During the Carrboro Town Council meeting on Tuesday, council members discussed the possibility of approving a lease for a new Town office space, as well as restricting cemetery plot sales to preserve available land.
What’s new?
- Carrboro Police Chief Chris Atack presented the Carrboro Police Department’s Quarterly Equity Report for the third quarter of 2022.
- The Town Council discussed approving a request to allow the town manager to sign a three-year office lease agreement with Carr Mill Mall Limited Partnership. The lease is for an office space that would be used for Town operations.
- Council member Eliazar Posada said he would rather the Town invest in nonprofit organizations like CommunityWorx which supports people of color and low-income community members. Council member Barbara Foushee said she would not be voting to approve the contract for similar reasons.
- “I won’t be voting for it either because I think we would be better served to pour our money into a nonprofit that is run by women of color,” Foushee said. “The lease dollars would flow back into the community in multiple ways through a nonprofit, and so also who we do business with is truly a reflection of our value system.”
- Cemetery improvements and plot use were discussed for a large portion of the meeting. Both the Town Council and community members discussed restricting plot sales of Westwood Cemetery, which has only 102 burial plots remaining.
- Potential options for cemetery plot restriction were presented:
- Limit cemetery plots to Carrboro residents only. In the past 20 years, 86 percent of sold burial plots were purchased by Carrboro residents.
- Limit plot sales to those with family members buried at Westwood Cemetery.
- Only sell burial plots for deceased individuals in imminent need.
- Limit the number of plots sold to an individual citizen.
- Limit plot sales to individuals living within a specified distance from Westwood Cemetery.
- The discussion of possible cemetery plot sale restrictions began with a public comment from Bob Proctor, who said he wanted to suspend sales for future-use plots.
- "Why make contracts going 20 years forward when we don’t know what we will be doing in two years?” Proctor said.
- Posada said his biggest concern with suspending sales was the idea of the Town Council restricting someone’s ability to bury their family members in Carrboro.
- “I don’t want to have the Town in any way, shape, or form be a place where they can restrict someone’s ability to be with their family when there’s still space available,” Posada said.
- Potential options for cemetery plot restriction were presented:
What decisions were made?
- Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils proclaimed February as Black History Month in Carrboro.
- “Black History Month certainly is every month,” Foushee said. “It’s a time to celebrate our very rich history. We are American history. But for me, it’s also a time of reflection.”
- The Town Council unanimously adopted a resolution to condemn violence against the LGBTQ+ community in Carrboro and North Carolina as a whole.
- The council unanimously voted to approve the consent agenda.
- Five council members voted in favor of approving the lease agreement between the Town of Carrboro and Carr Mill Mall Limited Partnership. Two members — Posada and Foushee — voted against approving the contract.
- The council unanimously approved a motion to hold a work session in the coming months to further discuss possibilities for reaching a compromise on Westwood Cemetery.
- The council unanimously approved proposed cemetery improvements, including the replacement of the fence around Old Carrboro Cemetery.
What’s next?
- The Carrboro Town Council will meet for a work session on Feb. 14.
