Wrightsville mayor, elected last November, gets her own office

The Wrightsville Municipal Authority voted unanimously Thursday night to allow Mayor Tayne Slenker to use borough hall's conference room — technically owned by the water and sewer authority, not the borough — as her office.

"I'm satisfied with it," Slenker said, "This is going to be better, they [residents] can meet me down there [in the borough-municipal building] or stop in and visit me when I'm down there."

For nearly a year, Slenker has been working and meeting with residents out of her home.

After bringing the issue to the borough council in September, which sparked a tense discussion, Slenker and the council came to a potential agreement: instead of taking one of the three currently used offices in the borough-municipal building, Slenker would be allowed to use the conference room attached to the council chambers.

More:Wrightsville's mayor, elected last November, gets a phone — but not yet an office

More:Dolly Parton shares donation strategy: 'I just give from my heart'

More:Coroner called to crash in Windsor borough

After the borough council voted to give Slenker an office on Oct. 3, they sent a formal request to the water and sewer authority to get the final approval.

Despite being separate entities and operating on separate budgets, the municipal authority and the borough often work together. Several current borough council members served as municipal authority officers — which, like the council, has a seven-member board.

According to property records, the authority bought the building for $500,000 in 2006 from Electro Plater of York Inc.

The water and sewer authority unanimously voted Thursday night to let Slenker use the conference room.

But Authority Chairman Fred Smith said the approval came with two stipulations: The authority would still need to use the room on occasion and that they would let her know in advance. Likewise, because the room also leads to the building's emergency exit, it cannot be locked during business hours.

>> Please consider subscribing to support local journalism. 

Smith noted that while the authority could have just said yes or no, they took a vote on it to have it on the record.

"Did we have to do that with a vote?" Smith said. "No, I don't think so, but I think we did it so if it becomes an issue later, we people are on record that they didn't object."

Slenker requested she be given a desk with lockable filing cabinets on one side, which would be paid for by the borough council, Smith clarified. While there is no set date to get the furniture put in by, Slenker said she will follow up on that at the next borough council meeting.

In coming weeks, Slenker will decide on her regular office hours, including specific times to accommodate first- and second-shift workers, she said. As mayor, she wants to be accessible to all borough residents.

"I'm going to have two days a month, in the daytime and at nighttime two days," she said. "For the people that work on first shift, they can come down after work. And the people that work second shift will be able to come down before work."

— Reach Noel Miller at NMiller3@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @TheNoelM.