BY DEBBIE PAGE

Tonya Reynolds Bartlett, a Troutman resident for 19 years and member of the town planning board, is running for one of three Troutman Town Council seats up for grabs this November.

The business management major is wife to Robert Bartlett, owner/partner of SouthEast Tire and Logistics, and mother to daughter, Edie, a rising first-year student at East Carolina University, and son Stitt, who will be a senior South Iredell High School this fall.

Bartlett’s professional experience is in real estate as an agent, mortgage loan officer, and licensed appraiser trainee.

If elected, Bartlett said she will “bring a strong foundation in ethics, critical thinking, leadership, teamwork, and financial management, along with knowledge of local government and laws” to the council.

Her vision for the responsibility of a council member is multi-faceted.

“I’m committed to identifying issues, solving problems, and making informed decisions that benefit the community,” she said. “My experience in implementing initiatives, fostering collaboration, and promoting community engagement positions me to drive meaningful progress and positive change for our town.”

She cites her personal qualities of inspiring and motivating others, integrity, empathy, and a strong sense of vision as assets to council service. “I am skilled in relationship building, resilience, positivity, and team-building,” she explained.

Her leadership experience includes leading small teams at work and leadership positions in several nonprofit boards, clubs, and committees. Currently, Bartlett is the chair of Iredell Civic Community United (facilitated through United Way of Iredell County), vice president of Mooresville-Lake Norman Exchange Club, secretary of the Rotary Club of Troutman, and a board member of the Statesville Family YMCA.

ISSUES FACING TROUTMAN

To draw more economic development, Bartlett proposes partnering with the local educational institutions to develop training programs that address workforce needs in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. She would also stress highlighting “our town’s quality of life, including outdoor recreational opportunities and community amenities, to attract businesses looking for a great place to live and work.”

To alleviate tight space in Town Hall, Bartlett believes building a second floor on the current Town Hall would be cheaper than building another facility. The large, recently required Liat building could also be renovated into additional office space.

“The town has outgrown the Troutman Town Hall, and new space is needed to accommodate the growing staff, including the human resource department, utilities, parks and recreation, and town management,” she said.

Bartlett believes the council can do some things to alleviate traffic and improve streets and roads within the town limits.

“We should maintain an open dialogue with our educational institutions and large companies to request staggered open and close times to reduce congestion during peak travel times,” she said. “We should lean heavily on Kimley-Horn, which creates Troutman’s traffic impact analyses. The information they collect is crucial to our town’s traffic infrastructure and should be consulted with each additional rezoning request or annexation.”

“We should request intelligent traffic systems that use sensors, cameras, and communication networks to monitor and manage traffic in real-time, leading to more efficient and safer transportation experiences.”

Bartlett also believes the town should eliminate traffic signals and replace them with roundabouts, “which have been proven to promote smoother flow of traffic, are environmentally friendly, and are aesthetically pleasing, with approval from NCDOT.”

Troutman is growing, with the council frequently approving new subdivisions and rezoning requests over the past few years. Bartlett thinks it is time to review the town’s Strategic Master Plan to better reflect the community’s vision for growth and development.

“When the plans for Troutman were created, it was unknown what was coming to Troutman or how quickly our growth would occur. A review of density and building requirements to facilitate the expansion of roads and easements should be conducted,” she said. “Negotiations with developers can help preserve natural areas and maintain Troutman’s small-town charm.”

Bartlett also believes that phased development is necessary so that new construction is staggered based on the availability of infrastructure and services.

“Inclusionary zoning is another option, where developers must include a specific percentage of homes with affordable housing units in each project,” she explained.

A thorough review of the town’s zoning requirements should be conducted and updated so the town can continue to progress, “despite pressures to grow at an unsustainable rate.”

Bartlett also supports the council lengthening the time to approve residential developments, as some other municipalities do, to several public readings and discussions over a period of months to carefully consider all consequences and benefits and to allow for more public input.

“Troutman should notify a larger number of citizens affected by any changes to hear from more of the citizens who will be affected by each new request, not just the minimum allowed by law,” she said. “Citizens feel that, when they are not notified, the town is circumventing citizen input.”

She also believes that TIAs (traffic impact analyses) should be available before all Planning and Zoning Board meetings and community meetings so that state requirements are available for citizens and board members to review before the meeting.

“Developers should also update all cost evaluations before each meeting so as not to deceive town members, as we’ve experienced in the past. Balancing public input with inflation and population growth rate is necessary for a balanced approach to town development.”

As a council member, Bartlett pledges to engage with citizens in all areas of town and all age groups in the community to ensure that she is hearing from all voices in the community. She favors holding Town Hall events for citizens to come and mingle with the board, town management, and staff.

She also supports creating a newsletter that addresses topics the community is interested in and request feedback from citizens.

She also would like to see open office hours by appointment, either monthly or quarterly, to allow citizens a time to speak to a board member, management, or staff members.

Bartlett said the most pressing public safety issues in Troutman relate to traffic.

Sewer capacity has become a hot topic in Troutman, and Bartlett believes the best permanent solution is to “work toward acquiring a permit to build a small-scale sewage plant to accommodate growth and to create moratorium in the most negatively impacted areas of Troutman while building.”

In addition to a sanitation plant funded by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Bartlett would like to see additional parks and green spaces funded by builders of new development.

If the town suddenly received a $5 million dollar grant with no use restrictions, Bartlett would favor using it to continue to revitalize Main Street and to act as a matching funding mechanism to acquire additional funds to build Troutman’s own water plant and sanitation plant.

PLEDGE

Bartlett pledged that if elected, she “will listen to resident concerns and feedback at public meetings and through other channels. I will represent and advocate for the citizens of Troutman, persuading and influencing decision-makers, for the benefit of Troutman citizens.”

She also pledged to advocate for local infrastructure improvements and changes in requirements needed to add needed infrastructure in discussions with state and federal legislators. She also promises to work with local governments on matters of shared interest.