At their regularly scheduled meeting Monday night, the Spring Lake Board of Commissioners approved a new budget amendment that will allocate funds for water purchases and water line repairs, approved new terms for an interlocal sales tax agreement with Cumberland County, and discussed a potential rebranding of the town’s logo and official seal. Here’s the breakdown.
Budget amendment
Commissioners unanimously approved a new budget amendment of about $768,000 in total that will help cover the costs of several water line projects and expenses for the town.
Town Finance Director James Overton explained that Spring Lake’s expenses on water, which the town purchases from Fayetteville Public Works Commission, are exceeding the over $1 million that was budgeted for these services for a nine-month period.
Last fiscal year, the town purchased about 19 million gallons per month, an amount that has now risen to 23 million gallons per month. One factor contributing to this increase in usage stems from several leaks in Spring Lake’s water lines.
Overton said that monthly costs for water purchases average about $18,000. With the budgeted $1 million having been nearly exhausted just six months into the nine-month budgeting period, the town needs to allocate about $350,000 to this fund to cover the remaining three months’ costs.
This budget amendment also allocated $300,000 toward long-neglected repairs to the town’s water and sewer systems. These repairs could help stabilize the cost of water purchases for the town and help mitigate future water outages for residents.
Tax collection changes
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve an amended agreement with Cumberland County that would move the town away from collecting sales tax per capita, or based on population size, to a system of collection based on property values in the municipality, called ad valorem. This updated agreement, proposed by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, would allow Spring Lake to retain 50% of any revenue made beyond their 2022 rate of tax collection. This year, with revenue projected at around $690,000, the town would retain approximately $347,000.
The terms of this agreement between Spring Lake and Cumberland County are similar to an agreement made between the county and Hope Mills in early April. Anthony said that collaborative discussions were held, with parties agreeing to the new terms. Both she and Overton recommended approval for this agreement.
Rebranding Spring Lake
Following a short presentation by Commissioner Marvin Lackman, the board held a brief discussion about a potential rebranding of the towns official logo, seal and motto. The current branding was established in 1978, when the Town of Spring Lake held a contest asking students from local schools to create a logo and motto.
In 2026 it will have been 75 years since the town’s founding on April 9, 1951, and Lackman believes it’s time for a rebrand. Lackman told CityView that he believes community members, including individuals, schools and local organizations should have input in the process of developing the new branding for the town.
“Where do we go from here?” Lackman asked during Monday’s meeting. “Do we keep the same logo that we have and continue with where we are at, or do we look at rebranding into a fresh start? We’ll be able to come up with a new model for Spring Lake that’s taking us into the future.”
The next Spring Lake Board of Commissioners meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, April 28 at Spring Lake Town Hall, 300 Ruth St.
