Town of Woodland Board Minutes
Date: March 3, 2022
7:00 PM

Board/Staff Present:

David Cooper – Mayor Pro Tem
Ricky Morris – Commissioner
Brian Christison - Commissioner
Donielle McDermott – Town Clerk
Eddie Hoggard – Police Chief

Mayor Randy Beale and Commissioner Barbara Outland were both absent.

Call to Order: Mayor Pro Tem Cooper called the meeting to order at 7pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by a moment of silent reflection.

Approval of Agenda: The first item of business was the approval or amendment of the agenda. Commissioner Morris made a motion to approve the agenda as written. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.

Approval of Minutes: The next item on the agenda was the approval or amendment of the minutes for the regular meeting dated February 3, 2022 and Closed Session Meeting dated February 3, 2022. Commissioner Morris made a motion to approve the minutes as written for both meetings. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.

Consideration of Bills: Commissioner Christison made a motion to pay all the current bills and to also pay all the regular bills that come in throughout the month. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.

Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams, & Co., P.A. – Audit Report: Stuart Hill presented the June 30, 2021 audit report to the board. The audit was submitted to the LGC on December 1, 2021 and approved by the LGC on January 24, 2022. There were two findings in the audit, inadequate segregation of duties, and the town lacks an individual that possesses sufficient accounting knowledge and experience to be able to determine if the financial statements are prepared correctly. Mr. Hill said these two findings are very common in small towns. One recommendation he suggested to help with the segregation of duties is to have one of the board members routinely check behind the clerk. This can be done by reviewing the budget frequently, reviewing checks written each month, etc.

Public Comments: Barbara Lockett stated that people in town need to appreciate where they stay and help keep it clean.

Kenneth Guynn commented that Barry Lane’s donation of statues to the memorial are beautiful. Mr. Lane’s dad was in the military, so Mr. Guynn suggested the town donate a brick in memory of Millard Lane as a thank you to Mr. Lane for his donation. The board discussed this and agreed it was a good idea. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper asked the clerk to get the information needed for the brick. Commissioner Christison made a motion to have the town donate a large brick for Millard Lane. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.

Fire Department: Robbie Collier read the report which will be included in the Minute Book.

• The siren is back working.
• Stewart Beasley talked to Ryan Howell about putting the pipe in. This should be paid for with Powell Bill money.
• Crash truck rescue 19 is working now. Because of this, the fire department is ready to dispose of the 1995 equipment truck. That truck was purchased from CPTA for $1 seven years ago. It has new tires, water pump, and radiator. 270,000 miles. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper said to make sure there are no misrepresentations so whoever purchases it knows the issues the truck has. Mr. Cooper said since the money will be to the fire department’s budget, he recommends the fire department deciding on a price to sell it.
• Mr. Collier sincerely thanked the board for being so supportive. Being able trust the board and being able to sit down to have a conversation means a lot.

Blaine Humphrey with Rivers & Associates: Blaine Humphrey joined via Zoom.

a. Mr. Humphrey spoke with John Tucker and Stephanie Morris telling them that T.A. Loving said if we upgrade to a Gorman Rupp, it may be an extra $15,000. Mr. Tucker and Mrs. Morris said if we put a letter together stating reasons for the change/upgrade, then at the end of the project if there is money left in contingency, we can use it to pay for the pump.

The easement for the Peachtree project was discussed. Mr. Humphrey said a 20 ft easement may work or a 30 ft if we want to encompass the current pipe. We may need a temporary construction easement until a permanent one is done.

Commissioner Christison asked Mr. Humprhey if the town can purchase the supplies for the Peachtree project now before the prices go up. Mr. Humphrey would have to check on that, but most likely no for a couple reasons. The contractor may want to purchase specific supplies. The state may not allow this since we are using grant money.

b. Asset Inventory Assessment (AIA): Mr. Humphrey said typically if we apply in the fall and are denied, the state will automatically resubmit the application. However, he suggests we tweak the application before resubmitting it. Mr. Humphrey will send the town the resolution by our next meeting so it can be approved before the application deadline of May 2nd.

The COG is working on the application to help with the lagoon.

Clerk Report:

a. Mrs. McDermott reviewed with the board the meeting between CADA representatives and the Town of Woodland on February 25, 2022. This meeting was to discuss the lease of the Headstart building which will expire in June. The board discussed what steps to take next. Commissioner Morris suggested calling other municipalities to see if they own buildings they rent out and how much. The board discussed having it surveyed and meeting the surveyor at the building to show where the property will need to be divided. Commissioner Christison made a motion to have the CADA building and land surveyed. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper asked if the building needs to be appraised. After further discussion about the lack of timing to get this all done, Commissioner Christison made a motion to revoke his original motion to have the building and land surveyed. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried. Mrs. McDermott will call other municipalities to determine what they charge and report back to the board.
b. Commissioner Morris made a motion to donate $400 to the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce for their annual 4th of July event. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.
c. Commissioner Christison made a motion to adopt the Grant Project Ordinance for the Town of Woodland American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.
d. Mrs. McDermott told the board that the board of election’s office came by to have a look at Town Hall to see if it would be a good place to vote. Mrs. Clemments said the front part of the building is plenty big enough, however she would need two things. First, the door between the vestibule and the main building will need to be propped open all day because of how heavy it is. The same for the back door. However, the back door has a screen so it won’t be completely open. Secondly, we would need to close for business the entire day. Mayor Pro Tem Cooper said he would like the voting to take place at Town Hall because it is centrally located. He also said the cameras make it a good safe place to vote. Commissioner Christison made a motion to move the voting precinct to Town Hall. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.
e. Northampton County Cooperative Extension Office was able to have signs donated as a result of the Walk Audit that was done. Majority of the signs are for the walking trail, but there are also two pedestrian crossing signs that can be used for our one crosswalk in town.
f. Mrs. McDermott informed the board that the town nor the fire department has not been receiving our tax collections and reports in a timely manner. The town and the fire department received an estimated tax collection check in January for the months of September through December because the reports were not available yet. She has been in touch with the county and they stated the checks will be put in the mail on Friday.
g. Spring Clean Up for 2022 will be the first week of May, May 2-6th. Mrs. McDermott will get the information out to the citizens and let them know the items they are unable to leave out.
h. The board decided that we will meet at 6pm before our next town board meeting for a budget workshop.

Maintenance Report: Raymond Eaton read the maintenance report which will be included in the Minute Book.

• Gorman Rupp Pump – Mr. Eaton will go recheck the size of the pipe to make sure it’s correct.
• The dump truck is being taken to Jamesville tomorrow to be fixed.
• All the parts for lift station 4 are in and ready to be rehabbed.
• Valves were put in at the water tower this past month. That was a big job!
• The water meter reader wand quit working, therefore the maintenance guys had to hand read the meters this month.
• For the Peachtree project, the town needs an easement from an existing easement to the Hobb’s home where the sewer lines currently exist. This line is marked in yellow on the map provided.
• Mayor Pro Tem Cooper said we need new gates at the waste water treatment plant. He also said the leak in front of Timberlake’s needs to be fixed.
• Becky Turner with the county public works wants the estimated gallons of water the town used of county water during the installation of the valves.
• The fire department now has a new water meter, therefore we can start keeping up with how much water they use.
• Raymond Eaton asked the board if they wanted to send Cody Hurdle to Raleigh to take the test. The board believes he needs more time to study and prepare.
• Mr. Eaton asked the board for their approval to take some of the old pipes to the landfill/salvage yard to be sold for scrap. They approved.
• There is a house in Potecasi asking to hook up to the town’s sewer lines. Commissioner Christison made a motion to approve 2909 HWY 35 to tap into the town’s sewer system at the expense of the owner. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.
• Commissioner Morris informed the board that Mr. Eaton is paying for internet at the maintenance shop out of his own pocket. The board agreed this should be a town expense, not Mr. Eaton’s.

CDBG: The monthly report is included in the Minute Book.

a. Commissioner Christison made a motion to select Rivers & Associates as the engineer for the CDBG 2015 project. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.
b. Commissioner Christison made a motion to select the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Government as the grant administrator for the CDBG 2015 project. Commissioner Morris seconded and the motion carried.

Comments from the Mayor Pro Tem: Mr. Cooper said the mayor was absent due to medical issues and asked everyone to please remember him.

Comments from the Commissioners: Commissioner Christison thanked the citizens for coming to the meeting.

Public Comments:
• Raymond Eaton told the board and citizens that they put some benches up at the park and have a few more to put up still. He also stated they are working on the ditch at the Headstart building.
• Commissioner Christison said he would like put slag down for the track.

Adjourn: At 9:04 pm, Commissioner Morris made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Christison seconded and the motion carried.