Coats holds Jan. 17 planning retreat to set budget priorities

The Town of Coats Board of Commissioners met at Beech Bluff County Park in Willow Spring on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, for a four-and-a-half-hour planning retreat to prepare for the upcoming budget process. Town Manager Barbara Hollerand prepared and took minutes of the session, which ran from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and lists Mayor Chris Coats, Mayor Pro Tem Kelvin Gilbert and Commissioners Marc Powell, Shirley Allen, Monique Warren-Clegg and Todd Pope as present.

Staff used the retreat to review the Board's Oct. 30, 2025 work session and to facilitate discussions on the town's vision and mission, budget calendar, population buildout assumptions, staffing models, revenue-side planning and downtown revitalization. No formal motions or votes are recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; the document records discussion topics and next steps to carry into the formal budget process.