LAURINBURG – The Laurinburg City Council voted to move ahead with plans for a new City Hall this week despite fierce opposition from nearly 125 people at a public hearing on financing the project.

Following a lengthy — and at times raucous — public hearing on Tuesday, council voted unanimously to submit an application to the Local Government Commission to take on financing for the project.

Dissent over the venture has been growing since it was announced. Many of the speakers told council Tuesday that the project would mean higher taxes or the money could be used to benefit youth, reduce crime or to create shopping and dining attractions downtown to bring in visitors.

Mayor Matthew Block, a project opponent, seemed to reflect the crowd’s disappointment and dismay.

“This is how government is supposed to work — you have an idea and bring it before the public who will be paying for that,” Block said. “You’ve heard overwhelmingly that the citizens don’t want this. What are you saying to the citizens who’ve come out here? You’re basically giving them the finger.”

Council member Drew Williamson attempted to respond to Block’s comments.

“I think we have two visions. We all want Laurinburg to grow and prosper. I was born here …” Williamson began, but was drowned out by audience members shouting accusations that council members were profiting from the project or lying.

Block called for quiet, but Williamson declined to finish his thoughts.

Financing the project

Mitch Brigulio, a representative of Davenport and Company LLC, the firm guiding the city through the financing process, said Tuesday resolution allows Laurinburg to open the bidding process for construction of the building and send out Requests for Proposals that will secure financing.

The city must have bids on the loans in hand with a stipulation not to exceed $10 million.

“This is not setting the final amount at $10 million dollars,” Brigulio said. “This is setting a ceiling of $10 million. You will have an opportunity to review bids and decide how you want to move forward and give us direction on the amount.”

The latest cost estimates for construction for the new municipal building come in at $8.1 million. That does not include a”soft costs” such as furnishings, technology and equipment that Block said would drive the price up another 20 percent.

The city is expected to submit an application to the LGC in early August at which time state officials will determine whether the city can feasibly take on the debt and what type of financing and interest rate the city will pay, according to City Manager Charles Nichols. Another hearing will take place once the city has the bids in hand and agrees on a guaranteed maximum price.

Brigulio said the city should be able to take on debt of the proposed building without raising taxes.

He added that the city’s existing debt decreased this year. Also helping the city was a general fund loan to the utility fund was paid in full in 2016.

In addition, required payments for the 911 center — in place until 2024, are being reduced as the contract takes its course. The difference leftover from the reduced payments will be considered a source of revenue.

Opposition

Few speakers or members of the audience were swayed by Davenport’s presentation. No spoke in favor of project during the public hearing.

Dozens of residents including young students lined up to share their thoughts on the cost and issues that they felt more urgently needed the council’s attention. Many of them read from affidavits which are required to be attached to a certified copy of the minutes from the public hearing when it is submitted to the LGC.

There were refrains of adding police offices to address crime, crumbling city streets, opportunities for young people, and issues with flooded streets after a hard rain from those who spoke.

Tim Ivey took the podium to address the proposed cost of the project. Ivey is a former manager at JP Morgan Chase.

Ivey said he ran the numbers and the cost per square foot on the structure was inflated. He passed around a handout of examples of other cities who have built new city buildings in the last 12 months and what it cost per resident.

“The low end of it was in Washington State for $155 per resident – I don’t know what the magic number is first of all so don’t … – and the highest was in Coral Springs, Florida with $297,” Ivey said.

Ivey did not say whether the towns were comparable to Laurinburg’s population of 15,593.

According to Ivey’s formula, spending $8.1 million would amount to $348 per square foot and $400 if the cost jumps to $10 million at $513 per resident in Laurinburg and $1,259 per household.

“This cost per square footage is way out of whack,” Ivey said. “I don’t know who’s doing the numbers on it, but speaking from my experience, $400 a square foot is outrageous.”

Teresa Barber, a resident of Duncan Street said that she bought her home in 1987 and had seen the area deteriorate from a nice neighborhood to a “war zone” because of shootings, drugs, gang activity and drainage issues.

Barber said she has struggled as a single parent to pay for her home, living paycheck to paycheck over the last 15 years when industries began to leave the town.

“The people pushing for this building to be built, they don’t have to lay down at night and worry about how they’re going to buy groceries, about how they’re going to pay their light bill, or whether they’re going to be able to feed their children or not,” Barber said. “Their pockets have been padded and they got rich off the citizens of Scotland County the whole time they served.”

Linda Faulkner, who grew up in Laurinburg and later returned to her hometown, said a new city hall will not benefit Laurinburg.

“When it ends with all of a sudden you find you’ve bit off more than you can chew the only thing I can tell you is to get tourist trade to come through Laurinburg and charge them to stop and look at the building in one of the poorest counties in North Carolina,” she said. “Maybe that can pay for it.”

The motion to approve the measure was made by Williamson and seconded by council member J.D. Willis. It passed unanimously in a roll call vote.

Before calling for a vote, Block addressed council.

“You are just telling the citizens that they don’t matter.”

Laurinburg’s council chambers was filled with residents opposed to the proposed $8.1 million Cty Hall during a public hearing on financing the project.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_AACrowd2-2.jpgLaurinburg’s council chambers was filled with residents opposed to the proposed $8.1 million Cty Hall during a public hearing on financing the project.
Officials say taxes will not rise; citizens dubious

By Beth Lawrence

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Reach Beth Lawrence 910-506-3169