Town of Woodland Board Minutes
Date: September 4, 2019
7:00 PM

         Board/Staff Present:

David Cooper – Commissioner/Mayor Pro Tem
Brian Christison - Commissioner
Barbara Outland – Commissioner
Pat Liverman – Commissioner
Donielle McDermott – Town Clerk
Marshall Lassiter – ORC

Mayor Manuel was absent

*NOTE* Meeting date was changed from September 5, 2019 to September 4, 2019 in order to avoid Hurricane Dorian.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by a moment of silent reflection.

Call to Order: The mayor pro tem called the meeting to order at 7pm.

Approval of Agenda: The first item of business was the approval of the agenda. Clerk Donielle McDermott requested adding 10 d. Resolution Clean Water Grant & CDBG. Commissioner Christison requested adding 9 b. Police Car. Commissioner Liverman made a motion to accept the agenda with the requested additions. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.

Approval of Minutes: The next item of business was the approval or amendment of the minutes from the Regular Board Meeting dated August 1, 2019, Closed Session Minutes to Discuss a Contract dated August 1, 2019, Closed Session Minutes to Discuss Personnel Issues dated August 1, 2019, Special Called Meeting dated August 22, 2019, and Closed Session Minutes to Discuss Personnel dated August 22, 2019. Commissioner Liverman made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.

Consideration of Bills: Commissioner Liverman made a motion that all bills be paid along with any other regular bills that come in after this date. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.

Public Comments: Raymond Eaton asked the board to consider purchasing a laptop for the zoning board. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper asked Mr. Eaton to return back to the board with an estimate of the cost.

Marie Harrison requested help from the town on the corner of Hemlock and Juniper. She would like help cleaning the right of ways and the ditch by her house. Mrs. Harrison had pictures showing the water buildup after rain storms. She was given a complaint to fill out which will be included in the minute book, along with the pictures.

Sue Ryan spoke on behalf of Cary Long who was unable to make the meeting. Mr. Long is requesting speed bumps on Mulberry and Peachtree. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper asked Mr. Lassiter to have the maintenance crew check on this.

Fire Department Report: Mrs. McDermott gave the balance of the fire departments account and this will be included in the Minute Book. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper asked the town if they could cut down or dig up a cedar tree on the property of the fire department, where the new building will go. Mr. Lassiter said they will take care of this.

Maintenance Report: Mr. Lassiter reported that Jessica Griffey has been out on vacation and then with her father as he has been ill. For this reason, he does not have the written maintenance report, but Jessica Griffey sent word that the reports will be in the commissioners’ boxes as soon as she returns.

• Mr. Lassiter said the Case tractor is inside the shop being worked on.
• The lagoon grate is currently being worked on and will be more substantial than the last.
• Joe Dooley went to Raleigh and had a meeting with the people about our lagoon.
• The old Badboy mower will be repaired. Mayor Pro Tem stated he had some inquiries about our old mower asking if we were thinking about asking for bids. Mr. Lassiter said we first       have to declare it as surplus.
• Mr. Lassiter said the maintenance crew has prepared for the storm. He suggested housing people in the Town Hall if the need arises. Mayor Pro Tem said the Wellness Center in           Jackson will serve as the county shelter.
• Mr. Lassiter said there is a leak behind the shop, possibly underneath the warehouse or under the old scales.

Well Report: A letter was sent to A.C. Schultes stating the Town of Woodland was going to withhold $20,000 from this particular payment. This letter will be included in the Minute Book. Commissioner Christison shared his disappointment that the generator was still not locked up.

The roof at the well on Oak Street needs to be repaired. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper asked Mr. Lassiter if he could get three bids to repair this.

Police Report: Commissioner Outland said there are still problems at the Dollar General and the Housing Authority. She also said there have been some issues at the cemetery with someone vandalizing the graves. A camera was set up, but since it did not have night vision we were unable to find out who or what is causing the damage.

a. Commissioner Outland introduced Eddie Hoggard and his family to the board and the citizens present. Mr. Hoggard was recently interviewed and offered the job as the new police officer in Woodland. Commissioner Liverman made a motion for the Town of Woodland to officially hire Eddie Hoggard as of September 4, 2019 to serve as the police officer of Woodland. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.

b. Commissioner Christison would like to purchase a new police car within the next 30 days. There was discussion on the details, such as 2 wheel drive verses 4 wheel drive, Durango verses Tahoe, etc. Commissioner Christison asked Eddie Hoggard to get a quote for a fully equipped vehicle, preferably a Tahoe with 4 wheel drive. Mr. Hoggard said in order to save money, he can take the radio out of the car and install it in the new vehicle.

Clerk Report: The financial reports will be included in the Minute Book.

a. Mrs. McDermott asked the board if they were interested in entering into a lock price agreement with Diversified Energy for the Armory account. She reminded the board that there are presently two tanks full of gas and there are no plans to use the Armory at this time. The board said there was no need to enter into this agreement this year.

b. Mrs. McDermott shared with the board a complaint on 415 Spruce St. The board stated that with a new officer being hired, we can use him to issue a citation.

c. Mayor Manuel sent a letter thanking the board and several others from the town for all their work and accomplishments that have taken place during his term of office. This letter will be included in the Minute Book.

d. A resolution for application to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and a resolution for the application to the Community Development Block Grant were presented to the Board of Commissioners. After review, Commissioner Christison made a motion to accept the resolutions to both the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Community Development Block Grant. Commissioner Liverman seconded and the motion carried.

e. Mrs. McDermott stated that Lawyer Charles Slade called and said the Keene Brothers are ready to proceed with the sale of the property on Ashe St. He is requesting the Town of Woodland furnish the deed to the property. Commissioner Liverman made a motion to furnish Lawyer Charles Slade and the Keene Brothers Property Management, LLC with the deed to the property on Ashe St. in Woodland. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.

Zoning Report: There was nothing to report.

Comments from the Mayor Pro Tem: Mayor Pro Tem Cooper said he appreciated everyone coming to the meeting. He also thanked Eddie Hoggard for accepting the position of Woodland’s police officer.

Comments from the Commissioners: Commissioner Christison stated how nice it was to see people at the meeting. He also thanked Eddie Hoggard and said that Dollar General will be very happy.

Commissioner Liverman asked for an update on the Armory. Patty Deneen was in the audience and said the last meeting was angry stating some of the members were upset that the committee was suppose to pursue an assessment, not find ways to use the armory. Mrs. Deneen also said that as far as she knows, the committee no longer exists.

Public Comments: Patty Deneen asked the board to make an announcement about our new police officer on our website and Facebook page. The board suggested waiting until Mr. Hoggard’s swearing in.

Ricky Morris asked if the sheriff’s department would still be working part-time and will there be a chief. Commissioner Outland said no chief yet and part-time will depend on Mr. Hoggard.

Marie Harrison asked if the town still has a curfew and also wondered if we have a community watch. Yes, we still have a curfew, but no, there is no community watch.

Adjourn: At 8:00 pm, Commissioner Liverman made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Outland seconded and the motion carried.