BY STACIE LETT CAIN
Assistant Town Manager Ryan Rase on Monday asked Mooresville residents to express their concerns about traffic congestion with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
During Monday’s town board meeting, Rase encouraged residents to visit http://www.publicinput.com/2026-2035-stip-development through April 4 to share their opinions about local traffic issues.
The NCDOT factors in public input when establishing funding priorities for regional projects.
“This might be one of the most important slides I have shown in a while,” Rase told the audience. “We need your help in this. We are being asked to give our public comment on the state transportation program. The biggest complaint we get is our traffic and a silent voice is no voice.”
“Advocate for your project to make your commute less painful in the morning,” he added. “It is very, very important to get the community involved in this.”
Board approves changes to Animal Control Ordinance
Also during Monday’s meeting, town board members approved revisions to the town’s animal control ordinance — including a requirement that leashes be used in public areas.
“The current ordinance only requires animals to be on leashes in town parks,” Town Attorney Sharon Crawford advised the commissioners. “The proposed ordinance would require direct control or restraint of all animals in all places to ensure safety of animals and residents.”
The proposed ordinance also gives Iredell Animal Control, which provides animal services within town limits, the right to inspect pet stores and public exhibits of animals to prevent abuse, and restricts the selling of live animals in certain places, including public places and commercial parking lots. It also prohibits property owners from allowing such sales.
This issue is an important one for attorney Joyce Glass, who has practiced law for 26 years and is an appointed attorney advocate in animal cruelty cases. She spoke during the public comment period about the proposed ordinance.
“I am speaking in support of the proposed ordinance prohibiting the sale of animals in public places,” she explained. “I have spoken to many people who have purchased animals from parking lots for the past 12 years. Animals were sick, skinny and many had skin issues. (It costs) several hundred to several thousand dollars to treat these animals. This goes beyond just being an animal issue. These sick animals pose dangers to humans as well.”
The first reading of the proposed ordinance was February 17. Town board members passed the revisions unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
Allison Kraft, public utilities director, asked the board to approve a modification of the Master Agreement for Professional Services with Black & Veatch International Company to increase the contract by an amount not to exceed $1,273,440, bringing the contracted amount not to exceed $2,904,590 for work on the expansion of the waste water treatment plant from 7.5 million gallons a day to 12.5 million gallons per day and replace the legacy Interbasin Transfer to 9.54 million gallons per day with a new Interbasin Transfer Certificate, anticipated to be 12.6 million gallons per day.
The board approved the modification unanimously as well as a public ordinance amendment to appropriate $700,000 from the Utility Capital Project Reserves. According to Kraft, the next steps in the process will be an environmental impact study, along with the Interbasin Transfer application.