2026-07-20 - City Council

00:00school system. Uh Michaelair,

00:03he's testing and accountability director

00:06for the local city schools. Welcome to

00:08the meeting here this evening. I didn't

00:10see anybody from the uh board that

00:13usually comes in. So,

00:17we'll go on. Also, welcome the press

00:20that may be uh viewing this or uh or

00:24being the hall here tonight. those of

00:27you wa watching on the website uh social

00:29media and and or YouTube. So we welcome

00:33all of you to the meeting this evening.

00:36First order of business will be

00:38additions and or deletions to the

00:40agenda. Mr. City Manager,

00:43>> good evening, mayor, city council. This

00:45evening I have two items requested to be

00:48added to the agenda this evening.

00:57Sorry.

00:58Um the first item is a uh item 6 C which

01:04is consideration of approval to adopt

01:06restrictive covenants for flood plane

01:07and wetlands protection on city-owned

01:10property uh specifically Carver Park.

01:13And we'll describe that in more detail

01:14when we get to that item. And item I'm

01:18requesting that item seven be renamed

01:22close session for attorney client

01:24privilege and then renumber uh beyond

01:27that. Uh so the additions and updates

01:29would be number eight and then uh excuse

01:32me number nine and adjournment would be

01:35number 10.

01:37So close session is eight then nine is

01:40additions and 10 is adjournment.

01:43>> Those are my only requests. Having heard

01:45this, what's the pleasure of councel?

01:47>> Mr. Mayor, I'll make a motion uh to

01:49approve the agenda as amended by our

01:51city manager.

01:51>> Is there a second?

01:52>> Second.

01:54>> Is there any disc discussion?

01:57You may record your vote.

02:11Very good.

02:15Okay, we have seven votes in the

02:17affirmative. The agenda has been

02:19approved. We're now down to item three,

02:22public forum. We have two um people that

02:25have signed up here this evening. The

02:28first one will be Rosa Villaorta. If you

02:30will come to the podium, please state

02:33your name and your subject for the

02:35clerk.

02:37[cough]

02:37[clears throat]

02:46Good evening, mayor and city council

02:48members. My name is Rosavia Corta and

02:51the founder of connecting through

02:53culture, a local nonprofit based here in

02:55Thomasville. Our mission is simple is to

02:58bring people together through culture,

03:00creativity and connection.

03:03We believe that when children's and

03:05family learn about different culture

03:08through art, they build confidence,

03:11empathy and a stronger relationship with

03:13each other. I'm excited to share that in

03:16partnership with the city automasville

03:18park and recreation and the arts

03:20academia at memorial. We are launching a

03:23six week creative art workshop for the

03:27children's. This program is designed for

03:29children from 7 to 12 years old. is

03:32giving them the opportunity to explore

03:34different artistic techniques while

03:37learning about Hispanic and Latino

03:38culture in a fun environment. Welcome

03:42welcoming and hands on and hands on.

03:45[snorts] Every child will create artwork

03:47they can be proud of. At the end of the

03:50workshop se um September 18, we will

03:52host a community art exhibition where

03:55families can celebrate the their

03:57accomplishments. Our goals goes beyond

04:00teaching art. We want young people,

04:03children's family, adults from different

04:06backgrounds to learn from one another,

04:08build friendship and see diversity as

04:13the a stretch that enrich our community.

04:16We are grateful for the city of

04:17Thomasville for for partnering with us

04:20and for supporting opportunities that

04:22invest in on youth. We hope this

04:24workshop is just the beginning of many

04:26programs that can help make Thomasville

04:28a place where every family feels

04:31welcome, connected, and value. Thank you

04:33for your time and for continuity support

04:36our community.

04:37>> Thank you.

04:38>> And I will share the flyers with you.

04:51Our

04:57second speaker will be

05:06>> good afternoon city council uh members

05:09uh and and and

05:11mayor. My name is Adalia Cardinz. I'm

05:13with the city of Thomasville. I'm the

05:15economic mobility program manager and

05:17I'm here to make sure that everybody's

05:19aware that we are going to be hosting

05:20our first inaugural fair, vendor fair

05:22for the city of Thomasville. Um this is

05:25in this is going to be hosted by the

05:26purchasing department in um a

05:29partnership with the economic mobility

05:30office. So we have been doing all of our

05:33advertising through our Facebook. If you

05:35want to do have more information, it'll

05:37be on our Facebook post that's uh

05:39there's a link to register. Um and it's

05:41not only for you to come and find

05:42whether there are vendor opportunities.

05:44which is also an great opportunity for

05:46you to come and do networking with

05:47different businesses within the city of

05:48Thomasville. We're going to be hosting

05:50it in the ballpark. Um, and it'll be a

05:53great event. We're very excited. We

05:55already have 20 registered um,

05:57participants for this event. Um, we've

05:59done a number of different um, ways to

06:01advertise this event. So, we're hoping

06:03to have more. It'll be on Wednesday from

06:059 to 12. Registering check-in comes in

06:08at 8:30. And from 11:00 to 12:00, the

06:11different city department heads and

06:13their um departments have been invited

06:14to come and produce everything that we

06:17have from the different vendors that we

06:18have. So, we hope that um people go to

06:21our Facebook page is already listed

06:22there. It has a link. Don't forget to

06:24register and we hope to see you there.

06:26>> Thank you.

06:31[snorts]

06:34[clears throat]

06:35>> To start with the first one is a

06:38recognition of public Cruz and Gen for

06:41large animal rescue. I'm recognize

06:44Denise Barnes and I think she's got

06:47another person come up with her sister.

06:58>> Who would have ever thought a donkey

06:59would bring this many people to a city

07:01council meeting? [laughter]

07:04Good evening. I'm not here on behalf of

07:06city beautifification.

07:08Instead, I'm here on behalf of a

07:10beautiful brunette named Miss Kitty.

07:14In June of 2024, my brother-in-law and

07:17sister, Cindy and Ben Collins, adopted

07:20two standard donkeys, Miss Kitty and

07:22John Wellelburn. Miss Kitty and John

07:25Wellelburn, have lived close together

07:28for many years and had become pasture

07:30mates. And when they came to live at

07:33their pasture, they became close family

07:35pets.

07:37They don't ever get more than 50 feet

07:40apart from each other. On the night of

07:42April the 24th, I got a frantic call

07:45from Cindy.

07:48She and Ben were on their way to dinner

07:50and they noticed that John Wilburn was

07:52in the barn, but Miss Kitty was nowhere

07:54to be found.

07:55After a quick search of the pasture, we

07:58found her mired in the mud. next to the

08:01pond which had receded due to the

08:04drought.

08:06She was stuck up to her belly.

08:09While Sandy kept John Welurn calm and

08:12away from Miss Kitty, Ben and I quickly

08:15tried to free her and we realized that

08:17we needed help. A lot of help. I made a

08:21call to 911 and within 25 minutes there

08:24were at least 25 people there from

08:27multiple organizations.

08:30These responders worked tirelessly for

08:33over four hours and no one left until

08:36she was back safely on dry land. Ben,

08:40Cindy, and I owe them a debt of

08:42gratitude that we can never repay.

08:47I am so grateful to Mayor York, city

08:50manager Brandt, and to all of you on

08:53city council for recognizing their

08:56efforts as unsung heroes.

08:58Miss Kitty survived her ordeal and for

09:02an old lady, she has recovered

09:03beautifully.

09:05She's back grazing with John in the

09:07pasture, braaying and enjoying her

09:10treats from her many visitors.

09:13Without the dedication of everyone who

09:15answered that call for help, she would

09:18not have survived. Thank you so much.

09:22>> Thank you.

09:24[applause]

09:29>> [applause]

09:36>> In case you haven't noticed, you we have

09:38a lot of first responders in the

09:40audience tonight. Now you know why. Uh

09:44so we're going to attempt to recognize

09:46all of those that had a part in this. Uh

09:51hopefully we don't leave anybody out,

09:53but if we do, we'll take care of it.

09:54We're going to recognize you if you're

09:56here. Uh we're going to recognize you

09:58with one of our city coins that uh we

10:01give out to people that do something

10:03special in our city. So, uh Eddie's

10:06going to help me with this. He's going

10:07to call the names that we have and if we

10:11miss anybody, then we'll have you come

10:12up and we'll recognize you as well.

10:16[clears throat]

10:16>> Thank you, mayor. So, whether they're

10:18here or not, we'll make sure we

10:19recognize them at the end. As mayor

10:21said, not name didn't get called and you

10:24part of us, please come up. The first

10:26one I know is currently out of town is

10:28police officer Michael Masan

10:31who is not here but that's our first

10:34recipient.

10:36Moving on to our firefighters. We have

10:38fire specialist Josh Brown. If you would

10:41come up when your name's called if

10:43[clears throat] you would just gather

10:45around up here behind wherever.

10:48Thank you.

10:50>> And we're gonna get a picture

11:01come in. Fire Captain Daniel Harper

11:06Savannah Watkins,

11:12>> fire engineer Benjamin,

11:16firefighter laser

11:21firefighter Joe Harrington.

11:26>> Okay, the mic is on.

11:44>> That was firefighter Joe Harrington.

11:48Firefighter Nick Moore, [snorts]

11:55>> fire engineer Justin,

12:00>> rescue captain Michael Edinger is not

12:03here.

12:04>> Battalion Chief Travis Floyd,

12:10>> Division Chief Jonathan Hedrickk.

12:16Fire Chief Jason Myers. I don't believe

12:18I saw him come in. Um, now from Garrett

12:21Stone, we have Garrett Scarlet,

12:32Terry Scarlet,

12:41>> Chad Lleair,

12:51Kevin Floyd,

12:59>> Jose Cologne.

13:11Two other important people in the

13:13process who are don't believe we're here

13:14are Dr. Alisa Cole from Lexington Large

13:16Animal Vet Clinic and also Scotty

13:19Emerson with the Pedmont Animal Response

13:21Team.

13:24>> Is there anyone else in the audience

13:26that had a part in this rescue?

13:33>> Okay. Thank you all for the great work

13:36that you did, you and the others that

13:38are not here. uh you know, you're used

13:41to going out on rescues and rescuing

13:44people and and helping them, but in in

13:47this case, it was an animal that uh that

13:50needed help. So, it just shows that we

13:52as first responders, you as first

13:54responders, that you do whatever you

13:57need to do to rescue whatever's in

13:59distress at the time. So, we appreciate

14:02uh that. We appreciate your hard work uh

14:04from the public sector, the the record

14:07people that came and and then all of our

14:09first responders here. Thank you all so

14:12much. And we're going to get a picture.

14:14[clears throat]

14:18Slide in here. Slide in here with you

14:21guys.

14:22>> All right. No hiding.

14:26>> Thank you.

14:28>> Thank you. [applause]

14:38>> [applause]

14:42[applause]

14:53>> MAYOR Pro Tim Erica Sanders is coming

14:56now and she's going to do a proclamation

14:58for the United Way. Yes. Um, will Mrs.

15:02April Rich come up, please?

15:17United Way of Davidson County officially

15:20declaring August 2026 as United Way of

15:23Davidson County month. Whereas from the

15:27time of its inception in 1955,

15:31United Way of Davidson County has been

15:33strengthening our community by

15:35supporting programs from numerous

15:37community partners with tackle which

15:40tackles some of our community's greatest

15:42challenges including issues such as

15:44health, education, financial stability

15:48and whereas for 71 years United Way of

15:52Davidson County has made a substantial

15:54impact by supporting a a strong network

15:57of agencies, corporate partners, donors,

16:01supporters, volunteers, government

16:04entities, civic organizations, and

16:06community advocates who are committed to

16:09ensuring that our children are well

16:12educated. struggling families can

16:14achieve self-sufficiency.

16:16Our community is healthy and safe. Our

16:19most v valuable residents are care for

16:23and and diversity is embraced and

16:26celebrated. And whereas the United Way

16:29of Davidson County's mission is bringing

16:31together community resources to identify

16:34and meet the human services needs in

16:36Davidson County through responsible

16:39leadership. And whereas it is crucial to

16:42recognize and support the United Way of

16:44Davidson County and highlight how the

16:47funding they provided in 2025 has made a

16:50positive impact in the lives of

16:52countless community lead members.

16:55Together we can build a stronger

16:58community and a better future for our

17:00children. And whereas the United Way of

17:02Davidson County will begin its annual

17:05campaign on August the 1st, 2026.

17:09Now, therefore, Mayor Riley York Jr. and

17:13the Thomasville City Council supported

17:15support the United Way of Davidson

17:17County and hereby proclaim that United

17:20Way of Dave Davidson County's annual

17:23campaign be recognized and celebrated

17:26during the month of August. And we

17:28encourage all Davidson County residents

17:30to look for ways to make a difference in

17:33our community. In witness whereof, I

17:36have here unto set my hand and caused

17:39the seal of the city of Thomasville to

17:41be affixed. This the 20th day of July,

17:452026. Riley York, Jr. Attest Wendy

17:49Martin. Thank you.

17:52[applause]

17:58>> Good evening. Thank you, Mayor York and

18:01council for recognizing the work that we

18:04do and even more the support that the

18:06city of Thomasville shows to the United

18:09Way and all of our partner agencies that

18:12um we work within the community to make

18:14sure that our citizens are taken care

18:16of. Our missions align. We don't want to

18:18just our our residents to survive. We

18:20really want them to s to thrive in our

18:23community. I brought tonight, and

18:25Danielle's going to pass this out

18:26whenever um I finish, our 2026

18:31United for Alice report. The last two

18:34pages are specific to Davidson County.

18:38This report addresses a household called

18:41the Alice threshold households. Alice

18:44stands for asset limited, income

18:47constrained, employed. These folks work

18:51sometimes two and three jobs. There are

18:53families, there are neighbors, there are

18:55people in the grocery store. They don't

18:57have the necessary assets set aside for

18:59emergencies. They're not making livable

19:02wages. 12% of Davidson County residents

19:05fall below the federal poverty line and

19:07they qualify for programs that 29% of

19:10these Alice threshold households do not

19:13qualify for. That is why it's so

19:16important that we collaborate and work

19:18together and support these agencies. We

19:21um United Way funding supports 21 local

19:23agencies here in Davidson County to

19:25provide those human service resources

19:28for our families struggling out there.

19:29So I wanted to bring you this data. It's

19:32really wonderful data that the United

19:34Way of North Carolina invests in and I

19:36welcome a conversation if you want to

19:38talk about this um any further. But I

19:41thank you for your support and your

19:43leadership and just your belief in all

19:45the partner agencies that we help to

19:48support here in the community. Thank

19:49you.

19:52[applause]

20:04>> Next we will have proclamation national

20:06golf month.

20:13>> Thank you. our parks and rec director

20:15Corey and our golf pro Jason want to

20:18join me here.

20:20Proclamation National Golf Month August

20:222026. Whereas golf is a sport that

20:25promotes physical fitness, mental

20:27well-being, and social interaction

20:29offering a unique blend of exercise,

20:31relaxation, and camaraderie. And whereas

20:34National Golf Month is celebrated each

20:36August to encourage people of all ages

20:39and skill levels to engage in the sport

20:42of golf, fostering a love for the game

20:44and an appreciation for the outdoors.

20:46And whereas the city of Thomasville,

20:48North Carolina is proud to be home to

20:50the beautiful Winding Creek Golf Course,

20:52a premier destination for golfers in our

20:54community and beyond. And whereas

20:56Winding Creek Golf Course provides an

20:58excellent venue for residents and and

21:00visitors to enjoy the sport, improve

21:03their skill, and participate in local

21:05tournaments and events. And whereas the

21:08city of Thomasville recognizes the

21:10economic, social, and health benefit

21:12that golf brings to our community,

21:14contributing to the overall quality of

21:16life for our residents. Now, therefore,

21:18Raleigh Jr., Mayor of the City of

21:20Thomasville, hereby proclaims August

21:222026 as National Golf Month. in

21:25Thomasville, North Carolina, and

21:27encourages residents and visitors to

21:29take advantage of the opportunities to

21:31play golf and celebrate the sport that

21:33brings us together. And it is signed by

21:35the mayor and dated today's date with

21:37the city seal. So, if you all want to

21:40share something,

21:44>> I just want to thank everybody for this

21:46this award. It's a pleasure. Um,

21:50we had a great year this year and we

21:53look forward to more in the future. Um,

21:56that's the plan anyways. So, I

21:58appreciate everybody. Thank you to this

22:00board for all the support you've given

22:01the golf course. Thank you.

22:03>> Thank you. [applause]

22:11The next proclamation is national out6

22:17presented by council member Lisa Shie.

22:36This is a proclamation for a national

22:38night out. Whereas National Night Out is

22:41an annual community building campaign

22:43promotes strong partnerships between law

22:45enforcement agencies and the community

22:47they serve. And whereas this event

22:50enhances a relationship between

22:52neighbors, public safety personnel,

22:55fostering a true sense of community and

22:58corporations.

22:59And whereas National Night Out

23:01encourages residents to participate in

23:04crimerevention efforts by increasing

23:06awareness, strengthening neighborhood

23:08spirit, and demonstrating a commitment

23:11to safer and caring community.

23:14Whereas the success of National Night

23:17Out depends on residents working

23:20together with local, police, fire,

23:25EMS, and other public service department

23:28public safety departments to promote

23:30trust, communication, and civil

23:32enhancement. And whereas communities

23:35across the nation will join on the first

23:38Tuesday in August to host neighborhood

23:40gatherings, block parties, safety

23:42demonstrations, and activities that

23:44bring citizens and first responders

23:46together in a positive environment. Now,

23:49therefore, be it proclaimed that Raleigh

23:52York Jr., Mayor of of the city of

23:54Thomasville, North Carolina, hereby pro

23:57proclaims Tuesday, August the 4th, 2026

24:01as National Night Out in Thomasville. He

24:04encourages all residents to join their

24:06neighbors in supporting local public

24:08safety efforts, building stronger

24:10relationships, and making our community

24:13a safer place to live, work, and enjoy.

24:16Signed Raleigh York, Jr., mayor of

24:19Thomasville. Thank you, Chief, for

24:21everything that y'all do.

24:23>> Thank you so much. [applause]

24:29>> And I would just like to add that

24:31encourage everyone to attend. It'll be

24:33at the police department uh from 6:00 to

24:358:00. We'll have a lot of uh activities

24:36for the kids there um and a lot of

24:38giveaways. And so, if you could, you

24:40know, cook some hot dogs. So, encourage

24:42folks in your community to please come

24:43join us. It's one time a year where we

24:45truly partner together with the

24:46community to truly improve uh the safety

24:48of our communities. Thank you.

24:52[applause]

24:56[clears throat]

24:58>> We're now down to our consent agenda. I

25:01recognize our city manager, Michael.

25:09>> I'll let the crowd disperse here.

25:11[snorts]

25:12>> See,

25:14>> thank y'all for being here.

25:17I didn't give consent.

25:20>> I didn't give consent.

25:31>> All right.

25:33>> Thank you, council. So this evening's

25:36consent agenda which will uh uh is is

25:39the items that I'm about to read off uh

25:42will be voted on as one item unless

25:45someone chooses to remove an item from

25:47the agenda. Uh the first item A is

25:50minutes of the special called meeting

25:52for budget hearing which was on June

25:541st, 2026.

25:56Item B are the minutes of the briefing

25:59meeting on June 8th, 2026.

26:03Item C are minutes of the council

26:05meeting on June 15, 2026.

26:09Item D are the minutes of the special

26:11called meeting for approval of the

26:13fiscal year 2027 budget which were held

26:16over two days, June 24th and 26, 2026.

26:22Item E is approval of the uh school

26:25resource officer contract agreement

26:28between the Thomasville City School

26:29Board, uh Thomasville Police Department,

26:32and City Council. The school re this

26:34contract is for uh two uh school

26:38resource officers, one located with

26:40Thomasville High School, one at the

26:42middle school. Uh the current pay and

26:44benefits for the two officers total

26:46$228,476.

26:50This is a three-year agreement with an

26:51annual rate increases to meet the

26:53officer costs uh built into the

26:55contract.

26:57Item F is a resolution adopting a

27:00property tax payment discount schedule.

27:03The Davidson County Tax Department has

27:04requested that Thomas City Council

27:06officially adopt a property tax prepayer

27:10discount rate

27:12by resolution for property taxes build

27:14by Davidson County on behalf of the

27:16city. Once council approves the

27:18resolution, it'll be sent to the North

27:19Carolina Department of Revenue for their

27:21approval and then published in the local

27:23newspaper. Per North Carolina General

27:25Statute 105-360,

27:28the governing body of any county or

27:30municipality levying taxes has the

27:32authority to establish a schedule of

27:34discounts to be applied to taxes paid

27:36prior to September 1st. Once adopted,

27:39the resolution and corresponding

27:41discount schedule will remain in effect

27:43until repealed. The Davidson County

27:45Board of Commissioners has approved a

27:47resolution in January 1993 that

27:50established a 1.5% discount for property

27:53taxes paid in July and a 1% discount for

27:56payments in August. This resolution will

27:59simply continue and codify these rates

28:01going forward for the city of

28:02Thomasville taxpayers.

28:05>> Okay. Thank you very much.

28:06>> Thank you.

28:07>> What's the pleasure of council with

28:09regard to this item?

28:10>> Mr. Mayor, I'll make a motion to uh

28:12approve the consent agenda.

28:15Second.

28:15>> Okay, we have a motion to second. Any

28:17discussion?

28:18>> Real quick, Michael, that uh discount on

28:21your taxes, if I'm not mistaken, they're

28:23going to be a little behind on mailing

28:26tax statements out this year, but you

28:27can call the tax department and find out

28:30what your bill is. Or you can access

28:31that online to still take advantage of

28:35that discount without getting your

28:37actual physical bill in the mail.

28:39>> Pay online.

28:39>> You cannot pay online. No, but you can

28:41get online and see what your bill is. It

28:43just won't be mailed to you probably

28:44until September this year.

28:48>> Anything else?

28:51Okay, you may record your vote.

28:54And we have 70. So that has passed

28:57unanimously.

28:59Now down to our regular agenda. The

29:01first uh item, item A, Cali Street

29:05soccer resolution of support. Mr. City

29:08Manager.

29:11Thank you, mayor. Sorry, I'm trying to

29:13catch up to myself. [snorts] Uh,

29:17this resolution of support uh that you

29:19reviewed uh at the personnel finance uh

29:22actually at the briefing committee last

29:23week uh authorizes the nonprofit um

29:29the um

29:31free the game. Sorry, I kept wanting to

29:33call it play the game. Free the game. Uh

29:35to establish a street style soccer court

29:38at Memorial Park. Uh, Free the Game is a

29:41nonprofit uh that is supported by Cali

29:44Street Cali um activi uh company that

29:48provides support for these types of

29:50soccer programs. Uh this resolution

29:53authorizes this nonprofit to raise funds

29:56andor materials for the construction of

29:58this uh street soccer court. Um the uh

30:02estimated cost of construction is

30:04$30,000

30:06of which Cali or uh play the game must

30:09raise at least 80%

30:12uh of the funds before the city will

30:14commit to construct and operate the

30:15facility. Uh this is the first step.

30:18Basically, this allows them to go and

30:20raise the funds and then there will be a

30:23second step of approval of the transfer

30:25of those funds uh to the city so that we

30:28can then go about the process of

30:30construction of the of the area whether

30:33that's funds or whether that's

30:34materials. Um and uh this is uh will

30:38allow for a quicker development and the

30:41organization is aware of the fact that

30:43we will own uh the all of the materials

30:46or funds and we will run the operations

30:49as the city feels fit including

30:52potentially ending the program if it is

30:55not utilized in the way that is expected

30:57to be utilized.

31:01>> Okay. What's the pleasure of council?

31:03>> Mr. Mr. Mayor, I make a motion that we

31:05approve the Cali Street soccer

31:06resolution of support.

31:09>> Is there a second?

31:10>> Second.

31:11>> Okay, we have a motion to second. Any

31:12discussion?

31:15>> I definitely am excited uh about this.

31:18Uh I I know some of our nonprofits here

31:20in our community have been doing some of

31:21that uh leg work when it comes to not

31:23just waiting around for some of these

31:25problems to be fixed, um but stepping in

31:27and doing that work. So, we are excited

31:29about uh the Cali Street uh resolution

31:32and what it's going to really do for our

31:33community. So, we're thankful for that

31:35boost on the ground work truly.

31:38>> And Cory, this was part of our our um

31:41plan, the recck plan that was

31:44>> made several years ago as well.

31:45>> Correct. When the group were put in

31:48contact with the group for the game and

31:50Stevie and John and Deon as well as

31:51Christie and making the connection, um

31:54it is part of the master plan

31:56perfect where we seeking here in

31:58Memorial Park on an old tennis court.

32:00So, we'll repurpose some of that

32:02deferred maintenance and turn it into an

32:04active center.

32:05>> Cory, I'm going to bother you to say

32:06that in the mic so folks can hear you.

32:12>> Yes, it is part of our master plan and

32:15uh it was u kind of serendipity when

32:17Christy brought John and Devon and and

32:19uh Stevie into our office to talk about

32:22the opportunity. Uh it does fit in line

32:24with our master plan. Uh, Councilman

32:26Thrift, I appreciate you pointing that

32:27out. Uh, and it'll be here on site here

32:30in Memorial Park when it comes to

32:31fruition. Uh, it will be about two

32:33street styles courts. So, when people

32:35say, "What's street soccer?" What does

32:36that mean? It's an organic use. If you

32:39think of outdoor basketball court at one

32:40of our park spaces, liken that to

32:42soccer. Uh, and it'll be a great

32:44opportunity for our community to come

32:46together there under a sport that

32:47continues to gain popularity in our our

32:49country. So, um, be a good thing. Thank

32:52you'all.

32:53Thank you.

32:54>> Yes, ma'am.

32:57>> I will say my civics teacher. So, if

33:00y'all

33:05[laughter]

33:10ready to vote?

33:11>> Yes, sir.

33:12>> Okay, you may cast your vote.

33:16>> Z affirmative. So, that item has passed.

33:20Uh item B acceptance by North

33:30189,47

41:09And we are 70. So that has been approved

41:12unanimously.

41:20>> Okay, we're now down to item seven, uh,

41:24committee reports and appointments. So,

41:26I'll start this evening with our mayor

41:29pro Tim Erica Sanders.

41:31>> Okay. I just want to say that

41:42>> Miss Wendy has my report. I've been on

41:45vacation most of this month, so I didn't

41:47get a chance to do much, but I did come

41:50to the the meeting on last week on on

41:53the 13th and then I went to the

41:55beautifification meeting on the 16th. So

41:59that stands as my report.

42:02>> Okay. Thank you very much. Uh, Council

42:04Member Lisa Shell,

42:07>> you know, Mr. Mayor, I have not

42:09submitted my report and I will let that

42:11stand.

42:12>> [laughter]

42:13>> Thank Thank you.

42:15>> Uh, Council Member Clayton Williams,

42:18>> welcome to the team. Lisa, I've also not

42:20submitted my report, but I will. I

42:23promise. Um, America had its 250th

42:26birthday. Lisa wanted to clarify she did

42:29not make that commitment, so we'll just

42:31keep tabs on whether she submits her

42:33report or not. Um, we had our 250th

42:35birthday. We celebrated it the way that

42:37America began by arguing about taxes,

42:39which I think was pretty appropriate.

42:41And we have a budget. Uh, everybody

42:45knows where everybody stands on the

42:46budget, but it is our budget now. So, I

42:49hope everybody up here and the people in

42:51our city know that I'm committed to

42:52working within that and working with our

42:54administration to get the best results

42:56possible for Thomasville because I know

42:58at the end of the day, that's what we're

42:59all up here to do. Um, I think the

43:03rescue of Miss Kitty the donkey is cool

43:05for a number of reasons. Um, it's a cool

43:08public private partnership. It was a

43:10cool

43:11>> [laughter]

43:11>> rallying of all of the troops for this

43:14donkey and it that's right and it uh

43:18shows that if you need help in the city

43:19of Thomasville, it's going to show up

43:21for you even if you're a huge ass. So,

43:24I'm [laughter] thankful for that.

43:27>> And

43:30happy birthday.

43:31>> I love you so much

43:32>> to Hunter and I will let that stand as

43:33my report.

43:34>> I love you so much.

43:35>> I love you,

43:36>> Council Member Hunter [laughter] Thrift.

43:38>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh I have

43:40submitted a copy of my activities to the

43:42clerk. Uh the only thing I wanted to

43:43mention was I had the chance to uh give

43:45a welcome at uh Cornerstone Church of

43:48Christ for their holy convocation this

43:51year. They they asked me to do that just

43:53about every year and I always look

43:54forward to it and enjoy it. Uh so that's

43:57probably the biggest thing on my

43:58activity report this month. Um and I

44:00will let that stand as my report.

44:02>> Thank you very much, Council Member Doug

44:05Hunt.

44:05>> Um thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um the the

44:08clerk has received a copy of my

44:10activities. Only thing I'll remind

44:12people is it's not getting any cooler.

44:14Watch out for your animals out there.

44:15Some of these days have been over 100°

44:17with humidity in the 60s and 70%. These

44:20critters need help, so don't leave them

44:21hanging out there. Thank you.

44:23>> Thank you, Council Member Jquiz Johnson.

44:26>> Thank you so much, Mayor York. I have

44:27submitted a copy of my activities to our

44:29clerk. Um it has been a busy month, not

44:31so much for council, um but but a little

44:34bit personally. Uh I would like this uh

44:36time we spend a lot of time talking

44:38about our economic development, our

44:39for-profits. We have a lot of amazing

44:41nonprofits here in our community that

44:43are doing a lot of amazing work. And so

44:46uh one of the nonprofits I'd like to

44:47recognize, uh they're celebrating their

44:49fifth year here in our community. Uh

44:51it's the Thai epsilon Sigma chapter of

44:53five Beta Sigma fraternity. They are

44:55celebrating their fifth anniversary of

44:57service here in our community. And

44:58through scholarships, mentorship, and

45:00youth development and the countless of

45:02hours of community service, they have

45:03invested in our next generation that

45:05have helped strengthen our city. And I

45:06believe it's important that we recognize

45:08people like that who are truly boots on

45:10the ground. Those who quietly show up,

45:12serve others, and make a difference

45:13without expecting recognition. So today,

45:15I want to congratulate the TAson Sigma

45:17chapter on 5 years of impactful service.

45:20And thank you'all for all of the work

45:21that you continue to do for Thomasville

45:23and for Davidson County. We appreciate

45:24you and wish you many more years of

45:26success. I'll let that stand as my

45:28report.

45:29>> Thank you, Council Member Dana Lomba.

45:34>> I have I have submitted my report and I

45:37was the first

45:39[laughter]

45:41I am not a part of your club.

45:47The most cool thing that I did was

45:50actually Sunday I went to the 250

45:54at Holly Cemetery um where the community

45:58was able to bring items to place into a

46:01box and we buried that um yesterday. So

46:05that was super cool that we got to do

46:06that go to Hollywood cemetery and have

46:09pictures and it was on the news 12 and 8

46:13I think were there last night. So it was

46:16a pretty cool activity. um if you didn't

46:19get to watch it and that is

46:24>> Thank you very much. Uh

46:27we didn't have very many public things

46:29this past month to get involved with but

46:32uh thank you for the opportunity to take

46:34a vacation and everybody keeping the

46:37doors open while I was gone. You know,

46:39no none of us they can they can do

46:41without any of us. We know that. So, uh

46:45so it always goes on. But thank you for

46:47that that opportunity to get away for a

46:49while. Uh thank you to the council for

46:53passing the budget and coming together

46:54on that. So that was real good. Good

46:56good remarks from Payton on that and

46:58appreciate that Payton. Um I will

47:01mention one thing. Uh uh Council Member

47:04Hunter Thrift and I went to a Midway uh

47:08town of Midway this past month. They

47:10were celebrating their 20th anniversary

47:13as a town in North Carolina. So, uh, we

47:17were invited for that. So, we went over

47:18there and celebrated a little while with

47:20them. And congratulations on their 20

47:23years as a as a city here in North

47:26Carolina.

47:27>> Okay. Uh, uh, now I will go to city

47:30manager Michael Brandt for his report.

47:35>> Uh, I too was out of town for a good

47:38portion of June. Anything happened?

47:41[laughter]

47:41>> No, not not a thing. Not a thing.

47:45Uh but thank you to council for for

47:48allowing me to leave uh in the 20 plus

47:51years I've been operating budgets and

47:53and putting budgets together and and

47:55overseeing budgets because I really

47:57can't take credit for the budget we have

47:58here. Uh that is uh in Thomas Avance

48:02hands and his finance department. Um

48:04however uh this was obviously a rough

48:07budget year and and we got through it

48:09and congratulations uh to council and

48:11staff for doing that. Uh, I do want to

48:14thank Eddie Bowling for stepping in and

48:16act in the acting city manager position.

48:18Um, that was uh that was not an easy

48:21run. [applause]

48:22So,

48:25um, and as one department manager told

48:27me, didn't even know you were gone. So,

48:29[laughter] uh, you know, I don't I'm not

48:31sure what that says,

48:33but

48:35>> Yeah, that's right. Um, I do want to

48:37remind council if you haven't already,

48:39make sure that you pass out your pool

48:41and golf andor golf passes to your

48:44committees. Uh, hopefully you've already

48:46done that, but if you haven't met yet as

48:48a committee, uh, please make sure you do

48:50that in July. Uh, and let I'll let that

48:54stand uh, as my report.

48:56>> Thank you. Uh, city attorney Mr.

48:59Whitman.

49:01>> Michael, nobody else in your family can

49:03get married during budget season. Okay,

49:05I'm just going to say that. No, um it

49:07was a it was a very busy month on my

49:09end. Um just lots of going on kind of

49:12like this thing that just happens kind

49:14of on the last minute. So, it's been a

49:16lot of that. But, um I wanted to

49:18reiterate something I reiterated last

49:20month. It is hot. Please check on your

49:23elderly neighbors. Uh we've had a lot of

49:25issues with some of our Mills on Wheels

49:26recipients. And for folks who were

49:29concerned about Mills on wheels in

49:31Thomasville, they the hospital had

49:33changed the procedure to where you had

49:35to pick up the mills inside in the back

49:38and it was causing a lot of problems. So

49:41I worked with the president of the

49:42hospital. They have changed it. So now

49:45for anyone that delivers, it's much

49:46easier. You pull up to the sidewalk in

49:48the front at the main entrance. You go

49:50in the front doors and they have the

49:53coolers there ready for you to get. So

49:55it's a much shorter distance. It's

49:57easier. There's no stairs. It's much

49:59much better. So, please encourage anyone

50:02who had not volunteered due to those

50:04restrictions that we have resolved that

50:05problem and we do need more volunteers

50:07because our volunteers are aging out.

50:09Um, but if you could please spread the

50:12word and try to encourage people to help

50:13out with that, I would appreciate it.

50:15And that's all I have for this evening.

50:17>> Thank you.

50:18>> Thank you.

50:19>> Our deputy city manager Eddie Bowling.

50:21>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, I'll give one

50:23update on the Kern Street property

50:24redevelopment. Um, so the city has

50:26awarded this engineering and design work

50:28for the Kern Street property development

50:29to McGill and Associates. Staff's had

50:31several meetings with McGill to review

50:33the project scope and preliminary survey

50:35work is now underway. Uh, the city's

50:37also consulted with Tyler Mulligan and

50:39with the UNCC School of Government for

50:41guidance on the legal and procedural

50:43options available to support that

50:44redevelopment. The current concept

50:46focuses on creating owneroccupied

50:49workforce housing potentially including

50:51one, two, three-bedroom homes. Staff and

50:54the design team are evaluating options

50:56to increase the density of the property

50:58to reduce the per lot development cost

51:00and then help lower the eventual sale

51:02prices of the home. That's my report.

51:05>> Thank you.

51:07>> All right, we're now down to item eight

51:10which was added on close session

51:11attorney client. Do I have a motion to

51:13go into close session?

51:14>> Mr. Mayor, I'll make a motion to go into

51:16close session for attorney client

51:18session.

51:18>> Okay. Is there any discussion?

51:21>> You may record your vote.

51:25Okay, I have seven votes.

00:00And the other side is this new

00:02bakery. They sell baking mixes, farm to

00:05table cheeses, and things of that

00:07nature, and she

00:08bakes these things three days a week.

00:10>> You talking about the Ezra building

00:12there?

00:13>> Back towards

00:15>> Oh, okay. Okay.

00:22Okay. Damn Molson.

00:24>> [laughter]

00:24>> Welcome, Molson.

00:25>> All for you here.

00:27>> Uh

00:28we're now back into open session and no

00:30action was taken in closed session.

00:32Are there any additions or updates to

00:35come before council this evening?

00:37Go ahead.

00:44I was waiting for somebody to say it.

00:46I was waiting for it.

01:05Ooh.

01:06Oh my goodness.

01:10It's been a hot week. Or last week, too.

01:16>> [laughter]

01:17>> Like the frog, you get in there and you

01:19just boil.

01:25>> [laughter]

01:35>> I just blew that one off.

01:36>> Right.

01:37>> Okay.

01:39Any other updates or

01:41anything?

01:42Okay, we're down to adjournment. Do I

01:44have a motion we adjourn?

01:46>> I make a motion that we adjourn.

01:47>> Is there a second?

01:48>> Second.

01:49>> Record your vote.

01:52And everybody wants to go home, so

01:55we're adjourned.

01:57>> [laughter]

01:57>> What is this one?

01:58>> That's a stem.

01:59>> Oh.

02:00>> Oh, okay.

02:01>> For the flower.

02:02>> That's all right.

02:03>> Got you.

02:05Where do you learn all this stuff from?

02:07God, you got You're doing something with

02:08your hands 24/7.

02:09>> know.

02:10>> When school start?

02:12>> 7:30 got those