During last week’s Board of Commissioners meeting, Mayor Kevin Barbee reminded citizens of the 8th annual Stanfield Fall Festival set for Saturday, October 28 from 6-9 p.m. The festival will be held at Pete Henkel Park, located across from Stanfield Elementary School.

As in years past, the festival promises plenty of fun for the whole family including bounce houses, games, a giant hay maze, costume contests, hay rides to a pumpkin patch, music and, of course, trunk-n-treat. Free hotdogs, drinks, hot chocolate and apple cider will be served. Festival food and activities are free.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the festival. Town Clerk Wanda Yow highlighted the need for volunteers to set up the giant hay maze prior to the festival around 2 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact town hall at 704-888-2386.

In other matters:

• The monthly police report for September is as follows: two disturbances, one assault, 11 assist fire/EMS, 13 suspicious persons/vehicles, 638 business/neighborhood checks, 139 investigation calls, 24 citations/charges, three arrests, three business/residential alarms, two DWIs, four motor vehicle collisions, three mutual aids, one damage to property, and 159 total calls for service.
• The financial report for September is as follows: General Fund $834,275.55, Powell Bill Fund $57,242.74, Enterprise Fund $201,709.91, General Fund CD $59,090.91, Enterprise Fund CD $104,747.33, N.C. Capital Management Fund General $2,026.42, N.C. Capital Management Fund Enterprise $2,628.80. Collected revenues in the General Fund are at 44 percent and total expenditures are at 25 percent. Collected revenues in the Enterprise Fund are at 31 percent and total expenditures are at 14 percent.
• Commissioner Larry Sides thanked citizens for picking up trash along the streets and helping to keep the town beautiful.
• Town Administrator Bridgette Helms will be checking into a North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant for improvements to the park. The grant application is due in May.
• The town will also apply for the Keep Stanly Beautiful grant. Grant funds would be used to purchase flower planters and benches to adorn the town sidewalks. The grant application is due November 1.
• A public hearing will be held on Thursday, November 2 regarding a rezoning request from James and Lorrie Castonguay for two tracts of land on Hwy. 200, TR#3816 from General Business-Conditional District to R-20 and TR#15468 from R-A to R-20.
• Commissioner Rick Williams spoke about the problem of opioid use in Stanly County and the need for the Stanfield Police Department to have NARCAN kits.
• After hearing no comments during public hearing, the board approved an amendment to the fee schedule by adding “Ordinance violation maintenance by town” with a minimum charge of $50.
• The board appointed 13 members to the Land Use Plan Committee.
• Annual leaf pickups are scheduled for Saturdays November 4, December 2 and December 30.
• Helms said the new town website will be ready to launch next week.