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Thomasville committee declines hiring legislative advisor and agrees to fund expanded staffing
Summary
City officials reviewed two lobbyist proposals, then reached consensus not to hire a legislative advisor. Separately, councilors agreed to proceed with funding 12 new positions for FY-2026 despite a staff-projected near-$1.2 million deficit; City Manager Michael Brandt flagged a possible $3–$4.5 million boost from property revaluation.
City Manager Michael Brandt told the Personnel/Finance Committee on Feb. 4 that he had met with one potential legislative advisor, Debra Conrad, who has prior service in the North Carolina House and a lobbying record that included bringing $4.5 million to Waxhaw. Brandt said Conrad’s proposed fee was $4,000 per month, or $48,000 per year, and he also reminded members of a $36,000-per-year offer from Sam Shumate.
Multiple council members raised concerns about cost and necessity, with Committee Chair D. Hunter Thrift saying he didn’t feel a lobbyist was necessary and Council Member Doug Hunt expressing discomfort with hiring one. Committee Member Payton Williams noted the city has realized some recent successes without a lobbyist. After discussion, the committee’s consensus was not to hire a legislative advisor at this time; Brandt said he would notify both candidates of the decision.
On a separate but related budgetary topic, Brandt outlined a FY-2026 staffing plan that would fund seven new positions (some prorated) and incorporate five additional positions previously requested by department heads, for a total of 12 new hires. He estimated the initial cost for the seven positions at $750,000–$760,000 and proposed a $1 increase to the city’s solid-waste fee that staff estimated would generate about $132,000 to offset some lower-cost positions.
Council members debated whether to raise fees to cover staffing needs and discussed the city’s financial flexibility, including the potential for the forthcoming property revaluation to add an estimated $3 million–$4.5 million in revenue if assessments increase markedly. Brandt cautioned that funding all requested positions could create a roughly $1.2 million deficit but said the revaluation could mitigate some pressure. The committee reached consensus to proceed with funding all 12 positions; the transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote on that decision.
Next steps: staff will incorporate the staffing direction into budget materials and return to Council with implementation details and any necessary budget amendments.
