HAMLET - The meeting that began mundanely enough quickly turned interesting with the first item of "Old Business" on the agenda.
Councilman Jesse McQueen asked Police Chief Scott Waters to come to the podium to clarify some points relating to budget requests for the Police Department.
McQueen asked City Manager Jonathan Blanton to show a power point presentation that the Council had previously been shown with statistics on crime in the City of Hamlet, a lot of which was ostensibly related to gang crime statistics. McQueen pointed out the conflicting numbers used on several different pages, numbers specifically referring to “validated gang members.”
The inconsistencies in numbers, McQueen noted, makes it difficult to render a valid determination as to whether the funding of a drug/gang officer position is warranted at this time, given the limitation of budgetary options.
McQueen went on to express his appreciation for the work of the Hamlet Police Department in general, and the leadership of Chief Waters in particular, but it was McQueen's position that significant funding could not be provided without accurate information and direct evidence of a validated need for such a specialized officer appointment.
Another factor was a major news story that ran April 11th of this year by Channel 9 News. Reporter Liz Foster came to Hamlet to interview local residents, the city manager and Police Chief Waters.
It was contended by McQueen that this television report presented an erroneous account of the Hamlet City Council’s consideration of the HPD's March request; the budget item had merely been tabled at the time for future discussion and had NOT been summarily denied as the Channel 9 report seemingly implied.
It was this "tone" of the newscast which could be construed as "unflattering towards the City Council," McQueen stated.
According to McQueen, the Channel 9 report contained, “false information” and does not reflect a true picture of the City of Hamlet. McQueen was clearly concerned and expressed frustration in association with the information that the reporter had presented.
Police Chief Waters concurred, noting that perhaps better communication could have precluded and ameliorated the negative image of Hamlet that was proliferated by the Channel 9 news report. Waters also indicated that more open communication should be implemented among all concerned parties to determine an accurate estimation of the "gang membership problems" that may be present in Richmond County and Rockingham as well as the town of Hamlet.
While it may seem a matter of semantics and minutiae, the basic issue is that, with a limited amount of funding to be distributed between various city departments, projects, and assorted needs, can a $48,000 allotment to the HPD be justified to the city taxpayers at this particular time?
Chief Waters was adamant in his commitment to ensuring the safety of the town's citizenry, regardless of what he may or may not have at his disposal. "We will continue to maintain a high vision and do the things that are necessary to fight crime in Hamlet. Our citizens will be safe!"
Councilman McQueen reiterated a similar desire to support Chief Waters in this objective, noting that the Council had been as supportive as has been feasible over the past few years in responding to the budgetary requests of both the police and fire departments, identifying several budget line items that had been appropriated over the years.
In regard to the related HPD request for four surveillance cameras, Councilman Jonathan Buie revisited the subject, making a motion to provide $24,000 (the noted total cost of four "Tsunami" cameras under consideration) for the purchase of surveillance equipment for the HPD, in the process altering the motion to clarify that the funding could be used for any such comparable equipment.
Councilman Eddie Martin expounded upon his personal support of such technology as well, but voiced a desire to explore alternative options for perhaps finding comparable equipment for a lesser cost to the city.
City Manager Johathan Blanton then provided a thorough overview of the financial details of the city's operations, denoting the line items that constitute the $8.2 million recommended budget for fiscal year 2018-2019.
Mayor Bill Bayless issued a proclamation in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the outstanding achievements of the 1968 Hamlet High School Red Rams championship baseball team, citing the individual players and Coach George Whitfield by name.
He further recognized Municipal Clerks' Week, extolling the virtues and "good work" of Hamlet City Clerk and Zoning Administrator Gail Strickland.
Mayor Bayless further reminded attendees that City offices will be closed Monday, May 28th in observance of Memorial Day.
The next scheduled meeting for the Hamlet City Council is Tuesday, June 5th, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Administrative Building.
