Holly Ridge Town Council
Regular Monthly Meeting Agenda
February 12, 2008
Mayor Padgett called the Regular Monthly Meeting of the Holly Ridge Town Council to order at 7:30 pm. at the Town
Hall. Councilmembers present were: Mayor Pro-Tem Hines, Councilman Edwards, Councilman Wright, Councilman
Summerlin and Councilwoman Bragg.
Invocation and Pledge
Mayor Pro-Tem Hines gave the Invocation and Mayor Padgett led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Adoption of Minutes
A motion was made by Mayor Pro-Tem Hines and seconded by Councilman Edwards
to adopt the minutes of the January 8th, 2008 meeting. All agreed.
Adoption of Agenda
A motion was made by Councilman Edwards and seconded by Councilman Summerlin to adopt the agenda with the
addition of Graveling of the Police Department Parking Lot. All agreed.
Persons Wishing to Address the Council
Sandie Blanton was present to discuss the placement of signs for the Topsail Sound RV Park on Highway 17. She
stated she had spoken with Lora about putting a sign on Dr. Powell/Dr. White's property on Highway 17. She said they
had purchased a double sided sign, 8 x 4. She said that according to the sign regulations, only one sign can be placed
on the property. She said that she would like the Council to consider Sound Road and Highway 17 to be an intersection
so additional signs can be placed there. She said that Topsail Sound RV Park promotes the Town of Holly Ridge. She
said that the residents that live in the park help keep the trash picked up at Morris Landing. She said they want to be a
good neighbor to the Town.
Parks and Recreation Committee -Anita Dingler
Anita stated that plans are in the making for the Easter Egg Hunt at the park on March 22, 2008 at 11:00 am. She said
that a nature trail at the park is a new addition for persons wanting to walk or to walk their dogs. She said there will be a
rules and regulations sign posted regarding the nature trail. Anita said that she is in the process of contacting various
companies about new playground equipment at the park.
Application Approval and Oath of Office for new Parks and Recreation Committee member, Marilyn Alkire
Mayor Padgett stated that the Parks and Recreation Committee has approved applicant, Marilyn Alkire as a member of
the committee for a term beginning February 12, 2008 to February 12, 2012. The Parks and Recreation Committee are
recommending the approval of Ms. Alkire to the committee.
A motion was made by Councilman Summer/in and seconded by Councilwoman Bragg to approve Marilyn Alkire as a
Parks and Recreation Committee member with a term of February 12, 2008 to February 12, 2012. All agreed.
Mayor Padgett gave the Oath of Office to Ms. Alkire.
Report from Sharon Clay on the Employee/Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Sharon Clay stated that she had called several businesses for donations towards the appreciation dinner and to date
she had not received any commitments. She said she was planning to make a few more calls and would report any
progress at the March Council meeting.
ONWASA Report by Mayor Pro-Tern Hines
Mayor Pro-Tem Hines did an ONWASA update:
Referenced a letter from Mr. David Newsom from Hubert, NC. Mr. Newsome expressed his concern of the representation
or lack of in the unincorporated areas of the county.ONWASA is discussing putting a water tank somewhere in the
county. ONWASA will begin replacing valves all over Town. ONWASA held the groundbreaking for the sewer plant in the
French Creek area that will benefit the Piney Green area. ONWASA is trying to work out a deal where Jacksonville will
buy two millions gallons of sewer usage per day. ONWASA has more smoke testing in Richlands to do for infiltration.
Public Hearing to Amend the Zoning Ordinance -Article XXIX. "Outdoor Advertising" Signs (Off Premise) and
Possibly Amend the size from 450 square feet to 64 Square Feet and to Allow a Ten Year Period for all Existing
Signs to Come into Compliance
Manager Fann stated that Article XXIX was never included in the original Zoning Ordinance and was referred to in the
ordinance but was omitted when the ordinance went before the Council. During the February meeting, it was decided to
limit the size of the outdoor advertising signs to 64 square feet and give the owner ten years to bring nonconforming
signs into compliance.
A motion was made by Mayor Pro-Tern Hines to open the Public Hearing and was seconded by Councilman Wright. All
agreed.
Terry Harkins, with Fairway Outdoor Advertising was present to ask the Council to reconsider the size of the signs in
Town. He said that the outdoor advertising industry actually has two standardized sizes that are located in the Town. He
said that two signs have recently been placed on Highway 17 north and south at 378 square feet in size. He said that
they have 2 more signs that are located more within the central part of the Town that have been in Town for years. The
size of these signs is approximately 238 square feet. He asked the Council to consider keeping the size at least to the
standardized minimum which is right at 240 square feet. He said that there are not that many locations left in town to
place signs with the way the current ordinance reads.
A motion was made by Councilman Edwards and seconded by Councilman Wright to close the Public Hearing on the
advertising signs. All agreed.
A motion was made by Councilman Wright and seconded by Mayor Pro-Tem Hines to
amend the Zoning Ordinance to add Article XXIX - Outdoor Advertising Signs (Off Premise) and amend the size from 450
square feet to 64 square feet and to allow a ten year period for all existing signs to come into compliance. All agreed.
Industrial Paving Proposal for Street Patching and Paving
Manager Fann stated that Industrial Paving and Grading submitted a proposal which was dated 07-17-07 to do patching
and paving on some of the Town streets. After receiving the Town's Powell Bill funds in the month of October, the
proposal was brought before the Council on 10-10-07 and approved for the patching of all the streets identified by
Industrial and also the paving of Dyson Street between Sanders Street and Highway 50.
On 10-10-07, a contract was faxed to us by Industrial Paving and Grading for the same areas and price that the Council
had agreed on. Kathy and Manager Fann signed the contract and faxed it back to Industrial. Industrial came out and
marked the patch areas around Town and Manager Farm received a call from Mr. Williams, who is with Industrial Paving,
stating that the areas of the patches he had quoted, had over time, cracked further and would require more asphalt to
repair them. Manager Fann stated that he explained to Mr. Williams that the amount approved by the Council could not
be changed without going back before the Council. On the completion of the patching, Industrial faxed over a bill for the
entire amount of the contract, even though Dyson Street had not been paved. Manager Fann said he asked Mr.
Williams about the paving and he explained that they had to use the asphalt from the Dyson Street paving to complete
the patch work because the cracks were worse than when they were first measured. Manager Fann stated he couldn't
understand how the cracks had gotten so bad in a three month period. Mr. Williams told Manager Fann that the
measurements were from 2005 and not July 2007. To date the Town has paid Industrial Paving $37,064.50. Manager
Fann stated that since he had written the brief to the Council concerning Industrial Paving, he had received a call that
they would come do the paving for the original contract price that was originally agreed upon. He said that once they
come back and finish Dyson Street, they will be paid the remaining $10,000.
Resolution of Intent to Amend the Town Charter and Possibly Call for a Public Hearing to Change the Terms of
Office to Four Year Terms
Manger Fann said that a Resolution of Intent and a Public Hearing are required in order to change the terms of office for
elected officials. It is up to the Council whether they want a bond referendum. In the 1999 election, it was done by bond
referendum and was placed on the ballot and did not pass. Even if the Council chooses to require a referendum, the
change would still have to get approval from the US Department of Justice before the next election. Councilman Edwards
stated that he was against changing the terms. He said that he thought that if a councilperson did a good job they would
be re-elected again anyway. Mayor Padgett said that there is a chance that the entire board could be replaced at one
time. Councilman Summerlin stated that he felt that the terms should be left as they currently are. Councilman Wright
said that the terms would be staggered and that would leave someone on the board that would know what was going on.
Mayor Pro-Tem Hines stated that he might be in favor of a two year split term. There was discussion on this and the
comment was made that the two year terms wouldn't work because there would have to be an election every year.
Mayor Pro-Tern Hines said that since the citizens voted it down in 1999, it might be best to leave it as is for the present
time.
A motion was made by Councilman Edwards and seconded by Councilman Summerlin to leave the terms of office as two
year terms. Voting was as follows: Councilwoman Bragg - yes, Councilman Summerlin - yes, Councilman Wright - no,
Councilman Edwards - yes, and Mayor Pro-Tem Hines - yes. Motion carried.
Council/Employee Retreat
Manager Fann stated that the Clerk is working on the agenda for the retreat. He said that at the January meeting, he
distributed a memo asking the Council how they wanted to proceed with the retreat. He said he is looking for feedback
on how to proceed with the agenda items. Manager Fann said that the same format could be used that was done last
year with the department heads giving presentations or guest speakers could come in to speak. A representative from
the tax office, the base etc could be contacted to see if they are interested in attending. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines said that
future growth of the Town should be a topic. He also said he thought a round table discussion with employees would be
beneficial also. Manager Fann stated he would contact guest speakers as mentioned and have them give a
presentation/or speak on topics of interest to the Council for the Town. Councilman Edwards asked if an ONWASA
representative should be present. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines stated it probably would be good to have someone attend the
retreat and give an overview of their future plans.
Police Department Parking Lot
Councilman Edwards stated that there is not enough additional parking spaces at the new Police Department for
guests/visitors after the officer's park in their spaces. He said that the area where there has been discussion of putting
rock to make additional spaces has to be used at times by the officers. He said he didn't see why one of the
maintenance guys couldn't take the dump truck over to the cement plant and get enough rock to dump at the site. He
said that most of the work can be done by the maintenance department.
A motion was made by Councilman Edwards to instruct the Town Manager to have the maintenance guys pick up
enough rock at the cement company, with the Town truck and have them spread it out, and to allow up to $500.00 to be
spent for rocking the additional parking lot at the new Police Department. Councilman Summerlin seconded the motion.
All agreed.
Request from Owner, David Wellman to Rezone Parcels 747-35.6, 747-35.7, and 747-35.8 from Commercial to
Rural Agriculture (ETJ area of Town) & Possibly Call for a Public Hearing
Manager Fann stated that these parcels are on the outskirts of Town where the area was zoned Commercial because of
its proximity to Hwy 17. These parcels are not located on Hwy 17 and would not have any advantage of having a
commercial zoning designation. Mr. Wellman wants to build a single family home on this property. He said the road
divides the Town from the county with the left hand side being the county and on the right hand, the Town. Mr.
Wellman's property does not directly adjoin the rural agriculture but the property next to him does. This property
belongs to Mr. O'Conner who is also requesting his property to be rezoned to Rural Agriculture so he can eventually put
a single family dwelling there. (Parcel #747-35.1)
A motion was made by Mayor Pro-Tem Hines and seconded by Councilman Wright to call for a Public Hearing on the
possible rezoning of Parcels 747-35.6, 747-35.7, and 747-35.8 owned by Mr. David Wellman, from Commercial to Rural
Agriculture; also included is Mr. Michael O'Conner who owns Parcel 747-35.1 and is requesting the same rezoning.
(Public Hearing will be at March 11th, 2008 meeting) All agreed.
North Carolina League of Municipalities Wellness Initiative Participation Agreement
Manager Fann stated that Ray Harrington who is the district coordinator for NCLM Wellness Initiative recently visited
Town Hall to talk about the wellness program they offer to employees. The League started the Wellness Initative about a
year ago for Police Departments. The program did so well that it is now being offered to other departments within a
municipality. The cost for the program is $500.00, but the League pays for $350.00 and the Town pays $150.00 per
employee per year. The $150.00 cost is because the Town participates in the medical and Workers Comp, otherwise it
would cost the Town $350.00 for each participant. The benefits of this program would cut down on absenteeism,
healthier employees, and possibly lower insurance rates for the Town. He said it is a one year contract, and there has to
be a 50% participation from the employees to get the program started. They do blood work on the employee and a
profile on each individual. There will be one person that will be the designated to be the point of contact between the
employee and the League. Councilman Edwards said that one of the main health concerns today is smoking and he
might would be in favor for the program if it would help employees stop smoking. Manager Fann said that they would
show the risks of smoking to the participants. Councilwoman Bragg asked if there is a wellness program already
included in the insurance program. She said that a lot of companies promote preventive type programs that are already
included in their insurance. Manager Fann said that to his knowledge there wasn't.
Mayor Pro-Tem Hines said that the employees would have to really be sincere about doing this. He said that a lot of
tunes, people jump on it and then get tired of bothering with it and quit. He said that the Onslow County Health
Department may have something they sponsor for citizens of the county. He said the employees need to see what they
are getting into before the Town pays the money. Councilwoman Bragg said its hard to believe that an insurance
company wouldn't have some type of preventive type programs they offer such as mamagrams or physicals. The Town
Clerk said that the League does offer preventive care that is included in the insurance package, but nothing that relates
to fitness. Manager Fann said that Mr. Harrington offered to come give a presentation to the Council. Councilman Wright
asked if Anita (Parks and Recreation Chairman) could get some type of physical program started for the Town
employees. Anita said her husband could probably do this but he will be leaving in a couple of months. Mayor Pro-Tem
Hines said that the time factor would have to be considered also and asked if the employee's participation would be
during work hours or after work. Councilman Wright said that if the employees were interested, they would do it after
work. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines said that he thought the Town should check into other alternatives for the employees such
as through the health department or other avenues. Councilman Wright stated that he thought this would be a good
topic to discuss at the Council retreat.
Sharon Clay stated that she works with Blue Cross Blue Shield but she doesn't sell health insurance. She said that
BCBS has some very extensive wellness programs and is free to the subscriber. She said that another suggestion would
be to offer $75.00 - $150.00 to the employee that doesn't miss a day of work in a six month's period.
A motion was made by Mayor Pro-Tem Hines and seconded by Councilman Edwards
to table the wellness program and look at other alternatives through the health department or other agencies. All agreed.
Updated Disaster Response Plan
Manager Fann stated that the current plan needed to be updated with new council names, points of contacts, Town
equipment, etc. The plan was distributed to the various departments for their updates and was put together by the Town
Clerk.
A motion was made by Councilman Wright and seconded by Councilman Summerlin to adopt the updated Disaster
Response Plan. All agreed.
Discussion of the Purchase of Holly Ridge Housing Authority Property Located on Sound Road and North Hines
Street
Manager Fann said that the property is actually located off Highway 50 and North Hines Street. He stated that the
suggestion was made to purchase the property and hold it for economic development. He said there was a memo from
Chief Maiorano when he was acting as Interim Manager, quoting a price for the property in the $150,000 range. Chief
Maiorano previously contacted Rural Development to let them know that the Town may be interested in purchasing this
property at a later date and asked them to leave the option open until funding was available. Councilman Edwards
asked what the appraisal was on the property and Manager Fann said there wasn't an appraisal. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines
stated that he thought the purchase of the property would be worth checking into.
Police Department Comments
Chief Maiorano was not present. Councilman Edwards stated that he thought an officer should be present during the
Council meetings and referred to what happened recently in Missouri where the Mayor and several others were shot
during a Council meeting. He also said that someone needed to be present to answer questions concerning the activity
log that is sent out with the agenda. He said in the past, the Police Department parked a Police vehicle on Highway 17 to
slow down speeders and he would like to see it parked out there more often. He said he would like to have it placed on
the monthly activity log if nobody had a problem with it. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines stated that in reference to what
Councilman Edwards had said about having an officer present because of the recent shootings in Missouri. He said that
terrorists want to make citizens fearful of where they stay in their everyday life and he said he wasn't going to be in fear
of attending meetings or other activities. He said that it was okay to have an officer present to answer questions but not
as a guard.
Town Manager Comments
Manager Fann updated the Council on the following:
-Contacted DOT about the gutters on Sound Road and they are supposed to clean them in approximately two weeks.
-Town assumes maintaining the landscaping at the intersection of Highway 17 and 50 Town takes the responsibility on
March 2nd.
-570 newsletter sent out
-Needs to be more work done on the nature trail at park
Council Concerns
Councilwoman Bragg thanked the employees for their work with the Town and also to Anita Dingier and the Parks and
Recreation Committee. She said she is glad to see all the progress the committee is making.
Councilman Summerlln said that he had spoken with Lora about the detention/retention ponds in Town. He said there
are a lot of them in Town that needs attention. Mayor Padgett said there is a difference between a regular pond and a
retention pond. Retention/detention is a requirement for the property owners but a pond isn't.
Councilman Edwards thanked the maintenance department for the great paint job on the Town Hall. He mentioned the
economic situation in the Town and not being able to keep businesses, referring to a restaurant that recently closed. He
mentioned the property where a shopping center or strip mall is supposed to be built and for year and a half they
haven't done anything but play in the dirt. He said you can't force people to build businesses in Town.
Mayor Pro-Tem Hines said that he had seen in the newsletter that the parade route for the Holly Festival has been
worked out and Anita Dingier stated that it had been. He asked if the Council had an answer to her question about the
sign on Dr. White - Dr. Powell's property. He asked Manager Fann to check to see if there is some way to help her out
with the signs that give direction because the campground is an asset to the Town. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines stated that he
wanted to make sure that someone scrutinizes the paving company when they come back to pave Dyson Street and
make sure they follow what the contract with them states.
Mayor Padgett said that off Borrough's Road there is a private street where only a couple of permanent citizens live but
the street addresses are Borrough's Road. His concern is that if 911 is called it would be hard for them to find because
normally, the addresses would follow the street. He said that the street needs to be named and numbered as such.
Mayor Pro-Tem Hines said that the same problem exists behind the campground located off Borroughs Road with the
houses that are located there. Mayor Padgett stated that any areas in Town that have addresses like this should be
corrected. Mayor Pro-Tem Hines asked Lora to check into what other Towns do in this type situation.
Announcements
Mayor Padgett gave an update on the upcoming meetings for the month:
-Mayor's Meeting - Surf City Hosting on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 6:30 pm
-Steering Committee Meeting will meet Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 6:30 pm at
the Town Hall
-Grand Opening/Dedication for Surf City Police Department - February 21, 2008
at 2:00 pm.
-Annual Council/Employee Retreat - March 15, 2008 - 10:00 am at Town Hall
Adjournment
A motion was made by Mayor Pro-Tem Hines and seconded by Councilman Wright to adjourn at 9:00 pm. All agreed.
ATTEST:
Mayor Elmer Padgett
Brenda Padgett, CMC