Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting Summary — September 10, 2026

Ranlo Board of Commissioners: Meeting Summary — September 10, 2026

• Opening and Agenda: Mayor Corey Creech called the meeting to order, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, an opening prayer, and a moment of prayer for Commissioner Ronnie Laws who was hospitalized [02:33], [03:32]. Following roll call, the board adopted the agenda [03:55], [04:26]. Under old business, the board unanimously approved the minutes from the August 13, 2026, regular meeting [06:58].
• Public Comments:
• Ronnie Grantham: Expressed interest in serving on the Ranlo Resource Network Committee, detailing over 25 years of experience in workforce and economic development with the North Carolina Department of Commerce (NCWorks), and offering to help connect residents to job training, employment pipelines, and veteran services [05:06].
• Rick Spitzer: Voiced interest in joining the Public Safety Committee, highlighting 16.5 years in law enforcement within San Diego County and National City Police, followed by extensive executive experience in corporate security, fraud investigations, and veterans’ charity organizations [01:59].
• Committee Updates & Appointments:
• Ranlo Resource Network: Committee Chair Cherina Stevenson reviewed achievements from the past six months, including the August 27 senior information session and bingo event held with Gaston County Health and Human Services [08:18]. She announced an upcoming Adult Trivia Night for September 17 partnering with United Way 211, ongoing food truck partnerships, and plans for youth educational programs on school-out days [09:52], [12:01]. Following the report, the board voted unanimously to appoint Ronnie Grantham to the committee [14:40].
• Public Safety Committee / Police Foundation: Committee Chair Daryl Hayes reported on committee recruiting and the ongoing transition toward forming an independent 501(c)(3) “Ranlo Police Foundation” to expand outside business sponsorships and fundraising [15:19]. The board voted unanimously to appoint Rick Spitzer to the Public Safety Committee [17:41].
• Ranlo Experience Committee: Acting Chair Tanner and committee member Amber Spicer shared updates regarding the Fall Festival scheduled for September 18–19 featuring over 40 food trucks, gospel night, carnival activities, and a banner drawing for children to carry at the head of the Christmas parade [19:05], [21:26], [25:23]. The committee noted the resignation of previous chair Drew Horine due to personal obligations and announced a planning meeting on September 14 [19:05], [23:39].
• Board Action & Motions:
• Tabled Items: The board voted to table agenda items 8 and 9 until the next meeting to allow the full board of commissioners to be present [27:13].
• Park Upgrades: While a proposed $70,000–$71,000 ADA swing set addition was held pending decisions on the community building, the board approved spending up to $10,000 to replace basketball goals and install durable, vandal-resistant backboards at Rex Park [29:49], [34:00].
• Code Enforcement Modernization: Town Attorney Nick Tosco presented a code of ordinances text amendment establishing standardized civil penalties, explicit notices of violation, and a 15-day quasi-judicial appeal process through the Town Manager [35:15], [37:05], [43:21]. The board voted to adopt the enforcement text amendment [48:57].
• Code Decriminalization Authorization: In accordance with the 4-hour staff research policy, the board voted to authorize the Town Attorney to review the full code to bring misdemeanor penalties into compliance with state decriminalization statutes [49:57], [50:58].
• Neighborhood Speed Limits & Signage: Legal review confirmed the town code already sets a 15 mph speed limit across residential subdivisions (Spencer Heights, Mountain View, Woodside). Public Works was directed to install uniform 15 mph and no-parking signage without requiring a text amendment [52:33].
• Fire Hydrant Storz Adapters: Public Works Director CJ Harper reported non-uniform nozzle threads across the town’s ~90 hydrants, leading to 4- to 6-minute mutual aid response delays [01:01:06], [01:04:11]. The board voted to allocate $28,000 from the Utility Fund to retrofit the remaining ~75 non-standard hydrants with standardized 5-inch quick-connect Storz fittings [01:01:49], [01:04:50].
• Traffic Calming Research: Following resident and board concerns about cut-through traffic bypassing Johnson, the board voted to direct staff to research traffic calming options and speed bump costs for Way Street [01:13:33], [01:13:45].
• Operational & Department Reports:
• Finance: Town Manager Charlie Hansen presented the monthly financial report, noting the town is 16.76% through the fiscal year with 83% of the operating budget remaining intact [55:26], [56:00].
• Police Department: Chief Lunsford noted the department is transitioning to new operational software and invited residents to participate in Faith & Blue weekend beginning October 9 [57:06], [57:17].
• Fire Department: Chief Lewis announced a 9/11 25th Anniversary remembrance ceremony at the station and advised residents to replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries before daylight saving time [58:10], [59:21]. The department completed 75 service calls in the prior month [58:55].
• Public Works: Director Harper shared that Phase 1 of the waterline project is 33% complete, with 2,500 feet of new 6-inch pipe installed, 27 residences connected, and 5 new hydrants operational [59:43].
• Town Manager’s Report: Hansen announced the official rollout of the town’s reconstructed website for Monday, featuring real-time project trackers, online bill payment, and direct contact directories developed by David Turner [01:05:14]. He also noted upcoming intergovernmental meetings, including a legislative breakfast on September 17 and the NCLM Legislative Summit in Winston-Salem on September 30 [01:05:44], [01:06:42].

Full Meeting Recordings

• Part 1: https://youtu.be/4ePRRPNioGQ
• Part 2: https://youtu.be/Xdeq2OnvgPo