Late one evening I received a text from my father, a retired physician here in Lincoln County, while I was “watching my shows,” as I like to call it.  I am really getting into Marshals (exceptional cast and I could just watch the show for the natural scenery alone). 

My father was texting about the Lincolnton High School track and how he had communicated with a local newspaper (not the Lincoln Herald) reporter and shared that he was disappointed that the new track was never open to the public.  The story that apparently resulted from this discussion was an article in the fellow publication which provided an in-depth explanation from a Lincoln County Schools administrator as to why the Lincolnton High School track was not open to the public.  The explanation was rational and shared the issue with potential damage to a very expensive rubber track and football field turf that would be cost prohibitive to repair (apparently some costly repairs had already been needed for the track per the article) (Powell). The administrator correctly pointed out that there are numerous other schools with tracks and grounds that are available for citizens to access (Powell).

I want to share a few more experiences/observations on interactions with local government that will enable me to fully share my message (stick with me on this please).  I was paying my water bill to the Lincoln County Billing and Collections online portal this past summer and by mistake I must have clicked on the payment tab twice and, thus, paid twice the amount on my bill.  I sent an e-mail to the Lincoln County billing office and explained the issue (I had never had this issue with paying my water bill online before this or since) and the employee was very polite but informed me that if an overpayment is less than $300, that they do not pay out a refund – instead they just credit the account.

Finally, I know many will relate to this experience.  Our convenience sites in Lincoln County do a great job (my praises are coming – I promise), but I have had multiple occasions in trying to dispose of trimmed branches (these Bradford pear trees grow like crazy) in which I have had to visit two or even three convenience sites before I  found one with a dumpster that was not full and closed off for further yard waste disposal.

What do these three separate situations have in common?  I would say all three situations fall short in responsiveness to the citizens of Lincoln County.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  The schools administrator is absolutely correct per the information that he shared in that the Lincolnton track and stadium area should be mostly off limits given the situation with potential damage. School facilities are primarily for the students and staff. I have no issue with this approach.  Yet, to never offer any public access to the Lincolnton track (oh, the joys of walking and running on a rubber track for the legs compared to other hard surfaces) doesn’t seem quite right – or fair.  What is my suggestion? I don’t propose anything outrageous, but perhaps one late afternoon for a few hours each week (or even every few weeks), the track could be made available to the public.  Again, I understand where the administrator is coming from with the need to protect the expensive track and artificial turfed football field from possible damage. 

As far as my water bill is concerned, I was fine with the credit to my account (I think the next month my bill was a few dollars – yay!) , but I kept thinking about the possibility of someone else making an overpayment by mistake who would very much need that refund back (and the overpayment was under $300).  I know it is more time and resources to process refunds, but a local government should be responsive and issue that check for the overpayment if a citizen requests it.  I don’t think a refund should be automatically approved if a customer has overpaid their bill by a few dollars, but $300 is too high of a threshold to meet for reimbursement of an overpayment, especially in these hard times with the affordability crisis.   

Finally, as far as the yard waste disposal at Lincoln County convenience sites, I’m not asking for operational changes, but per the Lincoln County website, can there be a daily notice of which sites’ yard waste disposal is not available due to full dumpsters?  I know convenience site staff are really busy folks, but at the end of each day, could they call or text County administrative staff who the next morning could update the website?  This information posted daily can provide the citizenry with valuable information as far as which sites to avoid each day.  I’m not asking for a real time status on yard waste disposal availability throughout the day, but some more communication would help and is a needed upgrade on service.   

Now, I absolutely sing the praises of so much great work that our local government officials and employees do here in Lincoln County.  The convenient site staff do a great job and are always polite. On the few occasions that my neighborhood has had no county water, trucks were out here almost immediately (the issue is usually caused by some utility company digging and causing damage).  The new library in East Lincoln and other new facilities will bring great benefits to the public and will enable our local governmental employees to serve the public with the resources that they need.  We have more and more people moving here because of the outstanding Lincoln County schools with our top tiered teachers (and school facilities).  One late afternoon recently I decided to work on one of my writing projects at the public library in downtown Lincolnton.  I know we have multiple libraries here in Lincoln County, but for me, our downtown library is a special place that I recall visiting frequently as a “child of the 80s.”  It was refreshing, as our world seems angry all the time these days, to witness the politeness and helpfulness which still endure at our library.  I do want to note that while it is a costly endeavor, I do support the City of Lincolnton’s financial assistance to Christian Ministries in its effort to establish a new facility.  We don’t want to push the homeless away from others, but the Marcia H. Cloninger Rail Trail used frequently by mothers and small children is not the optimum daytime location for folks who are challenged with mental illness or substance abuse struggles. 

Mr. Cliff Brumfield, Executive Director of the Lincoln Economic Development Association, attended the City of Charlotte Council Business Meeting on September 28, 2026, in person to discuss the importance of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport to our local business economy and climate.  Mr. Brumfield understands that in order for Lincoln County to maximize success in maintaining and expanding our business-friendly climate, we must have a collaborative and strong relationship with the City of Charlotte.  I want to share a special note of appreciation to our local law enforcement officers.  I could be driving across the county or just a few miles into Lincolnton and I’ll see multiple law enforcement vehicles. The sense of safety that we do enjoy in Lincoln County does outshine by leaps and bounds that of nearby locations, including the Queen City which, in my opinion, has seen better days as far as public safety.  Finally (and I could go on and  on), a special kudos to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners for, yes, saying “No” to the Irongate development.  The Board is notably keeping a check on the tremendous Charlotte area growth that has found its way into Lincoln County and is recognizing that there is a limit, given our current infrastructure, to how much residential growth our county can accommodate. 

In closing, I want to say that as a former public servant myself I support public employees who do so much. It is absolutely not easy dealing with a public that can be very demanding and expect everything when there are real limits on how much can be done with a limited budget. At the same time, public officials and administrators must realize that Lincoln County isn’t the land of low taxes any longer.  Mecklenburg County has a slightly lower property tax rate than Lincoln County and the City of Charlotte has a lower property tax rate than the City of Lincolnton.  Now, you can’t really do an “apples to apples” comparison as the city of Charlotte has hundreds of thousands of residents and countless large businesses for which the property tax burden can be spread over a large population in comparison to the city of Lincolnton.  However, I do contend that government officials (both elected and appointed) must engage and be prepared when citizens increasingly question costs and the level of services being provided.  It begins with providing some level of access (however limited) to Lincoln County residents to the relatively new Lincolnton High School track that they paid for per their property taxes.