Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Payne Springs seats council members Nov. 16, including incumbent Christi Hanson (left) and new Council Member Daryl Scoggins, both of whom filed for two spots in the Nov. 7 election and who automatically assumed office.

PAYNE SPRINGS–Payne Springs City Council heard comments questioning the status of Payne Springs Police Officer Rick Harmon during their Nov. 16 meeting.
Officer Harmon was the interim Payne Springs police chief following the March arrest of then-Payne Springs Police Chief April Meadows and a reserve officer on drug-related charges. Meadows was later fired; the city chose Jeff Baldwin as Meadows’ permanent replacement in September.
Payne Springs Mayor Andrea Miller told The Monitor after the meeting that Harmon is still a Payne Springs police officer. She confirmed that Harmon had earlier tendered his resignation (which she said was not accepted) because of what she called scheduling issues, which Miller said were worked out.
“We don’t want to lose him (Harmon),” Miller said, “we’ve had him eight years and he’s an excellent employee.”
Three public speakers expressed bewilderment about why Harmon might feel the need to tender his resignation. Miller responded that there are things that people don’t know about the workings of Payne Springs’ city government. “You have to trust your elected officials to know what they are doing,” she stated.
The council also heard two requests for variances from city ordinance on three properties along Barcelona Street, located in the Del Mar subdivision. Del Mar Owners Association Architecture Committee Chair Teresa Surrat said plats showed the properties to be 50x100 feet, but that isn’t what they measured.
Mayor Pro Tem Ron Spahlinger said two properties are “slightly off” from the required 5,000 square feet property dimension minimum, adding that the council had been in “in the habit” of approving such variances in the past.
“You should always get a survey when closing, if you can, but that’s not always possible with a cash transaction,” said Leisure Land Property Owners Association Vice President Stone Huffman. Huffman added that if the shortage is in the depth of the lot, “it’s not really that big of a deal.” It’s the width that really makes a difference, he continued.
Mayor Miller said if the council denied the request, owners can’t build on it because they can’t buy an adjacent lot to give more setback space, which would leave it unsellable “for an eternity,” she said.
Council Member Russ Rottino opposed the first agenda item listing two properties on Barcelona requesting variances. “I don’t like a bunch of houses crammed together,” Rottino said. Another variance request for a single lot on Barcelona that followed the first vote was approved unanimously.
The council also approved signs for Lighthouse Baptist Church. Sign contractor Adam Schober said there are two different signs that would replace the older ones. One set of new signs will advertise the church and its events, while the other set will be rented out to raise funds for Lighthouse Baptist, Schober said.
Also approved by the council was an interlocal agreement with Henderson County to chip seal Frazier Lane and Double Bridge Road. Miller said both roads had been resurfaced during a recent project but the seal project would ensure they last.
The contractor who undertook Payne Springs’ road repaving across the city donated gravel, Miller said, while the city will provide about $12,000 worth of emulsion. The county will provide the labor. The mayor called the agreement a “win-win.”
The council also approved cancelling the city’s contract with Peacemaker with 60-day notice because the cameras provided didn’t work, Miller said. Instead, the city will redirect that monthly money (about $1,200) toward four car cameras and six body cameras supplied by Axon, who will install the equipment, according to Chief Baldwin. The council set aside money to buy new laptops and printers.
In other business, the council:
• Selected Ron Spahlinger to continue as mayor pro tem for another one-year term.
• Voted to remove Council Member Leif Haag as an official signature on four city bank accounts, adding Rottino to three and Chief Baldwin to one.