13 February 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CITY OF SOUTHPORT

BOARD OF ALDERMEN FEBRUARY 5, 2024 MEETING RECAP

Southport, NC – The City of Southport Board of Aldermen met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, February 5, 2024 at the Southport Community Building.

A recap of the meeting’s highlights is below. A recording of the meeting can be viewed at the following link: https://cityofsouthport.com/community-relations-department/#live-streaming–community-updates.

MEETING RECAP

Note: Alderman Lowe Davis was participating via phone due to surgery recovery.

  • I. Selection of IT Consulting Firm
    • The Board voted unanimously to select Katalyst to take over IT Managed Services for the City. The approved plan includes managed services, security monitoring, and network maintenance and backup.
  • II. Right-of-Way Discussion
    • The Board agreed to hold two separate Right-of-Way workshops for the community to learn more about Right-of-Way guidelines and enforcement. This will be accompanied by a community education campaign on the City website and social media outlets.
  • III. Approval of City Investment Policy
    • The Board approved the Investment Policy unanimously. The policy establishes the methods for how and where to deposit and invest funds.
  • IV. Water/Sewer Items to be Negotiated with Brunswick County
    • The Board discussed current concerns regarding the utility merger. There was discussion about what staff positions in Public Services and Finance to keep after the merger. The Board agreed to try and negotiate $1.5 million of Water/Sewer fund balance to reduce rates for City residents, purchase a vacuum truck for $350,000, use $1.1 million to pave roads after the sewer projects are completed, and $1.2 million to offset salaries and benefits that would have to move from Water and Sewer to the General Fund after the utility merger. All of this is negotiable with the County.
  • V. Agreement to hire Recruitment Firm for Planning Director Search
    • After three attempts at hiring a new Planning Director, staff presented multiple outside firms to assist with the recruitment search. The selected firm is (FGP) Find Great People. They have a special Public Sector division and only charge a small fee upfront until the position is filled.
  • VI. Agreement to begin City Manager Search
    • The Board agreed to begin the advertisement and search for a new City Manager. As a reminder, current Manager Bonnie Therrien’s term concludes June 30, 2024.

The Board of Aldermen’s next regular meetings are March 4, 2024 at 9am and March 14, 2024 at 6pm, respectively. Both regular meetings will be held in the Southport Community Building, 223 E. Bay Street, Southport.

ChyAnn Ketchum

Public Information Officer

City of Southport

[email protected]

O: (910) 457-7927 ext. 1040

C: (910) 267-7300

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