SPENCER — Spencer will remain a member of the Centralina Council of Governments next year, as long as the town continues to receive 30 hours of free professional planning services in exchange for $784 annual dues.
Alderman Jeff Morris wanted out of the organization when CCOG instituted a new policy that will give member towns and cities unlimited services but charge between $60 and $90 an hour, in addition to annual dues.
However, CCOG Executive Director Jim Prosser told Spencer aldermen Tuesday night he would guarantee 30 hours of services for free if the town stayed the course.
“Having you as a part of this is valuable,” Prosser said. “We value you, we need you, we want you.”
Prosser said the new policy wasn’t intended to do harm but to offer more hours at a discounted rate. He said CCOG’s fees are about 30 percent lower than market rates.
Previously, member towns and cities received a limited number of hours at a discount and then had to pay full price, said Granite Quarry Mayor Pro Tem Bill Feather, who serves on the CCOG board. Now, members can use unlimited hours at the same discounted rate, Feather said.
But Morris said CCOG’s only value to Spencer is 30 free hours of services. The town often used CCOG to facilitate retreats and long-range strategic planning.
Mayor Pro Tem Jim Gobbel disagreed with Morris and said Spencer receives numerous benefits of membership and needs to maintain a “seat at the table.” Sixty-seven local governments are members of CCOG, which covers a nine-county region. Rowan County pulled out several years ago.
Gobbel said the $784 annual dues are nominal.
“My car insurance costs more,” he said.
Spencer voted in 2009 to withdraw from the organization but was “courted” by CCOG to remain, Morris said. He criticized CCOG as dominated by Charlotte and other large cities and said the council has forgotten about small members like Spencer.
Morris said Spencer instead could obtain professional planning services from other local governments, the UNC School of Government and private firms.
Alderman Reid Walters was opposed to renewing the membership for a different reason. Spencer would be better off joining the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments to the north, considering Davidson County is developing a 1,000-acre industrial park in Linwood, Walters said.
Morris agreed that Spencer should look to the north for economic development rather than to the south.
But state law dictates which regional council a local government may join. For Spencer, it’s Centralina.
Alderman Scott Benfield said he did not care for the new fee arrangement.
“I felt like we were being hung out to dry,” he said.
But ultimately, after Prosser said he would reinstate the 30 free hours, aldermen decided to remain in CCOG, as long as they approve the pending agreement. Prosser said he would have something in writing to the town by the end of today.