Robbinsville – During a lengthy town Board of Aldermen meeting Friday, auditors commended the effort made on the financial side of the operation.
Nancy Lux with Ray, Bumgarner, Kingshill & Associates presented the audit report for the 2018-19 fiscal year. Lux said the town stayed within budget for all of its funds, and all the town’s assets exceeded its liabilities during the year by $13,752.54.
The town’s total debt decreased by $54,795, a positive drop that prompted Lux to congratulate finance director Sonya Webster and the aldermen on a job well done. Lux concluded her presentation by saying the town did not need a “suggestion letter” of improvements that could be made, which is the first time since the firm has been auditing Robbinsville that this has occurred.
Other news and notes from the meeting:
* Robbinsville native Amber Benton presented the board with an idea to bring a coffee shop to downtown. Benton has her eye on the old Town Hall building, but the town will have to review its options before moving forward. The board agreed to set up a special meeting with Benton to further discuss the topic.
* Carpenter updated the board on the sewer plant blower repair. He said the blowers were giving off a bunch of vibration warnings and one actually came apart, ruining the shaft. The board agreed to move forward with removing the blower and preparing it for shipment, where damages and a final cost for repair can be determined.
* The board discussed the need for a better boil water notice system. A call-back program was proposed, and Hooper agreed to work on getting some pricing for a system.
* Alderman Brian Johnson discussed the Westnet Towers Wireless License Agreement, which has brought Wi-Fi to downtown Robbinsville. The motion for Hooper to sign the agreement was unanimous, which will allow Westnet to continue spreading the Wi-Fi signal, including a spot at Town Hall.
* Ideas for a Christmas theme in downtown were discussed by REVVED UP. The most-discussed idea was to paint the utility poles and wrap them with ribbons, which everyone agreed would need clearance from Duke Energy before proceeding with the project.
* Christmas bonuses for town employees were discussed at-length, as alderman Shaun Adams was worried that the “appreciation pay” might be a constitutional violation. The board agreed to table the bonuses until more research could be done.
* Webster proposed raising the late fees for town water customers to $15, which would better coincide with neighboring townships. The Town of Robbinsville averages $5 for late fees, or five percent of a bill.
Webster said as of Oct. 28, there were 227 customers – out of roughly 1,100 – late on their bill and that the idea could increase cash flow by getting customer’s attention with a higher late fee. The aldermen decided to discuss further at a future meeting.