Pamlico County Meeting Notes

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

About 14 people were in attendance at the July 21, 2025, Pamlico County Board of Commissioners meeting. The next Commissioners Meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 4, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse annex.

A public hearing will be held on August 18, 2025 for the upcoming round of Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) applications. The Opioid Settlement Funding Public Meeting will be Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

• Jeffrey Brooks presented a presentation from the NC Department of Information Technology to discuss broadband internet coverage in the county.

• Tina Foreman represented NC Catch, a group advocating for the “identification and enjoyment” of local NC seafood and to promote “fishing families” who produce it.

  • She promoted the local chapter, Pamlico Catch, which seeks involvement from Pamlico, Beaufort and Hyde county.

• Chris Murray presented an updated Emergency Management Plan.

  • Board approved the plan to be updated.

• Todd Trip from the East Group Engineering Firm gave a presentation that assessed the water system in Pamlico County. The report was funded by the Asset Inventory and Assessment (AIA) grant program offered by the NC Department of Environmental Quality grant program in the amount of $150k.

  • Results from the assessment of the water system in Pamlico, which includes all of the water plants and elevated tanks:

    • 90% of the water mains are considered in “Fair Condition,” meaning that 50% of their expected service life remains

    • There were no water mains or related items in “Poor Condition”

    • 50% of the wells are in “Poor Condition”

    • 25% of the Water Plants have significant components that are in “Condition 4” which means they need major repair.

  • Projected repairs total approx. $4.3 million. Repairs include, but are not limited to, corrosion, new tanks and replacing pipes.

  • The board approved the assessment to send to the state to meet requirements of the grant.

Public Hearing for Solar Energy and Wind Farm Ordinances:

• 2 people spoke from public.

  • One person was in opposition to solar farms and wind farms in Pamlico and the other person in support of solar energy and abstained from speaking on wind farms.

• Board voted on ordinances:

  • The commissioners reviewed and made previous ordinances more strict on solar fields and wind farms:

    • According to the county official legal document, changes in ordinances to solar farms include:

      • “All Improved Areas shall be at least 700 feet (previously 100 ft) from a public road and 200 feet (previously 25 ft) from the fence line.”

      • “Improved Areas shall be at least 700 feet (previously 100 ft) from any contiguous property line not associated with a Solar Energy Facility.”

    

    A citizen speaks during the public hearing for the solar and wind farm ordinances. (Photo by Eleazar Yisrael)

    • Changes in the ordinances for wind farms include:

      • Height limitations are a maximum of 500 ft.

      • “All Wind Energy Facilities shall be located a minimum distance equal to 2.5 times the height of the Wind Energy Facility from existing grade from the boundary line of all Non-Participating Landowners and from all public rights of way.”

      • “Any application submitted hereunder for a Wind Energy Facility shall be accompanied by a bond, a surety, a cash deposit or such other financial instrument approved in advance by legal counsel for Pamlico County in an amount of one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the estimated cost of removal of the proposed Wind Energy Facility, as computed by a licensed professional engineer under seal, which will guarantee and secure the performance of the obligations of the applicant under Section 1.8 hereunder.’

  • Ordinances do not affect the average home owner, but those with 10+ acres, they said.

Consent Agenda

• A public hearing will be held on August 18, 2025 for the upcoming round of Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) applications.

• CDBG-NR is a program run by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

• The grant is designed for non-entitlement municipalities or counties to meet at least one of their main principles:

• 

• The county said that they will apply to support “housing rehabilitation and/or reconstruction efforts.”

• The county manager is authorized to sign CDBG-NR 2022 and CDBG-NR 2025 documents.

• The Opioid Settlement Funding Public Meeting will be Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

  • This will be a meeting between the public and local government to discuss how opioid funds should be spent.

• Approved the change for the new EOC building; additional painting, fencing and landscaping.

  • Cost totaled to be about $11,000.

Correspondence Agenda

• Approved update to Pamlico County Travel Policy for county employees who travel out of town for work.

• Approved Pamlico Rescue Service Contract.

  • See Down in the County’s June 16th Budget Meeting Notes for more details.

    • They haven’t made any significant changes since their presentation at the yearly budget meeting. The contract currently awaits signature of Rescue Squad.

• Approved advertising of full-time animal control position.

  • Previous animal control officer, Berkley Hill, is currently on medical leave. Calls have been directed to sheriff department, which they say has been a hindrance.

• Health Department Board of Health presented an agenda to commissioners.

  • Commissioners approved application for a community health aid pilot program, which is to provide a non-paid intern to help with outreach, etc.

  • Syphilis cases are increasing.

• Entered closed session to discuss attorney-client-privilege and personnel matter.

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