Town manager to retire
Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
The Spruce Pine Town Council voted unanimously to appoint attorney Beth Holmes to fill a vacant council seat at a special called meeting last Thursday.
Holmes will serve out the remainder of former council member Larry McKinney’s term. McKinney resigned from the council over the summer.
The council considered two applicants to fill the vacant seat, Holmes and Dori Settles. A third application was discounted because the applicant did not actually live within the town limits, a requirement for serving on the council.
Town Manager Darlene Butler distributed copies of the applications to all council members at the Thursday meeting. After reviewing the applications, most of the council members comments were about Holmes and her qualifications.
Mayor Phillip Hise spoke approvingly of Holmes’ skillset as an attorney, and council member Rocky Buchanan said she appeared to be the best qualified applicant.
“Given the question and answer [portion], her [answers] are much more in-depth, more forward-thinking,” council member Jackie Rensink said.
Temporary wastewater treatment facility
The council also discussed plans for Spruce Pine’s new temporary wastewater treatment. The town is leasing two temporary treatment units, and began setup of those units this week.
“We’re hoping for a maximum of four months [use] for these units,” Butler said.
The temporary units will each cost $38,000 a month to rent from Integrated Water Services Inc. However, the town is hoping to get this expense fully reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. More permanent solutions will not be eligible for a 100 percent reimbursement, but there may be federal funds available for partial reimbursement of permanent sewer repairs.
The council voted to allow Butler to sign the lease agreement with Integrated Water Services to begin processing sewage again.
Butler retiring
After Thursday’s special meeting, Butler submitted a letter announcing her impending retirement.
Butler described working for Spruce Pine for the past 27 years as an “honor and privilege.” She will be ending her career Dec. 31.
“My husband Michael and I have been weighing retirement decisions for most of 2024,” she said in her letter. “We look forward to spending time with our families, including my 92-year-old father-in-law in West Tennessee, and our 10-year-old grandson.”
Butler noted that she is a Spruce Pine native and a graduate of the old Harris High School. While damage from Hurricane Helene complicates the town’s transition to new leadership, Butler said in her letter that she believes the town will benefit from having a new manager start earlier rather than later.
“I believe that the rebuilding phase, which will take years, will benefit from having your next town manager in place from the planning stages,” she said. “I’ve seen fresh and ample evidence in the past four weeks that we have the best employees you could find, any time or anywhere.”