Board slowly making progress on hot-button topic
Town of Robbinsville Alderwoman Debbie Beasley
Robbinsville – Among civil debate, there was at least one universal consensus that emerged from the April 27 public hearing about a proposed loitering ordinance inside the Robbinsville town limits: there’s a problem, but there has to be a proper way to address it.
Residents fed up with the increased presence of both questionable activity and subsequent drug paraphernalia left smattered about the county seat approached board of aldermen member Debbie Beasley, who began to advocate for an ordinance to be passed several months ago.
Once the pieces of the proposal fell into place, the board presented its concept: a citation for loitering if anyone was
caught sleeping anywhere deemed a “public place” in the town (benches, under bridges, etc.) at any time from 10 p.m. – 7 p.m. The ordinance does exclude anyone sleeping in their own parked vehicle.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office was to be tasked with issuing the citations, as the Town of Robbinsville has not had a police force of its own in quite some time.
A pair of public hearings were scheduled by the board, which adamantly sought input before passing the ordinance. The hearings were set for April 5 and April 27 and advertised in The Graham Star well in advance, but the two gatherings drew a combined 15 or so residents – all of whom attended the second hearing.
The board met for the first time since receiving local, public input May 3. Outside of a letter sent by the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union – and Mayor Shaun Adams noting the outcome of a similar ordinance that passed in Boise, Idaho, which cost the city nearly $2 million after litigation was filed in one attempt of enforcement – no one had really chimed in to the board on the best plan forward until April 27. Most of the residents who had approached Beasley originally did not attend either hearing.
But Graham County really showed its power of unity at the second forum. Members of the gallery volunteered to help write grants for homeless shelters, and even assist those who are currently struggling with addiction issues. Those proposals were vaunted at the May 3 meeting, but it was discovered that a few more items still needed to be tidied up:
* Town attorney M. Ellen Davis proposed the board form a committee of affected business owners to weigh in on the ordinance;
* Davis also suggested posting signs in the areas that would be patrolled – which would not threaten action via the ordinance, but simply attempt to dissuade anyone tempted to violate the law;
* The board also unanimously agreed to consult with Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit about the best approach to enforcing the ordinance.
With a combination of the regular meeting occurring just six days after the public hearing and the new variables presented in mind, the aldermen opted to table voting definitely on the topic until its June 7 meeting.
Old Town Hall
At the May 3 meeting, the board also extended the cutoff for sealed-bid deliveries on the old town hall (66 N. Main St., Robbinsville) to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 6. The aldermen will unseal the bids at the following day’s meeting and award accordingly.
Among the stipulations for the bids are:
* The building will be sold as-is;
* Prospective bidders can inspect the property in advance, by calling Adams to schedule an appointment;
* A minimum bid of $20,000 is required, with a $5,000 bid-deposit required of the winner.