Montreat Minute 02/11/2022

February 14, 2022

Mayor’s Summary of the February 10, 2022 Town Council Meeting

Greetings fellow Montreaters,

It’s nice to see the snow piles dissipating, which gives me hope that spring is not too far away.

Approximately 19 people joined the Council tonight, which included an extended Public Forum to discuss the bears/dogs issue we began talking about last month. Others were live streaming the meeting. If you would like to view the recording, CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to read the full meeting summary

Welcome to the New Interim Town Administrator

At last night’s Town Council meeting, the Council voted to hire Benjamin Blackburn as the interim Town Administrator until a permanent leader is hired. Ben has nearly 20 years of experience as City Manager, primarily in the Gaston County area. Before he retired, Ben served as City Manager for the city of Cherryville. Ben has extensive experience in town governance and operations. He will be working three days per week, Tuesday through Thursday, and will be available at other times if needed. Upon the vote to hire Ben, Mayor Helms commented, “Ben has a very strong reputation in the Gaston County area. He comes highly recommended to us.” Ben then responded by saying, “I’m looking forward to being a part of the betterment of Montreat. Thank you for the honor and I will work hard to build your trust in me.”

Ben will work with Alex next week before Alex leaves his position on the 18th. Please stop by to welcome Ben to Montreat and thank Alex for his service.

Updates and Reminders

  • The Montreat Tree Board will meet on Tuesday, February 22nd, at 9:30am in the Town Hall. The meeting will be streamed and all are welcome to attend. Check the town website (www.townofmontreat.org) for streaming instructions.
  • The Board of Adjustment will tentatively meet on Thursday, February 24th, at 7:00pm in the Town Hall. The meeting will be streamed and all are welcome to attend. Check the town website (www.townofmontreat.org) for confirmation of the meeting date and for streaming instructions.

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!