Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1494888
8 UCW MARCH 15 - 21, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM e cost of electricity, water and sewer services are going up for Fayetteville residents. e Public Works Commis- sion on March 8 approved rate increases that will go into effect in May. e estimated increase in the monthly costs for a typical family will be $12.97. PWC has said inflation made the rate increases necessary, CityView reported. At previous PWC meetings, staff members cited the increased cost of water treatment and electric transformers and higher costs related to annexation in recent years. e rate increases are the first decision made by newly appoint- ed PWC Treasurer Chris Davis, who was sworn in by Mayor Mitch Colvin at the beginning of Wednesday's meeting. "I'm just glad to be a part of a team. I've been able to watch it from the sideline for years," said Davis, a former Fayetteville City Council member. "It is a dynamic team, an amaz- ing team, and I'm just proud to be part of it." e appointment to PWC took several months as the City Coun- cil, the body that decides who is appointed, did not come to a majority agreement until earlier this month at a council meeting. PWC Chair Ronna Gar- rett said she understands the appointment process, even though it took some time for this decision. "People are very passionate and care about where they live, and sometimes it's frustrat- ing when you have passionate voices who have an opposing view of what you might think is the proper thing," Garrett said. "But I know one thing is for certain: is board, myself, this team, the city, all want one thing, and that's for the greater good of this community." NEWS Electric, water and sewer rates going up in May for Fayetteville residents by BEN SESSOMS, CityView Today City Council sets public hearing on extending length of election terms by BEN SESSOMS, CityView Today e Fayetteville City Coun- cil voted during a work session March 6 to hold a public hearing on whether to extend the length of council members' terms from two years to four years. Council members and the mayor are currently elected every two years. If the proposed change is approved, council members would serve staggered, four-year terms, meaning some seats would be on the ballot one year and oth- ers in the next election. e mayor would still be elected every two years. e changes would apply only to future elections. e terms of current council members would stay at two years. Two council members, Mario Benavente and Kathy Jensen, voted against proceeding with the measure. e date of the public hearing has not been determined. Council member Derrick ompson presented the mea- sure to the City Council. He said four-year terms would help with long-term planning and decrease the risk of abrupt changes in the council makeup. "We run the risk of having a new board every election cycle, including the mayor," ompson said. "is will cause havoc for a city this size, if that was to hap- pen." e council's action only puts the issue before the public for feedback at a hearing. e City Council would then decide whether to extend the length of the terms. In 2018, the issue was put be- fore voters in a referendum, and nearly 65% of voters rejected the measure. When Benavente asked Monday why the council couldn't put the proposed change on the ballot in another referendum, ompson said, "Because we don't have to." ompson said that the public hearing would give city residents a chance to have their say on the proposal. "Everybody will have an in- put on how we move forward," ompson said. He said he could fill City Hall with people from his district who would support the plan, but he added that he wants to hear from people who live in other districts. Jensen, who opposed the mea- sure, said constituents in her dis- trict are against term extensions. "I know what my district has told me over and over again, so I'm not going to be able to sup- port this," Jensen said. BEN SESSOMS, City View Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com 910-484-6200. BEN SESSOMS, City View Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com 910-484-6200. County seeking feedback on Ann Street Landfill a CityView Today STAFF REPORT Cumberland County residents can view a virtual public meet- ing on the future of the Ann Street Landfill at www.cumberlandcoun- tync.gov/annstreetplan. e county is seeking feedback on the plan to extend the life of the landfill and asking residents to voice any concerns they have about it, according to a release from the county government. e virtual meeting will be avail- able until March 17. Comments may be provided on the website, by emailing annstreet- landfill@cumberlandcountync.gov, by calling 910-505-9334, or through standard mail at 698 Ann St., ac- cording to the news release. e Ann Street Landfill, which has operated at its current site since 1980, will reach capacity in just seven years, the release said. Before then, the county must plan for waste disposal beyond 2030. County leaders have concluded that building a transfer station at the landfill is the most feasible short-term solution, the news re- lease said. e county is seeking feed- back from neighboring residents and businesses and the greater Cumberland County community, the release said. e feedback will help identify strategies to reduce the impact on the neighborhood. e project website also includes a Frequently Asked Questions sec- tion, Alternative Disposal Analysis Report, Environmental Justice Report, information on how a landfill operates and the County's ongoing efforts to Reimagine Ann Street Landfill and Solid Waste in Cumberland County. Feedback will be accepted until March 17. (Photo courtesy www.cumberlandcountync.gov/)