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Stanley council approves series of motions on legal authority, property sales and records fees
Summary
At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Stanley Town Council approved a package of motions including a renewed resolution authorizing legal action to recover employee signing/retention bonuses, rescinded the public records fee schedule, accepted offers on two town properties and directed staff to seek quotes for meeting recordings.
The Stanley Town Council on Jan. 13 approved several motions that set town policy on legal recovery of employee bonuses, sales of town-owned property and public-records fees.
The council voted 3-2 to renew a resolution authorizing the town attorney to file suit to recover signing or retention bonuses when employees leave before fulfilling contractual obligations. Town Manager Steven Denton told the council the resolution creates a formal agreement allowing the town to pursue legal action when final paychecks would not cover paid bonuses; the motion (moved by Council Member Chase Hannifin and seconded by Council Member Marsha Miskelly) passed with Council Members Corey Kelly and Brendan Sweeney opposed.
Council also voted unanimously to call a public hearing at the February meeting on forming an Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board, a required preliminary step before allowing ABC stores in Stanley. The motion was made by Council Member Corey Kelly and seconded by Council Member Brendan Sweeney.
The council accepted an offer of $475,000 for the former police department building at 230 S. Main Street from a company identified as Control Service Group; the buyer will delay closing until next year to allow the new police department to complete construction. The motion to accept the offer passed 4-1, with Council Member Brendan Sweeney opposed. The council separately approved the sale of a 7.31-acre parcel (Parcel #205665) for $7,500; that motion passed unanimously.
On public-records policy, Council Member Brendan Sweeney moved to rescind the town's fee schedule that charges $18 per hour for records requests after the first four hours. Town Manager Denton and legal counsel cautioned that removing the fee could shift costs to taxpayers and that policy language needed clarification; Council approved rescinding the fee schedule 3-2 (opposed: Leigh Anna Helms and Marsha Miskelly). Council Member Corey Kelly suggested a 120-day trial period to collect data on request volume and costs.
Finally, the council directed staff to obtain additional quotes for audio/video recording of meetings after staff presented vendor quotes ranging from about $3,700 to $4,700 for basic systems; the motion to solicit additional quotes was unanimous.
The meeting also included routine approvals (agenda and minutes) and appointments to the GCLMPO Technical Advisory Committee, where Council Member Corey Kelly was appointed primary representative and Council Member Brendan Sweeney as alternate.
