City council to pick mayor pro tem
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on December 2, 2012 1:50 AM
The Goldsboro City Council is expected to choose its mayor pro tem Monday, bringing to an end a conflict that began when the council members were sworn in Aug. 6.
During his first comments as a member of the City Council, District 3 Councilman William Goodman made a motion that the mayor pro tem position be rotated among council members as it had prior to 2003, when Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Allen assumed the position. Allen, who was reaffirmed to the post in January 2006, December 2007 and February 2011, has served in that capacity ever since.
The annual rotation of the position, unofficially by race, was put in place initially when Goodman was elected to his first term in 1987. The position rotated that way for 15 years until Allen's selection.
When Goodman's motion was defeated, he moved that District 1 Councilman Michael Headen be made mayor pro tem. That motion was also defeated, with the newly elected council members saying they did not feel informed enough to make a decision at that time.
It was determined through further discussion to delay the decision until December.
Allen said he intended to continue serving as mayor pro tem if the council allowed it.
The city's charter states that the position has no fixed term of office and that the mayor pro tem serves "at the pleasure of the remaining city council and mayor."
The council is expected to take up the mayor pro tem issue during its work session at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Annex.
The council will also hear from Information Technology Director Scott Williams and Finance Director Kaye Scott during the work session portion of their meeting. Williams is expected to give an update on his department's work over the past year while Mrs. Scott will discuss the city's audit.
Assistant City Manager Tasha Logan will address the council concerning vacancies on the city's standing boards and commissions as well as a citizen request for the use of a city access road.
Planning Director Randy Guthrie will lead a discussion on the Center Street Streetscape project and will also introduce five planning items on the City Council's consent agenda.
Among those items are:
* The setting of a public hearing for the noncontiguous annexation of property on the southeast corner of the intersection of U.S. 70 and N.C. 581 which has been proposed to be developed into a Sheetz
* The acceptance of a petition and subsequent scheduling of a Jan. 22 public hearing on the closing of an alley running between Evans and Clingman streets between Royall Avenue and First Street
* Approval of the city contracting with Hydrostructures, PA for sewer collection system flow monitoring
* A rezoning request from Trinity Day Care for property on the west side of Lee Drive between Ash and East streets to have its zoning code changed to office and institutional
* A rezoning request from James Baker for property on the south side of U.S. 70 between I-795 and U.S. 117 to have its zoning code changed to general business conditional district.
Another item on the consent agenda is the acceptance of 5.2 acres of donated property on the 700 block of South John Street near Willowdale Cemetery.
The regular meeting of the City Council will begin at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor of Historic City Hall.