Several residents spoke to the Wadesboro council during its monthly meeting on Monday to give their thoughts — ranging from concern to support — on the proposed new fire department.

The council decided at its March retreat that the fire department is a top priority for the town. Preliminary estimates show that a new fire department could cost around $1.1 million, though town manager Alex Sewell said that number may change as the process continues.

The current tax rate is 54.6 cents; the fire district tax is 7.6 cents. During its retreat, the council realized it may need to raise both taxes by 2 cents in order to pay for the facility.

RESIDENTS’ THOUGHTS

Harvey Leavitt spoke favorably of the council’s plan, saying that it will help the town move forward.

“I think this is needed and a step forward for our small but proud community,” he said.

Leavitt asked that the town carefully consider its funding options before making a decision, hoping for a solution that would avoid “breaking the backs of the taxpayers.”

“All I ask is that you do your homework,” he said. “Understand the risks and rewards and do what’s best for our community.”

Lawrence Gatewood, a former Wadesboro councilman and former Anson County manager, also supported the idea of building a new fire department.

Gatewood said that he researched construction costs and found that they can be expected to increase 3 to 6 percent per year, driving up the cost of a fire department if it is put off any longer.

Gatewood also said that while $1.1 million is a large sum, it isn’t too pricey since it would be used to serve 10,000 residents.

Former Anson County sheriff Tommy Allen said he supported the plan “100 percent” and encouraged the town to do what it needs to in order to make sure the facility is built and long-lasting.

“If you have to raise my taxes, do it,” he said.

Allen said that when the county needed to build a new 911 communications center, Gatewood was “very conservative” but ultimately still willing to support the project.

“We wanted it done right,” Allen said. “Now, we have one of the nicest buildings that the county has put up in decades.”

He asked the council to consider the future when building the department.

“I hope if you do it, I hope it will be attractive and not look like a storage unit,” he said. “If you decide to add to it later on, like a town hall or police department, just keep that in mind.”

Jim Adams said that while he understood the supporters’ opinion, he has concerns about the town’s plan.

Adams asked the town to improve its communication about the project with residents and asked for clarification on what a tax increase would look like.

Adams also asked for more information from the department such as how many fires it responds to monthly and whether it is able to save the majority of structures in those cases.

Jason Rigsby, a local business owner, said that while he wants to see the fire department housed in a better facility, he had concern about the tax burden for citizens.

“I am all for a new building, but I’m working 12-18 hours a day to make ends meet,” he said. “If you up the taxes, I may as well pack up and leave.”

Rigsby asked the council to consider other options.

“If there’s something else we can do, I’m all for it,” he said. “But please, don’t raise the taxes.”

Tim Adams, a retired member of the fire department who served for 23 years, also asked the council to consider other funding options. He said that the fire department needed a new facility in the 1980s and 1990s, making it long overdue, but asked that the council look into grant options before making a decision.

Adams asked if the town was considering a city or fire tax increase. Sewell said that the town may raise both.

Jeff Boothby, another Wadesboro business owner, said that he is neutral on the topic.

Boothby said he toured the current facility and acknowledged that it is in poor shape.

He was also concerned about the taxes, but from a corporate angle, saying that they may be a “disincentive” that could keep new residents and businesses from moving into the county.

Boothby also said he was worried that the town would drain its funds to pay for this project and have nothing left over for other town improvement projects, such as fixing up Salisbury Street.

He did suggest that the town buy a potentially more expensive facility to prepare for future needs now rather than waiting until they are necessary, when he anticipates that construction costs will be higher.

Gatewood’s concerns about the project’s price tag expanding were valid, Boothby said, pointing out the county water line and Agri-Civic Center as projects that both became more expensive the longer it took for the county commissioners to approve them.

While more expensive, he suggested the town add an administrative wing for the town hall if it plans to do that in the future.

“It’s an uphill fight with taxpayers,” he said. “If you do that, you might as well do it all at once.”

Lewis Evans also urged the town to work on the building sooner rather than later.

“I know you’ve done your homework, but time being of the essence, you’ve done your due diligence, but we don’t need to do like Jeff mentioned and put it off again, put it off again, put it off again, put it off again,” Evans said. “Because we’re increasing the cost if we do. We’re not making our situation any better. So you guys continue doing what you’re doing.”

COUNCIL RESPONSE

Fire Chief Marc Sessions said that while taxes may go up to fund the new facility, the fire department has worked to make improvements for homeowners’ insurance. On June 1, the insurance will be reduced by 8 to 15 percent, he said.

Councilman Bobby Usrey stressed to the crowd that the decision to build a new department was not a new idea.

“In 2003, a needs assessment by a professional company was done for the police and fire facilities,” he said. “They gave us what the square footage was needed, what we had and what we needed, and they gave us the amount that it would be. That laid idle until about two years ago. The same company came in, the same individual, and he was able to take that needs assessment and compare it with the updated prices and gave us an updated price for, at that time, a new police and fire facility.”

Councilman John Ballard said that the council is approaching the project with a vision for the future, wanting a facility that will last for 25 to 40 years.

Councilman Fred Davis said that the town has been “kicking the can down the road” when it came to the fire department for too long.

“Taxes are the last thing thing this board wants to do,” he said. “We don’t sit and say, ‘Hey, let’s raise taxes.’ That’s the last thing we want to do. We have to pay them, too. We understand the fixed incomes.”

Ballard’s sentiments were the same.

“It’s universal across the board,” he said. “We don’t want to put this on the backs of the people. We don’t want to do that. But we also don’t want to borrow a bunch of money willy-nilly that we can’t pay back.”

Sewell said that the town has looked into other funding options and will continue to do so, but that it hasn’t found many yet. He said that he has looked into USDA grants, but that their requirements for the construction process increases construction costs. He also said he sent out requests for bids to local banks to see what other financing options are available.

In order to raise the fire district tax, the town will need the approval of the county commissioners. Sewell said he planned to speak with the commissioners during their meeting on Tuesday night to ask for approval. (Editor’s note: The county commissioners’ meeting was after press deadline for this week.)

Sewell will factor the commissioners’ response into the budget when he makes his budget presentation to the town council in June. The council currently plans to hear the budget presentation on June 6, though the date may change if the council is still waiting for a response from the county about the fire district tax.

TRASH CANS

Hugh James, the town’s public utilities director, said that he has distributed about half of the letters he is giving to Wadesboro businesses to let them know of the change to the town’s trash policy.

During the March retreat, council members agreed to provide two 96-gallon trash cans to businesses at no cost, though adding a third would double the business’ trash rate. The new cans will be distributed to both residential and business customers later this year as the town prepares to switch to using an automated garbage truck.

Businesses that need more than three cans will be required to find another solution, such as finding a dumpster. The new policy information was included in the letter to businesses.

Councilman Jeremy Burr said that he is fine with limiting the number of trash cans to three, but that he does not agree with doubling the trash fee for businesses that use three cans. Burr left the retreat early in March when the matter was discussed and was not present when the doubled fee was decided.

Burr’s concern was that it is unfair to businesses along the highway that have pickup once a week while uptown businesses receive trash pickup three times a week, but even those picked up only once a week will receive the doubled fee if they use more than two cans in a week.

When Usrey agreed, asking how those businesses would dispose of cardboard, Davis said they can take it to the recycling area behind the police department.

Ballard also disagreed with the policy.

Both men asked why the town needed to double the trash rate when Usrey said it would take “an extra five seconds” to simply dump the third can.

Sewell said that those businesses that have more trash dumped will be receiving a “higher level of service” and that if everybody had three cans for the normal rate, the pickup processes would become more lengthy. The town would also need to purchase more trash cans, which would be more expensive and could delay the start of automated trash pickup.

Davis said the uptown area needs to be cleaned up for visitors and that while several businesses along the highway have room for dumpsters, and that several restaurants already do, most uptown businesses have no space for one.

At the time the decision was made, Usrey and Ballard were opposed to the policy and Burr had left early, leaving the council split on the decision. Mayor Bill Thacker broke the vote, supporting the new policy.

Thacker asked James to continue to notify businesses of the new policy and to bring any feedback he receives to the next meeting. James said that he has not heard any complaints so far, and that some businesses have said they may purchase the third can.

INGRAM STREET

David Harrington approached the council with request for new pipes for Ingram Street. Harrington has asked the council for the new pipes for years, saying that the drainage on the street is poor and could be dangerous for children living on the street.

“We’ve been coming up here for the last three or four years about this problem on Ingram Street, and every year we hear the same thing,” Harrington said. “The mayor said we were next on the list three years ago. If we’re next on the list, I’d hate to see the end of it.”

Harrington said that the council needs to do its civic and religious job and put the pipes in.

“You all are not doing it for yourselves, you’re doing it for God,” he said. “You’re not in those seats because of what you did, but because God put you there.”

The council will hold its next regular meeting at 5 p.m. June 6 at the Wadesboro town hall.

Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.

By Imari Scarbrough

iscarbrough@civitasmedia.com