HAMLET - The main item on the agenda for the Hamlet City Council meeting on Tuesday night was whether the 2018-19 budget would be approved as proposed. After months of meetings (and the satisfaction of the required 30 days the North Carolina state statute requires the budget to sit), it was approved, though not unanimously.
Councilwoman Massagee was the lone dissenter on the vote count, although David Lindsey was not present and thus did not cast a vote.
One of the more closely watched items on the budget was the Hamlet Police Department’s request for street cameras. The HPD can use such technology to strongly enhance their ability to monitor the streets of Hamlet. An outside vendor had presented a camera called a “Tsunami” to the council for consideration at a previous council meeting, but local businessman Van Billingsley of ESC in Hamlet says he has a comparable product that can provide the same service at the same price. The council agreed tonight to use the local business, ESC, for this purchase.
In a zoning change request before the council, Greentegrity Land Investment LLC asked for the change of 37 acres from residential to I-1 for the construction of a solar farm. The 37 acres is being subdivided out of the center of 245 acres, so the visibility of the solar panels should be minimal. Having already been presented to the Hamlet Planning and Zoning Board and cleared through their process, the City Council voted unanimously to allow the zoning change.
The subject of the July 4th fireworks display came up not only one time, but twice, as the council assured the citizens of Hamlet that their fireworks display will be bigger and better than ever. This promise is partly precipitated on the fact that the cancellation of last year’s event yielded a double portion of fireworks for the City to show off this year.
Other items on the agenda at this meeting were: the reappointment of Wendy Massagee to the ABC Board; the approval of the Subdivision Ordinance – Streets in ETJ subdivision; the adoption of the fee schedule for 2017-18; the approval of “surplus items”; the approval of tax releases; the approval of the audit contract continuing with Anderson, Smith and Wych in Rockingham; and the approval of budget amendments 4th quarter 2017-18.
