Montreat Minute for August 20, 2021

August 20, 2021

Town Finishes Fiscal Year Strongly

Despite the extreme negative effects upon business due to COVID, the Town completed its fiscal year (July to June) with surprising strength. We had projected a significant decline in revenues due to COVID and budgeted accordingly for revenues and expenses.

At year end, combined revenues were actually 1% over budget at $2,269,602. This does not include the ARP funds we recently received. Combined expenses were 10% under budget at $2,005,315. The end result is a positive net income for the Town of $264,287. We start the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year in a very strong position.

Postage Increase Coming Soon

Just a reminder that the cost of first-class postage will increase from $.55 to $.58 on August 29. This is the second postage increase of 2021. Now is your chance to stock up on Forever stamps and help out our Montreat Post Office. Buy your stamps from the Montreat Post Office. Even though Christmas stamps are not yet available, buy rolls of Forever stamps now and save 5% before the price increase.

And by supporting our Montreat Post Office, we help ensure its long term presence in our Town.

New Mask Mandate

Buncombe County, along with Montreat and three other municipalities, has re-instituted a mask mandate for all public areas. This holds true for Town, MRA and College facilities. Due to the increase in COVID cases due to the Delta variant, the declaration seeks to maximize protection from the variant and prevent spreading it to others.

There is no requirement for vaccinations, although residents are urged to be vaccinated.

For more information on the declaration, CLICK HERE.

Montreat issues a State of Emergency

The Town of Montreat has issued a State of Emergency declaration due to the effects of Tropical Storm Fred. CLICK HERE for the declaration.

Webinar on Invasive Plants Offered

Tired of cutting out the English Ivy in your trees? Is Japanese Knotweed beginning to invade your lawn? The Montreat Landcare Committee may be able to help. Landcare is sponsoring a webinar on the control and management of non-native invasive plants. It will be presented by MountainTrue on Tuesday, August 24 from 12:00 to 1:00pm.

Although the webinar is free, registration is required. CLICK HERE to learn more and to register for the event.


Service Work on our Sewer System

The Metropolitan Sewerage District, the agency that builds and maintains our public sewer system, notified the Town that they will be performing routine service on our sewer system starting later this month. They will be performing line cleaning, smoke testing and general preventative maintenance. To learn more about the maintenance service, CLICK HERE and scroll down to “Basin 25”.

Updates and Reminders

  • The Montreat Tree Board reminds everyone to reserve Saturday, September 4, 2021, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at the Town Hall for the Arbor Day celebration. We will be celebrating the American chestnut in conjunction with the American Chestnut Foundation. Don’t miss this special event.
  • Please note that in last week’s Mayor’s Meeting Summary, it stated that Martha Campbell recommended that the Council require that staff be vaccinated or tested weekly. In reality, Martha stated that she “strongly recommend all staff members be fully vaccinated or provide weekly testing results”. We regret the misstatement.
  • The Montreat Tree Board will meet on August 24 at 9:30am at the Town Hall. The meeting will be live streamed. Check the website for streaming instructions.
  • The Montreat Board of Adjustment will have a special training meeting on August 24 at 7:00pm at the Town Hall. The meeting will be live streamed. CLICK HERE for streaming instructions.
  • Please Note the Time Change: The Montreat Landcare Committee will meet September 1 at 9:00am at the Allen Building.
  • The Planning & Zoning Commission will meet on September 1 at 10:30am at the Town Hall. The meeting will be live streamed. Details to come.

Questions?

Do you have Town-related questions you would like answered? If so, please send them to Angela Murphy at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend!