The Gastonia City Council held a regular meeting on November 9, 2023, at 6:00 PM at the Gaston County Courthouse. The meeting included an invocation, pledge of allegiance, public comments, approval of a consent agenda, public hearings on three economic development projects, approval of a lease agreement, committee reports, and various announcements. Councilmembers Robert Kellogg and Charles Odom were excused. The meeting concluded with a closed session.
Good evening. Welcome to November 9th, Gastonia City Council meeting. I invocation tonight will be uh introduced by Councilman Jim Gallagher, followed by the Pledge of Releases. Yes, thank you for joining us. Um if you're so inclined, please join us in prayer. We can have Father Rossi from St. Michael's Catholic Church pray for us. Father. Lord God, we come before you with open hearts and open minds. We recognize that you call us to serve in our roles of leadership, especially in our city and county. We ask you to pour out your Holy Spirit upon our city council members, give them wisdom and understanding. We ask you, Lord, to also bless them in their family lives and whatever personal burdens they they've carried with them this evening, along with the burdens they carry of our city. We know that we all have our own burdens this evening in our own lives. We ask you to send the Holy Spirit upon each of us to increase our trust in you, Lord. We ask a special blessing upon all of our city officials and our county officials, all those who are serving in police and first responders, firefighters, our hospitals, all of our uh city officials who work in sanitation and to keep our city uh clean and to keep our city uh operational. We ask also in this this time of uh leadership transition that will be occurring in our own county and and nation in the months ahead that we will continue to understand that our role of leadership is one of service. Give us a heart for the poor to hear the cries of those most in need, that we will turn our eyes to them and and see your face in their suffering. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Let's uh easy to fly for the United States of America, but to the Republic for which you say it's one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. You may be seated. Thank you very much, Father. Before we adopt the genders and I'd like someone to make entertain a motion to excuse Councilman Kellogg and also Councilman Oder. Second. Oh motion second. All in favor, please indicate it's unanimous. Thank you very much. Also, uh, are there any additions? Questions to the to the uh agenda. Motion to approve. Second. We have an addition. Amendments. We have amendments for item F 10. Any this item needs to be removed for consideration at a later time. And item F11. Um there was a uh name that was listed incorrectly, and it had should be appear as Carolina Environmental Systems, and there's an updated resolution in our uh packet. Are you making so we need to make a motion? We need I'll make a motion that we uh accept the amended a motion removing consent agenda item F10 and including the correct vendor name of Carolina Environmental Systems and Item F11. Motion second, all in favor, please indicate. Thank you. On the approval of the minutes for the regular city council meeting on October 17, what are the wishes of council? Motion to approve. Second. Thank you. On the item F, we have public expression. In order to keep within the time frame allowed for public expression, each person will be limited to between two and five minutes. Speaking time, um may vary depending on the number of uh participants who have uh signed up to speak without any questions or rebuttal from council. Um looking at the sheet.