Town Council to consider fixes for income tax grants

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Councilwoman Nellie Meek's concerns about an acting class that had requested EDIT funds. 

Editor's note: HSJ Online has applied for and received money from the town's EDIT revenues since it launched four years ago.

Hope Town Council will be having a special work session tonight in an effort to iron out concerns over how income tax revenues are distributed here.

For about a decade, the town has set aside a portion of its annual income tax receipts to enhance economic development. A committee made up of community members and a Town Council member accepted applications from community groups seeking to hold events, carry out projects or otherwise enhance the town. The committee's recommendations, positive or negative, were then forwarded to the Town Council for final approval.

However, the process has come under fire in recent months, as the Town Council members expressed concerns over the process and the uses of the funds. Councilwoman Nellie Meek was concerned that several of the committee members did not actually live in the town itself, saying that the committee appointed by the Town Council, should all be town residents. The council also added Meek as an additional member of the committee.

Meek also raised concerns over town funding for a paid position to oversee an acting class for children. She said it would be different if the class were being done solely by volunteers and the town was providing space or funding for supplies.

Other funding requests have drawn the ire of council members, despite committee approval including a grant program started last year to allow for signage and store frontage improvements and funding for supplies and entertainment for the annual Smoke on the Square fundraiser for the Community Center of Hope.

A downtown car cruise-in that is replacing the monthly Town Square farmer's markets also came under scrutiny after several committee members abstained from a vote because of their involvement in the project. That didn't leave enough votes for a positive endorsement, so the council tabled approval until a committee consensus could be reached. A special meeting of the Town Council was called in April to hear that proposal after being approved by the committee.

Councilman Clyde Compton has suggested that the town could take back the annual allotment to the economic development fund and instead use that money to pay toward larger projects such as street repairs or fixing the roofs of the structures on the Hope Town Square.

The town allocates about $70,000 a year to the economic development efforts. That is out of just over $276,000 a year the town receives in income tax revenue, according to figures provided by Clerk-Treasure Diane Burton.

The council also discovered that the committee was only supposed to have four members, instead of five. Last month, the Town Council removed Michele Clark from the board as she was the newest member added.

Committee members Dave Miller and Vickie Tedder have also recently resigned. Both live outside the town limits and have been involved in the car cruise-in planning process.

Without Clark, Miller or Tedder, there are not enough members for the committee to convene.

The issues have been brought up before the council for months and were subject to a special working session last month. At last week's Town Council meeting, the council members decided to hold a special meeting tonight to hear recommendations and to decide on a course for the committee and the funds.

The Hope Town Council meets at 5:30 p.m. this afternoon at Town Hall.