The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

August 15, 2012

No ‘easy’ button for council Monday

Editor and Publisher John H. Walker

TARBORO — What looked to be a simple meeting of the Tarboro Town Council turned into anything but on Monday night, as a series of questions from first-term council member Garland Shepheard more than doubled the length of the meeting.

Council members approved all items on the agenda unanimously; with the exception of law enforcement grant budget amendment that passed 7-1.

Included in the approvals from the consent list were tax levy adjustments for 2011 and 2012 and the approval of Suddenlink Communications’ request to transfer control of its franchise with the town.

Additionally, four action items were also approved, including a budget amendment to allow for the receipt of donations to the police department for community programs, a budget amendment for the purchase of police vests before Aug. 31, approval of a 75/25 matching grant for a bicycle patrol and technology program and the expenditure of $1,284,675 for a 200kW generator for Superior Essex.

All of the action items were approved unanimously with the exception of the bicycle grant, which was opposed by Ward 8’s Shepheard.

Police Chief Damon Williams attempted to explain how the bicycle patrol program would work and that officers on bicycle patrol, while remaining part of the shift headcount, would complement those officers in cruisers.

Williams unsuccessfully attempted to explain that the bicycle patrols would not be for an entire shift and that they would be utilized in trouble areas.

“It allows us more one-on-one with the citizens and affords us more of a stealth approach,” Williams said.

Shepheard told Williams, “I don’t think it will work.”

“I respectfully disagree,” the chief responded, noting that councilwoman Deborah Jordan had lived in communities where bicycle patrols had been an active part of the police presence and that they were a proven deterrent.

Later in the meeting, under the “other reports” segment of the agenda, Williams was back at the podium to update council in regards to staffing changes, a planned reorganization of the department and an update on the shooting at the Armory in the early morning hours of July 29.

Williams advised council that any private events at the armory are now required to utilize an off-duty Tarboro police officer to provide security. He said the department knew nothing about the event until the shooting call came in to dispatch and that everyone believed to be involved is from outside Tarboro.

The chief also noted that officer Rick Mann had been promoted to corporal and was assigned to work undercover narcotics. He also made the council aware that Cpl. Rickey Dozier had been assigned to crime prevention and was working as a campus resource officer at Martin Middle, North East Prep, Stocks and Pattillo.

Williams said the department would begin targeting local individuals involved in the drug trade.

“We will go after the suppliers and we will gather evidence and information and build a rock hard case and we will get them off the streets,” he pointed out.

Shepheard revisited two items he has raised questions about at the June meeting — tax collections and uncollected taxes and the town’s former self-insured program.

Finally, Shepheard asked for what he called a “line item” breakout of all the expenditures month-by-month. When quizzed, Shepheard said he wanted more detail than he was being provided.

Council member Al Hull, who had already had words with Shepheard during the bicycle discussion, was the first to say he was fine with the report and didn’t want any additional information. Candis Owens and Rick Page concurred with Hull while Taro Knight asked how much time and supplies would be used to provide the expanded report.

At one point, Shepheard raised his voice and said, ”I’m entitled to see it.”

He was told no one was trying to keep him from seeing anything … only trying to determine exactly what it was he wanted.





 

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