BY AMANDA VANDERBROEK/CHOWAN-ROANOKE NEWS-HERALD
Amanda.vanderbroek@chowanroanokenewsherald.com

MURFREESBORO—In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, Murfreesboro Town Council reinstated town administrator Lee Capps, who was fired on Sept. 9.

About 45 residents gathered for the continuation of a meeting that was recessed last week. After a more than 90-minute closed session, Councilman Lloyd Hill moved to reinstate Capps.

“Mr. Capps vowed to vigorously prosecute the town’s work and perform all administrative functions of his position,” Council said in a written statement. “The Council vowed to ensure Mr. Capps fully understands what is expected of him in that regard.”

The dismissal from Sept. 9 was based upon Capps’ apparent “failure to perform administrative duties in a timely and efficient manner and failure to inform Council of projects being worked on.”

After the meeting, Mayor John Hinton spoke to the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald regarding some misconceptions around the Sept. 9 meeting and the town.

“The meeting on September 9 was not an emergency meeting, it was a special meeting,” Hinton said.

He noted any two council members can call a special meeting, and 48 hours notice was given to the public. Murfreesboro Town Clerk Joleatha Chestnutt provided a fax receipt as proof the meeting notice was sent, though the News-Herald did not receive it.

Hinton checked with the University of North Carolina Institute of Government, and 63 percent of towns in the state with a population less than 5,000 operate under a Council/Mayor form of government, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Murfreesboro has a population of about 2,000.

At its regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 14, Murfreesboro Council came under fire for its decision. That was followed by numerous signs erected throughout the town in support of Capps, calling for his reinstatement.