some things, but uh, overall, I thought it was fairly simple in its response back to you folks and listed everything, um, that you folks said, I think, pretty fairly that day. So that's that's our read of it. But uh this is your discussion and if we can answer questions, that's what we're here for for you.

I'll start out by saying it was extremely clean. All the information was upfront and and it was a good uh interpretation went to place that day because I'm new doing this. So going from a private sector to this, I I thought it was really well done. So I appreciate it. Uh for myself uh for day one I wasn't sure the direction we were heading but um we ended up in the right place. I think I think it showed a lot of overlapping themes where staff and council are um on the same page on what our concerns are um ways to move forward, ideas on ways to move forward and then maybe figuring out ways to solidify that um in the future and how how do we get to the end goal? because I think we all have that same success for Waxall goal in mind.

Yeah, I thought Central Lina did a great job. Um I like how the pre-ret questionnaire flowed into everything and and we really uh sat down with all the staff and had long discussions about everything was really good. That's what I was going to say is the the survey really helped in setting the direction of the meeting and all the questions that came out of it. Um elicited the some really good robust discussion and uh re responses. I don't know for for me I was very satisfied with the survey as a whole with what Central to Echo and you know getting to be able to work with staff in that setting led by Central put sitting this down together so we can um kind of work together as a team figure out how our visions actually are lined up together um just with by osmosis essentially um between the board and staff. So uh for me uh I was very thankful for the opportunity to work with everybody in the retreat and u yeah I was very satisfied with the uh with the report that we put together.

I guess for me um my question would be where do we move now? Now we have this all this information we have tiers obviously we want to for me I'd like to tackle what we can in the short term right and get some things off the list and so will is that further work sessions is that how how do you think

I think it's your work plan all year as a practical matter um but that that's a really 30,000 foot answer as opposed to something more specific um I can tell you what the staff's going to do next um we're going to go ahead and do our retreat and we're going to talk more strategy and tactics. So, we're going to talk more how do we get some of these things done. For example, if you go to page nine of the report where it talks about the next step recommendations. So, those are your top tier issues that you folks identified and you've talked a lot about where things were. Um, it would then be our job to look at these and try to create a framework of these so we can bring these back to you and let you folks have those discussions. What information's missing? Uh, what might we need to do to help you better have a discussion? What kind of maybe partnership interaction or uh public participation might be necessary to make some of these things um work better for you folks? So that's what we're going to focus in on is this creating frameworks for you folks to do. Now you folks could bring you could look at me and say just like we do with the list and say every quart you know every quarter let's bring two or three things back and we still have that list and we're still working through that. We've accomplished everything on the first three. So we got those done. You folks got those done and so we're working on the next ones. But, uh, you could look at this thing and say, um, I'd really I really want to talk about this rapid and predominantly residential growth first. Can we have that as an agenda item so we can dive deeper into that and um, you know, start to dictate what it is that from your perspective would help with this discussion,

you know, would help get you to a place where you feel like you could do meaningful work in this area. and then we could respond accordingly. Um, so that that's what I would say is next. We're we're going to do our work to try to react to this to give framework to give information back so that you folks can work on it as a board, right?

Um, secondly, um, I think it would be good to take this plan and affirm it as an action agenda item. In other words, the board affirms this is our plan for the year and you know, do that. That way the public gets to know that you feel this way. If there's any public reaction at your next meeting, maybe someone will get some up and say something during public session like I've read it and I have some thoughts, you know, that kind of thing or people will stop you at food line and give you their thoughts possibly. That's always a possibility.

So, um that's the kind of thing. Uh it is on our website so it is out there. the public can see this uh report and can react to it and I think that's a good that's a good thing and um should be useful to you folks and to us. Um so th those are my thoughts at least. And I guess from this list there are certain things that there's little we can do about right. I mean there's projects that come before us and they're just some parameters that we have. So are these in any spe they're not in any specific order. Correct.

Well, in your next step recommendations, they are these are what you folks identified as being your top baseline things that you feel you need to work on. So we can you know we can name them off for the sake of u for um conversation. You know rapid and predominantly growth uh predominantly residential growth. That's a concern. It's a baseline issue getting your head around. Um, what do you want to do about that? What policies need to be enacted? What do we need to do to to deal with that? Long-term fiscal sustainability and cost pressures. You're obviously going to be talking about CIP next month. You're going to be doing your budget the year the month after that and the next two months after that. Um, economic diversification and community development. What do you mean? You know, so having a discussion about that. Um, infrastructure capacity not keeping pace with growth. unbalanced tax structure and revenue mix. That's a big issue. Um capital improvement needs and backlog. Uh organizational capacity and workforce sustainability, transportation, traffic and connectivity constraints. So um some of that will come through in your work session. You've been working on some of these things in bits and pieces. Um tonight you'll hear the transportation plan again uh especially for the new board members. just go through that again, but also to have a broader conversation amongst yourself about, oh, okay, this was done in 2020. Where are we with this? You know, how do we keep up with this? How do we keep moving it forward? Um, or do we want to go slightly different? You know, those kinds of things. Um, like I said, CIP, uh, we're going to talk to you specifically about that in April. That's going to be a big subject for your April,

uh, all of April, both presentation and then work session. Okay. Um and that also uh will really to to tell you the truth will also talk about fiscal sustainability infrastructure and some of these other things too. So a lot of this stuff is interconnected. Yeah, for sure.

You know, you do one, it pushes something else or it answers another thing for you. So, um like I said, we're going to go ahead and meet as a staff and help to create framework information coming back to you. Like one of the ideas you folks had was um uh the cost to serve uh ser uh study was one thing but you want more out of that you know and how can we provide that to you in a way then how can you have that discussion and fill in those blanks those kinds of things. Sounds good.

So um that's you know if you affirm this at your April meeting um it also gives us guidance. We're in the middle of budget preps and getting operation plans together and thinking through CIPs and that kind of stuff. So, we're bringing pieces back to you folks over the next couple of months and and in a very formal way obviously as well. Uh, but this gave us, you know, in just my reading of it, I I could tell in my conversations with division and department heads that they were structuring their conversations in this area. You know, what how do we serve? What are our big capital needs? you know, how can we get these things done, right? You know, so um

so I think I mean I think we're in for me this looks like a good work plan uh that we should focus on moving forward with. How do you guys feel about that? Yeah, you got the tier ones and then the affected tier twos. This is what we discussed. Sounds good to me. Yeah. So, we want to move forward and just uh put it on the next agenda to affirm it then. I think that's probably a good direction. Yeah. Yeah. The trick will be to uh separate some of them apart because they're so interconnected. Correct. Okay. And um if we can keep and yeah, if that's right, if you can, do you expand the scope of one or narrow the scope of his?

We don't have to worry about that right now. We don't have to worry about that right now. Um, this is just to affirm the plan so we can start essentially that process. And like like Scott was saying, yeah, some of them are intertwined and as you start pulling, you know, sometimes unintended consequences are another core. Um but at the same time I think this is was a great framework and it identified and we prioritized just through our work session with staff naturally our next step recommendations that were in our priority. So I would say we we can confirm it in April. Yeah. I I agree. Yeah. Okay. We're good with that.

Yep. It's good. All right. Uh number two, discussion of the town's financial status. And uh Scott, you're on stage. Again,

usually I do a presentation. Uh we weren't ready at the last one just simply due to uh some last minute uh um what we call adjusting journal entries and information from our auditor. Now, in April, your auditor will be here to present the audit. So, let's talk about a couple of things. We were given an extension time uh to have the audit performed um due to Helen last year. So they gave that as a blanket extension to all jurisdictions in the state of North Carolina. Um uh our staff did a good job of having everything ready for the auditor and then the auditor went quiet for a little bit. as tax seasons usually start in January and those kinds of things. But uh the that is complete. They'll do a presentation

um in April and talk about um uh the status of things, but it also um we went back and the information that you have in front of you right now is adjusted for some of the beginning balances and uh current balances of where we are per fund and where our cash is. So, um, good news to report before they even show up is the cash is where it's supposed to be and they're in the funds that they're supposed to be, but we still have some more adjusting journal entries to move things uh around per fund um to take care of some liabilities um and things like that as you would imagine. So in the financial report uh at the end of February you're at 60% uh you theoretically you're at 67% of the year in. Now the reason that percentage kind of works for us is two reasons. One we're in a modified acrruel system. If you folks uh are used to operating in a cash perspective in in your businesses um you don't spend it unless you have the cash. But we can uh for example, we may have a large insurance or debt payment due in June. So you pay that uh because that's when that due date is. But because um we have modified acrruel and we'll pay we pay a more steady pace throughout the year, we have to have fund balance, which means we have to have savings. So the state requires so much to stabilize your savings. Um and we have a very healthy fund balance uh both in uh restricted and unrestricted positions. Um and that's an another important thing about um fund accounting from our perspective in in government is that uh while we can spend when we can, we still have to manage our cash flow. So if you notice in my reports, I try to

tell you where our cash is. Um, and Rosie does a really good job of showing both the funds at the top of the sheet and then the bank accounts at the bottom. And if you'll notice, the two numbers match, which is great. So, um, that's what you want. Uh, so our cash flow is good. Um, because we only get our cash um really four times a year. Uh, we don't get it every month. We really get it four times a year. And uh the one big time in the majority of your uh money comes in from property tax.

So yeah, it's if you pay a mortgage, you have the escrow account, right? And so the banks will start paying in November, December, January. So they'll start paying through there.

Um if you do not have one and you're paying because you're going through the year, most people try to go to the very last second they absolutely have to to pay it. Then some people have to come up with plans to make sure that they pay it accordingly through through the year. Um, but I would say the majority of our uh property tax receipts probably come in through escrow through through the bank. So they come in generally at the end of the calendar year. Um, and other than that then we get quarterly um reimbursements from the state. So, um, the county collects some things for us, but the state collects most things for us, and then they're redistributed back. Sales tax, uh, franchise tax, ABC taxes, and, um, DMV, you go to the DMV. We do get that on a monthly basis. Um, those would be two things that we get out of that. on um uh the property tax that one owns on a vehicle and the second is we have a $25 per vehicle charge that we do and that goes into your small transportation fund. That has been a revenue for this town for a very long time. It's it's it's always been on our books. So, um at as of February 67% and as you can see um we we we are uh getting there. We're we're well well in the 70% 80% of where we should be right now and the spending is holding the line well below 67% as of the end of February. So um uh hats off to the department heads. They're hold you know they're not overspending. Uh they're keeping a check on those things. Um the who's always behind though for us is is the state

the the states because the um the February amount that we got was actually the December amount that we should have gotten. They're just always two three months behind for or a quarter behind for some reason. So we will capture that by the end of summer past our fiscal year and we're allowed to capture that and pull it back into this year. So we're okay with that. But it is kind of, you know, one of those things. You're not sure exactly how sales tax is going to do in those things. Now, the one thing I will tell you is sales tax is slightly behind at 2%. So, that worries me a little bit. Spending is down. And I'm not trying to encourage people to spend, but that's of a concern. If you watch the news and you pay attention, that shouldn't surprise you all that much.

Um, so it just surprises me when I go out and I can't get a parking spot and I can't get a reservation. So, It feels like people are spending. It's just not enough, I guess. Well, and I'm not sure if it's enough in those kinds of things. The the way the county collects the sales tax for us is based proportionally on what your tax rate is. It's not and and then PR rata. It's a mix of things and how it's redistributed back. So if you ask me where the majority of your sales tax comes from in those dollars you get back, I would say you can go from basically Indian Trail to Monroe along 74

and some of those corridors and then our 16 corridor, you know, we have corridors of where u those things are and where a lot of that money is jinned up and then the way it's redistributed is based upon your tax rate and your population and those things. So everybody contributes and then it's redistributed throughout the county. So, um, that's just something to keep in mind as you look at that. Our franchise taxes and POW bill and motor vehicle taxes have been fairly steady, though. So, those are those are fairly steady for us. Um, as I said, our cash flow is good right now, but there will be adjustments in that to move them into reserve positions and things like that. Um and we will be coming back as we said with the CIP presentation um in April so that it's done. We want you folks to be thinking about those as baselines uh before you go into budget with with your CIP so that you kind of understand what your issues that you want to catch up on are go back to your little report right and uh infrastructure needs keeping up are we paying attention to those things so that when we go into the budget we're going in you're going into the budget when you adopt the capital budget ordinance to spend next year

right you're doing it according to a plan so the very First thing we'll ask you to do is adopt a plan. Then when you're comfortable with your plan, that should be a yearly thing. We haven't done one in about three or four years. So we need to do a plan.

So um your current cash position is good. Um and both by bank and by um fund. Um the reason we highlight just some of these things is we try to pay attention um because these are the the fund either the funds or by bank by bank accounts that we want to make sure that we have cash in. The blue line that I always put up there on the truest operating is what Rosie calls um her um baseline. So that's the amount of cash she wants to have on hand at all times to pay bills. We have about 1.4 1.5 million a month that goes in uh that goes out. That's an outflow of cash. So, you want to always make sure you have that and um you're able to to meet those those needs. And right now, we're in good shape. So, you can see we bottom out a little bit um towards October, November, then the tax receipts come in and then they start to climb and and then we're back into a better position. That's how to read that section. um your current capital cash position is um healthy right now. Uh although you will start spending that down this year. Um and then in your reserve funds, uh I tried to do a CIP status for you um based upon acrruel. I'm sorry that didn't come out as pretty in the printing. Um but we'll try to rectify that and make sure you get a good clean copy of that. But uh we've adjusted our numbers. We were not off by much, which is nice to know. Um, as far as our beginning balances in those reserves, uh, where you're start to spend down is Kensington. Um, let's see. That'll be a fund that'll that'll begin to move pretty quickly. Uh, your downtown park and athletic barn will come off because those will all be paid this year, so those will zero out,

but we won't do that until the auditor tells us to do that. um Bond Grove. Um I've signed those contracts moving on that as well. So those will be things that'll be coming down. Um your uh lobbyist reminded you that we had some money to be spent out of the police equipment and we are spending that down accordingly because we do not want to lose that that opportunity. So u we will be doing that. Um, and we're going to talk a little bit about transportation, so I won't belabor that report, but um, I don't have a a pure estimate for you right now about what I think the outflows will be between now and the end of the year. Um, but I can tell you that um, we will probably spend down a good portion of definitely what you put into the CIP budget. So about 2.5 2.6 million somewhere in that area uh will flow out of the organization uh for capital projects especially in road some in park and some of the others uh some in debt payment and uh plan payment and things like that. Uh and that's that's all I have to report on right now. Do you have any questions of the of the financial plan? And I am sorry I couldn't I didn't present it last time. This is probably a simple question. So the funds that are coming in from county and state, when is the latest they come in that are going to be applicable to this fiscal?

Okay, so uh June 30th we will cut this fiscal year. Uh we are then allowed to encumber past that. uh we have a cut off date that is I I can't remember if it's state determined or if it's determined by the finance director as in we've build out we know we've invoiced out we know that these things will come in and we know what to very rarely do we get caught off on that maybe some little things um but uh especially on the expenditure side uh if you'll notice some of our capital projects we do um despite the year right so sometimes those invoice choices will get a little tricky on where the cut off point is and things like that. Uh but mostly we will be able to recover all monies that are due within this fiscal year. Uh probably by the end of July, beginning of August and that's generally when we're getting all of our paperwork ready for the auditor anyways.

Thank you. And um I guess on a separate note, I know that the uh legislature is working on that tax Yeah. property tax um issue, let's call it. Um the four different ones out of the House and one out of the Senate. Yeah.

Does that From what I'm reading, it looks like they want to they're unanimous on something, I guess. Or not unanimous, but they're they're finding some common ground on something. Um do I couldn't really gauge from the lobbyist from Deborah whether or not she had a a read on what direction that was going. I didn't get a really solid read from her as well on that. I think I think your legislature right now is unpredictable on that between the House and Senate side at least right now. So reconciliation of that has been hard. You don't even have a budget. So you know as a state so um you kind of got that to play with right now. Um I don't know if it'll come out that I think I wouldn't be surprised if something came onto the floor in the short session. Uh, and what that might be exactly, I don't know. Um, they seem to be unanimous on one, but I don't know. It's it's up to the whether it can pass between the two houses. That's that's going to be your

right. Right. Two sides of the house. So, um, but I don't I don't have a good good feel on what that might mean. If I if I had to guess, the emphasis seems to be towards some form of reconciling rising house price values against u tax rates or values, you know, how they grow, caps on that, caps on rate. Um, and those are very complicated because it isn't a one-sizefits-all. What's going well in Charlotte is not going well necessarily in Lumberton,

right? or in, you know, or in Statesville. So, they're very different perspectives on on how that would be. And I think that's some of the reaction you would get. Um, is to is there one size that would work for everybody? And the property tax rate carries a lot of weight in the state of North Carolina for the delivery of local goods both at a county and and a municipal level. It's your one stable, solid

u revenue source. um they I've been doing this for way too long and I can remember that when we had three or four maybe even five more choices of different kinds of revenue that we could deal with, you know, at one time. So, um and those have been eliminated over time. So, never say never. Um I think the other pieces of it that I've at least read into it are things like exemptions or exceptions for if you've lived in your house all your life, you know, you're aging out in your house, a tax bill. And I could see that. Yeah. Yeah. Your tax bill is now higher than your mortgage, especially if you got a mortgage in 1970. Correct.

Or 1980. Well, I don't know, 80 my parents were paying 16%, so I don't know. So, you know, I as was everybody else at the time. But, um, so, you know, th those are the the sleeve hard on your sleeve kind of uh things about taxes that representatives will will get a lot of heat on. I wouldn't ma I would imagine some of those kinds of things come through but definitely how to cap it is probably going to be the main emphasis maybe how to get those that are not paying like you know big hospitals that have finding

well yeah between taxable and non-t taxable you know some of that some of that kind of u u analysis I mean they're big they're big land users in some places um and no they don't pay taxes so I'm not sure where They'll reconcile on that. That'll be interesting because their lobbies are pretty pretty heavy, too. Between uh the developer lobby and the hospital lobby, I think they'll be busy up there. I think they will. Any other questions on the financial report that I can answer because we've got some folks here can fill you in with lots of other stuff, too. Anybody else? Thank you. We're good. Thank you so much.

Okay. Next on the agenda is the discussion of the process for the sale of town owned property and that um is Scott and yes. This is small.

Yeah. Good. Okay. Hi, I'm Baltiscus, your business development director. Um, and tonight I'm just here to kind of walk you through uh the options the town has for the sale of units of property under North Carolina statute. Um, there are several statutory methods available. Um, and each one offers a different balance between maximizing the sale price uh, and maintaining control over what gets built and when. Um, so I'm just going to briefly walk through each option at a very high level. Um, the first is private negotiation. So this allows the town to negotiate directly with a specific buyer. It is the most flexible approach but usually requires somewhat of a justification um and often used for unique situations or partnerships. Uh the second option um available is an upset bid process. So this starts with an initial offer uh and then init additional bids can be submitted and increased over a set period of time. So this can often result in a higher sale price, but you the town has a little bit uh limited control over the final outcome beyond just the initial terms. The third is a public option, excuse me. Uh so this is the most straightforward kind of the highest bidder approach. So the property would be auctioned publicly and it goes to the highest qualified bidder and this maximizes the transparency and sale price um but again provides the least control over the end use and the next one is a sealed bid process. So uh this allows a town to solicit bids privately and review them before selecting a buyer. So unlike the auction the town is not required to accept the highest bid. Uh so this creates more flexibility to consider

additional factors beyond just the price if you'd like. And the final is uh property exchange. So this allows the town to exchange property for other land or assets. This is a little more situational and typically used when they're um it's like a strategic need rather than a straightforward sale. So really the decision uh would come down just to how you want to balance two things. Maximizing revenue versus maintaining control over redevelopment. if that was your your goal. Um so if the primary goal again is to sell to the highest bidder, a public option or upset bid process would achieve that. Uh but if the goal is to have a little more influence over a type of project timeline and overall outcome, a sealed bid sealed bid process uh paired with a request for proposals would likely be a better path.

Okay. So a sealed bid would give us more control Yes. So with what's what gets built or what if it's correct. So with uh an RFP or request for proposals, the town town can define the type of development desired. Um set expectations for design, use, and timeline. Uh evaluate those proposals based based on both price and project quality. Uh as well as select the proposal that best aligns with the town's goals. um it takes a little bit more time upfront um but gives you more control over the process and the kind of the long-term outcome of the site. So um

sealed bid or upset bid both processes allow us to essentially as a board review and then can reject if if determined. Correct. Yes. Seal bid and upset bid both have essentially a notice requirement for the process. Yes. So the public will be duly noted and and it will be just performed. Yes. And both have a set timeline as well that you can set. Yeah. And those are both 10 days and notice or 10 days of I means bid.

Yeah. The upset bid is 10. Um but the seal bid you would set that timeline. So we could set it at instead of 10 it could be 30 or yes whatever that number may may be determined. Okay. Um is there a typical day seen through in in an example for a sealed bid that's essentially common 14 days something like that. I've most seen 30 days. 30 days is what you've seen. Yes. Common practice. Yes.

I like the idea of being able to um structure what goes there, right? And we could there are certain uses that we're lacking. So, it would be nice to do that. Yeah. And it's a key gateway location. So, um, and you could also set a timeline on when that on the development itself. So, you could give them, you know, they have a certain amount of time to actually complete that project. So, they don't buy it just as there. Talking about the seal of the bid process. Yeah. Correct. Yes. Because we're not under a time constraint that we need the money right now. So, that would be the smart way to go, I think.

And then, um, the sealed Okay. So I guess what is the what are the intricacies around the sealed bid? So we have an appraisal now. We've already done that. Okay. And then um we just let people know it's up for sale kind of thing. How does that work? I guess what are the steps to create what you folks are used to which is a and she's going to go into it just to let you know. Take the world sealed out of it for right now. It's a bid process. So you're defining what you want, the time period you want it back, that you'll open them concurrently,

and then you'll evaluate it based upon what you ask for. That that's really what you're doing in that that kind of a process. What that allows you to do is be more um it's your piece of property. This is what you would like to see happen as a result of it. And then people would bid accordingly. Does that make the price go up or down? That's that's to be determined, but um you you would do that. So I take the word sealed out of it and just say people are going to submit their bids undercover, but you're going to open them at a set date, a set time, and then you're going to evaluate it against what you expect out of it. So your expectations are all built into the RFP.

Okay. And is that um an open meeting? How how are those like when you open it, you open it public, right? You talk about it in public. If you're doing the seal of bid thing, Matt, help me a little bit here. If if they do the upset bids, those are just a matter of they have to meet the criteria of the upset bid, if I'm not mistaken. If so, someone bids $100,000 for a piece of property. You have to automatically allow for the period of time for someone to create an upset bid. It has to be a minimum 10% above. And you would do that. Nobody does that. you know, you could accept it or you could stop right there and then start the process over again.

That's right. That's right. Yeah. So, with the upset bid one, it starts with a bid. So, that's how you get going for an upset bid process to then flow from an initial offer from someone putting a an offer in for property. So, then you put out the notice just like we recently did,

right? there's the 10day time for someone to submit an upset bid pursuant to the statute for um at least 10% more. Um and then if someone does that would trigger a new 10-day notice period for an additional and it goes on and on and on until no upset bids are received. Uh and ultimately at the end you still have the discretion to accept or reject whatever the final bid is. Right. Okay. Regardless, you're you're really advertising out there, right,

that you are are interested getting rid of the property. Um and that you're accepting offers, right? just depends on which which way you choose to go. Now, is the appraisal like is are the uh possible buyers aware of the appraisal what it's appraised at?

This could be interesting. Let me ask you a silly question if you want. So, if you want to move on to the seal bid process, are you married to that process? Is that the one you go with or can you stop it and move on to a different one? If you didn't get exhausted, yeah, if you exhausted a sealed bid process, you didn't get the result that you wanted. Are you married to that or you can move on to the upset bit? So, if you've received an offer that you are wanting to accept, you can accept it. If you ultimately choose not to accept it, you wouldn't. And then if you've rejected that, a new process would start with something else.

Okay, that would end that. You go into an RFP or you could do the RFP process and if you're not satisfied, you could end it, start a new process. It has a public face to it, right? You have to follow some rules. Uh but um yeah, you can start that over again if you're not s initially whichever one you go, you've done this before, there's success either way you go. Just depends on what the what we're looking to get out of it. Yeah. What the goal is. Thank you. So Laura has some um more information on uh basically one of the ways we really like it and that's this RFP process where you kind of more dictate what you want, right? What your expectation is.

Yeah. You're just requesting proposals from developers. Um and I just have like a sample structure. So you'd essentially have an introduction and purpose of the project. You can do a side overview where you share the parcel, acreage and all that. You give them all the information. Um you can include your community vision and planning context. So you can give them key things themes to include. Um you know like that you want locally owned business opportunities. You want it to be to preserve the historic character and things like that. Um so this signals what success looks like to you. Um and then you can clearly outline your development goals um like what you hope to achieve through it. um like strengthening the transition into downtown, supporting new commercial space for local businesses, high quality mixed use, etc. Um your preferred development characteristics. Um they don't have to be set strict requirements, but you know, just offer them some guidance on some possible preferences that you would like. Um like possibly integrating public parking or feasible, um pedestrian connections, outdoor seating, and things of that nature. Um and then you would have the requirements um in the proposal. So that they have to submit their concept, their story, their narrative around the vision and the land use, the scale, the character, architectural character. Um and then they would submit a conceptual um drawing. So showing the buildings, parking, pedestrian areas, and landscaping. And then so they would have images and renderings. Um this would all be required with their proposal. Um and then they'll share their past projects. um the potential economic impact of it and then the timeline of that project. So you know and you could outline that you want within a certain um date of completion um and then their purchase offer for the parcels they would include.

And so that is commercial corridor there. Is that the zoning there? You have downtown plan there. It's in a commercial corridor. That's right. So it has those zoning implications to it. Yeah. So I just want to I have my little cheat sheet on the zoning. Yeah,

you can also include evaluation criteria and outlining how the proposals will be evaluated. So it protects you from choosing, you know, proposal based solely on price. Um so you could say the quality of design, the economic impact, investment level alignment with, you know, any downtown master plans or town plans, their experience and capacity and the public benefits and amenities. So right um with that processor with Main Street in that area, I just want to see what's allowed there. Sorry.

Um so Main Street probably more mixed used I would assume. I don't know if it's to be frank. I don't want any residents, you know, I'm okay with I'd like it to be more strictly commercial considering our ratio. So I see that's that's where I'm going with it. So if I'm You could put those preferences in there and just say that that would be Yes. Is it as the owner, right? Okay.

They're conditioning the sale is what they're doing, right? Right. You're conditioning the sale of the asset. If you put in things like limited scope, you want more commercial or this or that. Yes. Yes. Is there anything we can't do? Can we can't request I guess well you can't violate public policy right right Matt we couldn't go down into specific uses we retail is retail offic's office we we can't scope down that far is that about correct Kevin yeah you can I mean you can you can reszone your property okay right well they can specify what type of pieces they want to sell

yes sure you could put yeah you could put restrictions need another I'm just picking on it. Gas station to go. Right. Right. Absolutely. Yeah. And if someone proposed that, you wouldn't have I mean, exactly. You don't have to accept that proposition want to market it, but certainly gas stations and things like that, you don't want to see their So, you said Main Street and Town Center. Town Center. Okay, that's what I'm looking at now. General retail, general office, medical, restaurants. It'd be great to have another restaurant. Um Sue,

TC is the one that has the predominant uh residential um and it's currently uncapped dwelling units. Yeah. So, so if it's current I don't know if it were more I would be more inclined when I think of that zone. I think of it very close to Main Street. Mhm. I I I think of it as very very much of a main street corridor, more of a town over a town center corridor in my mind. Well, considering its location, not far from the tap house. I mean, that's the connectivity there to downtown. Um, that's where people would walk from there to downtown. It's walkable from there.

Anybody else have any preferences? So you're looking for some direction on this at this point. Yeah, I think the process up. Yeah. I I think what we would like to hear from you folks is which process is most attractive to you folks? Are you folks trying to secondly um uh what do you want out of it? Are you more concerned about price? Are you more concerned about what goes there? Is it both? It's both for me. Okay. I mean,

and so um then anything that we would, you know, based upon your direction, we would then come back and give you uh you know, something for, uh your consideration, a draft that you folks can say, "Yay or nay to modify uh change and then we would go forward in that process." Yeah, we could give you uh bring back like a draft RFP framework and so you can kind of see what level of control, you know, that would look like and what the process is. Yeah, I'd like to if we're looking to add to the downtown um and we hear there's not enough of this and not enough of that. This would be a way to diversify uh that commercial.

It frankly opens up and I'm not exactly sure on the square footage, but it opens up a prime piece uh where people where we've had a waiting list of businesses that have looked for space. So now we're essentially taking steps to say hey we can open up a an opportunity of a space that and how now the question is is how do we want to shape it? It sounds like we're all in a quick agreement that we want two factors uh it included we want and we want a little control. So, it sounds like we're leaning towards the request for proposal

in the RFP process. And so, then I guess we can come back maybe in whenever there Yeah. I would say uh either beginning of May since if it's more of a formal thing. Yeah. I would it be a work session or would it be a meeting or what do you think? Probably be a meeting, right? Well, it'll be at one of your two meetings, right? So, we could if you want it back at the first meeting in April, we'll bring something back in draft form, present it to the board. If you're happy, fine. You could vote on it then and say move forward with that process. Okay.

Um, if you're not and you want to talk about it some more, you could then move to your work session and and talk about it some more. Um, but either way, you're in the driver's seat on that. So, we could bring something back pretty fairly quickly. Okay, let's do that then so we know what we're what direction, you know, we're looking at. I've never And then it gives you something to work off of. Yeah. Something to work off. We could always roll it off the agenda and put it on placeholder if need be. If we need more time. Yeah. Okay. Sounds good. Thank you, Laura. Thank you. Thank you. I don't think you're going anywhere.

One more. One more time. Let's go. discussion of how we mine lot proposed improvements. Alohor, she gets a guest. Oh, she gets a guest. Get a friend up here. She gets a buddy. Yes. Um, introduce her. Yes.

So, before I give uh my friend here the mic, I just so I wanted to bring this back to you all. um after we, you know, you renegotiated the lease at the Howy Mine lot, um staff was directed to take a look at the space to see if there was any way to increase the capacity and efficiency of that lot. Um it's just, you know, one of the a heavily used lot serving downtown businesses and visitors. So, it's just a really good way to see how an existing asset that um could work harder for us a little more efficiently. So um worked closely with engineering to evaluate several layout options. Um during the process NC dot required some modifications to the original design. So that resulted in the final layout that you see before you tonight which I'm going to let Deandra and the engineering team uh jump in and walk through this concept.

All right. Pass the designs room. Thank you.

Thanks. Thank you. Good evening, DeAndre. Thank you for joining us.

Good evening. Happy to be here. Um before you see how mine um parking lot, this design has currently 18 spaces and I'm proposing 25. Um as Laura said, this has been through various um designs and drawings that I've collaborated with my town engineer on. And as well as it's been through an NC do review. It's currently back in review. They left me a few comments. I addressed those comments and sent it back. Um this design proposes 25 spaces. Um, it has an ingress and an egress for the parking lot. So, it's one way in, one way out. Um, I'm also proposing two ADA spaces that will with the help of public services could be concrete, but it will be a gravel lot. Um, for I have a 20ft buffer that's offseted from the curb to show that there's enough space to back out and you were not the car would not be backing out into how mines road. Um, and I also included the Emerson Park improvements that are there. Um, NCDOT wanted me to show that as well, um, to show that I'm not interfering with those improvements. Um, and on the second page of the design, um, as I've shown before, uh, NCDOT was not sure about the two spaces, um, space one and space 8. uh they weren't sure about me the car being able to back out into the road and interfere with the road. So I showed them with this turning movement that a car will not back out onto Highminds Road with that. Thank you. Yeah, that's um very hard on this. So again, so the today the law has 18 spaces and this new design would bring it to 25 including two ADA spaces. Um it uses the angle parking to increase

that capacity, improve visibility. Um and it has the addition of that other driveway. So it have two oneway two one lane driveways. Um so that just really creates a clearer and safer traffic flow on that corner. That's very um can be at certain times um pretty hectic. So um and then also I like that center aisle includes extended length spaces for um those larger vehicles. So better accommodate that. Um as well as doing the concrete for those ADA spaces which we do not have on that corn corner currently. Um the existing landscaping is like some shrubs and bushes would be removed but there would be a 5ft buff buffer um installed in there to kind of maintain the character of the lot and protect it from the house behind it. Um so the estimated cost for the improvements is about $50,000. However, there is an opportunity to to significant significantly reduce that uh to about 16,000 uh if we utilize um our in-house public services support. So it's a huge saving uses using your public services team. Um so from a a lease standpoint today we're about $333 per space per year. um which you know we usually like to be um in a a benchmark of around 275. So with the improvements that would drop that to about $240 per space per year. So that takes what's you know a good lease into kind of a great lease a strong one. So um it'd be a good investment in a core in the core downtown infrastructure of parking. Um and obviously it directly supports the small businesses and overall economic activity and uh really the most cost effective way to add parking is within existing lots like this one. So um where we already have the access and infrastructure in place and also just I know this is a lease property. Um the town does have first ride refusal on this uh parcel built into the agreement. um and kind of based on the size and the layout of the parcel, it really is best suited to remain a parking lot uh rather

than a future building site. So, this I think gives us a lot more confidence in making these improvements if you'd like to uh that will provide that long-term value. So, um I do want to also note that this is kind of one piece of a broader parking strategy uh that staff is working on. Um, we're exploring a lot of additional opportunities to add capacity on the south side and improve existing infrastructure across downtown. Um, I will bring a more comprehensive update at a future meeting. Um, but just wanted to share that this is kind of a piece of puzzle that we're working on. Um, so from a staffer perspective, this is a highly utilized lot and the proposed improvements would incre increase capacity, improve safety and add accessibility. But that's we just wanted to bring this forward to get your direction. Happy to proceed with the improvements as designed or maintain the lot in its current condition. So happy to answer any questions and DeAndre can help with the technical details.

So you mentioned 240 a space. Is that with the improvements? That is with the improvements. Yes. It's quite a discount. Yes. Yeah, it is. I mean I we need the parking and I think this utilizes that lot better than it's being utilized now. Um right now it doesn't even have ADA spaces. Correct. It does not. No. And um I is the two required because of how many spots? Is that why we're putting two? Because two spots. Okay. It's good to me. concrete uh for our engineering concrete versus asphalt for our ADA.

So concrete so concrete could be proposed of public services can help with that because um we would if we do ashalt it would have to be um outside another company. So got it. So going with concrete essentially allows us to utilize our in-house team. Yeah. Thank you so much for looking at and exploring all options and and thank you to our public service team for being willing to explore how they could assist us with this project. I think it looks great. Yeah, I think it does very much. You guys did a really really good job. I might be thinking too far ahead here, but how does it interface with the widening of Broom?

Um, it doesn't interfere with the widening of Broom Street. I have this uh buffer here. It should have a dimension on it, but it would just be it would just consume the buffer basically. Yes. Yeah. Thanks. Looks good. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay. Uh next discussion of the master transportation plan. James Where's Good evening, James.

So, I'm gonna get this over to Barbie. So, this first item that she's passing out is the Gart.

Thank you, sir. Thanks. This was not in our packet, right? No. No. Yeah, we we would we just fresh off the press with this one. Okay. It is up on the Yeah. Yes. So, Matt or IT folks, could you guys flip to the second attachment that's up there?

There. That that that'll work right there. Thank you. So tonight we're just giving the board an update um a passive update on the discussion revol involving the master transportation plan and um I know the board had requested a Gant chart to help look at the schedules of overall projects to get more familiar with these projects along with a map. So, what we've done here, if you're looking at the first attachment here, which is that Gant chart, um just overall, I know this can be a little overwhelming, so I'll try to break it down um line by line. So, really we what we've done here is we've outlined in black three primary categories. Those categories being NCDOT administered projects. Um the second category being a town of Waxaw locally administered projects and then category three is more of the all-encompassing uh type projects. And what you see um as you're looking from the left to the right is you see the schedules for each of these projects, preliminary schedules which are subject to change. And then as you move to more of the the chart over on the right side, you'll see um items in yellow which are the projects that are in design, rightway or utilities right now. And then ultimately moving to the green which is the construction portion of these projects. So when you look at this chart um like for example the Bonds Grove uh Church Road and NC16 project uh which is under um the NCDOT administered project section. You'll see that we're about to move into the green category here and uh what that means is construction is about to actively begin. I know that you've already likely have seen some work going out there. That's the utilities. So whenever you see utilities start to be relocated, you're about to move right into construction. So the purpose of this isformational to give the board a better understanding of when these projects are coming online. Um and you'll have actually a several

projects coming online here in construction. Um as we move throughout this, I think the most u the most pressing one is the Union County downtown water improvements. Then we're going to move into Kensington Drive widening which is right around the corner. um move into the improvements there at Bonds Grove that we just discussed and then move into um DOT is going to actually start constructing the Helms Road grade separation crossing. So those those main four are right around the corner along with the Pine Oak signal and Milbridgeidge traffic signal as well. Now if you look at the third column on this chart where you see those green numbers, those green numbers correspond to this next attachment which is the um map. So um Matt, if you could please for uh move over to the next attachment. So this map correlates back to your master transportation plan. So back in 2020 was when the town first adopted a master transportation plan and then if you recall um Commissioner Daunt and I believe Mayor Pertim Wedra at the time you were part of the board when the board uh did an update to the plan and adopted it adopted the update in 2024. So, a lot of what you can see here on this map shows all the projects in green are either funded projects and um moving toward construction or andor completed projects that you've done already. So, you can see a vast majority of this map is currently programmed for construction which is a plus. Our funded projects and program projects are growing and our unfunded projects or uncompleted projects are uh decreasing which is what you want to see. So you want to see an increase in getting your projects done, programmed, and funded and mil ultimately moved toward construction and have less and less projects on the list over time. So um happy to take any

questions, but I know that that is a lot of information to absorb. So if you need more time to look at this in more detail, I'm happy to bring this back to you all per your direction and feedback or even spend all night talking to you about. I appreciate this together because that was one of the things happening again short and see project going to come into fruition. It's this is exceptional. Will these be available online? Yes, we can put these attachments.

Yes. So, we can we can what we'll do is we'll upload this under the um Waxaw master transportation plan on our engineering department online. So that way it's available to the public with the caveat that you know that these schedules are are subject to change. Right. And then um the on the road series that you did, are these all connected? They're all connected. So anyone can use that to refer to where we're at with these charts. Correct. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. As well as in your financial reports now. Yes. that would be plan to start putting on the online as well so people can look at them and see where things are progressing.

I mean looks like we've got a lot of road improvements coming that we do. So that's that's another thing is just helping the community to understand that you know we're moving from the um if you remember that fivestage process from planning to programming design rightway construction. We're really moving a lot of these projects from the design and rightaway phases to now construction. So, you're going to see a lot more work in the field. I know that that can lead to some frustration for some folks. Um, what's going on out here? Why why am I delayed? Just have a little bit of patience with us as we work through these projects. We have a lot coming online.

Yeah. So, that's what I was going to say. I think people are going to be happy and not happy all of us. So, we'll just have to be on our uh game to keep those updates coming and um posting that. I know uh Bradley does a good job keeping that updated and then we can share them respectively on our social media and just you keep as many people informed and sharing that information. But it certainly is a lot, but I appreciate it because it's very helpful with the numbers and cross referencing. It's great to visualize like this. I mean, uh, it looks like we have a whole lot coming up soon for con construction and then we'll take a breath for a little bit and then there'll be another bunch.

Starting in the end of 2027, it looks like correct. I think the the visual is really great. Thank you, James. You're welcome. Thank you, James. Do you have any further questions about this information? we will get this on website um so that it'll be there um proudly will probably highlight it a little bit more than that so that people know to get to that page and how to get there uh so they can get there and get their questions answered.

Um but you do see I'm just going to say one other thing the engineering team uh you've seen two reps tonight really appreciate the hard work that they do. Um but also u note again Richard you said it well uh commissioner when you said there's one two three four five that are getting ready to pop and that's within the next three to four months. So that's you know and three to four months is summer. Yes. Travel time and things like that. So, and school time. So,

but but um there there there's not the not the greatest time to do these things, I think. Um but the projects are moving forward. I think there's been a long time when people haven't seen things. A lot of planning, a lot of rightaway acquisition. I've been here what, seven months, and I've signed I gosh knows how many of those encroachment forms or those kinds of things where we're moving towards it. So, I know things are coming. Um we have pl you have previous boards and you folks have planned your finances well. So we have all the right things to start and and be doing that and uh like I said cash will start to go out the door a bit on these projects but you plan for them. So um that that's a good sign.

Thanks James. Thanks very much. Okay. Uh next the discussion of the skate park repair options. Miss Dina. Get out of the way. Yeah.

Test. Good evening. Good evening. Um, all right. So, I'm coming back with um some information. on your desk, you would have a updated cheat sheet and a map. Um, it's basically like the survey of the park area. So, if you can pull that out, it's somewhere. Yes, ma'am. It looks like this. I saw it before. I think it's just Here it is. The white paper.

There we go. Everybody good? Yep. Awesome sauce. Okay. So, the last meeting at the last work session, um we got the okay to move forward with the RFP for um the action plan for the skate park. Um so, we're working through that. Uh is in staff review right now and hopefully to go out next week for out to bid. um that takes 30 days like y'all discussed earlier how that works and um and then we'll get those back and then I'll come back to y'all about what the next steps are. Okay. But in the meantime, um y'all asked uh for staff to investigate um our option plans for three and four and three was a full um kind of stabilization of the um concrete at the skate park. Um we received back two bids. Um I'm still waiting on one. Um we had one of our four decline to give a bid for this section. Um they range from 73 and change to 119 and change uh for that um scope of work. And then um and that are temporary but longer term temporary um option. And then we have the just the patchwork option. Number four. Um, we do have uh three of the four so far that we have the bids back and still waiting for that last one. And that ranges from 18 and change, then we have 19 in change and 24 and change almost 25. Um, that is a range that we got back for the patchwork and through their bid process uh with their quote process on that they

identified exactly where they would make those um patches. Um, so again, they all kind of in the similar range of square footage, but some do have less square footage. So, for example, that 24 and change actually has less square footage than the um 18 in change. So, just so you're not looking at apples to apples on on repairs. Uh but the again these are concrete or pool um companies that we were able to investigate to come out. Um this is what we've got back so far.

Is there any rhyme or reason why option three there's such a disparity in the quote from 73,000 to 119,000? Yeah, I think in Al Pekka they only had the 73, right? Did that one just come in? The Durafy? Yes, sir. Okay. Yeah. Yes, sir. That's a big difference. It is. And um again, the crown hasn't given me their auction their um bids back yet. We're working with contractors and y'all you're all business people. So, y'all understand what that means. Um but the is is their quote of the

Is that apples to apples? Because you had said this one isn't. So is the one. So the the um the third option would be apples to apples because that's the whole park. Okay. Okay. 2400 square foot seems like a no-brainer to me. Um Dina question. Yes sir. Um on option three SNS renovations. uh essentially a quote note this is not stabilization of existing concrete. Can you give me a little definition of that?

So when they're grinding down they're they're not putting anything under the concrete for it to stop sett settling. They're just doing the surface. Okay? And that would be for all of them. They're not going to go under. And you know, sometimes you get um when you're an older home, house settles and then they can go and like Yeah. jack it up and then put some concrete or footers under it. It is not that. Yeah. They're using a foam technology now to help level out uneven driveways or sidewalks. Yes, sir. So that we're not doing that.

Okay. So this is surface treatment. This is a concrete surface grinder and essentially for option one it would be the entirety of of essentially key areas the footprint the yeah the option three that's given here is the footprint of the skate park. Okay. at the addition what is right now with then some kind of top coat essentially to so yeah so it's kind of like a floater they'll if there's in because we have a lot of um where it's settled at those in so they're going to mill all that down and then put the floater in. Okay. Thank you D. Good question. Thank you.

Did they uh give the same kind of timelines on how long it would take them to do? So their timelines varied uh because they're going into the springtime. Um but that's we get on their schedule. Um so like once they started work on it, how long would it take? You know, how long would the park be closed for? Normally it it could go between weather it could be a month to two months, which I didn't think that was a long time. Um considering they're having to sand every if they do the big the bigger option, right? But if you do the smaller option, it's going to be less time. Good question. Thank you.

And then it said um possible crowding conflicts removed. Were they specific on whether they So neither none of the um the bids came back with taking out any of the conflicts. This is just sanding down. I was trying to get that done. Mhm. That didn't they weren't comfortable opening up cuz that's that that that brings out an unknown that we're not prepared for yet.

Yeah. Because if at some point this gets redone, we're going to have to deal with that. Yes, ma'am. Um and then it becomes a matter of scope and scale. Yeah, that's what the action plan's going to give you. What are we going to find? And is I don't know that we have another location for it, but is it better to start fresh than to, you know, open up Pandora's box? I don't Is there any B do we have a study of options for vi secondary sites? I mean, I can't I can't think of one off the top of my head

at the moment. not in the town's inventory. Right. If you're asking me to explore anything else, I'm happy to do that. I'm more comfortable staying with Anthony.

Let me just throw an idea out there and, you know, feel free to shoot it down. But, uh, you know, cuz the existing skate park is quite small and so I sort of get the impression that it's more younger skaters that are on there. I know there's some older, but the older ones I talked to were more interested in like a flat surface to skate on. Maybe they feel like the existing one is a little small for them. Um, and we have the pump track in the downtown park. Um, would there be any room in the downtown park to put like a mini ramp or something like that that would be more appealing to older skaters and that would draw them away from the small skate park and which would perhaps make it safer for the younger kids to be there?

Um, good question. that I'll definitely investigate if we have uh the space required for a mini ramp in the downtown park near the pump track. Um we do have some tree pod area in the back. That might be a possibility. So I'll definitely engage in that. The transition on how the skate park kind of flows within a day is the morning time is usually our younger groups, especially Saturday morning, Sunday morning. Um, and then our homeschoolers are in during the week. Then it transitions to our uh, junior high group in there. And then it transitions to our older teens. There are times, especially on the weekends, where they'll flow in together, which causes more conflicts. Um, but for a piece of pro park property that actually engages almost, you know, from walking on a scooter to um not me, but people my age out there getting exercise. So, um it's just one of those wonderful spaces that encompasses everybody.

Yeah. um that will also come out with the the the action plan where you're going to see all those different engagement groups that are going to say I use this x amount of times I enjoy being here because of X and and this is where like I need y'all hands on, right? This is in it so they so you see what this space actually brings to our community and we're the only skate area in Union County. So that's amazing in itself.

Uh I mean do you agree that something like a mini ramp might draw some of the older ones away and make it safer for the younger? I believe that that's something that it definitely will help with minimizing a the 50 people that are in there at one time. That gives them another option. Um because even with the pump track, it still has that transition of little ones, big ones, older ones. Um, so I think giving as many options for this demographics to go to

um is a positive for our community and and is an economic driver because we're bringing people to come visit, spend, have lunch, and then go home. Yeah. And the nice thing about a mini ramp is it's not made of concrete. So, it's a lot cheaper than making another concrete uh skate park. And they I would imagine they have something more durable than wood these days. I mean, where they have all these decking materials, they probably have something similar for I definitely would and I'll investigate that. Yeah. Composite. Yeah. And see what the the cost is. Yeah. And bring that back.

Okay. Just I give me a little time to figure out that one because I don't know that one yet. Okay. So, what do you need from us? So, I need a direction on are we going with plan um option three or option four? I'd actually probably prefer to see if we get that additional bid be I don't before we give an option. Well, I mean I think it's a matter of scope. Do we want to patch or do we not? And then

I I think I for me I think I would be safely leaning towards the maximum time essentially that we can get out of a repair and service. to the resurface. Then I would I would probably be thinking just let's just assume that you don't get the full five years, but you'll get more than two. Yeah. And you're and the cost in essentially for just getting two years of a resurfaces plan for your costs aren't going to be the same in two years. Yeah. So you're not going to see 18,628 two years. Yeah. and and you're not going to see

but you have to do it again in two years 80 again in two years, right? And in the meantime, and there's only we're going to work on the the plan. So, we'll have the uh the plan should get be back to you uh by middle of fall, like the full plan, and then then you'll be able to um like mle over it and plan for the next CIP project. And it could be in phases as well, right? Remember, we don't we don't have to bite the whole cake. We can have pieces.

Yeah. I mean, I think that's a good idea. I don't really want to just patch it and then have a problem in a year because we don't know what the patch job's going to look like, and I want these kids to be able to use it. Um, I guess my other question is the pump track, is that made for skateboards? I mean, I know skateboarders use it. Mhm. So that's an all-incclusive. So you can do skating, scooter, inline skate, everything that's on wheels can go on there. Just not motorized wheels. And just say that out loud. Not motorized wheels. Yeah. So I think option three is probably Yeah.

the best bang for your buck. And even if I mean, we don't have the third. I mean, the cheaper quot is half of what we had budgeted for uh for the skate park. So, we're kind of Oh, just for the plan. So, yeah, it was for the plan for the skate park. Well, yeah, we budgeted twice as much for the plan. Yes. Right. So, you'll get a plan out of this and and you'll get some repairs. Correct. And that makes sense because um we want it, you know, I wanted to I want to keep it there. The kids use it. And for me, I want kids to have something to do rather Yes, ma'am.

Ding-dong ditch from these bas. We want them in a positive engagement. And this gives a positive engagement. Yeah. So, I say we're all leaning towards option three. Yeah. Option three. Option three. I would like to see that third quote. So, if that's okay, I won't move forward until I get the third quote. Um, but option three is what I'm hearing feedback on. Yes. And um and then I'll get that to Mr. Scott. And so we're if it comes in lower, Awesome. Awesome. Um but I'm hearing though uh the 73 is where we're leaning towards. Yes. Unless the other one comes in lower. Yes.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. What's the What's the key word? Least cost reasonable bidder. Discussion of holiday lights. Got another move. You want to sit here? I don't bite. I don't bite at all. That's not what I heard. Well, don't believe everything you hear. on her toes. You're good. Take your notes.

Good evening everyone. I am Melissa Johnson, deputy of recreation here to talk about our holiday lighting event, formerly tree lighting event. talk about some tree options for Waxaw. So, I've put together three different options and what you're receiving now is just a a breakdown of the budget as it's it's written out with a lot of words in the presentation format. So, that that just helps kind of pull it out, make it a little bit more clear. So, a little bit of history. The 32 foot artificial tree that is at the downtown park during the Christmas holiday for the past two years, we own that tree. Town purchased that tree. What we budget for every year for that tree is storage and for the company to put the tree up and take the tree down. That's the annual cost that we have for that tree itself. There's never been an artificial tree of that size in the downtown footprint before. what they've had in the past um are a couple different options. There were some blue spruce trees that are still planted along the railroad tracks. And then there was a um not a cypress tree.

It's a Christmas tree.

There's another tree that was near the tracks that's no longer there that was decorated. I use the term decorated loosely. It had some ornaments on it. And now there is a real tree also planted beside the Duncan McDonald House. just to give you some history of some trees in downtown um when people want a tree there. So, as far as the event itself with option one, I've laid it out as the event is at the downtown park. The tree is at the downtown park. All the amenities that have taken place over the last two years during that event would be at the downtown park. One of the great things about the park is the infrastructure for events. That was part of the design. So some things that we would typically have to pay for for the events in downtown, we don't have to spend money on at the park because they already exist there. So we use the amphitheater. That's where we have a lot of the performances. The kids that come and sing and dance and all their parents come, we're able to use that amphitheater space. We have our own small stage that we use up on the lawn that's near the tree. So there's no cost for that there. The biggest cost at the downtown park is the entertainment, the train, but we have a lot of space to utilize that and to have all of the different elements spaced out throughout the park. And then while kids are either parents may be waiting in line, kids can go play at the park, there's some additional elements in the park itself um that are part of the event being at the park. So I I broke it all down. I talk about parking. The event itself runs from 3:00 to 6:00 at the downtown park and then for the most part after the tree is lit, everyone they'll stick around for some photos and then they head downtown whether it's to get food. Um this past year and uh the DWA they did some activities downtown to kind of keep people in the downtown area. So, we've talked about continuing that and how we can better

support DWA and downtown with part of that process should the event stay at the downtown park. So, that's option one. Does anybody have any questions about that one? Okay. Um, option two presented to you all is to move the tree itself and the event to downtown. The tree would be set up at the community corner. we um would place it closer to Main Street just so that way we could utilize more of the parking at the community corner throughout the busy holiday season because about a third of the community corner would need to stay closed for parking with the tree set up in that corner itself just to be safe there. The event time could be shortened just because it's a smaller footprint and with a large crowd size for safety reasons. We don't want a lot of moving elements in this small area. We want to make sure everybody has space to move around and get to all the different characters. We would have photo opportunities. We would still have some food trucks. We would still have entertainment. We would have to rent a stage. So that is an additional cost that is shown in the breakdown. Um we would also increase the budget for crossing guards. We would need them throughout different areas of downtown just to make sure everybody was getting to the event safely. So that shows you the event cost difference. You're looking at um about 1350 of an increased price there. Most of that is because of the stage rental. That's the biggest increase there. It also just just as a a heads up because we are utilizing the downtown area that would be West North Main Street, Church Street to McDonald and then McDonald Street to 16. So all of

the parking that would typically be available on that day for this event if it were held in the park would be taken up by the event. So it it puts it short 157 spots fewer. Is there a comparison to um Autumn Treasures because we closed down that whole area for Autumn Treasures and so Do you mean for parking? Yeah, I'm saying you're we're saying we're going to lose 157 spots, but compared to Autumn Treasures, I'm sure that Yeah, we lose. Right. I just don't remember. Yeah, I'm saying we lose all of it. So I don't know. I mean, I don't want to lose any parking, but um

yeah, it's just to show you just so that way you're all you're seeing all the numbers. How many spots could you estimate how many spots with putting the tree there we would lose? Um so it looks like we would lose six at most eight spots. Okay, that's not horrible. No. In the community corner itself, like during the holiday season. Yeah. And then is this tree, the tree that's at the park the same size as the tree that's at town hall? No, it's bigger, right? It looks bigger. So, I don't know if it's just because um could we swap them out? I'm just Well, finish your presentation and then I have an idea. Oh, yeah. I don't know the circumference out here, so I'm not

Right. I don't I'm not sure. I would have to know the 88 around the tree because the the circumference is bigger than what we have out there. So, that we would have more pocketing. Either that or I was well finished. I'm like, my brain's moving faster.

Okay. Um, so no other questions about option two. Okay. So, option three would be to leave the tree at the downtown park. The event itself would be held downtown and utilize the live tree that is planted beside the Duncan McDonald House kind of in front of the water tank as the Christmas tree that would be lit as part of the ceremony. It would stay decorated throughout the season. We would need to purchase decorations for said tree. Again, the additional cost of crossing guards and stage rental. There's really no big difference between this one and option two, except that the community corner would remain completely open for the holiday season.

As where's the where's the stage placement on two and three? So it would be inside of the community corner where where usually I guess where it usually is. Um not for jamming because the tree would be kind of where Jamon is just because that's where the power panel is. So we don't want a long cord running through the community corner the whole season. So it would be Yeah,

it would be it would be in the back Sorry, sorry. Sorry. It would be in the the back of the parking lot still closer to 16 facing into the venue. Um because we have power. So it'd be at that back corner 16 and Mc uh McDonald and that and looking into the venue where the Porter John where the Porter Johns are usually at which is the mood the Porter John's and then uh the stage that we used last year where Santa mall that's that's our stage. Yeah, we put it together. Can we just use that?

So we would so we would have two stages. We would need a bigger stage for all the performances. That stage where Santa sits is not big enough for all of the dance groups and all the kids that are singing. It's more for I think we maybe only had four or five people on it and it was crowded. Dancing there. Oh, well I hope so. That's what I heard. We're going to add you to the event list, Scott. Yes. I need a lot of room to spin. All right. Bridget's gonna do a Bradley is going to have an orchestra this year. So, perfect. He's He's ready. He's ready. I know. That was That's a great photo. That was my favorite photo.

Um, so I was just thinking if we could have used the smaller tree, the one that's in by the town hall here. Yeah. Is there a place by the bridge? The pedestrian bridge. CSX. That's all I want. That's all I need to Well, no, I get that. I just didn't know if there was an area because I know it's x amount of feet from the train on either side, right?

It's 50 feet from the center and the majority of stuff that's beside the is in is already in the footprint of CSX. We cannot add anything else in that footprint. Would have been a great photo op there. No, with a beautiful Sorry, memorial wall. Nothing fit there. AI it can do AI sort of. Yeah. So the that's the reason why we're giving you the community corner because that is town property

and our most and power lines because we had to make sure that the tree would fit there with the power lines. And so the circumference of that we got all that checked out. There's a lot of vetting just to get this one location. And even where it is closer to Main Street side of the community corner, there is a slope and a grade it grades down towards Main Street. So, they would have to level out the tree. Not a big deal, but then they would have to add additional garland because otherwise there'll be a gap on one side of the tree.

Yeah, I definitely don't I think we need to move it to downtown. Um I would had the opportunity to pop into the businesses and from their reaction they're very excited that there's a possibility that we'd be moving it just because they felt like after the event people just went to their cars and left and those that there was less lingering about some people did do the activities. Um, but for the most part after three hours in the park with little kids, most people were just burnt out and wanted to go home.

And that's why so we would shorten that time and also light it a little earlier so that way the event doesn't end right when the tree is lit, right? Then there's time for people to linger. We're not rushing everybody out of a space. They can get their photos with the tree. Yeah. And then it also gives a little bit of buffer time for restaurants so they're not getting bumrushed which was part of the reason for having those activities.

Um and we heard you we only heard positive things about it. Oh, they were positive. Absolutely. Everybody had a great time, but if I'm you know, um the downtown businesses felt like they missed out on an opportunity for people to be hanging out and walking in and out of stores and foot traffic and that sort of thing. And and um you know, I spoke to provisions. Um I went into as many stores as I could yesterday just to see how they felt about it. did they what what did they want? What what did they think would be better? Because once holiday season ends, it's pretty dead down there. So, they're trying to get as much business as they can um while they can get it. And so, if we can keep people downtown for a little bit longer, I think it would be helpful.

And that's the whole reason why we actually started the the holiday lighting as early as we do. Right. A lot of towns don't start this early. Absolutely. And that was one of the economic drivers that u we DWA or downtown

in us worked in the beginning right to make that happen. um with is there trying to just weigh out if we had more interaction and more gave more support to um Main Street, is that something that that could be considered on keeping people into the downtown or helping that with that transition? I just don't personally from what I've heard from business owners and just you know dealing with children a lot in my career

I just don't feel like being someplace for three hours it's great they love it it's contained there are so many great aspects for it I understand why we would want to do it there but because we have downtown businesses that have a very slow period period from January probably till now. And I think it's important to support them while we can. Um, and that I feel like our main street is, you know, it's the hallmark. It's very hallmarky, if that's a word,

especially at Christmas time. And so to not have it downtown, I think we're missing an opportunity. Um, and it's beautiful down there. Um, I just I just feel like once the once you have parents with two and three kids loading their kids up on rides and Santa and cotton candy and hot chocolate and marshmallows and this and that, three hours later, those kids are toast and so are the parents. So, I think they're just going to try. Yeah, I know.

Um, so I think they're just going to get in their cars and go home if they're close by. even if they have to walk to their cars, they're passing by businesses and that's, you know, Cat from Provisions will attest to that. Wax Candle will attest to that. Um, Holy Canoli, same thing. They said they and um I went to Shuderie. I spoke to him and he said, "Yeah, we just kind of watched people walk by the we stayed open and we didn't really gain any business from it. They kind of just left." So, okay. Even the businesses aside, the overwhelming feedback I've gotten is from regular residents is that they want it back in, you know, the main main street area, the event.

Yeah. Okay. That's why we're presenting these options. Which option do you like? Two or three? I think two. Two for me. Yeah. Yeah. To the corner. Two is putting the tree in the community corner and we can we'll we'll measure out here to find out the circumference where the town tree goes to see if it's even feasible to swap. I don't know that it is. Yeah, I think with ADA it may not be. It might already be at max. My idea for the swap was if we could move it by the bridge. Yeah, I'm sorry. All right, then I won't do that. I I'll get my hands slap really hard. Okay,

hand slapping is easy. They're no fun. Yeah, too, right? Um, is there any way we could incorporate a little bit in front of the Jaclyn Hyde corridor? I know just for demo purposes, I think you had it just kind of cordoned off, but is there any other way we could keep some of the vendors that we utilized in our downtown park and and opening up that West North main like close it off so that way we would have part of the event there. Yeah. just keeping some of the a couple of some of the activities if that's an option that don't don't not explore it. Well, the really just kept open because of traffic.

Traffic. Yeah. We're trying to make sure cuz um during event everybody loves the event and we do our best with shuttles to help people get there stress free but when we're closing down some of these streets on doesn't matter what event it is if we're trying to help them navigate going around the event as safely as possible. That's the reason why you see um with the corners, we're still having a flow of traffic, still being safe about where you have vehicles in there. Now, eventually we'll have ballards in there. Um but the the flow of traffic helps keep the flow without getting angry people. And I'm crossing people at crossroads,

right? Yeah. Because they they get a little upset. So, we tried our best to not to close as many streets. That's the reason why this footprint's there. Well, I I just thought it was worth exploring if if you were going to add it and it's in in in a corner, you know,

but this is a great way to work with our main street um to activate the sidewalk down to them and have like balloons or something like that to help draw the eye down. Um, and then you know this could be a shout out at the stage like don't forget provisions across the street or um come see us at Chuckle Hide when you're ready to eat.

And that's something we've talked with DWA um and about is just really how we can promote especially the restaurants and other businesses during the event itself whether that's QR codes that go to the different menus of the restaurants. So food truck line is too long, no problem. here's all the options that you have. Um having options for vendors so that way they can purchase foods from the downtown restaurants too. We've done that already with the with the vents and that worked out great. And then um did you have any thought on where you would put the food trucks? Uh they would be on M on Church Street. On Church Street. So between Tangles and um DWR

GWR Yeah. And so some of the movable characters and photo opportunities would be on West North Main Street because that's also going to be a large gathering spot because all the trees along the railroad tracks are lit up. So we want something an element that could be there that is easily moved. Um the reason why there'd be no there wouldn't be a lot of vehicles for touch a truck because we don't want crowds trying to stand in between vehicles and then trying to load out vehicles while there's still big crowds in downtown. So that part just it didn't make sense safety wise from here. this one just because the crowd size that we're getting now is is pretty big. It's big. Yeah.

Yeah. We're We used to be a, you know, top four, now we're thinking this top five events. Very And option two had parking in the off of uh McDonald Street in the So when corner when the when the event's gone, the tree is still there. The parking will be reopened, but we were just going to lose about eight spots. Okay. Because of the tree. Um, and then but yes, it will after the event's over with, it goes back to normal except for those few spots.

The option one for the holiday lighting, the tree lighting event was exceptional. I mean, it was great. It was fantastic. Thank you. I understand the from a seasonal game perspective, business downtown. I see the the benefit of moving it into downtown for a seasonal perspective. I think gets more people down there walking downtown for seasonal time for that one day event. That was exceptional. Thank you. And I mean, you have a top tier event team and so no matter what space they're in, it's going to be an amazing event because our standards are high. No, really enjoyed it.

Yeah. It's not It's just really from people asking for it in downtown and the businesses really needing that extra push before the winter and nobody goes anywhere. Yeah, not a problem. All right. So, we're hearing option two. Yes. Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Richard, you're next. Discussion on safety of wax water. All right. That's you.

So, um, thank you for the resolutions that you guys crafted. I at the last meeting I only kind of briefly um mentioned a few little factoids around this and so I'd like to just read a little summary uh that I think is really helpful. It's it's got a lot of facts in it and they're all fully referenced. Um, and I just think it'll help the public to understand why I'm uh wanting to push this issue. Um, so here's the overview. Water fluoridation is the practice of using the public's drinking water as a delivery system to increase the amount of fluoride residents ingest on a daily basis. This is done by adding industrial waste byproducts known as silica fluorides to public water systems during the treatment process in either liquid or powder form to artificially elevate the fluoride content to seven parts per million. Prior to 2015, US Health and Human Services recommended fluoride levels in water up to uh 12 parts per million. However, this recommendation was significantly lowered to the present level of seven parts per million following the acknowledgement of government research from 2006, 8 years prior. This research revealed that most adolescents in the US experienced overexposure to fluoride during childhood development, resulting in visible side effects. According to the EPA and peer-reviewed research, the primary source of this overexposure was the consumption of water and water-based

beverages. Unfortunately, even the reduced level of seven parts per million has continued to contribute substantially to overestion of fluoride with the percentage of children in the United States with visible side effects from overexposure now exceeding 70% according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Throughout North America and the world, most fresh ground and surface water naturally contains very low trace levels of fluoride with an average concentration of less than one part per million. This is 7 to 10 times lower than the levels added by water departments in fluoridated communities where levels typically fluctuate between 7 and 10 due to imprecision in the injection process as well as variations in water usage and temperature. This significant increase in fluoride is neither a small adjustment nor typical of the naturally occurring levels found in most water sources. Fluoride in water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a contaminant. Naturally occurring fluoride in water results from the erosion of fluoride rich rocks and soil by surface and groundwater. Fluoride can also be found in water as the result of pollution from coal burning facilities and from the production of steel, glass, aluminum, ceramics, solar panels and semiconductors. The silica fluorides used for water fluoridation are largely derived from the pollution abatement scrubbers installed on smoke stacks at aluminum smelting and phosphate fertilizer manufacturing plants. It's important to note that the fluoride compounds used in the fluidation of public water supplies are not of pharmaceutical or food grade quality and

do not undergo additional refinement or filtration to remove contaminants before being added to drinking water. Silica fluorides are the only chemicals added to public water supplies that are not intended to improve the safety or portability of drinking water. Unlike chlorine and coagulants that are added to purify and clarify the water, silica fluorides offer no such benefits. Conversely, batch samples and certificates of analysis that accompany shipments of fluoridation additives reveal that silica fluorides are contaminated with harmful toxins, including lead, aluminum, and arsenic. Due to the extreme acidity of silica fluorides, they can increase corrosion of the water infrastructure resulting in the leeching of heavy metals from pipes and fixtures into the water that residents rely on for drinking, cooking, and bottle feeding their infants. Moreover, the costic nature of fluoridation chemicals requires the introduction of an additional treatment chemical to the drinking water to inhibit corrosion called orthoohosphate. In contrast to all other water treatment chemicals, silica fluorides are added to water supplies to treat the residents consuming the water. Fluoride is categorized as a drug by the US Food and Drug Administration when employed for the prevention or mitigation of disease. Thus, fluoridating water for the purpose of preventing tooth decay, is a form of medical treatment. It's the only pharmacologic agent being forced on the public at large, many of whom are unaware of the addition of this chemical or informed of its side effects and potential risks. This practice contradicts the prevailing trends in modern medical care which emphasize targeted therapies,

personalized medicine and the importance of informed consent. With fluidation, the same concentration is delivered to the entire population regardless of age, weight, health or nutritional status. And it does so without the individual oversight of a doctor or any control over the dosage administered. While water departments can generally control the concentration of fluoride being added to water, they cannot control the amount dose individuals receive or protect them from overexposure because everyone drinks varying amounts of water. Some residents will drink substantially more water than others, particularly bottle-fed infants who have an impaired ability to excrete fluoride and receive up to 400% more fluoride per pound of body weight than adults consuming the same level of fluoride and water due to their small size and potential reliance on formula reconstituted with fluoridated tap water for most of their diet. Clearly, this practice from the 1940s contradicts modern pharmarmacology, which recognizes that individuals respond differently to the same dosage of a given drug. For over 50 years, proponents of fluidation hypothesized that following ingestion, fluoride would enter the bloodstream and some of it would be excreted in the saliva, providing a continuous fluoride bath for the teeth. However, subsequent research has since cons confirmed that any potential benefit from fluoride occurs after the teeth have erupted from the gums and predominantly from topical exposure rather than from ingestion. Consequently, this research confirms that there is little to no potential oral health benefit from swallowing fluoride, particularly for fetuses and infants. Instead, there is only a risk of overexposure and harm to other exposed tissues.

The brain is just one of the tissues that fluoride impacts. Aside from teeth, there's now a large body of government funded research indicating that fluoride is neurotoxic to the developing brain and is associated with lowered IQ in children and a doubling of neurobbehavioral disorders, including a significant increase of ADHD diagnosis in children at doses experienced in fluoridated communities. A federal judge has ruled that optimally, in quotes, fluoridated water poses an unreasonable risk to human health and the US EPA must eliminate that risk with new rules. Experts in toxicology have drawn parallels between the cognitive impairment caused by fluoride and that of lead. Basic logic tells us that while a cavity can easily be filled and repaired, damage to a child's brain is lifelong and irreversible. There are no second chances. In stark contrast to the CDC's claim that fluidation is one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century, it is actually one of the most widely rejected health interventions in the world. Out of 196 nations, only 24 have any flidation and only 10 like the US have it for more than half their population. Over 95% of the world's population is flidationfree. None of the largest Asian nations including China, India, and Japan flidate. All African nations are virtually flidation free. In Europe, only four out of 48 countries fluidate. less than 2% of the population. A few have fluoridated salt, but only as a consumer choice. International health authorities have made this decision primarily due to the low safety margin of fluoride and the lack of control over individual intake when it is administered to an entire

population. Even those affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health cited their concerns in Harvard Public Health magazine by saying, "Now evidence is mounting that in an era of fluoridated toothpastes and other consumer products that boost dental health, the potential risks from consuming fluoridated water may outweigh the benefits for some individuals. Evolving science should inspire decision makers and health authorities to re-evaluate claims about the safety of fluidation, especially for the fetus and infant for whom there is no claimed benefit. Fluoridation, fluoride ingestion ought to be a choice, not a mandate. So, um, pretty much all of that is covered in these, um, well, the main points are covered in these resolutions. Um, and we have a resolution for North Carolina and one for South Carolina. These are to support, uh, existing state level bills that seek to, um, prohibit this practice on a statewide level. Um I recently before the last board meeting I learned that the water board in Lancaster that's in charge of the facility that feeds us from the Koba River. Um those board members are directly appointed by the South Carolina governor. So, I'm thinking maybe we should send something to the South Carolina governor, too, and just say, "Hey, uh, can you please ask your appointed uh your appointees to stop adding this to our water?" Uh, so with that, I'll open it up for discussion.

I know that was a lot. That was that was a mouthful. Mouthful. Yeah. Yeah. Like like you were reading u there is plenty of fluoride and it's up to the individual to consider plenty of fluoride available in their toothpaste, mouthwash, all that stuff. Um,

if if parents and individuals are looking to improve their kids' dental health through drinking water while they still feed them a whole bunch of sugar and stuff that's going to give them ca cavities. I mean, it's not going to make a dent in their dental health. So, I I think it there there's a lot of science. I mean, it's 2026 now. There's a lot of science to say that the over fluoridation is is something that we all need to be concerned about especially for the young people. Well, the distinction is the topical that's used at the dentist is based what is that? That's what you're saying like what you're using toothpaste in the toothpaste in the mouthwash is very different than controlled

what's in the water. controlled application with an intent and purpose versus essentially a passive chemical like and then the big driver that I've taken from my brief research and thank you again Richard for I mean you've spearheaded this research yeah it predominantly here for us but I mean um it's not even classified as something that stabilizes uh water for portabilability or consumability It was two of the biggest points that I picked up in several different articles speaking about this portability and consumability of water. So the purification of it Floridaation doesn't not have technically any direct correlation with it. So I mean for me I think it's reasonable to at least say because I believe that there is also a cost associated that they have to line item essentially the application of these chemicals into our water

and the cost of uh the corrosion that it causes in the facilities. Right. Uh yeah,

and yeah, the medical freedom issue actually was what was the main point that the county board was driving at a couple of years ago when they voted to uh discontinue fluidation in the uh Yadken uh side of the county. I I think it's reasonable, you know, just to uh give a little bit of clarity and direction. I think it's reasonable to send our our resolutions here to our state and then of course our our water partner in our South Carolina. Um you the governor I I mean it sounds nice. I don't I don't know how much action it would in fruitfulness it would accumulate to be but

well he's the one that appoints them so and there's no harm in bringing more attention to I mean it's it's been a while that there's science out there about the over fluidation is is harmful to young people and um people in general there's not enough awareness on this I think the fact that Richard brought up and bringing awareness even on a local level. We don't have our own water supply, but just to to heighten the awareness for the public is a a really positive thing.

And uh just I mean these resolutions are a supportive action does not essentially we are not a determining authority. Um so essentially we're just communicating to our partners that have water authority um as essentially on behalf of our residents. Yeah. Yeah. Is the way I look at it. Yeah. And also Richard is bringing this awareness to Wuma uh getting them on board having their uh give their two cents to the South Carolina governor.

Yeah. they're probably going to, you know, piggy back off of us and send resolutions to the same, you know, similar resolutions to the same thing. If if they if each Woomer board member um is on a board that's willing to, you know, for example, you know, Stallings or Weddington or whoever, if each of those boards are willing to send similar resolutions, then um yeah, we have co-sponsors. Yep. strengthen numbers for sure. So yeah, and this when they brought this up in the 40s, it was about really to drive poverty for kids that didn't have fluoride.

That's what it was for. Now it's like you said, you can mouthwash toothpaste and we can manage that without having a fluoridated water. Yeah. At that time they didn't actually have fluoridated toothpaste. Correct. So, um, it's sort of a a clumsy intervention that they that they did, you know, 80 years ago and that's just kind of lurched around and stuck around. And,

you know, it's not to demonize the substance of fluoride itself because it's naturally occurring and, you know, our bodies can uh, absorb trace amounts of it. Um but what's being put in our water is not medical grade and it is a medical freedom issue and uh there haven't been any uh you know randomized controlled trials are the gold standard of scientific study right and there actually haven't been any randomized control trials to show that the ingestion actually benefits the all the benefits of fluoride that have been shown with randomized control trials are by the topical application. So why are we still ingesting it? You know,

that's true. Do we need to give staff any move to your April agenda? All right. Thank you so much for staff support on this. So, should we say North Carolina, South Carolina, the Lancaster Water Board, and the South Carolina governor? Doesn't hurt to send it to the governor. Yeah, I'm sure he doesn't hear from Waxaw very often. I don't think he's uh running again, so I don't know what he's going to be looking at. Yeah, it might not be on his top priority list, but no constituent support there.

Yeah, probably not. But um anything else? Well, it brings it to awareness of folks in Lancaster, of other folks in the state of South Carolina. I said every bit of u awareness and exposure to the issue helps. Put it on notice. Absolutely. All right. Nothing else. We're good. Thank you, Richard. All right. All right. So, I guess uh make a motion. Scott, did you have anything else? So looking ahead, our next meeting is April 14th and that's a regular board of commissioner meeting. Can I get a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjourn. All in favor? I I

remember to take off your microphone. Oh yeah. I hear.