City Council

MINUTES WENTWORTH TOWN COUNCIL August 2, 2022 7:00 pm Wentworth Town Hall 124 Peach Tree Road, Wentworth NC The Wentworth Town Council held their regularly scheduled monthly meeting at the Wentworth Town Hall, on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 7:00pm. Council Members Present: Mayor Dennis Paschal Jr., Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Conner, Cheryl Moore, Dennis Paschal III Council Members Absent: Daryl Crowder A quorum was met. Staff Present: Yvonne Russell, Town Clerk & Finance Officer Others Present: Ellis Martin, Attorney, Fox Rothschild LLP – Town of Wentworth Roy Sawyers – Rockingham Update (Media) Article I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Dennis Paschal, Jr. called the meeting to order. Article II. INVOCATION Councilmember Dennis Paschal, III gave the invocation. Article III. APPROVAL OF TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA A. Requests and Petitions of Citizens B. Approve/ Amend Agenda Mayor Paschal made a MOTION, “To approve the Agenda as written”. Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Conner seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Article IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Town Council Meeting – July 12, 2022 Mayor Pro Tem Conner made a MOTION, “The minutes stand approved as written”. Mayor Paschal seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Wentworth Council Meeting Minutes August 2, 2022 – pg. 1 Article V. OLD BUSINESS A. Consideration of Vending Machines at Wentworth Park Yvonne Russell, Town Clerk & Finance Officer reported that in further discussions with Coca-Cola Bottling she found out the Town would be responsible for keeping change in the machine, refunding money to customers, and the product inventory. Mayor Pro Tem Conner asked Ms. Russell how she felt about taking on these responsibilities. Ms. Russell answered, “We can try it and if it becomes a problem we can return the machine.” Mayor Paschal made a MOTION, “We approve the vending machine at the Wentworth Park.” Mayor Pro Tem Conner seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Article VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Consideration of Letter of Support for Civil Rights Trail Marker Ms. Russell explained the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County (MARC) is hosting an exhibit called ‘Heavy Are the Scales” which features the Griggs vs. Duke Power case. The case involved thirteen (13) African-American laborers who filed class action lawsuit in 1971 against Duke Power for equal employment opportunities. This case established the legal precedent for disparate impact lawsuits regarding racial discrimination. The Civil Rights Trail Marker will be placed near the MARC, acknowledging that case. Mayor Paschal made a MOTION, “We approve the Letter of Support for an historical marker at the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County.” Councilmember Paschal III seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion carried. (Note: A Copy of the Letter of Support for a Civil Rights Trail Marker is herein incorporated and made a part of these minutes.) Wentworth Council Meeting Minutes August 2, 2022 – pg. 2 Wentworth Council Meeting Minutes August 2, 2022 – pg. 3 Article VI. NEW BUSINESS B. Consideration of Termination of State of Emergency (Covid-19) Mayor Paschal noted the Governor of NC will rescind the NC State of Emergency for Covid-19 this month. Mayor Paschal made a MOTION, “We rescind the Town’s State of Emergency.” Councilmember Paschal III seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Article VII. PUBLIC COMMENTS No one signed the speaker register for public comments. Mayor Paschal asked Ms. Russell to give Council an update on the storm debris removal project. Ms. Russell reported the debris removal is complete. The total cost is $22,132.00 which is significantly less than what was estimated. The original estimate was for picking up eight (8) cubic yards of debris. The total amount of debris actually picked up was closer to two (2) cubic yards. The total cost was more than 1% of the Town’s FY20-21 budget; therefore, the Town still qualifies for State assistance. Mayor Paschal added, “I think the difference in the number of cubic yards is …we were picking up what was brought to the road and put in the right of way because you couldn’t take the truck off of the road. It looks to me like they just estimated all of the damage down through the woods and everything around. We got everything that people had brought up to the roads.” Ms. Russell said, “I’ve had a couple of people come by or call that live on Wentworth Street, and I explained to them that is not in the Town limits, and we were not allowed to pick that up based on our agreement with the State for financial assistance.” Article VIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Paschal made the following announcements:  The next regular meeting of the Wentworth Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 7:00 pm at the Wentworth Town Hall.  The next regular meeting of the Wentworth Town Council is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6, 2022, at 7:00 pm at the Wentworth Town Hall.  The Wentworth Town Hall will be closed Monday, September 5, 2022 in observance of Labor Day. Wentworth Council Meeting Minutes August 2, 2022 – pg. 4 Article IX. ADJOURN Mayor Paschal made a MOTION, “We adjourn”. Mayor Pro Tem Conner seconded the motion, and the meeting adjourned. Respectfully Submitted By: __________________________ Yvonne Russell, NCCMC Town Clerk Approved By: _______________________ Dennis Paschal, Jr. Mayor Wentworth Council Meeting Minutes August 2, 2022 – pg. 5