ROCKINGHAM = The monthly Rockingham City Council meeting was held Tuesday evening at Rockingham City Hall.
After the invocation by Rev. Brian Perry, pastor of Pee Dee & Zion United Methodist Church, the meeting commenced with Planning Director/Assistant City Manager John Massey discussing the city’s Land Use Plan. The Land Use Plan is a compressive 10-year plan that shapes decisions made with city-owned property and land.
The Council reviewed the progress that has been made so far in the first five years of the ten-year plan. Massey informed councilmembers that 22 of the 32 objectives outlined in the Land Use Plan have reached completion or have experienced significant progress.
A number of councilmembers showed positive optimism on the progress that had already been made with the Land Use Plan. Councilwoman Anne Edwards stated, “seeing all of the things we were asking ourselves to achieve, we should all be proud and we all have worked hard to do it; the next five years should fall in place as well.”
Next on the agenda was the presentation of the Rockingham Police Department’s Annual Report for 2017 given by Police Chief Billy Kelly. Included in this report were the crime statistics for 2017 as well as some advancements the department has made over the past year.
Chief Kelly began with the number of calls responded to by the Rockingham Police Department: 15,868 in 2017, compared to 17,006 in 2016. Kelly broke this number down into more detail for the Council so the members could get a better understanding of concerns to which the department responds the most. These issues included public assistance, felony and misdemeanor arrests, and traffic enforcement.
Along with the report on crime statistics, Chief Kelly displayed some of the accomplishments of the department in 2017. Kelly discussed the addition of an officer who was granted the opportunity to join the Sandhill’s Criminal Enterprise Task Force as an FBI Task force Officer. It was noted that this development was a direct response to the rising gang violence in Richmond and surrounding counties.
Kelly went on to discuss a number of other successes the department has made over the past year. These included the achievement of “Operation Medicine Drop”; the purchase of a DUI simulator; a grant that was awarded to purchase twelve automatic defibrillators; and the achievements of community programs hosted and implemented by the department.
The chief finished his report by showing gratitude and appreciation toward the Council for their support. “We really appreciate your leadership that gives us the ability to do our jobs,” said Kelly.
The Rockingham Fire Department’s annual 2017 report was presented next by Fire Chief Harold Isler. The Rockingham Fire Department answered 18 structure fires in 2017 Isler reported. This is a significant increase from the seven structure fires the department responded to in 2016. Isler also reported 244 vehicle crashes in 2017.
Chief Isler additionally championed a number of positive advancements the department participated in during 2017. These include several community involvement programs and different certifications that various firemen received during the year.
City Manager Monty Crump addressed other topics, providing information regarding the status of the former library at the corner of Leak and Lawrence streets, and recognizing numerous city departments that qualified for gold rewards from the Department of Labor.
The meeting ended with numerous Council members reaffirming their support for both Chief Kelly and Chief Isler. “Two good reports tonight and we really appreciate your leadership” said Councilman Gene Willard.
For more information on any topics covered during the March City Council meeting, contact Rockingham City Hall at (910) 997-5546, Rockingham Police Department at (910) 895-2468, or Rockingham Fire Department at (910) 997-4002.
Editor’s note: Special credit to newly-hired Richmond Observer writer Bailey Tuttle for contributing this article.
