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FAISON — The July 9 Faison town board meeting began with a formal opening of prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Mayor Billy Ward’s introduction of the evening’s agenda, which the board quickly adopted. The board reviewed old business, including prior meeting minutes, financial updates, and preparations for the town’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The Parks and Recreation budget was discussed, comparing last year’s costs and outcomes to this year’s, with an overall taxpayer cost of $112,000.
“If you look at everything that is offered over there, $112,000 doesn’t seem like a whole lot,” Ward said. Executive Administrator Jimmy Tyndall mentioned some tweaks to Parks and Recreation were in the works that would help the budget come in lower next year.
In new business, Ward read Commissioner Carlton Lee Kennedy’s resignation letter. Kennedy had to resign because he is moving out of the area. The board accepted his resignation and voted to appoint past mayor Carolyn Kenyon to fill the last two years of his term.
Amanda Hall, a supervisor at Duplin County Social Services (DSS), made a presentation concerning the services available to the community.
“We are doing community outreach, letting towns outside of Kenansville know what we have available for the whole county,” Hall explained. DSS has various economic support services, including help with energy bills and medical transport. People can access services by coming to the office at 423 N. Main Street, Kenansville or calling their number 910-296-2200 for more information.
Ward read another resignation letter from Parks and Rec employee Crystal Mendez, and the board approved it. The board approved hiring one part-time employee, Luke Hall, and one full-time employee, Nathan Holland, for the Parks and Rec Department.
Parks and Recreation Director Matthew Scott gave updates concerning projects and activities. An estimate of $2,135 was approved and is in the budget for awning repairs. Adult volleyball was well received and finished its season in time for basketball to start. Basketball practices are on Monday. Games every Sunday in August will work well with everyone’s summer plans, according to Scott. Fall soccer and volleyball sign-ups have opened and will remain open until the first week of September. The board approved that registration will be $50 per child to play in sports starting this fall. Afterschool will continue at $45 a week except for spring break and Christmas.
Ward presented the renewal contract for Town Attorney Joey Ezzell. “We’ve been really happy with his services and we want to continue that,” Ward said. “We appreciate what he does for us and the town.” The contract was presented for the same amount of money as last year’s, and the board voted unanimously to approve it.
Town Clerk Sharon Lee presented town finances in savings accounts at various banks and made recommendations concerning the CDs at United Bank. The board voted to renew a million at 4.4% interest at United Bank for seven months and deposit accrued interest into the general fund.
The town’s Christmas party was discussed. It was decided to host it on the first Friday in December at 11 a.m. with The Farmhouse catering.
To finish out the 2024-2025 Budget, a few amendments were presented and approved. For the new fiscal year, Kornegay Insurance was approved for $3,409.75. The cafeteria plan resolution was also approved for the new fiscal year. The board also voted for Anne Letchworth to be the town’s tax collector for the new fiscal year.
Delinquent tax listings were discussed. All were sent letters from the town attorney and remain unresponsive. The board discussed their options toward foreclosure and when would be the best time to take action on the past due accounts. Most accounts will be followed up on by Letchworth.
Tyndall explained the need to appropriate funding for a backhoe. Funding was already made available in the previous budget; it just needs to be moved to the new fiscal year. The board approved a resolution for the backhoe and a work shelter.
Estimates for a new LED sign were approved for $19,000.
The board discussed hiring Bradley Braswell for the single vacancy in Public Works. They approved his hire as well as the transfer of his accrued sick time from working for the town of Mount Olive.
Ward requested that the September board meeting be moved to Sept. 10, and the board approved it.
Tyndall discussed the need to repave Southwest Center Street toward Goshen Medical Center. Explaining the spider web cracking and drainage issues flooding the area, he said the board “needed to decide if it’s going to spend its money on band aids or the cure; I’m going to spend money on SW Center Street one way or the other.” The crew will cut out and rebuild the road in wedges, fixing the spider webbing as well as water flow issues that would have flooded Goshen. The board approved the repair for $58,250. The funds were made available in the street repair and maintenance budget.
The board meeting adjourned following this discussion.
