Gastonia City Council Meeting Summary – October 18, 2022

The Gastonia City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Walker E. Reid III presided, with Mayor Pro Tem Dave Kirlin delivering the invocation and Mayor Reid leading the Pledge of Allegiance. The council unanimously adopted the agenda and approved the minutes of the October 4, 2022 regular meeting. Council also approved a nine-item consent agenda, heard presentations and public comment, and took action on public hearings, contracts, a budget calendar, and public expression rules.

Ceremonies, Proclamations, and Presentations

• Council accepted a proclamation recognizing October 2022 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Recipient Samantha Nevins was unable to attend because of illness, and her remarks were read on her behalf; she cited Gastonia’s nearly 8,000 disabled residents.
• Council recognized retiring Gaston County Sheriff Alan G. Cloninger, who thanked sheriff’s office personnel and the Gastonia Police Department and highlighted multi-agency partnerships.
• Christine Ingle presented the Fall Carnival, scheduled for October 22 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Caromont Health Park. She described carnival games, inflatables, a pumpkin patch with more than 150 free pumpkins sponsored by the Gastonia Arts Committee, face painting, balloon twisting, SHEL Museum activities, and prizes donated by area businesses.
• Christine Ingle, Juliann Lehman, and Gaston County Jaycees representatives presented Christmas in the City, scheduled for December 4 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Jaycees parade will reverse its route and start later, with 55 entries currently registered and a goal of about 100; the deadline for parade entries is November 20. The vendor application closes October 25, and approximately 75 vendors have applied. The tree lighting will be held at Caromont Health Park with a virtual lighting on the jumbotron, followed by Santa at home plate. The event will be featured in Our State magazine.

Consent Agenda

The council approved the consent agenda en bloc, including:

• Proclamations recognizing November 1, 2022 as Extra Mile Day, November 2022 as Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and October 2022 as LGBTQ+ History Month.
• A $700,000 contract to T.C. Strickland Construction Co., Inc. for the Umpire Locker Room and the Overlook Bar Roof at Caromont Health Park.
• Traffic ordinance amendments adding a 25 mph speed limit in Robinson Oaks Subdivision and no parking on the east side of Liberty Street from Main Street to the dead end.
• Material purchase contracts for the hospital campus and other capital projects: Wesco, $1,165,269.67, and Border States, $109,520.
• An engineering services agreement with Southeastern Consulting Engineers of Charlotte for the Southeast Substation 18 in the amount of $243,500.
• A $347,376 contract with Ilderton Dodge for six Dodge Charger and three Dodge Durango police units.
• Acceptance for maintenance of portions of East Hudson Boulevard Townhomes Phase I Subdivision.

Public Comments & Testimony

Public comment was limited to five minutes per speaker; members of the public signed up to speak.

• Judge Jesse Caldwell expressed appreciation for downtown’s revitalization, congratulated Sheriff Cloninger, and praised the work of local first responders.
• Eric Clay, incoming chair of the Gastonia Business Association and chair of the Gaston County Transportation Improvements committee, urged the council and public to vote yes on the transportation bonds on the November ballot, saying the roads, sidewalks, and congestion relief are vital to economic growth.
• Todd Kenlaw, a candidate for the Gaston County Board of Education in South Point Township, described his background and stated support for teachers, parent transparency, school safety, and teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic without indoctrination.
• Several members of Jack and Jill of America spoke: Jerome Butler urged a food-recovery program and distribution of tents and blankets for homeless residents; Sean Michael Goy proposed free or accessible gyms for teens; Ariel Freeman advocated pop-up museums, festivals, and local concerts; Morgan Costner urged youth involvement and change. Council members praised the group and invited them to help at the Fall Carnival.
• Mike Ross, a resident of Cramerton, alleged First Amendment concerns, asked Mayor Reid to unblock him on social media, called for police accountability in connection with the arrest of a veteran named Scotty Reed, and asked the city not to prevent private efforts to house homeless people in temporary structures this winter.

Discussion Items and Regular Agenda

• I.1 Veterans Day Parade: The council approved the in-kind services request for the November 11 Veterans Day Parade, including police and fire assistance with street closures and crowd control and Parks and Recreation setup of chairs. Guy Fleming of the Gastonia Veterans Council spoke in support.
• I.2 FUSE Agreement Amendment: After a public hearing, the council approved an amendment to the Use and Operating Agreement with NC Gas House Gang, LLC (FUSE) for Caromont Health Park. The amendment changes the city’s obligation from constructing a new visitors locker room to constructing permanent restrooms, increasing capacity to approximately 8,000. City Manager Michael C. Peoples said funding would come from general fund dollars. Veronica Gion, chief marketing officer at Caromont Health Park, expressed full support and said the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball also supports the amendment.
• I.3/I.4 Union Road Annexation and Zoning: The council opened the public hearing for the 1.43-acre South Oak Partners, LLC property between Union Road and Robinson Road, with a requested zoning change from Gaston County O-1 to City of Gastonia PD-RRDD. The hearing was continued to the November 15, 2022 meeting without a decision.
• I.5/I.6 Unified Development Ordinance Amendments: The council closed the public hearing and approved two UDO amendments: removal of the restriction on mirrored or opaque glass at street level in the Central Business District design standards, and a new requirement for conditional district rezoning applicants to post a sign on the property with details and contact information. Planning Director Jason Thompson said the sign improves transparency and applicant contact.
• I.7 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI): The council unanimously awarded a $199,467 contract to MeterSYS, LLC for professional services for the AMI system and procurement. Joe Albright, Director of Public Utilities, explained that an $8 million state direct appropriation for smart water meters allowed the project to move forward; MeterSYS President Andy Honeycutt and Vice President Lauren Brown described the firm’s vendor-neutral role, RFP development, contract negotiation, and planned support. Council discussion covered customer concerns, health and disconnection fears, customer portals, workforce impacts, security, and implementation phases.
• I.8 FY2024 Budget Calendar: The council adopted the proposed FY2024 budget calendar. The strategic planning session was moved to January 20 to accommodate a council member’s schedule; budget work sessions were set for March 28 and May 23.
• I.9 Public Expression Rules: The council amended the rules governing public expression to require speakers to provide their address on the sign-up sheet, with failure to provide it as grounds not to recognize the speaker, and added an order-and-decorum provision. City Attorney L. Ashley Smith noted that the mayor’s social media page had been down for about four weeks in response to a related public comment.

Committee Reports

• Arts Committee: Councilwoman Jennifer M. Stepp reported that the committee approved a $1,000 budget for the Fall Carnival pumpkin patch and decorating station and presented grant guidelines and an application for arts grants. The council approved both action items. The committee also received updates on public art, vinyl art near Miles Cafeteria, and QR-code “bee” markers downtown.
• Public Safety Committee: Councilman Jim Gallagher reported on fire and police staffing, school resource officers, rental property enforcement, and police community engagement programs such as PAL sports, Citizens Academy, National Night Out, and mentoring. Council member Robert Kellogg requested 30-day data on officer staffing numbers and call response times.

City Manager and Council Reports

• City Manager Michael C. Peoples reported on transportation bond outreach, a survey with more than 100 responses, a November 10 workshop for minority and women-owned businesses, leaf season beginning October 15, Citizens Academy applications, ACE neighborhood enrollment, the Gaston Vision 2040 rollout in December, and the Reconnecting Communities Grant application.
• Council members gave community updates, including attendance at Leadership Gaston, the Community Foundation dedication, Highland Neighborhood Association, a fire training exercise at Gaston College, small business visits, and the Roosters venue opening downtown.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the agenda, minutes, and all consent agenda items unanimously.
• Approved the two ceremonial proclamations and recognized Sheriff Cloninger.
• Approved the Veterans Day Parade in-kind services request.
• Approved the FUSE agreement amendment for permanent restrooms at Caromont Health Park.
• Continued the Union Road annexation and zoning public hearing to November 15, 2022.
• Approved both Unified Development Ordinance amendments.
• Awarded the MeterSYS AMI contract for $199,467.
• Adopted the FY2024 budget calendar with the strategic planning session on January 20 and work sessions on March 28 and May 23.
• Amended the public expression rules.
• Approved the Arts Committee’s $1,000 Fall Carnival budget and grant guidelines/application.