The Franklinton Board of Aldermen and Mayor Darwin Sharp met on Tuesday, August 11.
The Board began by approving the of the minutes of the July 28 meeting.
In new business the Board voted to authorize the Mayor to sign a resolution allowing Michael Baker International to submit a capital improvement plan for the Franklinton airport. Alderman TJ Butler questioned the resolution and Mayor Sharp explained that this is part of the five-year process to improve the runway at the airport. The Mayor added that fuel costs have increased and the projected cost may be more. He said that currently there is "no money out" as the resolution is approving this work for next year
Next, the Board voted to adopt the amended budget for 2025-2026. Alderwoman Patrice Crain had several questions. Frustration on the part of the Mayor came to the surface and Aldermen Butler and Randy Reed took exception to the Mayor's question, "What have ya'll been doing?"
Alderman Reed responded with, "This is taxpayer money." Alderwoman Crain questioned several of the items with the Mayor and Town Clerk Ellen Waskom providing explanations.
Crain noted that the fire department is very healthy financially and Chief Brandon LaSalle wishes to purchase some items. The Mayor explained that changes will delay approving the amended budget and LaSalle can make the purchases through the new budget.
Ms. Crain suggested adding the fire department expenditure and calling an emergency meeting to approve the amended budget; however, town attorney James Knight explained that this would not qualify for an emergency meeting.
•Continued on Page A10
Alderman Seth Descant suggested approving the amended budget to get through the year and then they will have time to see what everyone wants and needs in their budget. Descant added, "Everyone is here to vote --- let's not do this in a public meeting."
Eventually the amended budget was adopted with Butler stating, "We work for the Town of Franklinton. Transparency. We have nothing to hide. Everything [is] out in the open."
The Mayor again expressed his desire that aldermen would come in to see him to discuss budget items. He added that the first meeting in October is when the budget for next year will be on the agenda for adoption.
The Board was to vote to introduce an ordinance updating the planning and zoning ordinance and map. However, Stephen Villavaso spoke on behalf of the Zoning Commission and explained that there was a question at the committee's latest meeting which indicated that there are still residents who may have questions about the new Master Plan. The documents continue to be open for public viewing and comments/questions on the Town's website. He added that as the new plan gets closer to adoption, people begin to become more interested. The conclusion was that the public hearings will continue for a few more weeks and hopefully a new Zoning Map, along with the Master Plan as well as the Department of Justice checklist will all be completed.
The 2024-2025 audit and statewide agreed-upon procedures were presented by Michelle Trueschwig from Kushner LaGraize LLC. She gave a summary of the audit findings. The audit was due on April 30, 2026, and was submitted on April 28, 2026. She reported an unmodified opinion on the financial statements and added that current expenses are exceeding revenues. She also noted a decrease in grants and a General Fund loss of $356,000 for the year. This was primarily due to the end of receiving COVID assistance funds. For Internal Controls there were four findings, which is an improvement compared to ten findings last year. Two of these were the two state laws requiring sexual harassment and ethics trainings. This was resolved by the Mayor. The Mayor stated that he is thrilled with the audit report, saying, "There are still changes to make, but we are getting there."
Next, the Board was to vote to introduce an ordinance to update the water rates charged by the Town. At the previous meeting, it was determined that the town is losing money on water, and rates must be raised to help get where the program needs to be. The Mayor polled all the Aldermen and Superintendent of Public Works Reginald McMasters for suggestions on the water rate and then compiled an average. His proposal is raising the monthly minimum charge for residential customers from $19 to $30; industrial from $22 to $50; nontaxable (churches, etc.) from $22 to $42; schools from $22 to $42 and commercial from $22 to $42.
The price per 1000 gallons will increase to $9. This proposal will net $216,000 in revenue in the water department, which is not a great deal when looking at the cost of replacement items and the aging infrastructure of the town, he noted.
Sharp asked the Board for comments and added, "If we don't do this now, in three or four years it will be necessary to increase it much more. Everything in life has increased --- we have not. What has not?"
Alderman Reed laughingly replied, "Wages."
Town resident Bob Bateman questioned if there is a long-range plan and “how will this proposal take care of the town."
Mayor Sharp replied that this will last barely two years. He added that it will likely take until 2032 to get back in good shape in the water department. Bateman said he is not opposed but hates to see doubling water rates to get there. He suggested a little along the way. "You need to propose an increase each year for the next ten years."
Resident Pepe Tate questioned several dealings of the water department in the past and asked about the Fair campers who use town water. The Mayor explained that those campers' water usage goes through the property owners' meters.
There was much discussion and Alderwoman Crain said she is most concerned about residents on a fixed income and how this will impact them.
The usually quiet Alderman Lee Dillon stated, "I am not happy. Anything less and we are giving it away. We are not allowed to do that. We have got to fix it, and we need to look at it and move forward."
Crain suggested a break-even rate this year and increase next year but Mayor Sharp explained that the town must get in compliance with rates that don't result in a loss. Alderman Descant added, "We have to go up, or we are breaking the law."
Ultimately Alderwoman Crain asked to table this until she and the others can look at the numbers and see if there is a better solution. A vote was taken with Crain, Butler and Reed voting to table the matter and Dillon and Descant voting not to.
The Mayor expressed his disappointment that the new water rates will not be reflected in next year's budget because of the delay. However, he said, a solution must be found and rates will increase. It will be up to the Board to determine how much and who will see the larger increases.
The next meeting of the Aldermen and Mayor will be Tuesday, August 26.
