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.

Swearing-In of Newly Elected Officials The meeting's primary order of new business was the formal swearing-in of officials elected in the November 2025 municipal election.

• Cory Creech was sworn in as the new Mayor of Ranlo, succeeding Mayor Black, who concluded eight years of service.
• Chevette Hill was sworn in as a Commissioner.
• Robin Connor was sworn in as a Commissioner.

Public Comment Period Several residents and community members addressed the board during the public comment period on a range of topics.

• Representatives from the Gastonia NAACP Branch 5394B spoke regarding remarks made by outgoing Mayor Black at a prior meeting, expressing concern about the language used and calling for accountability and community healing. Mayor Black responded that his reference to a "superior race" was intended to mean the human race as a whole.
• A former town employee addressed the board regarding his termination, stating he believed it was wrongful, that he had not been given the opportunity to go through a proper human resources process, and that the situation had created significant personal financial hardship. He asked the board to reconsider his case.
• A resident raised concerns about the town's online utility billing and autopay system, describing difficulties updating payment information and a default autopay cap that caused a partial missed payment. He requested that the town manager explore more modern, user-friendly billing options that residents can manage independently online.
• A resident from the Mountain View subdivision raised concerns about the lack of visible police patrols in his neighborhood, citing speeding, stop sign violations, and other safety issues. He also asked for more information about the Police Department's drone program, including how the drones are used, how often they are operated, and what is budgeted for them.

Appointments to Board Positions and Regional Bodies Following the swearing-in, the newly seated board made several organizational appointments.

• Commissioner Robin Connor was appointed Mayor Pro Tem. Motion was made, seconded, and approved unanimously.
• Mayor Creech was appointed as the delegate to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Commissioner Connor was appointed as the alternate. Both appointments were approved by unanimous vote.
• Commissioner Chevette Hill was appointed as the delegate to the Central Regional Council. An alternate appointment was also approved. Both votes were unanimous.

Board Rules and Procedures Town Attorney Nick Tosco presented a proposed set of rules and procedures to govern board meetings going forward.

• The rules were drafted based on Robert's Rules of Order and guidelines from the UNC School of Government, and are intended to replace outdated procedural language currently in the town's code of ordinances.
• Key provisions covered include: quorum requirements (four members needed to act), remote participation limitations (listening only — quorum and voting must be in person), closed session protocols, agenda adoption procedures, and the duty of board members to vote (abstaining is not permitted under North Carolina law).
• The attorney noted that board members cannot unilaterally recuse themselves for a conflict of interest — they must be formally excused by a vote of the board.
• Public comment rules were also outlined, including that remarks must be directed to the board as a whole, speakers may not address individual members, and the board may not restrict the content of a speaker's message under First Amendment protections.
• The board voted to table adoption of the rules until the next regular meeting to allow members time to review the document. Motion was made, seconded, and approved unanimously.

Infrastructure Grant Projects Update Matt Eckles of the Wooten Company, the town's engineering consultant, provided an update on infrastructure projects funded through grants.

• The town has secured approximately $14 million in grant funding across multiple infrastructure projects, with reimbursement requests being managed across six funding agencies for twelve separate projects.
• Several projects have been completed. Others are actively underway. The project highlighted for discussion was the Waterline Replacements East project, one of three waterline replacement efforts currently in progress.
• The waterline replacement projects target areas with aging, small-diameter (approximately 2-inch) water lines. The work is funded through grants and is not expected to impact residents' water and sewer rates.