Daniel Prince
May 18, 2023
Council passes first reading of ordinance to amend gas agreement with Kohler
In other news from Tuesday’s Union City Council meeting, four employees were honored for May work anniversaries. Arnold D. Franklin has spent 25 years with the water plant. Kenneth L. Holcombe has been with the water plant 16 years. Ronald E. Williams has put in 16 years with the Public Safety Department, and Christopher L. Fleming celebrates 11 years with Public Safety.
Council passed second reading of a housekeeping ordinance regarding American Rescue Plan Act funds. Finance Director Laura Hembree explained that the city has to account for ARP revenue and expenses during the fiscal year, and so they have to make budget adjustments by ordinance for that. She noted revenue of $1,901,760 received in October 2022 for the second round of ARP funding. $281,740 was spent in the current fiscal year, including money for essential employee bonuses, capital vehicle purchases, and stormwater repair.
Council also unanimously passed first reading of an ordinance amending the natural gas service agreement between the city and Kohler Company. City Administrator Joe Nichols stated that Kohler had ceased operations at the beginning of the year, and its usage dropped considerably. He said they plan to put in a new process at the building that will burn some gas, but still not as much as they had been. Kohler asked to lower their take to a nominal number per month and pay capacity fees based on that number, as well.
Union County Tourism Director Curtiss Hunter and Union County Detention Center Director Neil McKeown appeared before council to request a donation for the upcoming 4x4 Show and Swap Meet at the Union County Dragway on June 3rd. The money would be used toward prizes for the participants. McKeown said the show would be unique:
(audio below story)
McKeown noted that proceeds from the show will go to the Union County Sheriff’s Office Explorers program for young people. Hunter said the dragway offered its facility to the county free of charge for the event. She said the county contributed $5000 for the show. City Council voted to donate $500.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Elise Ashby informed council that she was withdrawing her budget request for the RobinHood Group to avoid any potential conflicts of interest, as she is a candidate for Union County Council District 2. During the budget work sessions, the RobinHood Group requested $8147.13 from the city for the Union County Farm and Craft Market. Council did not approve the funding request at the time, pending resolution of some underlying issues. Those issues were not elaborated on, though at last month’s council meeting, Ashby asked the question during the public comment time why some council members had an issue with charging farmers a yearly fee to use the booths. She noted at that time that the fee is imposed by the farmers and vendors who make up the board, and the money goes to pay for the port-a-potty, as well as cooking demonstrations and advertising for the farmers. The question was not answered, and she was advised to get on the agenda so they would have time to research and discuss the matter.