In preparation for the upcoming Christmas Season, at its November 8th meeting, The Blue Ridge City Council approved to build the North Pole, hire elves, and schedule Santa Claus to visit local businesses. The council also approved Christmas bonuses for city employees, but faced woes in wielding the Christmas Spirit, when it heard a request from a city employee.
During the meeting, Mayor Donna Whitener and Council Member Rhonda Thomas presented a list of ideas for the Downtown Christmas event. Whitener said that the city will set up a mock North Pole at the BP Gas Station on West First Street. In addition to the North Pole (Santa’s Headquarters), Whitener said that the city would have reindeer and hire teenagers to play the part of elves for photo ops in town. They also discussed Santa’s schedule, that is, when he would visit each business in town and how to avoid the Town-Santa from meeting the Train-Santa. Mayor Whitener was enthusiastic about the event.

“It will help with bringing locals back down town to do their shopping, and it will also be really good for our tourists,”

she said.

Later, the council retained the tradition of giving Christmas bonuses to city employees. The council approved a $200 Christmas bonus for each employee. Part of this Christmas Spirit, though, was seemingly doused when city employee Faye Stepp made her public request to the Mayor and council.

“I would like to ask the mayor and council to do for me what has been done in the past for employees,”

Stepp said. She then referred to another employee who was able to draw both his retirement and unemployment. Stepp asked for the city to lay her off so she can draw unemployment insurance. Stepp, a financial worker for the city, said she has been on sick-leave since July. Since this time, she said that she has had two surgeries and has palsy in the face and has yet to be released by her doctor.

In a recent conversation with FYN, council member Rodney Kendall said that Stepp was out so long that the paper work was piling up in the office, so they had to hire someone so the city would not get behind on its financial work. During the meeting, Mayor Whitener noted that, according to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) paper work, Stepp’s position will terminate November 18th, but added that unemployment benefits are processed through the Labor Department. Stepp asserted, though, that the Labor Department needs “something from the city” stating that her job has been replaced. After a series of convoluted discussions, the council approved a motion to table the issue until the city is able to meet with its attorney and sort out the situation. The council said that it would meet before November 18th (Stepp’s would-be termination date) and contact Stepp so she could attend.