The Fayetteville Town Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday evening, September 17. The meeting was called to order and Councilor Stanley Boyd opened the meeting with prayer. All present said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

The audience seating was nearly full, with 15- 20 people in attendance. All council members were present.

The following is a summary of highlights and does not include details of every item covered on the agenda. Meeting minutes may be found on the Town Council website.

Ordinance to Raise Funds from a Fire Fee

The meeting opened with a public hearing about the proposed ordinance to raise funds from a fire fee on hotel rooms, short term rentals & cabins. The purpose of the ordinance was to "raise funds with which to hire full-time firefighters to work in conjunction with the volunteer firefighters to provide firefighting and other emergency services to hotels, short term rentals, cabins, and the occupants thereof and for the residents of Fayetteville." , according to the language in the ordinance.

Several guests spoke during this portion of the meeting including Charleston attorney, Jack Hoblitzell, who was standing in for attorney, Tom Ewing. He reviewed a letter that had been written to the town on behalf of his clients in objection of the proposed ordinance. Among his clients were members of the fire department.

Among the various points of objection, he listed the lack of input from other members of the fire department, a concern about the legality and lack of data to support the proposed fee. He raised questions about why the fee was being proposed on a small subset of people, how it was to be distributed, how it may hurt recruitment and affect the current members of the fire department.

The proposed fee was $5 per night, per room, house or cabin to be effective on January 1, 2027.

Several business owners spoke during the hearing, such as Doug Angst, who owns and operates Star Farm, a glamping site in Fayetteville. He asked why the fee was being asked to such a small group of people and questioned how it would scale over time. He also asked for better notification in the future regarding ordinances that affect his business directly, saying that he had stumbled upon this important information by chance. He asked for a direct mailer in the future and for the ordinance to be put on hold until the structural issues within the ordinance could be addressed with more data.

Ross Cherry, owner of The Outpost, also spoke at the hearing stating that he does not like the fee structure and felt the percentages from campsites to hotel rooms was unfair. He also said that he did not receive notification about this ordinance and stressed that there needs to be a better way of communicating important issues like this to businesses. He felt that it was trying to be passed under the radar.

Mark Bass, a member of the Fayetteville Fire Department for 20+ years spoke in favor of the ordinance, expressing a need to be pro-active in strengthening the fire department and recruiting more firefighters. He said with the NRG National Park status, the fire department is more taxed with calls than in previous years. In his closing comments, he added that the ordinance was brought to the town in this manner to prevent burdening the town financially.

There was no motion made to approve the fire fee ordinance and so, it is null & void.

Wolf Creek Dam Removal Update

A video presentation was made by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide data and possible solutions for the removal of the Wolf Creek Dam. This was presented by conservationists, Christi Hicks and Hannah Thacker.

They shared history of the dam, sediment testing results and possible solutions and outcomes for removing the dam that has been in place since the 1930's. Feasibility data was shared regarding options such as: no action, partial dam removal or complete dam removal.

They said that there were a few small areas of hot spots, or contaminated sediment, but indicated that they were minuscule since this area has been draining since the 1930's.

Complete dam removal would come at a cost of just under $4 million which may include stream reconstruction from the dam to Gatewood Rd. and offer reduced safety concerns, fish habitat and cleaner water.

The speakers indicated that the current land owner who views this area every day would like it to remain as is.

To learn more about the Preliminary Investigation Feasibility Report (PIFR) requested by the Town of Fayetteville in 2022, you can read the details here.

Fayetteville Police Department

Motions were approved to act on the promotions of JH Rice from Corporal to Sergeant and JP Hannigan from Patrolman First Class (PFC) to Corporal.

There was also discussion regarding the funding for a Town Shop*, to be located in a small garage next to the Fayetteville Fire Department. This will provide a mechanic shop with car lift and tools as well as a lunch room. It was decided to allocate 7% from the 1% use tax to build funds for this project.

Children's Memorial at Charlie McCoy Park

At an earlier council meeting this month, the new Children's Memorial being built at the Town Park was discussed. According to a description by the town:

"This will serve as a permanent tribute to young lives lost too soon, while providing a place of remembrance, healing, and unity for families and the community. Designed as a reflective and welcoming space, the memorial will include memorial markers and a seating area surrounding a central memorial structure." Mayor Cruikshank said that BJ Johnson is doing the stone work. The work in progress may be seen along the asphalt trail around the Town Park.

The next Town Council Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 at 6 pm.

*Clarification, updated 9.18.26 at 10:39 am: the funds being raised for this project will be for a new shop located on Laurel Creek Road.

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