RED SPRINGS — The Red Springs Board of Commissioners shot down and then reconsidered a proposal to charge insurance companies a fee for the fire department’s responses to vehicle accidents.
Town Manager David Ashburn made the proposal to establish the fee and adopt it as a policy during Tuesday’s meeting. As Ashburn made the request, Commissioner Caroline Sumpter shook her head in disapproval.
“This doesn’t seem right to me,” Sumpter said. “It doesn’t sit well with my stomach.”
Sumpter said her concern with the fee is that it would cause insurance companies to increase rates on Red Springs residents.
Commissioner Duron Burney had other concerns.
“They (Red Springs residents) already pay a fire tax,” Burney said. “This is double dipping. We could potentially be sued.”
Ashburn assured the board that the town would not charge the individual but the insurance company.
“If the individual is not insured, they will not be charged a fee,” Ashburn said.
Burney said the proposal presented in the board’s packet does not reflect that.
“This is something that needs to be critiqued a little more,” Burney said.
Ashburn suggested only charging individuals from out-of-town who are involved in an accident within town limits.
“Now that is something we can discuss,” Sumpter said.
Burney made a motion to reject the proposal, but it failed without a second. Sumpter made another motion to table the matter for further information. The motion was passed on a 5-1 vote with Burney voting no.
The matter brought up the discussion of the Red Springs Fire Department’s response to accidents. In a bid to keep costs down, the town initially adopted a policy that the department only respond to accidents if police requested assistance. The board learned that the policy is not being exercised.
“They respond to all accidents,” Burney said.
“It does not make since to have 20 vehicles respond to a fender-bender,” Mayor Edward Henderson said. “This is the reason they went way over budget in the past.”
Ashburn suggested speaking with the dispatchers to inform them of the town’s policy.
In other business, the board approved a request from Renet McQueen, of Community Wellness, to allow the nonprofit the use a town-owned facility for youth group workshops. McQueen first made the request in April but it was tabled multiple times because of the commissioners’ concern of potential liability to the town.
The town’s attorney will draft a contract allowing weekly use of the town’s farmers market.
“I think you’ve made a lot of kids happy,” McQueen said.
During public input, the board heard a presentation from Arthur Tripp on the need for support of his mentoring program, Three in One Mentoring. The program’s mission is to mentor at-risk youth ages 9 to 19 by engaging them in activities that develop their social and critical thinking skills. Tripp said the program will combat violence.
“We want to bring a solution to the issues at hand,” Tripp said. “It takes a village to raise a child, and we want to be a part of that village.”
For more information about the program, call 910-248-4102.
The commissioners also:
— Approved a contract worth $22,250 with Thompson, Price Scott Adams Co. to perform the town’s 2019-20 audit.
— Heard a presentation from Cassandra Campbell, Robeson County Disaster Recovery Committee executive director, about the recovery resources offered by the organization.
— Heard a presentation and approved collaborating with the N.C. Department of Transportation in developing a Comprehensive Transportation Plan for Robeson County.
— Were reminded of National Night Out, which will be Aug. 6.
