LUMBERTON — The Lumberton City Council could adopt an $81.4 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year when it meets on Monday.
The spending plan will be the subject of a public hearing when the council meets at 6 p.m. in the council’s chamber at City Hall, located at 500 N. Cedar St.
City Manager Wayne Horne’s plan keeps the tax rate of 63 cents per $100 of property value, has a 3 percent pay hike for employees, bumps water and sewer rates by 4.9 percent and maintains the power rate, stormwater and sanitation fees.
The council members could schedule another workshop to discuss the spending plan, Horne said. But a budget must be approved by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
In another money matter, the council members will be asked to allow Brandon Love, director of Planning & Neighborhood Services, to advertise for administration services of the city hazard mitigation grant program. Love’s request is related to city officials applying for $13.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to deal with 106 homes damaged by floodwaters generated by Hurricane Matthew.
The outside agency hired to manage the program will determine environmental needs, set up the program and take care of the grants, keep records, create and deliver reports, complete the work, and any other services needed.
The advertising request is part of the council’s Consent Agenda. Typically, items in the Consent Agenda are approved, removed or disapproved without comment.
Also on Monday’s consent agenda is the adoption of a resolution calling for a special election to fill the council’s Precinct 3 seat that will be vacated when sheriff-elect Burnis Wilkins assumes his new office. The special election election could be part of the Nov. 6 general election.
“We are setting up the mechanism for filling his seat,” Horne said.
The appointment of Sharon Hunt as the city’s tax collector, the acceptance of donated property, budget amendments, the write-off of uncollected taxes, and the distribution of Community Revitalization funds also are among the items on the consent agenda.
Three other public hearings are scheduled for Monday. They are for a rezoning petition for property located at 4828 Fayetteville Road, a Non-Contiguous Annexation petition for property located at Pine Log Road and N.C. 72, and the closure of a portion of Madison Avenue.
Before the council members get into the business portion of Monday’s meeting, Precinct 7 representative Leon Maynor will present a Pride in Lumberton Award.
A proclamation in honor of deceased County Attorney Patrick Pait also will be read Monday evening. Pait died June 3 in a traffic accident in Fayetteville.
