City to consider funding for re-enactment, happenin’

SARAH LOWERY
Staff Writer

The Lincolnton City Council will consider funding requests for two annual events during its meeting Thursday night.
Jason Harpe of the Lincoln County Historical Association will ask council members to allot $2,000 for next year’s Battle of Ramsour’s Mill Re-enactment, which takes place each spring.
An additional request will be heard from Business and Community Development Director Brad Guth to fund a band for the 2013 Hog Happenin’ in downtown Lincolnton. That event typically occurs in early June. Guth is expected to request $10,000 to cover the cost of booking a band for the event.
The headlining group for this year’s event was Charity Case, featuring radio personality Ace from “The Ace & TJ Show.”
The amounts requested by both were approved last year by council members for this year’s events, though some balked at the price tag for the latter. Council member Devin Rhyne had voted against funding the $10,000, saying he thought the amount seemed like a lot of money for a band. Event officials said at the time that they hoped to secure a bigger band to attract more people to the event and bring in more money.
Other items on the agenda for Thursday evening’s council meeting include:

• Council members will discuss a proposed infill development site on city-owned property, located at 103 E. Sycamore Street.
• Council members will consider two budget amendments, one calling for the transfer of $47,195 from the fund balance to purchase leaf vacuums and another to transfer $31,410 from the Water and Sewer fund balance to allow for the exchange of a Muffin Monster sewage grinder.
• Council members will receive a monthly financial report, as requested at their last meeting, from City Manager Jeff Emory.
• Council members will receive an update on the status of Phase III of the Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail Project from Planning Director Laura Simmons. At their previous meeting, Simmons said it was under construction and has an estimated completion date of Dec. 15.
• Mayor John Gilleland will present a resolution of retirement for Terry Carpenter in the Distribution and Collections Department.