Emma Ward is new Seven Springs mayor
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on November 11, 2004 1:57 PM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- Emma Ward is officially the mayor of Seven Springs.
As mayor pro tem, she had been filling in since Jewel Kilpatrick resigned as mayor in August.
At first, the town board didn't want to accept the resignation of Mrs. Kilpatrick.
As Mrs. Kilpatrick turned down offers of longer and longer leaves of absence, reality set in.
In early October, the board accepted the resignation. Mrs. Ward agreed to fill in until the end of the year, but the board was eventually going to have to appoint someone to finish the mayor's term, which ends November 2005.
But Wednesday night during its last regular meeting before the new year, the board unanimously voted to appoint Mrs. Ward as mayor.
*In other business, Randall Casey asked the board to do away with his property taxes.
Casey lives on the hill above the village, with a path he built as access to his property. The town provides no services. The hill has two other property owners, the Maxwell family and Mike Dawson. The others pay taxes.
Town Commissioner Danny Carter said the no-tax idea isn't even worthy of discussion.
Town Commissioner Rodolph Adams said the three property owners should pay something, but not much, since there are no town services provided.
Casey said his lawyer told him the town has some property on the hill designated for roads, but the town board isn't sure about that.
Mrs. Ward said she wished the board could work out an agreement with Casey. "We don't need a big bunch of disturbance about it."
She told Casey the board would discuss the matter and get back with him.
Casey left, and the board talked about the situation briefly. If his property were on the edge of the town limits, it could be cut out, said Commissioner Peggy Jones.
But it's in the middle of the town's property, said Town Clerk Deanna Grady.
Mrs. Ward said, "I want to get this thing resolved."
Commissioner Danny Carter agreed to check the map at the courthouse that Casey referred to when saying his lawyer believes the town has roads on the hill.
"We need to find out if there are roads up there that are town property," said Carter, who believes someone laid out streets on a map, and it never went anywhere after that. "I think it was just an idea. But if it's filed in the courthouse, maybe it went further."
*In other business, the board agreed to offer the Ruel Jarman property to the Seven Springs Fire Department to build a shed to store two boats inherited from the rescue squad. The Jarman property, which the town acquired from the federal government after Hurricane Floyd, is near the fire station. The firefighters had asked the town for approval to build a shed attached to the museum, which is next door to the fire station. But the Historical Society objected even when the town, which owns the museum, wanted to build a shed there to store town property.
*Prior to the town board meeting, the members gathered for a short Park Committee meeting. The town board members are also the park board members. The board agreed to put off deciding about adding restrooms in the park.