“We felt at this time that it was not an appropriate item to be discussed,” Mayor Giles Hopkins said after the meeting. “We have other thoughts that we want to pursue first.”
The council proposed a resolution during last week’s work session that would have made it more expensive for people to obtain what it terms excessive public document requests. The village has had to deal with a large number of public document requests over the past several months.
The resolution divided public document requests into two categories: routine and extraordinary. A routine request was identified as one that would take just a few minutes of an employee’s time to deal with.
All other requests were defined as extraordinary. Village employees would fulfill extraordinary requests after regular work hours. The village would bill the person requesting the documents for the employee’s time.
Councilwoman Florence Keith responded to accusations made by Joe Stout during the Jan. 14 meeting. She said public documents, based on North Carolina law, cover all documents, including letters given to local governments. Stout had accused Keith of unlawfully distributing a letter he had submitted to the village regarding a personnel matter within the village Police Department.
“Everything that we deal with is public record,” Keith said. “That includes letters that you write to us … and requests for public records.”
Keith noted that another resident requested the letter in question. Village Clerk Geneva Wilson, as required by law, produced the letter, which happened to have Keith’s name at the top.
Keith said efforts by some residents to discredit her, other members of the Village Council and the fire and police departments have not been constructive.
“It would not be in the interest of the residents of Whispering Pines,” she said. “We all want the best for this village and this effort to discredit people is not in the best interest of the village. It’s destructive and I wish that it would cease.”
Councilman Don DeLauter said some of the public document requests have required the village to gather and compile information and put it into a form that the person making the request specified.
Citing a paragraph from state laws, DeLauter said that the village is not required to “respond to a request for a copy of a public record by creating or compiling a record that does not exist.”
DeLauter said that if the village elects to produce such documents, it may “negotiate a reasonable charge for the service.”
“In my opinion we’re not required to do that,” DeLauter said. “We’ve talked to our legal counsel a number of times and tried to find out what we’re legally obligated to do. If we’re not legally obligated to do it, you’re not going to get it. It’s as simple as that.”
In other business:
Police officers and public works employees will soon be using the Wright Express Universal Fleet Program when refueling their vehicles.
The board voted unanimously to approve the program for village use. The program will also include vehicle maintenance.
Each vehicle will be provided with a card. Each operator will have a PIN number as well.
The program, which is used by many local governments across the state, will make record keeping much easier for the village, council members were told.
The council approved an amendment to the village garbage ordinance that allows residents to place their containers on the curb.
The time frame for when containers can be left out was shortened. Containers may be put out no earlier than 3 p.m. the day before pickup and must be removed by 7 p.m. the day of pickup.
The amendment was passed by a vote of 3-1. Keith voted against. She said she doesn’t want to allow residents to place containers on the curb. The village’s waste-collection contract provides for side-yard pickup.
Councilman William Bateman was not at the meeting.
A memorial honoring the founder of Whispering Pines, A.B. Hardee, will be placed at the intersection of Country Club Boulevard and Clubhouse Boulevard.
The council approved the purchase of a stone monument and a bronze plaque that will cost $475.
DeLauter said that if the village purchases the stone and the plaque the Garden Club would take care of the shrubs and the landscaping around the monument.
The council voted unanimously to amend an ordinance regarding barking dogs. Dogs that bark continuously for 10 minutes or intermittently for 30 minutes are considered a nuisance.
“We just want to give the police some criteria so they have something to nail this down with,” DeLauter said. He said the item was left off when the ordinance was amended last year.
Keith said siphoning has begun on Whisper Lake in preparation for scheduled repairs. She said the village is still awaiting approval from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources before the contractor can begin work. March 1 has been set as a tentative starting date.
