Beth Easterday News Today

HAMILTON — The town of Hamilton will be late in adopting its 2021 budget because of staff issues and ongoing political friction among its elected officials. Three of five council members met over Zoom for a budget workshop Tuesday with former Town Clerk Beth Easterday, who gave a summary of 2020 finances and the status of the 2021 budget. Mayor Carla Vandiver and council member Lisa Johnson — the two involved in much of the recent conflict over local governance — were not in atte...

CONCRETE — The Concrete Town Council passed Monday a $2.8 million budget for 2021 and presented the town’s first Citizen of the Year award to Concrete Theatre owner Valerie Stafford. Mayor Jason Miller said the award was a way the town could thank Stafford for her efforts to make Concrete a great place to live, especially through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stafford led the charge in organizing community drive-thru events including popcorn parades outside the theater, hau...