Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting

The following is a staff-prepared summary of key discussion points and decisions from this meeting. For the complete official record, please refer to the approved minutes above.

Recognition of Volunteer Firefighters The Board recognized five members of the Ranlo Volunteer Fire Department for 30 years of service to the community.

• Doug Moore, Todd Lewis, Scott Rice, Carl Moore, and Matt Gosnell were honored for three decades of volunteer service protecting the town.
• Mayor Black noted that while the department is volunteer-based, its members have consistently shown up for fires, storms, and emergencies, and expressed hope that the town could one day support a fully paid department.

Black Mountain Financial Software Upgrade Town Manager Hansen provided an update on a new financial software system being provided to Ranlo at no cost through a North Carolina League of Municipalities grant program.

• The new system, called Black Mountain Software, will replace the town's current outdated financial software.
• Staff have already begun training and data conversion. The software is expected to go live in February.
• The League of Municipalities will cover the cost for a three-year term. After that period, the Board can decide whether to continue using existing software budget funds to maintain the subscription.

Grant Projects Update Town Manager Hansen reviewed the status of all active and completed grant-funded capital improvement projects, totaling approximately $11–13 million in outside funding with no impact to local tax dollars.

• NCDEQ Grant ($2.8 million): Water meter upgrades are complete. The Ranlo Avenue extension waterline is complete. Bids were opened the day of the meeting for the South Ranlo Waterline Project; the Board expects to review bids and award a contract next month.
• SKIP Grant ($3.5 million): Boulder Court upgrades, the Ranlo Avenue extension road project, and lodge upgrades are all complete. The sidewalk upgrades project ($722,000) is in final design; staff expect to go out to bid within one to two months.
• Secondary Water Interconnect ($6 million): Funded through a $5 million NC General Assembly direct appropriation and a $1 million congressional earmark. All documents have been submitted to the state; once approved, the project will go out to bid.
• HUD Funding ($2 million): Designated for the Redland/Booker Neely area of the South Ranlo Waterline Project. Staff expect to resume conversations with HUD as federal operations resume.
• The lead and copper inventory requirement has been completed.

Winter Field Operations Equipment Public Works staff requested Board approval to purchase snow removal equipment, as the town's existing plow and spreader have reached the end of their useful life after approximately 20 years.

• Staff requested a new snowplow ($11,730 installed) and a new salt spreader ($13,369 installed) for the town's Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck — a combined cost of approximately $25,000.
• Staff also requested a backup plow attachment ($7,600) and spreader ($2,800) for the town's existing Bush Hog tractor, bringing the total for all equipment to approximately $35,677.
• Funds would come from the town's Powell Bill fund, which currently holds a balance of approximately $74,000. Staff noted this funding comes from the state for road maintenance purposes and is not local tax revenue.
• Staff reported that 200 yards of sand have already been screened and 20,000 pounds of salt are on order.
• A motion to approve the purchase was made and seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Strawberry Lane Parking Restrictions Town Manager Hansen introduced a discussion on whether to designate Strawberry Lane as a no-parking street following resident concerns about safety issues, including vehicles parked too close to a stop sign creating near-miss traffic situations.

• The Fire Chief confirmed there have not been recent fire apparatus access problems on Strawberry Lane, but acknowledged parked vehicles could create issues if a call came in.
• The Board discussed a permit-based exception system — similar to what is already in place for Mountain View subdivision and Spencer Heights — allowing residents to obtain a temporary parking permit from the Police Chief for special events such as parties or funerals.
• A motion was made to direct staff to draft a text amendment adding Strawberry Lane to the town's list of no-parking streets. The motion was seconded and passed, with one opposing vote.

Facility Rental Recurring Discount Rate The Board considered a new discounted rate structure for recurring weekday rentals of the town's lodge and community building, which currently sit unused most weekdays.

• Town Manager Hansen presented three options offering discounts of 20%, 40%, or 50% off standard rental rates for qualifying recurring rentals.
• To qualify, a renter must book at least four consecutive weeks. Rentals under this program would be limited to Monday through Thursday only, preserving Friday through Sunday availability for standard event rentals.
• The Board noted this program could support small businesses and community instructors — such as fitness or yoga instructors — while generating revenue from otherwise vacant building time.
• A motion was made to adopt the recurring rental discount policy as amended — Monday through Thursday availability, minimum four consecutive weeks, at a 50% discount rate. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

Financial Report Finance staff presented the monthly year-to-date budget report.

• The general fund balance has increased as ad valorem (property) tax revenue has begun coming in for the fiscal year.
• The Mayor asked about the town's current debt obligations. Staff indicated the town's only current debt is the financing on three vehicles purchased earlier in the year, believed to be approximately $80,000. Staff noted the town has proactively paid down debt at fiscal year-end in recent years when a budget surplus is anticipated.
• Staff noted full debt details are included in the town's annual financial audit.

New Town Hall Planning Town Manager Hansen reported that planning for a new town hall facility has formally begun.

• A kickoff meeting was held with the architectural firm Moseley Architects (Withers Ravenel) to establish baseline staff needs for the project.
• Next steps include engaging the Board and the public in the planning process. The firm also has a dedicated team to assist in identifying grant and appropriations funding for the project.
• Staff reported active outreach to congressional and state legislative representatives regarding the town's facility needs.