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Lowell Council sets June 9 hearings for Yorkshire brownfields agreement and FY 2026-27 budget; draft budget includes 5% pay and utility rate increases
Summary
Council set public hearings for a brownfields agreement covering the Yorkshire site and for the FY 2026-27 budget on June 9 at 6 p.m. City staff said the draft budget is balanced, proposes a 5% across‑the‑board pay increase and a 5% water/sewer rate pass‑through; staff also recommended inviting DEQ to the brownfields hearing to explain fees and protections.
The Lowell City Council set two public hearings for 6:00 p.m. on June 9: one on a brownfields agreement with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality covering the Yorkshire site (across from Poston Park), and one on the city's fiscal year 2026-27 budget draft.
City staff explained the brownfields agreement offers legal protections to the city and potential developers even though much of the site cleanup is already complete from the DEQ perspective. Staff offered to invite DEQ representatives or the environmental attorney who worked on the agreement to attend the public hearing to answer questions about cleanup status and construction‑period fees.
On the budget, the city manager told council the draft is balanced and built on actual expenditures through March. The proposed budget includes a 5% across‑the‑board pay increase for employees and a 5% increase in water and sewer rates, which staff described as a pass‑through from the City of Gastonia, the supplier. The only capital outlay proposed in the draft is a police car under the rotation replacement plan.
Councilmembers asked for more detailed notes and suggested another meeting before June 9; staff said a more specific, detailed account would be delivered in the following days. Council agreed to hold a budget work session and candidate interviews on May 29 at noon to continue budget discussions and to conduct interviews for the city manager recruitment process.
Staff also noted a construction fee tied to brownfields regulatory processes that may apply during periods of construction (staff cited an example fee of about $6,000) and recommended DEQ be present if council members had technical questions.
The hearings were placed on the calendar; any final budget adoption would occur after the public hearing process and any required statutory notice periods.
