MCCOLL—During Monday night’s town council meeting many issues currently facing the town of McColl were discussed, including a first reading of the budget and the implementation of digital water meter readers for the town was voted on and approved.
Discussions on the first reading of the budget revolved largely around the same question — how far McColl can stretch its limited resources — with council concluding precise adherence to the budget is needed before more restrictive conservation efforts become necessary.
The budget
According to the numbers, McColl’s budget was at a $300,000 deficit last year and appears to be on track to be at another deficit for this current fiscal year.
“The budget is what it is and at the end of the day it costs what it costs to keep the town running,” Mayor Robert Outlaw said in an interview following the meeting. He continued, “The bottom line is we need to get our budget on track.”
Water Meter Readers Vote
An endeavor spearheaded by Councilman Harry Benjamin, the McColl town council voted to install digital water meter readers Monday night. The vote fell 4-3 with Mayor Outlaw and Councilmen Gerald Locklear and Billy Bert Shelley voting in opposition.
Mayor Outlaw said he feels the town is not financially ready for the improvement.
“I didn’t vote for the water meters because I do not feel the town is ready for them, not because I don’t think we need them, we do, but we are dealing with a lot of rusted pipes in McColl — what happens when workers go to install new meters and uncover rusted pipes — those pipes are going to need to be repaired before the meter reader is placed. The funds aren’t there,” Outlaw explained.
He argues that a better solution exists: Pass the budget, wait a year, and then let a grant pay for not only new digital meters, but also any rusted lines.
“I don’t want to burden my citizens and this would lock them into $5 added to their bill every month over a 12 year period. A grant would accomplish the same at no cost to our citizens. We have survived this long, what is one more year,” Outlaw asked.
Councilwoman Brenda Barfield voted in favor of the proposed digital meter readers because she said she feels they will provide needed improvements to accuracy that she believes will translate into a significant revenue source for the town.
“These meters hopefully will reduce manpower hours as there would be no need for a public works department to go out and read the meters. It would save on overtime and other hours,” Councilwoman Brenda Barfield stated in an interview following the meeting. She added, “ This really was Councilman Harry Benjamin’s idea — he was instrumental in bringing this vote to fruition.”
Employee pay
Also Monday night, Barfield questioned how employees were paid during the recent shutdown of Town Hall — closed for four full days and two half days.
While she is pro-union and believes in workers’ wages and benefits, Barfield’s concern for the town’s finances led her to question payment as she has used personal time to cover her own financial loss during times of closure.
Town Clerk Tameka McLain explained the issue is covered in the employee handbook under plans for covering inclement weather and offered to provide the councilwoman with a copy at a later date for her review.