BY DEBBIE PAGE
The Troutman Town Council is seeking nominations for its 2025 Citizen of the Year Award and Organization of the Year Award.
The awards are the town’s way of recognizing residents and businesses or organizations in the Troutman community that are committed to preserving, maintaining, and improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods and community.
Nominees do not have to live in the town but must be a person or business represented in the Troutman community.
Applications, which ask for contact information and a short description of the nominee’s significant community contributions, are located on the town’s website (www.troutmannc.gov) under the “Forms” tab. They can also be picked up at Town Hall at 400 Eastway Drive.
Nominators should submit completed forms to the town by March 28 at 5 p.m.
Nominations can be emailed to Town Clerk Kim Davis at kdavis@troutmannc.gov, faxed to 704-528-7605, sent by mail to Town of Troutman, Attn: Town Clerk Kim Davis, PO Box 26, Troutman, NC 28166, or delivered to Town Hall.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
The town learned that the League of Municipalities will no longer offer health insurance to municipal governments starting July 1. Human Resources Manager Lou Borek has been seeking information and quotes for a new insurance provider.
Borek expects to have a number of options by the end of March for the town manager and council to consider. A plan must be selected by early May to allow time for contracts and implementation of coverage by July 1.
Borek is leaving in April for a new position. A new HR director has been hired and will work with Borek on a smooth transition.
Council member Nicholas Jaroszynski asked that the town consider offering council members the opportunity for health insurance as this change is explored. His research indicates that 45 of 62 North Carolina municipalities surveyed offer council members access to coverage.
Some were completely funded by council members, while some towns paid a portion of the costs.
Town Manager Ron Wyatt said the town once offered health insurance access to the council, but it was later dropped because the council members were not using the opportunity.
Wyatt noted that the current coverage requires certain things of employees to have full coverage, including annual physicals and following any suggested health improvement plan recommended by their doctor.
The town currently pays 30 percent of the cost of dependent coverage, but that perk could be reduced or eliminated, depending of the costs of the new coverage.
CANDIDATE INTERVIEWED
Jaclyn Crouch was interviewed by the council as a potential inside alternate member of the Planning and Zoning Board. Crouch has lived in North Carolina for 2.5 years. A registered nurse, she works from home as a case manager.
Her husband ran a building company in Michigan, so she is familiar with the construction industry. Crouch has not been on a municipal board before and sees this appointment as an opportunity to learn and serve the community.
UPDATES
♦ Mayor Teross Young and council member Paul Henkel thanked the Public Works Department for their efforts to repair a waterline break over a two-day period. “Some of our pipes date to 1926,” said Henkel, who said that leak may not be the last.
♦ Wyatt thanked the Parks and Recreation staff for their hard work on the 13th Spring into Spring 5K. The event has grown each year, with over 300 registered for this year’s race.
♦ Wyatt said the Flower House Loop/Houston Road realignment project will be delayed two months because utility companies have been slow to move their lines. The town will likely have to postpone the bidding process, which is scheduled for April, to June.
♦ Council member Felina Harris, who had previously inquired about adding a crosswalk, expressed concerns about children crossing Highway 21 near Triangle Insurance Agency going to and from the elementary and middle schools. Wyatt noted after a previous inquiry, NCDOT will not allow another crosswalk so close to the one at Rumple Street and suggested that parents talk to their children about walking to this marked crosswalk to navigate Highway 21 more safely. Wyatt noted that when the greenway extension occurs, the town could ask NCDOT to reconsider adding another crosswalk for that area.
AGENDA ITEMS
On Thursday night, the Town Council will:
♦ Recognize Human Resource Director Lou Borek as the Employee of the Month for February.
♦ Consider approval of an amended contract for Town Manager Ron Wyatt.
♦ Consider setting a date to annex approximately 151 acres on Clontz Hill Road for April 23.
♦ Consider a contiguous annexation request for nearly 50 acres on Autumn Leaf Road by Sterling Properties. No rezoning is required because the developer plans to build single-family homes on minimum half-acre lots as allowed under the current zoning. Wyatt noted that the process to update the Quail Haven pump station is already underway for this area.
♦ Consider a noncontiguous annexation request for .39 acres located at 142 Scotch Irish Lane to have access to town water service
♦ Consider the appointment of Jaclyn Crouch to the Planning and Zoning Board as an Inside Alternate member. The seat was formerly held by Tonya Bartlett and expires on September 14, 2026. Bartlett is now a voting member on the board.