Town Hall to Close to the Public Beginning Jan. 6

Officials Make Decision in Response to Rising COVID-19 Numbers

Post Date:01/05/2021 10:48 AM

In response to the latest COVID-19 trends in the state and region—particularly regarding number of cases, infection rates and hospitalizations—the Town of Garner has decided to close Town Hall to the public effective 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6, until further notice. This decision has been made to better protect staff and the community during this especially dangerous phase of the pandemic.

The Town Council's Jan. 19 regular meeting and Jan. 26 work session will be held virtually and will be live streamed at facebook.com/townofgarner. Details regarding public comments and participation in public hearings for the Jan. 19 meeting will be shared at a later date.

The Jan. 11 Planning Commission meeting will be a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting. Town Hall will be open to the public for that meeting; however, people who are not intending to speak at the meeting are strongly encouraged to stay home and watch the live stream at facebook.com/townofgarner.

Development Services (Planning, Engineering and Inspections) will continue to receive submittals and correspondence by means of drop-off bins that are located in the Town Hall main entrance vestibule. These bins are accessible 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For details about how to use the bins for submittals or correspondence, please visit garnernc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1120/17. For Development Services-related assistance, please call 919.773.4433.

Bill payments will not be accepted at Town Hall during this closure of the building to the public, and residents are asked to NOT use the outside dropbox. Residents wanting to make bill payments to Raleigh Public Utilities or the Wake County Tax Office can do so online or by mailing payments. For Town of Garner payment assistance, please call 919.773.4411.

For continuing updates about the Town's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit garnernc.gov and follow the Town of Garner on social media.

Courtesy Town of Garner

Garner Welcomes New Town Attorney

The Town Council has selected Terri Jones to be Garner’s new town attorney. When she starts in her new position on Monday, Oct. 12, Jones will become the first town attorney who is a Town of Garner employee.

Terri Jones

Jones is an accomplished attorney with over 20 years of local government experience—six years with the City of Greensboro, three years with Montgomery County, Md., and 14 years with Carroll County, Md. Most recently, she served as deputy city attorney for the City of Greensboro. Jones also was an assistant county attorney with Montgomery County and the deputy county attorney for Carroll County.

Her other government service has been with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We're extremely impressed with Ms. Jones's wealth of experience in local government,” Mayor Ken Marshburn said. “Over the course of her distinguished career, she has dealt with a wide range of matters that we think will pertain directly to what she will encounter in her work here with the Town of Garner. We are confident there will be a seamless transition as Ms. Jones moves into her role as our attorney, and we look forward to her becoming a valuable member of our team.”

Jones is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and is currently serving as a legislative chair for the Zoning, Planning, and Land Use Section as well as participating in the Government and Public Sector Section.

She received a bachelor’s of art degree in biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, graduating summa cum laude from the Honors Program. Jones received her juris doctor degree, graduating magna cum laude, and a master’s degree in environmental law, graduating summa cum laude, from the Vermont Law School.

While at the Vermont Law School, Jones was a finalist in the National Environmental Moot Court Competition, the associate articles editor of the Vermont Law Review and the winner of the American Agricultural Law Association’s Award for Excellence in Student Scholarship.

Jones is a graduate of the University of North Carolina’s School of Government Municipal and County Administration course, Community and Economic Development Academy, and Development Finance Institute. She is also a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Academy for Excellence in Local Governance.

Courtesy Town of Garner

Town of Garner 2019 Year in Review

Garner certainly was on the move in 2019. Check out this terrific video and enjoy a look back at all the great things that happened in our dynamic town in 2019.

We’re thankful for all the hard work of Town staff and engaged residents who helped make our successes possible this year. In addition to what you see in this fast-paced video, there were a number of accolades the Town earned in 2019—including a Triangle Business Journal Space Award for the Amazon redevelopment project; the national award White Deer Park won for its educational work involving pollinators; the six statewide awards staff won for communications work; and the national awards the Finance Department won (again) for the Town’s budget document and financial reports.

Happy New Year! We look forward to serving you in 2020.

Republished Courtesy Town of Garner