Eleven village residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the council has violated open meetings laws and not fulfilled state law requirements regarding public information requests. Many of the allegations in the lawsuit are related to the Police and Fire departments.
Reed Gaddy, the village’s lone paid fire fighter, spoke on behalf of the Fire Department.
“We are well equipped, well stocked, and we have excellent volunteers,” he said. “We protect this village. … We have something very good here and I wish people would stop trying to destroy it. It’s time for it to stop.”
“I’d like to challenge anybody in this room to join the rescue squad or the Fire Department,” said Jenny Black, a village resident and rescue squad volunteer. “It seems in this village that we’ve become the laughingstock of Moore County because of a couple of bad apples that are after the fire department. I think these people need to join the fire department and help out.”
They spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.
In other matters, the council reconvened a public hearing on the proposed annexation of 28 properties into the village.
Ralph Cox was the only person to speak. His property will be annexed. He said he opposed the annexation.
“One reason is because my property only touches Whispering Pines on side,” Cox said. “When I look out the front of my house I don’t see nothing of Whispering Pines.
“Maybe a few years down the road, when more people build in the area, I would consider it. But right at the moment, my property only joins Whispering Pines on one side.”
The council passed a resolution of intent regarding the annexation Jan. 14. The first letters of notification were mailed a short time later. The ordinance will be passed May 12 and the annexation will be effective June 30, the end of the fiscal year 2003-2004.
Any residents who wish to appeal the annexation must file their complaint within 60 days of the ordinance enactment on May 12.
Gene Opdyke, village planning and public works director, said the lowering of the water in Whisper Lake has been completed and that repair work should begin within two weeks.
Maintenance workers repaired a leaky spillway at Hummingbird Pond that had caused the water level to drop 90 percent.
Opdyke said the repairs were successful and that the pond should return to its original level.
In other business:
The council unanimously approved the appointment of Bob Kroll and Joan Bruno to the village Planning Board.
The council discussed several minor changes to a community survey that will be mailed to village residents in early May.
The council tabled until next month discussions on an ordinance requiring the posting of house numbers on the lakefront side of village properties. The item was tabled pending the advertisement of a public hearing regarding the ordinance.
The council unanimously approved the appointment of Frank Zamaroni as chairman of the Lakes Facility Board. He will replace Tom Butler, who stepped down as chairman, but will remain the Whisper Lake representative. Jeanette Arceo will replace Bill Lynch as the Thaggard’s Lake representative.
Councilman Don DeLauter urged residents of the village to attend the April 23 dedication of the A.B. Hardee Memorial. The dedication is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. 
