PINEHURST — The Village of Pinehurst Council met Tuesday, July 25, with a somber opening in regards to the passing of Councilmember Jane Hogeman.
“With respect to today’s council meeting and to maintain a desire for privacy and appropriate decorum, the family has asked that comments about Jane come only from Reverend Hugh Tudor-Foley tonight,” said Mayor John Strickland. “Not from staff, council members or the public.”
“The beauty of our Village will be a reminder to us of Jane’s life of service to others,” Tudor-Foley said. “Her character, commitment, dedication and friendship. We ask that you deal graciously with Jane’s family in their grief. Surround them with your love so that they might not be overwhelmed by this loss. Have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days that come.”
Village Manager Jeff Sanborn also gave an update on Pinehurst’s financial accounting.
“For the 30th consecutive year, the Village of Pinehurst has been awarded the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting,” Sanborn said. “That certificate of achievement is the highest form of recognition in government accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government, its management and its financial staff.
“It really highlights how our finance staff and department have been a strength to our operations over the years.”
The council then approved various appointments to the Pinehurst Neighborhood Advisory Committee.
“We had a lot of work to do over the last couple of months in seeking out and interviewing and selecting nominees to fill various vacancies on our Neighborhood Advisory Committee,” Sanborn said. “After completing all the interviews, I’m struck with a refamiliarization of what’s so special about our community. Each one of these engagements we had we found to be very positive and upbeat and were with people that really care about our community and want to make it a better place.”
The six nominees were Julia Kane representing Old Town East, Anne Bourne representing West Lake Pinehurst, Fiona Fuller representing Clarendon Gardens, Caroll Brammer representing East Lake Pinehurst, Michael Ethridge representing Monticello, and Kimberly Davis representing Pinehurst No. 7.
The council also approved an ordinance amending the FY 2024 Budget for reappropriations from FY 2023.
“This time of year, every year, we ask you to entertain a budget amendment to effectively transfer funds that were in last year’s fund for projects that we were not able to complete to this year’s budget,” Sanborn said.
“At the end of every fiscal year on June 30, the appropriations that were approved for that year lapse,” said Financial Services Director Dana Van Nostrand. “There are always products that we have ordered but not yet received, be it vehicles, supplies, materials, as well as projects that are in progress with a contractor. Also, potentially, funds that have been appropriated for a project but that we may not have already contracted with someone or have an open purchase order for those projects, but we want to roll forward those unexpended funds to make sure the work that money was planned for can still be completed in the current fiscal year.”
According to Van Nostrand, the reappropriation amounts to a little over $1.9 million, with a significant portion of that – over $1 million – dedicated to streets and grounds improvements.
Finally, the council selected two voting delegates as appointments to the SAMPO Formation Committee.
Mayor Strickland was nominated as the primary representative, and Mayor Pro Tem Pat Pizzella was nominated as the alternative.
“The purpose of these nominations is to get us through the approval of the MOU,” Sanborn said. “Once we get the MOU, then we’ll have a formal structure for the transportation advisory committee that is dictated by that MOU, and then we’ll come back to you for formal appointments to that body.”
The Village of Pinehurst Council will next meet August 8.
