Pineville

Pineville is a town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina located, is 10 miles S of Charlotte, North Carolina. The town is part of the Charlotte - Gastonia - Rock Hill metro area. The population of Pineville is 3,449.

The People and Families of Pineville
It is perhaps most famous as the birthplace of James K. Polk, the 11th U.S. president.

Pineville is home to the 1.1 million square foot Carolina Place Mall, at least two power centres and many strip malls, outparcels and free standing retailers.

Area
- Total 3.6 sq mi (9.2 km²)
- Land 3.6 sq mi (9.2 km²)
- Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²

UTILITY WORK CREWS
English stipulation raised in Pineville

KARA LOPP
klopp@charlotteobserver.com
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PINEVILLE --Council members want to require at least one worker on every utility crew coming into town to be fluent in English.

It's at least the second attempt in less than two years to add an English-speaking stipulation into law in a southern Mecklenburg community. In 2006, Mint Hill commissioners discussed making English the official language of the town. The proposal never came to a vote.

Pineville councilman Les Gladden suggested the addition to a proposed ordinance -- which would require a permit to work along public streets -- Tuesday night. Council members will revisit the proposal next month after they get an attorney's opinion.

Gladden cited his own recent experience of not being able to talk with workers on his property because they all spoke Spanish, he said. He was frustrated and the workers were frustrated because they couldn't understand each other, he said.

"That was ridiculous to have to go through," Gladden said. "English is the official language of this country, so I don't see why we can't do that."

Though some policymakers have advocated making English the official language of the U.S., currently the country does not have an official language.

Mint Hill councilman Lloyd Austin, who made the 2006 proposal, said he dropped it after an outcry from residents and he got a call from an American Civil Liberties Union chapter threatening to sue.

Mint Hill councilwoman Brenda McRae said the board decided it wasn't an issue for local government.

"I'm not sure that it would be constitutional," she said.

Though Austin said he doesn't have any plans to revisit the issue in Mint Hill, he still thinks it needs to be addressed above the town level.

"It shouldn't really come down to local government doing this," he said.

Austin's proposal also prohibited property owners from renting to undocumented immigrants, or face a $1,000 fine. And, it gave penalties for businesses that employ, rent to or provide goods and social services to those who are undocumented residents.

The proposal stated that "illegal immigration leads to higher crime rates, contributes to overcrowded classrooms and failing schools."

Angeles Ortega-Moore, director of Charlotte's Latin American Coalition, said Pineville's proposed stipulation would likely be unnecessary for large companies who already send at least one English speaker on each work crew. She questions, though, how the town will enforce the rule.

The Pineville proposed ordinance would force any public or private company installing utility lines, like cable or sewer, to get a written work permit before infringing on the town's right-of-way. The ordinance also applies to paving and excavating, planting or removing landscaping, and installing or removing signs.

The ordinance would allow town officials to have a record of what companies are working in Pineville and where, Town Administrator Mike Rose said. The ordinance also would hold outside companies to a set of standards in their work, Rose said.

In other business Tuesday, council members set budget workshop sessions for 6 p.m. May 20 and 22 at the Hut Meeting Facility, 413 Johnston Drive. The meetings are open to the public. Residents will have their say on next year's proposed budget at the council's June 10 meeting.