Former Lancaster Mayor Billy Moss dies at 87

LANCASTER — Former Lancaster mayor Billy Moss, who has the city’s municipal complex named in his honor, died Wednesday. He was 87.

Moss served as mayor from 1968 to 2006, when he retired and went to live at the Christian Care Center because of health concerns. Before his retirement, he owned Moss Flower Shop in Lancaster and often brought flowers to city hall employees.

City hall will be closed Monday in tribute of Moss, said current Lancaster Mayor Brenda Powers.

“He was the most wonderful mayor we’ll ever have,” Powers said. “He treated everyone as equal, no matter how much money they had or did not have.”

Powers said Moss encouraged her to run for mayor and they stayed close friends until his death.

City Clerk Shari Lane, who worked with Moss for 25 years, said Moss was well-loved among city employees and very good to people in general.

“He made everything feel special,” Lane said. “Coming to work when he was around was more like fun than a job.”

Lane said even as technology advanced, Moss continued writing everything with pencil.

Former city attorney James Sanders, 65, also spent about 25 years working with Moss. But Sanders knew the former mayor pretty much his entire life.

“He was a fine man who worked very hard for Lancaster,” Sanders said. “He did the best he knew how.”

Moss was credited with bringing major water and sewer improvements to the city including a new water treatment plant in the 1980s. He was also instrumental in moving city hall.

In 2006, Lancaster City Council paid tribute to Moss by naming its new government complex Billy C. Moss Municipal¿Center. The Maple Avenue site, adjacent to Christian Care Center, not only consists of city hall but also the police department, planning and zoning, emergency services and the maintenance department.

Millard Rose, sewer superintendent, worked with Moss for 20 years. He described the former mayor’s passing as “awful.”

“Billy really hustled around trying to improve the quality of life for people in Lancaster,” Rose said. “He was a good fellow to work for. I enjoyed every day I spent with him.”

A funeral date for Moss had not been set as of press time. Spurlin Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.