From The Mayor's Desk

By: Mayor Melissa Brazell Emmons

Note: From The Mayor’s Desk is submitted by Mayor Melissa Emmons and is not the official minutes of the Elgin Town Council.

The monthly meeting of the Elgin Town Council took place on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 6:00pm with Mayor Melissa Emmons presiding. Present were Mayor Melissa Emmons, Councilman Ed Smith, Councilman Brad Hanley, Councilwoman Dana Sloan, Town Attorney, John Wells, Chief Alan Anders, and Town Clerk, Becky Summey. The Invocation was given by Mayor Melissa Emmons and was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which was led by Councilman Brad Hanley.

A motion was made by Councilman Brad Hanley, 2nd by Councilwoman Dana Sloan to approve the minutes from the regular scheduled meeting on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, and a special business meeting on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, with a unanimous vote from Council.

There was no one signed up to speak during Public Forum. A motion to adopt the agenda was made by Councilman Ed Smith, 2nd by Councilman Brad Hanley with a unanimous vote from Council.

The following New Business License Applications were approved in December 2022 and January 2023: (1) Baila Fusion Dance Fitness, (2) JL Mesa, LLC, (3) Fernandez Interpreter & Translator Solutions, LLC, (4) D. Berger Dental of Elgin, PA, (5) Senior Citizen Services by Shamrock, LLC, and (6) Sales Solutions, LLC dba HRE Construction. Please remember to support the businesses in our community and when possible, shop local.

The following Charity Permit Requests were approved in December 2022 and January 2023: (1) Grace Life Church-yard sale, (2) Girl Scouts-cookie booth at Elgin Town Hall, (3) Girl Scouts-cookie booth at Food Lion, and (4) Girl Scouts-cookie booth at Mid Carolina Credit Union. If you or your organization wishes to hold a fundraising event in the Town of Elgin, please remember to check with Elgin Town Hall about completing a Charity Permit Request Form prior to the event. There were no Complaints for December 2022 or January 2023. There was no need for a Public Hearing.

In Old Business, an update was provided regarding the new Elgin Community Center. Council was informed by Councilman Brad Hanley that a meeting had taken place with the proposed architect, Jeff Lewis, and that he was provided the following information: (1) the proposed building budget is $812,500.00 for a 2500 square foot facility, and (2) the Blaney/Elgin Museum and Historical Society had accepted the offer from the town of an allocated 250 square foot area for a display room/museum. A preliminary drawing was presented to Council by Mayor Melissa Emmons of the facility.

Also in Old Business, a recommendation for a rezoning request for 1217 Rose Street from RS-1 to GC-1 was presented to Council by John Thrash, Chair, Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission. After some discussion, a motion to approve the 1st Reading was made by Councilman Ed Smith, 2nd by Councilman Brad Hanley with a unanimous vote from Council. A public hearing/2nd Reading is scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 6:00.

A motion to approve the 2nd Reading of the new Building Code Ordinance was made by Councilman Brad Hanley, 2nd by Councilman Ed Smith with a unanimous vote from Council.

An update regarding data available through LawTrak was requested by Councilman Brad Hanley. This software is used in our Municipal Court to track cases/fines/ etc. There was some discussion of developing an Excel Spreadsheet if we can export the weekly case docket into this format. This is something that will need to be discussed further with our Clerk of Court and Judges.

In New Business, Alan Anders, Chief, Elgin Police Department provided Council with an update regarding the recent purchase of radar equipment using a portion of the Duke Energy Grant that the town received several months back and stated that since the purchase, the equipment has paid for itself in fines involving several stops that had occurred in the past few weeks. Chief Anders also informed Council that Sgt. Michelle Sinclair has been recognized as the Officer of the Year for the department. A plaque was presented at the meeting to Sgt. Sinclair, who was joined by her husband.

MAYOR'S DESK, See Page 9 >>

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