Meeting Notes

We are adding basic notes about county government meetings to our coverage. If you have additional story ideas, please send them to our reporter-in-residence, Eleazar “El” Yisrael at (252) 258-9434 or [email protected]

The Pamlico County Board of Commissioners held the first of this year’s bi-monthly meetings on Monday, January 6, 2025. About 20 people attended. Routine business included approving minutes from previous meetings and a consent agenda with budget amendments and tax bill abatements. The next regular meeting of the Pamlico County Board of Commissioners has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 7 p.m. due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

• The Board of Commissioners received a presentation from Reid Parker, an auditor from Carr, Riggs, & Ingram, P.L.L.C., for the 2023-2024 audit of the County finances. The county budget was approximately $22 million dollars. Total Expenses exceeded Revenue by about $500,000.

• The county fund balance was approximately $13 million dollars, which includes ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds remaining of $1.9 million that the Board of Commissioners has reserved for future projects.

• A significant deficiency was noted for over-payment of sewer services fees, collected by the Pamlico County Water Department to Bay River Metropolitan Sewerage District. The board approved an action plan to address this issue to help prevent any future mistakes. It was noted that arrangements between the two governments were made to correct this error.

• The board also approved accepted funds on behalf of Bay River Metropolitan Sewerage District (BRMSD) for a FEMA BRIC grant awarded and a Memorandum of Understanding with BRMSD on how those funds will be administered. BRMSD is a government entity that provides sewer service to sections of Pamlico County and is not part of county government. The Board of Directors are appointed by the county and towns that fall within the district boundaries where sewer service is provided and available. This $7.1 million grant will repair and upgrade the Oriental Lagoon Sewer treatment facility to increase sewer treatment capacity and find property in the Reelsboro area for a spray field for deposal of treated sewer water. The BRMSD Board met the following night and approved the Memorandum of Understanding and accepted the grant funds.

  

  Members of the board of commissioners listen to comments. Photo by Eleazar Yisrael

• The board discussed and approved proposals from county staff on how to best use money received by the county from opioid settlement cases. Pamlico County received $1 million from North Carolina recently and previously received $1.4 million to be paid out over 18 years to combat this problem. Recommendations included establishing the creation of a Wellness and Recovery Community Center to provide resources and recovery services for individuals and families impacted by opioid misuse, establishing a “Dare Program” in our public Schools to be administered by Sheriff Chris Davis, and establishing a Post Overdose Response Program for tracking opioid overdoses.

• The board agreed to the request by the Pamlico County School System Superintendent to discuss, in closed session, a request for additional funding for their Exceptional Children’s Program. It was advised that additional children in the program require accommodations that the school system cannot provide locally. It was noted in a memo to the board by County Manager Tim Buck that these services are costing approximately $6,000 a week and the school will need approximately $204,000 to continue the required services for the students for the remainder of the year. Chairman Edward Riggs, Jr., asked the county attorney to confirm that a close session was legal in this manner. He stated NCGS 143-318.11.(a).(1) provided that this information is privileged or confidential pursuant to the law of this state and not considered a public record. Chairman Riggs then stated that some of the discussions will include specific needs or accommodations for children that may expose the children or their families and that this was done to protect their privacy. Any discussion of finances or actions by the board would be done in public. The Board approved going into closed session. Once the Board returned to open session, Chairman Riggs noted that no action was taken in closed session. The board then discussed with school staff funding issues. The board agreed to give this request some thought and asked county staff to work with school staff for a solution.

• The board recessed their meeting for a planned day-long workshop to discuss the upcoming year. The meeting was held on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Meeting Agenda and December 2 minutes

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