Daniel Prince
Carlisle receives clean audit
The Carlisle Town Council met for their regular August meeting Tuesday night at the town hall. Steven Blanton and Tammy Grice with Elliott & Painter CPA presented the town’s audit for 2021. The town received a clean, unmodified opinion, which is the highest and best opinion it can receive. Grice stated the town’s general fund balance increased by $6300 to $176,000, and the water and sewer fund ended with just over $1 million at the end of the year, a decrease of less than $1000 from the previous year. They stated everything went smoothly for their first audit with the town after purchasing Brown Fant’s firm.
Mayor Mary Ferguson-Glenn updated council on the town’s wastewater system, saying that the town did finally acquire an additional easement from a family after undergoing some effort to get together with them. She said one more easement needs to be obtained, and the City of Union will be handling that. She said she has not heard back from a representative from Carlisle Finishing to find out if there can be any flexibility in the June 2023 deadline for the city to take over the system if things run behind schedule.
In new business, Mayor Glenn told council that they will be meeting sometime in September with the Union City Council and others about the feasibility study that was recently completed on the town’s water and sewer system. She said the results of the draft study took her by surprise, and that she was not expecting that the city would need to take over the town’s water system, as well. Here are some of Mayor Glenn’s comments:
(audio below story)
In other matters, council approved an easement for the wastewater project. The easement is property the town owns across the railroad tracks from Town Hall between Boundary and Henrietta streets.
Mayor Glenn also asked for final determination from council members whether or not they would be taking health insurance from the town. She said the town received a letter from PEBA that stated that the council members, as elected officials, are considered full-time employees of the town and thus must be offered health insurance. Councilwoman Maxine Spencer was the only council member who accepted the insurance, saying there were extenuating circumstances in her case that made her need to accept it. The other council members declined the insurance. Mayor Glenn said the budget will need to be amended to cover the cost of the insurance.
In her report to council, Town Administrator Shannon McBride stated that the tax auction for unpaid property taxes will be held on Monday, October 3rd. Mayor Glenn in her report praised everyone’s work for the Back to School Bash, stating it was very successful, and that donations of school supplies continued to come in even after the event, and they were helping students all that week after the event with supplies. She noted it was the town’s 20th year to put on that event for the community and the kids. She said the town still is looking to hire a part-time maintenance worker, at 20 hours a week. Anyone interested may apply at the Carlisle Town Hall. The position has been vacant for over a year, and she said it is a much-needed position.