Councilman Charles Odom has resigned as Ward IV Councilman effective December 31, 2024. State law requires that City Council appoint a citizen to serve Ward IV until the next municipal election, which takes place in November 2025.
State law also gives City Council the authority to determine the process by which the appointee is selected. In the regularly scheduled City Council meeting held on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, City Council designated the following process for selecting the replacement for the Ward IV City Council seat:
Applicants must be residents of Gastonia Ward IV:
Under state law, the appointee must be a resident of Ward IV and a registered voter. You may check to see if your home address is in Ward IV by clicking here: https://residentialinfosearch.cityofgastonia.com/default.htm
Here's what you need to know:
• A job description summarizing the responsibilities of City Council Members is described below.
• Applicants must complete the following application and return it to the Mayor/City Council’s office by Friday, December 6, 2024. The application can be downloaded and e-mailed to: Suzanne.Gibbs@gastonianc.gov or mailed to: City Clerk’s Office, P.O. Box 1748, Gastonia, NC 28053-1748. Applicants are also encouraged to include a résumé. Download application by clicking here.
• Council will select the persons who will be interviewed from the submitted applications. Not everyone who applies may be interviewed.
• Those who move forward to the interview phase of the process will be interviewed during a special meeting of the City Council to be held Monday, January 6, 2025, at City Hall at 5 p.m. In the event an additional day is required to complete the interviews, another special meeting may be called. Public notices about each meeting will be issued.
• The person selected in January 2025 will serve as Ward IV Councilperson until the regularly scheduled municipal election in November 2025. The person chosen by the voters in November 2025 will serve a 2-year term, and the person chosen by the voters in the November 2027 election will serve a 4-year term. NCGS § 160A-63.
Job Description:
A City Council member serves as part of the City Council, which is the legislative body of the City of Gastonia. By majority vote, City Council adopts ordinances and regulations that apply within the City limits, and sets the general policies of the City of Gastonia to be carried out by City staff. Major expenditures, building projects, and controversial re-zonings must all be voted on by City Council. Council must approve the annual budget and set the municipal tax rate each year.
City Council also establishes the utility rates for water, sewer, electricity, garbage collection, and stormwater for Gastonia utility customers. Council appoints the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk and all the members of the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Historic District Commission, Gastonia ABC Board, Gastonia Recreation Advisory Committee, Stormwater Advisory Board, the Arts Committee, and many other municipal boards and committees.
Gastonia Council members must live in the Ward they represent. The Council meets twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Committees of Council meet on a regular basis as scheduled by the respective Chairperson, and there are numerous other meetings and events that require the presence of City Council members. The time commitment involved in representing the citizens of Gastonia is not to be undertaken lightly. The current City Council salary is $21,021.96.