AHOSKIE — Monday’s Ahoskie Town Council meeting was marked by emotional farewells, new beginnings, and a series of policy and spending decisions aimed at improving town operations, fiscal accountability and community amenities.

Before turning to the regular agenda, Mayor Weyling White paused the meeting to recognize outgoing Councilman Roy Sharpe Sr., who is completing his term after more than seven years of service.

“Whenever we have a council member that comes off of council, we do want to recognize them,” White said. “This is not an easy job. It’s tough, it’s stressful, and so we do want to honor those that gave themselves and gave their sanity to this particular office.”

White read aloud a resolution of appreciation detailing Sharpe’s service from Sept. 11, 2018, through December 2025. The resolution praised Sharpe’s “integrity, professionalism, and work ethic” and stated that his “high standards for professionalism and decision-making, work performance, interpersonal skills, and the promotion of achievement for all those around him have strengthened the town of Ahoskie immeasurably.”

“Now, therefore, it be further resolved that each member of the Ahoskie Town Council does hereby express their gratitude to Roy Sharpe, Sr. for his faithful service over the years,” White said.

Sharpe was presented with both a formal resolution and a plaque reading, “This is an appreciation of dedicated service, Reverend Roy Sharpe, Sr., Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem. Your leadership and commitment will be remembered with gratitude.”

“When you work hard, when you’re a good councilman, when you give yourself to public service, we have to show you love,” White said.

The mayor grew emotional as he spoke about Sharpe’s personal support during his own tenure.

“When I had times that I wanted to give up — times I really wanted to give up — it was Councilman Sharpe that gave me the motivation, the encouragement that helped me to see through,” White said. “I know I wouldn’t have been able to make this without your services, without your motivation, without having you by my side.”

“So, I just want to say that I love you, brother, and I wish much success for you and we appreciate all that you’ve done for the town of Ahoskie,” he said.

Following the presentation, the council conducted oath-of-office ceremonies for council members, including Charles Freeman and David Hunt. White later recommended Hunt to serve as the new mayor pro tem.

“I don’t know a word that describes the hard work, the drive, and the determination that he has served on this council with,” White said, citing Hunt’s leadership on projects, committees and his recent appointment to the National League of Cities. The council approved the recommendation.

The meeting also included recognition of community service. White presented Dontre Luter with the town’s Citizen of the Quarter award, highlighting his volunteer work on Project Block and at a community turkey drive.

“He worked tirelessly and effortlessly, and all he did was just want to make this town better,” White said. “He’s never asked for anything in return. He just wanted better for his community.”

Town Manager John Moses then presented three requests for proposals that had already been vetted by the Finance Committee and town attorney.

The first RFP involves a mural for the Ahoskie Youth Center. Moses said while the center’s interior has been remodeled, the exterior does not reflect its purpose.

“The problem is that the building inherently doesn’t look like a youth center,” Moses said.

The mural project, budgeted at $2,500, would cover an 18-foot by 70-foot exterior wall. Moses said the RFP would be posted immediately, with the goal of awarding the contract by mid-January and completing installation before the end of the month. The council approved the RFP.

The second RFP addresses accounting and utility billing software, which Moses said is critical to the town’s financial health.

“Our audit team believes that we actually can’t pass a clean audit with our current software because the software is scaled for a town much smaller than Ahoskie,” Moses said.

He explained that the current system limits transparency and causes delays for residents trying to see utility payments. The new software would split costs between the general fund and enterprise fund and would take about a year to fully implement.

“You should be sleeping better by making this transition because the town cannot get a clean audit without making a change,” Moses told council members.

Mayor White called the change “a long time coming,” adding that better reporting tools would help council decision-making. The council unanimously approved issuing the RFP.

The third RFP would consolidate the town’s printing operations by replacing numerous small desktop printers with six multifunction copier-printer units across departments.

“It is wildly inefficient,” Moses said. “Per page printing right now for the town costs roughly 6 cents. When you move to large multifaceted units, it’s closer to a penny and a half per page.”

Moses said the change would save thousands of dollars annually, reduce paper use and improve disaster recovery by allowing documents to be digitally archived. The council approved the proposal.

Moses also brought forward a new Christmas bonus policy for town employees, noting that while bonuses have been given historically, no formal policy existed.

“There is no active policy for the town of Ahoskie to give a Christmas bonus,” he said. “Therefore, we would be out of compliance to do so.”

The policy establishes eligibility requirements, requires annual Finance Committee review and council approval, and mandates that bonuses be paid through payroll rather than gift cards. The council approved the policy and then approved bonus amounts for 2025 of $500 for full-time employees and $250 for part-time employees.

“This is a small token for the monumental work that they do,” Moses said of town staff.

Later in the meeting, Moses provided an update on the town’s street revitalization efforts, explaining that quotes have been received for equipment that would allow the town to repair potholes in-house.

“This is about repairing potholes. This isn’t resurfacing equipment,” Moses said, adding that the goal is to address road issues more quickly rather than waiting on outside contractors.

Mayor White noted that the town is also working on a system for residents to report potholes directly.

“It’s much quicker and more efficient than putting it on Facebook,” White said.

During council comments, White announced the town’s first annual toy drive, scheduled for Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Ahoskie Youth Center.

“We are looking forward to having this event,” White said, inviting residents to donate toys at Town Hall or the fire department and reminding families that children must be present to receive toys.

With no further business, the council moved on to closing comments, ending a meeting that blended recognition, reform and forward-looking plans for the town.