Aaron Haynie sworn in as new Marshall mayor
MARSHALL - For the first time in nearly three years, the Marshall Town Board of Adlermen meeting was led by someone other than Nancy Allen, and on Dec. 18, Allen literally and symbolically passed the baton to newly elected mayor Aaron Haynie.
Allen presented Haynie with a ceremonial gavel after Haynie was sworn in by 24th Judicial Court District Judge Larry Leake.
"Before Mayor Haynie calls his first meeting to order, it is an honor and privilege, and we have something here that we found that I am going to pass to you as a present to call your first official meeting to order," Allen said. "This is the town of Marshall gavel, and I'm passing it to you on behalf of the board."
Prior to swearing in Haynie, Leake reflected on his friendship with Haynie's father, Roger Haynie, who he called "his best friend in life."
"If any of you wanted to know what Roger Haynie looked like, because you never knew him, or it's been a long time, this is what Roger looked like. I know that Roger Haynie has got a grin going from here to here as he looks down on this planet and sees his son take this oath," Leake said.
Leake also swore in Laura Ponder Smith and Aileen Payne, who were reelected in November.
According to Roger Haynie's obituary, he served as chairman of the Madison County Board of Elections and worked at Laurel Elementary School in special education before embarking on a career at Madison High School, where he taught history and coached sports.
2022-23 audit
Serina Hinson, a certified public accountant with Morganton-based Lowdermilk Church and Co., presented the 2022-23 fiscal year audit to the board.
In the report findings, Hinson revealed the Lowdermilk Church team's audit resulted in a "plain, unmodified opinion, which basically is a good positive opinion," according to the certified public accountant.
Among the highlights Hinson listed were a cash and investments total of roughly $1.7 million, which was a slight decrease of close to $57,130 from the previous year.
The town's total assets for fiscal year 2022-23 were $1.8 million, which was down roughly $58,000.
According to Hinson, Marshall's $1.8 million fund balance was a decrease of $66,498, and the town's total revenue jumped from $1.2 million in 2021-22 to $1.4 million in 2022-23.
"The main contributors to that, your ad valorem taxes were up almost $44,000, and then the flooding revenue, the reimbursement, $162,920," Hinson said. "Then your total expenditures went from approximately $1 million to $1.4 million in fiscal year 2023, and a big portion of that, again, is due to the flooding expenditures that occurred in December 2018 and April 2019.
As for the enterprise fund, Hinson said the town's cash and investments decreased $320,000, from $1.6 million to $1.3 million, and total assets were up nearly $100,000, from $8.9 million to $9 million.
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Board appointments
The board also appointed an alternate to the town Board of Adjustment, as well as a board member to the town Planning Board.
According to Haynie, the Board of Adjustment term runs from January 2024 to January 2027, while the town Planning Board term runs from January 2024 to January 2025.
The board unanimously approved appointing Nancy Dagley to the alternate Marshall Board of Adjustment seat.
In a separate unanimous approval, the board appointed Jon Svendsen, owner of Madison Natural Foods, to the previously expired town Planning Board seat.
The Marshall Town Board will hold its next meeting Jan. 22, on the fourth Monday of the month rather than the regularly schedule third Monday of the month in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Jan. 22 meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at 180 S. Main St.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Aaron Haynie sworn in as new Marshall mayor
