Hamlet City Council cancels monthly meeting due to COVID-19 concerns

HAMLET — The City of Hamlet canceled their monthly meeting on Tuesday due to concerns over safety due to COVID-19’s spread.

Notice of the cancellation was sent out at about 1:30 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. meeting. The notice cited “COVID exposures” and a desire to “keep staff and the public safe” as the city’s reason for canceling the meeting.

City Manager Matthew Christian declined to comment Tuesday evening on whether any council members had tested positive and, if so, whom. City Clerk Gail Strickland did not respond to the same questions sent via email immediately after sending the Notice of Cancellation.

The meeting has not yet been rescheduled, and the city expects to name a new date after Jan. 14. For up-to-date information about the new meeting date, call City Hall at 910-582-2651, follow the city’s Facebook or check their website: www.hamletnc.us.

The City Council planned to hold a public hearing on the rezoning of 2 acres at the corner of Gin Mill Road and Freeman Mill Road and to discuss a budget amendment to allocate recent funds the city has come by at Tuesday’s meeting.

The budget amendment involves allocating $55,000 of the $240,234 the county gave back to Hamlet for this fiscal year in the settlement over the sales tax distribution method issue, and allocating $166,717.44 of American Rescue Plan funds.

Hamlet cut their budget significantly to cover the loss from the county’s sudden change to an ad valorem sales tax distribution method in April 2020. The county settlement money will go to the following:

• $2,000 for Old Fashioned Christmas and the Christmas parade

• $1,000 for museum supplies which exceeded the budgeted amount

• $4,000 for police equipment which exceeded the budgeted amount

• $2,000 for police professional services which exceeded the budgeted amount

• $400 for recreation football which exceeded the budgeted amount

• $42,000 for non-departmental professional services which exceeded the budgeted amount

• $8,000 for contributions to other agencies which was an addition to the budget

The ARP funds will go towards the following:

• $27,100 for Fica

• $38,800 for retirement

• $8,817.44 to the special project reserve for additional grant revenues over their original projection

• $20,000 to update the city phone system

• $12,000 to upgrade the email server and integrate MS Office 365

• $40,000 for improvements to the IT infrastructure

• $20,000 for a digital message sign at City Hall

The rezoning has been rescheduled to the city’s next regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2022. Theron and Marquitta Harrington requested that 2 acres of their property at 382 Gin Mill Rd., currently zoned Residential Agriculture 20 (RA-20), be rezoned to Heavy Industry (I-2) to operate a business.

Theron Harrington plans to move his welding business to the location, which is lot allowed under a Light Industry (I-1) zoning, according to the minutes from the Dec. 20, 2021 meeting of the Hamlet Planning & Zoning Board. He told the board he has been in business for five years.

The board approved this with a 4-1 vote, with board member David Quick voting against it.