Posted on 02/23/2011 1:25:59 AM PST by Nickname
After a 45-minute closed session, the Old Fort Aldermen voted unanimously Monday to do away with their pay and the mayor’s pay.
The action was taken because the town is about to lose its biggest water and sewer customer, Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing. Last month, Jack Lonon Jr., president of the family-owned company, announced that the company’s assets will be sold to Spinrite Yarns of Canada and the plant will soon shut down its manufacturing operations in Old Fort. The closing of Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing will mean the town will no longer get approximately $150,000 in water and sewer revenue.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.mcdowellnews.com ...
Plant owner: 81 jobs at risk (Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing selling assets, will likely close)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2678474/posts
This poor company of 81 employees was shelling out $150k for water and sewer ALONE.
Eliminating the mayor's and aldermen's pay will save the town $23k. To help save the jobs of town workers.
Read the article to see where their priorities lie. Not a word about reducing the burdens on businesses to prevent further private sector job losses.
On going without pay to prevent job losses in the public sector though, “I am willing to do that to save jobs,” said Stafford.
I grew up in a small town that had only significant business...a t-shirt factory. They had a significant production level of color shirts...thus meaning a pond or two out back of the facility had a good bit of sewage water that required processing, and yes, it went through the town’s sewage system. If you had to add it up....fifty percent of the waste water situation in my hometown came from that t-shirt factory.
I would imagine that Pisgah, Yarn & Dyeing were likely in the same situation. That $150k a year is very likely justified because the town had to procure an increased capability and run it proficiently. As for the jobs at risk? Just like the T-shirt factory in my hometown...I’m predicting it eventually closes and moves operations to Mexico. They will avoid any and all sewage requirements by doing this. Problem solved.
I don’t know what the business climate is like in Canada but I’m glad to see that manufacturing will be done there rather than in Mexico or China.
My point, though, is that this was a small business having to spend that kind of money on water and sewer alone. When you add in all of the other taxes, fees, ever-changing regulations to comply with, insurance, nuisance lawsuits, etc. it’s no wonder that our manufacturers can’t compete.
IMO, to add insult to the injury of its closing, DOT is coming in to..... lower the town’s curbs to ensure they’re ADA compliant. Our businesses are being gouged to to pay for this nonsense.
I ride by Old Fort when I travel up 40 but never stopped. Growing up in KM I feel the pain of the closing of textiles. I still remember the day NAFTA was signed fruit of the looms closed the KM plant laying off 400 people.
I’m not at all familiar with the area. I just stumbled upon the article while surfing. Odd where you can end up while doing that. :)
It sounds like it’s one of America’s many lovely small towns.
My mother was born in Old Fort. Beautiful country up there.
Not for much longer!!! Gotta get them folks into a "sustainable community."
We all knew that Ross Perot was right. No living president, past or present, at the time, knew it.
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