Newton Citizens Forum

The next regular Newton City Council meeting is set for Tuesday, July 15th. The agenda is online at Newtonnc.gov.

Citizens of Newton, here is a quick summary of the July 15 2025 City County meeting. A decent number of citizens were present and a number of speakers took advantage of the 3 minute public comment portion of the meeting. Comments ranged from speeding to appreciation to sanctuary city to political persuasion. And the anticipated positive review of the Streetscape project was provided by a recent LR graduate interning in the planning department. Expenditures were approved for an updated recreation plan, which was preceded by spirited debate among council members. The expected highlight of the night did not disappoint--another closed session for personnel. Last meeting the city manager was offered a contract modification with a 2% (plus cola) raise and an extension to 2028. I surmise that this offer was not acceptable to the city manager as it did not meet his demands. Tonight, yet another closed session was held. Another contract offer was apparently presented which extends the term of employment until 2029. That would extend the city manager's contract of employment for not one, but two election cycles. The public vote was as follows: YES: SAIN, DIXON, STIVER and JOHNSON. NO: DANNER and McCLURE. Your comments are solicited. Also solicited are any corrections to the facts stated in this and every other post I make.

Sounds about right.

The question is valid. Who is really in charge of the City of Newton? TAIL WAGGING THE DOG!