Mebane’s city council didn’t face a recommended property tax increase, or a particularly controversial budget. First-year city manager Richard J. White, III had recommended no property tax rate increase, leaving the rate at 37 cents per $100 valuation, with a 10 percent increase in water and sewer rates.
But it was largely White’s inclusion of two new city employees that brought some review, discussion, and disagreement from council members for about 40 minutes Monday night.
After White’s summary presentation of his budget recommendations, councilman Sean Ewing questioned White’s recommendation for a planning department technician and a human resources analyst. The former would cost about $82,000; the latter another $101,000, council members were told.
Ewing also questioned the idea of including a staffing study.
His skepticism was joined by council member Montrena Hadley, who especially questioned having the new staff positions included before completing the study that will include an assessment on the adequacy of staffing.
She suggested that the council should “hold off” on the two new positions until the staffing study is completed. White said he hoped the staffing study would be completed within the next 10 months.
But council member Katie Burkholder defended the inclusion of both positions; Burkholder, a realtor, particularly said the planning department position was necessary given Mebane’s ongoing and continuing growth.
Councilman Jonathan White asked questions about both positions, ultimately concluding that the planning department position could be justified, but continuing to question the HR analyst.
Ultimately White made a motion, seconded by mayor pro tem Tim Bradley, to approve city manager White’s recommended budget minus the HR analyst.
But that vote failed 2-3, when only White and Bradley supported the motion, with Ewing, Hadley, and Burkholder opposed.
Ewing then suggested separate votes on the three contentious items after first recommending the remainder of the budget, which passed 5-0.
Ewing motioned to include the staffing study he had initially opposed, which passed 5-0.
Then councilman White made a motion to include the planning department position; it passed 3-2; in addition to White, the motion was supported by Bradley and Burkholder, with Ewing and Hadley opposed.
Burkholder then made a motion to include the human resources analyst that the city manager had recommended, but the motion failed for lack of a second.
