SALISBURY — A discussion about a travel reimbursement request escalated into accusations of racial bias during the public-comment period at Tuesday’s Salisbury City Council meeting.

Several weeks ago, after receiving an invitation to attend a “mayor making” ceremony in Salisbury’s Sister City in England, Mayor Al Heggins asked the city to pay for her travel to and from Salisbury, England.

Heggins said the request caused some “concern” among other council members, who during the meeting said they have always paid their own way when traveling to the Sister City for municipal business.

Councilman Brian Miller said he asked to put Heggins’ travel request on the council’s meeting agenda.

“This is not in any way meant to be disrespectful to you or anyone else,” Miller said. “But I do not see a municipal benefit to Salisbury of you going. It is ceremonial.”

Later in the council’s conversation, Miller said that, in his opinion, Heggins use of city funds to travel to the Sister City would be “wasting taxpayers’ money.”

“But that is your choice,” Miller said. “I did not sense there was anything in writing that said you could not do this.”

Councilwoman Karen Alexander said she agreed with Miller. She said she doesn’t think it is fair for taxpayers to be asked to pay for trips abroad “when they are not city business but cultural opportunities.”

Later in the conversation, Alexander said she thinks the city paying for trips to the Sister City would be a “slippery slope” and “totally inappropriate.”

Mayor Pro Tem David Post said that unless the council decided to change precedent, it should “be the way it is.”

“There’s an accountant in me. And when any individual has a city credit card, we have to have internal controls to validate any expenditure,” Post said.

Councilwoman Tamara Sheffield said she had not been a part of certain conversations and was not notified that the topic would be on Tuesday’s agenda, since the item was added after the meeting had already begun.

“So at this moment, I do not have an opinion because I was not privy,” Sheffield said.

Heggins said that after thoroughly checking the city’s travel policies, she could find no language or policy that would forbid her from asking for a travel reimbursement.

“There is no official process in the procedure as to why mayors and City Council members did not put in for their expenses to be covered,” Heggins said.

Heggins said there is a “municipal benefit” to trips to Salisbury, England.

“Why do Sister Cities exist? They are formed to promote cultural and commercial ties,” Heggins said. “I can assure you it would not be a vacation for me.”

Heggins’ husband, Isaac, would accompany her on the trip but the family would pay his expenses.

Heggins said that if the council members are not comfortable with the city paying for her plane ticket — which Heggins said would cost $1,060.60 — they should rethink having the Sister City relationship at all.

“When we talk about municipal benefits, if you don’t want to spend money on a Sister City relationship, you’re not going to spend money going or coming,” Heggins said. “And we did spend money coming.”

Finance Director Shannon Moore said the city spent about $3,100 when visitors from Salisbury, England, came to North Carolina. Moore said the money was spent on things like framed pictures of proclamations and taking visitors out for dinner.

“If we’re talking about money being spent, we have to look at this in totality,” Heggins said.

Heggins said the current model of City Council members paying for their own expenses resembles a “pay to play” model.

Heggins said that asking council members to pay for official city business is prohibitive and could exclude members.

“That’s not officially representing your city,” Heggins said.

Public comment

During the public-comment period, nine people spoke about Heggins’ request.

Many cited underlying or overt tones of racism in how Miller, Alexander and Post addressed it.

Andria Cantrell Shores said she was “almost too angry to trust (herself) to speak.”

“If Mayor Heggins were white, this issue about a measly $1,000 would never have been raised,” Shores said. “If people are elected, they need to be allowed to do what they were elected to do.”

Whitney Peckman said the “pay to play” model Heggins referred to is something the council needs to address immediately.

“Because what happened when Al Heggins got elected mayor was that the people expressed their fatigue with the ‘pay to play’ and the wealthy people running the city, having no input from the poor population or the minority population,” Peckman said.

Isaac Heggins said he thought the situation is “completely crazy.”

“If we’re going to set this thing up so everyone coming in here has to pay to play, we’ve got to hang a shingle outside on that door and say, ‘Only those who can afford to be on the council can be here,'” Isaac said.

Isaac also said Salisbury, England, would not be on his “bucket list for vacations.”

“But my wife would be going and representing Salisbury, North Carolina,” Isaac said.

Anthony Smith gave a definition of microaggressions.

“Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal and environmental slights, snubs or insults — whether intentional or unintentional — which communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership,” Smith said.

Smith went on to say that he plans to organize the community “unless somebody (on the council) is willing to say, ‘I’m willing to learn. I want to do different.'”

Contact reporter Jessica Coates at 704-797-4222.