The Gastonia City Council met on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Gaston County Courthouse Public Forum Room. The meeting included recognitions, a proclamation, presentations on water quality and opioid settlement initiatives, public comments, and votes on a drone ordinance, weapons surplus, consent agenda items, annexation/rezoning, and a downtown sign budget amendment.
All eight consent agenda items were approved unanimously without discussion:
Good evening, everyone. My name is Richard Franks. I'm the mayor of the great city of Gastonia. On behalf of the City Council and myself, I'd like to welcome you to the January 20th 2026 meeting. I will now call the meeting to order. Our invocation Councilman Casupius. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Please bow your head and join me in prayer should you feel so inclined. Gracious and loving God, we come together today with hearts full of hope and gratitude. We thank you for the gift of life and health for the blessing of our city and for the dedicated dedication of our law enforcement and first responders, our staff, and all who serve our community with integrity and care. We are thankful for the opportunity to gather to serve and to make a difference as we do not take these blessings for granted. We ask that you guide our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Help us to truly listen to one another, to learn from one another, and to work together in a spirit of unity and respect. May we be open to new ideas, bold in our vision, and faithful in our commitment to a brighter tomorrow for everyone. We lift up in prayer those among us who are in need, those facing difficult times, and those carrying heavy burdens. May we continue to pray for one another, to support one another, and to be a source of comfort, strength, and hope in every circumstance. May we also lift up our youth, especially those here in attendance this evening as we celebrate their accomplishments and bless them for a brighter future. May they be guided by you to be role models and grow into outstanding citizens of our community. Heavenly Father, we give you glory and praise, and we pray that you fill this room with encouragement, positivity, and purpose. Inspire us to uplift one another, to lead with compassion, and to strive each day to do better, be better, and serve better. Thank you for bringing us together to dream to grow and to move the vision of this city forward. We ask all of this in your holy name. Amen. Next up, we will have the Pledge of Allegiance and Pastor Spargo, will you lead us? One nation, under God, indivisible. Can I have a motion? Can I have a motion to excuse Councilwoman step from tonight's meeting? So moved. We have a motion. Can I have a second? We have a second by Councilwoman Drear. All those in favor, it's unanimous. Everybody should have in front of them a copy of the agenda. Are there any corrections, amendments, or deletions to the agenda as presented? Having none, I'll take a motion to approve. I move that we approve the agenda. We have a motion. We have a second. Have a second by councilwoman Drear. All those in favor, it's unanimous. Everybody should have a copy of the regular city council meeting from January the 6th, 2026 in front of them. Can I have a motion to approve? We have a motion by Councilwoman Barber. Can I have a second, please? Have a second by Councilman Silverman. And next up is the hardest part of this whole agenda. We need to vote. Oh, I didn't have a vote because I was thinking of that, what I had to say. All those in favor, it's unanimous.