SPRING LAKE — Spring Lake’s board of aldermen on Monday continued to support the town’s Main Street as a thriving commercial corridor by approving a “First Friday” series and a military banner program.
The board approved a special event permit for First Friday, which will feature vendors, a beer tent, a children’s area, food trucks and live music. The inaugural of the series is set for 6 to 9 p.m. this Friday on Main Street.
A permit was approved on a 4-1 vote at the board meeting Monday evening. Alderman Marvin Lackman cast the dissenting vote.
“I’m not against having events on Main Street, but we need to go about and let the businesses know what is happening,” Lackman said. “We need to make sure we are talking to them.”
Main Street business owners contacted some aldermen in the past week asking for more information about the event, saying they had not heard from Greater Sandhills Chamber organizers about street closures or First Friday. Alderwoman Sona Cooper suggested it should be mandatory to make affected business owners aware about such events.
The board also voted to approve a Spring Lake Military Banner Program, designed to honor fallen service members, veterans and active-duty service members. The banners will display a service member’s photo, name and branch of service on one side, with highlights of the service on the reverse.
Banners will be available for purchase to honor service members. The display will line Main Street and, if the town sells enough, it will extend to Spring Avenue, Bragg Boulevard, N.C. 210 and Ruth Street. The banners will be on display from Memorial Day through Veterans Day.
Armond Caron, co-chairman of the Military and Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, also announced that a Veterans Day ceremony is planned at the unveiling of a mural on Main Street on Nov. 10. The mural, being painted by North Carolina artist Max Dowdle, has a military theme and will showcase a large American flag as a backdrop and depict soldiers marching forward and paratroopers parachuting from a plane.
The committee will work with the Appearance Commission to plan the joint ceremony.
Positive finance report from the Local Government Commission
David Erwin, the town’s finance director and accounting and financial management adviser of the N.C. Department of the State Treasurer, provided aldermen with a report of the town’s finances through June 30. He said by year’s end, the town will receive its long-awaited 2022 fiscal year audit.
“Revenues came in at 97.15% of budget, which is what you want to hear,” Erwin told the aldermen. “The general fund is looking good, but when the audit is completed it will give you a better understanding of where the town’s finances are.”
The N.C. Local Government Commission took control of the town’s finances in October 2021 after concerns about budget deficits and fiscal disarray were raised and an investigation of missing money was launched.
Mayor Kia Anthony said it is a good feeling to have Spring Lake moving toward financial stability.
“We are a business, and we cannot take care of citizens if we are not taking care of the business of the town by being fiscally responsible,” Anthony said. “We won’t let the town go backward.”
Erwin reviewed some year-over-year comparisons to illustrate the progress. Net revenue minus expenditures, he said, was $2.4 million for the current fiscal year, compared to $767,000 a year ago.
One of the only items showing a significant overage was expenses for a second fire station, although Erwin said the fire department is operating well within its budget overall. The overage, he said, was because Cumberland County contributes to fire protection in the Manchester area, requiring separate accounting.
“You might want to ask the county for more money now that they can see how much it costs to operate,” Erwin said.
He also reported the town received nearly $8.26 million in American Rescue Plan funding. The town used the money to purchase a ladder truck, a dumptruck, a John Deere mower, meters, a mini-excavator, a grapple truck, three servers, handheld meter readers, police and fire radios, a radar, police vehicle upfit, and fire turnout. Funds were also used for staff bonuses and additions to fund balances.
“These were needed items,” Lackman said of the purchases. “The ladder truck that our manager and fire chief secured for us sets us up for the next 18 years. Police and fire got equipment upgrades so when they run into danger, they are protected,”
Erwin agreed that upgrades to aging or broken equipment were necessary.
“A lot of what you will save is from the repair bills,” he said. “They were enormous.”
Another positive report was that the town no longer has inter-fund debt, which had prevented it from applying for state grants and loans. Erwin reported that since that debt has been satisfied, the town can begin to apply for other revenue sources without penalty.
The board went into executive session, citing attorney-client privilege and personnel matters, shortly after 8 p.m., returning 30 minutes later. No action was taken.
The board will meet again at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 in the Grady Howard Conference Room in the municipal building.
