Day 5: Your Questions, Their Answers: Holly Springs (NC) Mayoral and Town Council Candidate Q&A Series
Financial Stewardship & Utilities: How do you plan to limit the impact on ratepayers while maintaining and improving the quality of tap water in Holly Springs?
Holly Springs, NC, Sep. 27, 2025 — As Holly Springs prepares for the upcoming municipal elections, Holly Springs Update (HSU) and What’s Happening Holly Springs (WHHS) are working to give residents a clear view of where the candidates stand on key issues.
Earlier this month, all candidates were provided with a questionnaire developed from community-driven submissions and refined by Christian Hendricks, publisher of HSU, and Aaron Wenzel, moderator of WHHS. Candidate response documents were first published together in a story on September 22nd.
Earlier story: All Candidate Submissions Now Published in Holly Springs (NC) Mayoral & Town Council Questionnaire (9/22/25).
To facilitate easier comparison and contrast of answers, responses are being shared on an individual basis. Beginning September 24 and continuing through October 4, one question will be featured each day.
Today’s installment marks Day 5 of the series. For readers who missed prior days’ coverage, stories can be found by clicking on the links below:
Day 1: How will you ensure that growth does not outpace the town’s capacity for infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, safety, technology, utilities)?
Day 2: What specific steps would you take to address congestion on NC 55, Avent Ferry, Sunset Lake, and other deficient roads and connectivity and walkability of greenways and sidewalks?
Day 3: What steps would you take to improve school safety and better protect students?
Day 4: How would you address school overcrowding and frequent student reassignments?
Note: All candidate responses are published exactly as submitted, without editing, and are presented in alphabetical order by last name. Links are also provided below to all answers from each candidate and their respective campaign websites.
Question 5: Financial Stewardship & Utilities
How do you plan to limit the impact on ratepayers while maintaining and improving the quality of tap water in Holly Springs?
Mayoral Candidate Answers
Mike Kondratick
The Environmental Management Commission at the state level and the Environmental Protection Agency at the federal level have delayed establishing benchmarks for maximum concentration levels of new PFAS compounds in water.
Expanding our water infrastructure by partnering with Sanford means that more of Holly Springs’ water will come from the Cape Fear River. With the absence of strong regulation creating the potential for the river’s PFAS levels to fluctuate, protecting our water quality demands the most effective type of PFAS filtration, granular activated carbon (GAC) filters, be installed in Sanford’s facility. Continued maintenance of the GAC filters in place in Harnett County will also be necessary.
Though GACs are more expensive, installing them as the Sanford facility is being expanded will be more cost-effective than retrofitting it later, especially given the potential for materials costs to rise over time in the high-tariff environment in which we’re living.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Sean Mayefskie
As Mayor, I’ve worked hard to keep Holly Springs taxes low while delivering top-tier services.
We’ve secured our long-term water supply with a new conveyance line from the Sanford Water Filtration Facility — using advanced systems to protect water quality and rate stability. Our budgeting remains conservative and focused on priorities that improve life for residents. In my next term, I’ll continue championing smart investments and responsible spending so we remain a town that’s both desirable and affordable.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Town Council Candidate Answers
Joe Cuccurullo
Holly Springs has already taken major steps to secure clean and reliable water for the future. We are part of a $500 million regional partnership with Sanford and Fuquay-Varina that is expanding the Sanford Water Filtration Facility and building a new treated water pipeline to our town. This project includes modern carbon filtration that removes PFAS and other forever chemicals, giving us higher-quality water and long-term supply security. The Holly Springs municipal budget will only be responsible for a portion of the overall development cost.
To limit costs for families, I will continue to support a multi-year rate strategy that smooths increases instead of sudden spikes. We will pursue every outside funding source available, including federal infrastructure grants, state revolving funds, and developer contributions, so local households are not left carrying the full burden. Large industrial users should also contribute their fair share through capacity fees, which protects everyday ratepayers.
Transparency is also key. Holly Springs already publishes an Annual Drinking Water Report, and I want to expand that into a plain language dashboard that shows residents project timelines, water quality results, and how rate dollars are being invested to streamline information for residents.
This approach ensures our water remains clean, safe, and reliable, while also keeping rates as affordable and predictable as possible.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Annie Drees
Today Holly Springs gets its water from the Harnett County Regional Water Treatment plant. Holly Springs is a bulk purchaser of this water and has no ownership of the facility. This means that we do not have any leverage to improve the quality of tap water beyond what is required by federal and
state laws. I am advocating that Holly Springs re-negotiate this contract so that we have more control over the quality of the water we receive from Harnett County.
To expand upon our water capacity, Holly Springs has entered a partnership with Fuquay-Varina, Pittsboro, and Sanford on the Sanford water treatment facility expansion. This facility is designed with advanced treatment methods including granular activated carbon (GAC) filters that extract many emerging contaminants including PFAS. The Interlocal Agreement signed by Holly Springs will give Holly Springs access to the water capacity we need as we continue to grow and also give us joint ownership. This stakeholder investment made by Holly Springs ensures us a seat at the table in decisions about water quality at the facility in Sanford.
To limit the impact to the ratepayer, the partnerships listed above will ensure that we aren’t paying for quality improvements alone, but are sharing that cost with other counties/municipalities. In addition, planning for these improvements in advance, will help spread the cost out and avoid dramatic rate increases. This collaboration takes years of planning and consistent leadership from Town Council to maintain commitments that will see these plans to fruition.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Tim Forrest
Water quality and affordability are two of the most important issues facing Holly Springs families. With new state and federal requirements for removing PFAS and other contaminants, costs will rise—but we must manage them in a way that protects both public health and household budgets.
First, Holly Springs has taken a proactive approach by joining a regional partnership with Sanford and Fuquay-Varina. This partnership secures long-term water supply from the Cape Fear River and allows us to share the cost of treatment upgrades, keeping rates lower than if we acted alone.
Second, I support maximizing state and federal funding opportunities. The infrastructure bill and other federal programs include dollars for PFAS treatment and water quality upgrades, and Holly Springs should aggressively pursue those resources, so ratepayers don’t carry the entire burden.
Third, I believe in fiscal discipline—phasing in projects, leveraging bond financing when appropriate, and requiring developers to pay their share of water and sewer expansions through fees and impact payments. Growth must help fund the infrastructure it requires.
Finally, transparency is key. Residents deserve to know how their water is tested, what results show, and how dollars are being spent to keep tap water safe and reliable. Regular public reporting builds trust and reassures families that their health comes first.
The bottom line: safe water is non-negotiable, but affordability matters too. By planning regionally, pursuing outside funding, holding growth accountable, and maintaining transparency, we can deliver high-quality tap water while protecting ratepayers from unnecessary costs.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Kara Foster
Water quality and affordability are two of the most pressing issues in southern Wake County. As new treatment requirements are introduced to address PFAS and other contaminants, costs will inevitably rise. Holly Springs is already investing heavily in solutions, including a $368 million regional water infrastructure project that will expand capacity by 4 million gallons per day, a 33 percent increase, and strengthen quality controls.
My priority is ensuring these investments do not fall disproportionately on Holly Springs ratepayers. We must advocate for cost-sharing across the region and aggressively pursue state and federal funding opportunities. Safe water is a basic necessity, and higher-income towns cannot be the only ones bearing the financial responsibility.
At the same time, transparency matters. Residents deserve clear communication about where their water dollars are going and how projects will impact both quality and monthly bills. By planning ahead, securing outside funding, and holding utilities accountable, we can protect both the health and the wallets of Holly Springs families.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Sarah Larson
As Holly Springs grows, maintaining water quality while controlling costs requires careful planning, transparency and a commitment to both short- and long-term solutions.
To balance ratepayer costs with water quality improvements, the Town of Holly Springs uses a multi-pronged approach that includes large-scale regional water infrastructure projects, investments in local facilities, technology for water conservation, and customer assistance programs.
Residents have seen water bills rise as the Town prepares for future water needs, including upgrades to treatment and distribution systems. These increases will help cover the infrastructure and upgrades, including state required testing for PFAS levels, to the water treatment plant in Sanford. Partnering with area municipalities, as we’re currently doing, helps with the overall cost of these projects.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Josh Prizer
There are several projects in motion that are expected to improve our water quality as well as helping us meet our increasing capacity needs.
We test our water frequently to ensure water quality. That should continue, and as processes or technology improves, so then should our testing and remediation.
We’re currently expanding our water access by building a 22 mile pipeline from Sanford to the Rex Road area which will give us increased water capacity and accounts for a forward look at our population growth. We are sharing our cost in this with Fuquay Varina as both municipalities will benefit from this project. Our water plan needs to continue to be part and parcel to our strategic Comprehensive Plan.
Like many developmental topics, we must continue to take the future into account when we’re investing in infrastructure. Not 5 years but 15 to 20. This will help ensure we’re making sound investments in the future of our town.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)