Cameron Commissioners voted to offer Holden Hall a position as its police officer at the April 26 regular meeting.
Councilmember David Seiberling introduced a list of police officer requirements that followed state regulations, and the board accepted the requirements.
“We have a candidate who meets those requirements, and I am ready to move forward,” Councilmember Kane Parsons said.
The board decided on a July 1 hire date for the new part-time police officer, so they could use the unused funds in the Public Safety Budget for the construction of a room for the evidence locker.
Holden Hall works full-time as a police officer for Carthage and will work part-time for Cameron. He is also a firefighter for Cypress Pointe Fire & Rescue.
“I would like to help out as much as I can,” Holden Hall said in a call to Sandhills Sentinel about being hired after the paperwork makes his position official.
In other business, the board voted to reach out to NCDOT for a speed limit reduction from 35 mph to 25 mph in town limits, to move the 55 mph sign further away from Phillips Memorial Park, and for a stoplight or four-way stop at Carter Street and Carthage Street.
Seiberling presented research on a pair of flashing speed limit radar signs at a cost of $7,488. The signs are solar-powered, Bluetooth to download speed history, vandal-proof, and have a possum feature that when vandalized, turns off for a few minutes. Statistically, the signs show an 80% reduction in speeding.
The board said if NCDOT does not provide speed reductions and stops, it will buy the radar signs.
Council members and audience members shared stories of auto accidents and speeding. Commercial trucks exceeding the speed limit were a major complaint.
Seiberling said the town’s five-year plan encouraged development and needed to invite light industry near the interstate exchange.
A discussion on the Rural Water Association’s study on water rates led to the discovery of the study’s five options leaving the town in debt.
“We need to break even,” Seiberling said.
The study recommended a 1.75% yearly increase to keep up with inflation.
“Rates won’t increase until we do something about the brown water,” Mayor Pro Tempore Ginger Bauerband said.
Iron sediment is the cause of the brown water, and the system is routinely flushed to clear the water.
A South Carolina engineering firm was asked to design filters for the water system and has an estimated cost of $20,000. No update on the time frame for the filter design was available.
The Rural Water Association is scheduled to make a presentation at the next town meeting.
Cameron has an opening for a maintenance/utility technician. Duties include operating the town’s water system, reading and repairing meters and service lines, and a variety of maintenance tasks at town properties, including mowing and maintaining equipment. Learn more here.
In town reports, the street fair committee said there were 63 registered vendors. To increase vendor participation, the board removed the late fee for late applications for this year’s street fair. Call the town clerk at 910-245-3212 for street fair information.
The historical committee said the Pine Preservation Guild was helping them form an official historical committee and is working on a fee for drafting rules of procedure.
The park committee is searching for volunteers. There will be a limb pickup on May 14, and if it rains, the date will be May 21. The board voted to buy composite boards with a 30-year warranty to replace deteriorated wood on the park’s benches at a cost of $2,630 for the materials. Volunteers are replacing the boards.
Feature photo: The Town of Cameron’s new part-time police officer is Holden Hall. Photo provided.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Contact her at [email protected].
