On Tuesday, the Marion City Council took a stand against the electric rate increase asked for by Duke Energy.
At the regular meeting, Marion attorney Lee Taylor talked to the City Council about the proposed Duke Energy rate increase. After hearing her presentation, council unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the rate hike.
"We estimate the impact on the city would be $44,000 per year or almost a penny and a half on the tax rate," said City Manager Bob Boyette.
Both Mayor Everette Clark and the City Council said this would be a "horrible time" for a rate increase.
Taylor gave a similar presentation to the McDowell County Commissioners at their Monday meeting. However, county officials took no action on her proposed resolution.
At Tuesday's meeting, city officials also held a series of public hearings on zoning-related matters. Council approved a variance in the subdivision ordinance that would allow Ricky Briggs to subdivide property fronting on Forest Park Road.
Another hearing was held about the minimum square footage for residential units in Marion. The rules adopted Tuesday allow for a minimum size of 800 square feet for single-family homes in Marion. The rules allow for a minimum of 600 square feet for mobile homes and a minimum width of 12 feet. Multi-family units, such as apartments, can be no smaller than 500 square feet.
Boyette said council thought it was necessary to take this action.
"There has been talk of extremely small houses being built in the city, as small of 300 square feet," he said.
Council also assigned the C-2 general business zoning to the Gurley property on U.S. 221 North. This will be the location for the second ABC store in Marion. The Catawba Properties office and the Southern Traditions Credit Union are also on that land.
City officials assigned the R-2 general residential zoning to the Forsyth Street/Freeman property area and the Buff/Pierson property area on Kathy Street.
In other business, the Marion City Council:
--Voted unanimously to finance a new tower truck for Marion Fire Department. The large truck is estimated to cost more than $800,000. City officials agreed to finance the purchase through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program over a 20-year period.
--Heard a year-end review from Marc Cook, president of the Marion Business Association, about the MBA's activities and projects. MBA Director Freddie Killough and Events and Promotions Coordinator Bobbie Young talked about proposed changes to the Marion Christmas parade. This year, each parade entry is required to display a registration number. This will ensure that all entries have received the parade's guidelines. In addition, city officials said they got a $2,000 donation from Wal-Mart for the Historic Marion Tailgate Market's shelter. This means the structure will be completed without using city tax money, Boyette said.
--Recognized Public Works Superintendent Roger Estes for achieving certification as a N.C. Roads Scholar from N.C. State University. He completed course work in street maintenance.
--Held a public hearing about a Community Development Block Grant. If awarded, the CDBG would pay for sidewalks on Perry Street and housing rehabilitation and demolition on Perry Street.
--Approved a revised city ordinance about trees on public property. Boyette said the city does not have rules about the maintenance of trees on private property.
Held a 10- to 15-minute closed session to talk about the possible location of a business or industry. No action was taken.
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