[0:00] Tuesday, September 8th. Lindsay, if you will please do the roll call.

[0:03] » Mayor Logos >> here.

[0:05] » Mayor Pro Tim Holland >> here.

[0:06] » Commissioner Brownlow >> here.

[0:08] » Commissioner Plum >> here.

[0:09] » Commissioner Sanderson >> here.

[0:10] » Commissioner Wooten >> here.

[0:13] » Commissioner Brown, if you would please lead us in prayer.

[0:16] » We'll bow our heads, please. Almighty God, we thank you for the privilege of

[0:21] serving this community. We ask you to give us the wisdom to separate our will

[0:25] from your will, Lord, and to we ask for your wisdom to ask the [snorts]

[0:29] necessary questions and the humility to listen to our citizens. Lord, we bless

[0:34] our residents. Uh we ask you to bless our residents, the visitors, employees,

[0:38] first responders, and all who protect this island and its waters and

[0:42] resources. And as September 11th approaches, Lord, we help us remember

[0:46] those lost and honor those who answered the call. guide us toward safety,

[0:51] stewardship, fairness, and the common good. Amen.

[0:55] » Amen. >> We can all stand for the pledge of

[0:57] allegiance.

[1:02] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to

[1:06] [clears throat] the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,

[1:11] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[1:21] Okay, great. Now, if we can start out with our public comment.

[1:25] » Doug Willis.

[1:36] » Hi, Doug. >> Hey, good evening. Thank you. I want to

[1:40] start by saying I understand the main goal behind the trolley service. Um,

[1:44] we'd all like traffic to be reduced on the island, especially during the summer

[1:48] months, our busiest months. And I agree, finding solutions to the vehicle

[1:52] congestion in the downtown area, is a very worthwhile thing. Um, however, I

[1:58] also think that we need to take a very honest look at the numbers. There

[2:02] approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people on the island each week during the

[2:06] summertime. Um, the highest total we had for the trolley that I saw was Memorial

[2:12] Day with 434 riders. If you put that into perspective, we're talking 434 out

[2:18] of 40,000. That's roughly one to one and a half% of

[2:23] the island's population that rode the trolley during that weekend. Even that

[2:27] number be needs to be looked at carefully because out of the 434 riders

[2:34] that doesn't mean there was 434 cars that does on the road and many of those

[2:39] riders were couples or families traveling together and and some may have

[2:44] only taken the trolley in one direction rather than making a round trip. I'm

[2:48] going to look at the numbers. I'm not sure when we looked at it if you counted

[2:52] a person on the trolley as going and coming or it was just a

[2:57] single. I I didn't understand that either way. So, I should have asked that

[3:01] a little bit more. But either way, in addition, I didn't know how did we

[3:05] quantify if traffic was actually reduced. I don't think we had anybody

[3:10] out there watching that to see if there was less cars moving around or not. So I

[3:14] think the real question we have to ask is how much traffic did we actually

[3:18] reduce in the downtown area utilizing the 19 uh 1900075

[3:24] from the general taxpayer funds. Also if the service is being used only

[3:29] by a a tiny fraction of the people on the island while cost is being spread

[3:35] across the local residents including residents who never used a trolley. I

[3:39] don't think it's unreasonable to question whether this is the best use

[3:43] for that money. I very much disagree with a statement

[3:49] from a board member that in the grand scheme of having a $1.5 million budget

[3:54] that 19,075 is not a whole lot of money.

[3:58] I believe that money could make a meaningful diff difference somewhere

[4:01] else such as towards uh beach access ramps like we do for the upgrades

[4:06] improving accessibility for serving our beaches and natural

[4:11] areas and other projects that benefit a much larger community.

[4:15] I'm not opposed to the idea of a trolley. If residents and visitors want

[4:19] to use the trolley, that's great. If it can genuine gen genuine genuinely make a

[4:25] measurable difference in the traffic, that's great, too. But we should be able

[4:29] to de demonstrate that that benefits justifies the cost.

[4:36] Right now, funding a service being used by a maximum of 1 to one and a half% of

[4:40] the population raises a very legitimate question about priorities, at least in

[4:45] my opinion. If the board wants to continue using the trolley, then I think

[4:50] we should explore ways for the service to be funded by the people who actually

[4:54] use it, downtown businesses who would benefit from it, donations and

[5:00] sponsorships rather than placing that burden on the local residents.

[5:06] We all want the same thing, a better island, less traffic, better

[5:09] accessibility, and preservation of the place we call home. My concern simply is

[5:15] that 19,075 is a limited resource and we should put

[5:21] it somewhere to have the greatest possible impact, not where it serves a

[5:25] small percentage of our community, the 1 to one and a half% that is dorn right

[5:29] now. Thank you. >> Thank you, D.

[5:31] » Thank you. Thanks.

[5:37] » That was it. Okay. Okay. So, next on the agenda is um the we heard you and the

[5:43] followup to prior public comments. Um there's a print out in the box. Miss

[5:47] Carol Peoples was the only one that spoke last month. So, um you can read

[5:51] our her dialogue there. Um Lindsay, if you will ask for the conflict of

[5:55] interest. >> Any conflict of interest? Mayor Logos,

[5:58] » no. >> Mayor Pro Tim Holland,

[6:00] » no. >> Commissioner Brownlow,

[6:01] » no conflict. >> Commissioner Plum,

[6:03] » no. Commissioner Sanderson, >> no.

[6:05] » Commissioner Wooden, >> no. [clears throat]

[6:07] » Excuse me.

[6:10] Okay. May I ask for a motion to adopt the agenda as written?

[6:14] » Moved. >> All those in favor? I

[6:16] » I >> Okay. Inter police chief Waters, if you

[6:22] will take the podium, >> I missed something. Like I missed

[6:26] something.

[6:31] Well, good evening.

[6:34] I right now have the privilege of introducing you to you our newest

[6:40] sergeant of the police department. His name is Brian Propes. He comes uh he was

[6:45] employed with Kansas Police Department from 1995 through 2016.

[6:50] He then moved here with his wife Monica after she retired from Army after 34

[6:54] years of service. Brian wanted to move here because they had vacation here for

[6:59] several years and was familiar familiar with Emerald Isle ever since he was

[7:04] stationed at camp June while in the Marine Corps. Brian became a part-time

[7:09] beach patrol officer in 2016 and then later to full-time patrol officer.

[7:14] [snorts] Brian was moved into investigation at a later time and did a

[7:18] fantastic job for us. Brian is in the position of investigator

[7:22] for a period of seven years, but then he Brian then uh wait a minute, wait a

[7:26] minute, hold on a second. Brian has been married to Monica for 19 years with no

[7:30] children. Brian has been in law enforcement for 30 years again. And we

[7:35] are fortunate to have Brian working for the department and serving our great

[7:38] community. And uh I think it's 32 years now you've been in law enforcement.

[7:43] » So what a great step up for him from a patrol officer to a investigator

[7:47] [snorts] and now to a sergeant. I like gave him a

[7:50] hand on that.

[7:55] » I think you said you wanted to sing a song for us tonight. [laughter]

[7:59] » Maybe at the end. >> Okay.

[8:10] So, next are the public announcements and proclamations. Um, we don't have any

[8:15] proclamations tonight, but the public announcements were streaming through as

[8:19] everyone got settled this this afternoon. Um, some there was a few new

[8:23] ones that popped up. I just want to share. Um, the beach driving season does

[8:28] begin September 15th. And then we have more police educating the publics

[8:32] throughout the month. There's a planning board meeting on Monday, September 28th.

[8:37] The fishing tournaments, the doll fishing tournament on September 26th.

[8:42] And then a neighborhood watch meeting um early October. Then the EI supper club

[8:49] on Tuesday, September 15th. I haven't heard of that one before. Does anyone

[8:53] What is that?

[8:57] » It's a potluck supper held at the EMS building.

[9:00] » You show up with potluck dinner. >> Yeah.

[9:02] » Oh, that sounds fantastic. Okay, so that's September 15th. All right, so we

[9:08] can move on to adoption of the consent agenda.

[9:14] Make a motion to adopt the consent agenda.

[9:16] » All those in favor? >> I I

[9:19] » Okay. >> All right. So, agenda item number 12 is

[9:24] regarding the beach nourishment project that is

[9:28] that we'll be discussing tonight. Frank, did you want to talk to us about that?

[9:32] » Yeah. Thank you, Mayor Logos. Uh commissioners, um really pleased to be

[9:36] here tonight uh presenting this item to you. I think uh ultimately if approved

[9:41] will be a nice improvement to the beach in Emerald Isle as well as the other

[9:45] towns on Bogue Banks. Um the formal uh actions for the board's consideration

[9:51] tonight. Uh first there's a resolution authorizing a $4,24,750

[9:58] contribution from Emerald Isle to Carter County and that's for 25% of the SAM

[10:03] placement costs for the proposed nourishment project. There's a companion

[10:07] budget amendment uh also presented for your consideration in the same amount

[10:11] that would appropriate those funds uh formally in the future beach nourishment

[10:15] fund that we currently have. So, as you can see on the screen uh before you

[10:20] tonight, uh the proposed beach nourishment project would cover three

[10:24] distinct reaches in Emerald Isle. Uh there's a grand total of about 4.4 miles

[10:29] of our nearly 12 miles of beach in Emerald Isle. There are three areas. Uh

[10:34] the first area is between Pebble Beach and Sea Oats Drive in western Emerald

[10:39] Isle. Uh there's also that's 6,800 linear feet. There's also a stretch from

[10:43] Elizabeth Street to Pier Point in Central Emerald Isle about 7,500 linear

[10:47] feet. And then a segment in Eastern Emerald Aele between 19th and 3rd.

[10:53] That's about 9,100 linear feet. These are the areas that are proposed for

[10:57] nourishment as part of this project. The reason that these areas were identified

[11:02] is because based on the annual beach profile surveys that are conducted by

[11:07] the beach commission, these are the areas in greatest need of nourishment in

[11:11] Emerald Isle. Um, as you may know, there's a very robust data set probably

[11:15] over the last 25 years or more uh annual beach profile surveys. We've probably

[11:20] got more data about our beach maybe than any other beach in the United States in

[11:24] all honesty. So uh they do the annual beach profile surveys uh not just

[11:28] Emerald Dile um Indian Beach Pel Shores Atlantic Beach as well. [snorts] These

[11:32] are the areas that were identified as most in need of survey. So if the board

[11:38] approves the actions tonight, we would expect these areas to be nourished this

[11:42] coming winter uh between sometime between November 15th and April 30th. Um

[11:47] in reality, it will not require that entire period of time. They will be in

[11:53] Emerald Isle probably for about two months or so doing that work and the

[11:56] exact schedule will depend on uh other factors where they decide to go in terms

[12:01] of the other towns. They may choose to do Atlantic Beach and Pineel Shores

[12:05] first. They may choose to do Emerald Isle first. Some of those details are

[12:08] not yet worked out, but what would occur is that it would be between November

[12:12] 15th and April 30th because that's the authorized permit window when you're

[12:16] allowed to conduct beach nourishment operations uh in North Carolina. The

[12:20] proposed project has uh a total of up to 1,139,600

[12:26] cubic yards of sand. Uh that basically comes out to anywhere from 40 to 56

[12:31] cubic yards per linear foot in these areas. Uh it's expected it would widen

[12:36] the dry sand beach by 75 to 100 ft. Uh in those areas identified, um although

[12:43] the sand would only be placed on those 4.4 4 miles. Um, I would submit to you

[12:48] there are other benefits associated with this. That sand will eventually migrate

[12:53] up and down the shoreline. Um, and it will provide benefits. Some of that sand

[12:57] will blow into the dunes. Part of the reason we've seen the significant dune

[13:00] growth in Emerald Isle is because of the nourishment events that have happened in

[13:03] the past. So although your area may not be included within the proposed project,

[13:08] there are significant communitywide benefits associated with this as well.

[13:12] Um the good news is is that um there are mechanisms in place so that permitting

[13:18] is already complete. Uh funding is already available for the project. uh

[13:24] Carter County uh if ultimately the county commissioners um approved the

[13:28] beach commission's recommendation uh would award the project and they would

[13:33] fund 75% of the sand placement costs in addition to the mobilization costs and

[13:38] some of the other ancillary costs associated with the project. Uh they

[13:42] would fund 75% of the project for us and for Atlantic Beach, Pineal Shores,

[13:47] Indian Beach. That leaves 25% of just the sand placement cost for us. Again,

[13:52] it's at $4,24,750. So, all in all, in Emerald Isle, the

[13:58] county would invest uh $16.8 million in the SAM placement plus some portion of

[14:04] the mobilization and other project related costs. In total, Carter County

[14:08] will be putting up more than $30 million for the islandwide project. And every

[14:13] single penny of those funds is derived from room occupancy tax revenues that

[14:18] are levied on short-term rentals uh within really all of Carter County. Uh

[14:23] approximately 65% of the revenues come out of Emerald Isle from the vacation

[14:27] rental industry here. Um so Carter County has ample funds available to

[14:33] cover that contribution. And the good news is that Emerald Isle has ample

[14:36] funds to cover that contribution. As of this moment we have about $ 8.6 6

[14:41] million in the future beach nourishment fund. This project would again require

[14:45] the 4.2 million uh that I mentioned. That'll leave us with about 4.4 million.

[14:51] By the end of this fiscal year, we think that will be somewhere around 5.6

[14:55] million. We typically add about a million dollars a year to that fund. So,

[14:59] we're in good shape thankfully thanks to prudent decisions by the current board

[15:03] and by previous boards. Uh so, we have necessary funding available for these

[15:07] things. Um the thing that I would point out to

[15:11] folks is that this is the result I think of good government over many many years

[15:17] by many many people um many of whom sitting in the seats that you're in

[15:20] tonight as well as in the other towns as well as with the county as well as with

[15:24] the beach commission. We're at a point now where beach nourishment is pretty

[15:28] well normalized and it's just one of the services that we provide in addition to

[15:33] paving the streets, picking up the trash, all of the various things that

[15:36] local government provides. And so the fact that we're at this stage with beach

[15:40] nourishment right now, I think is really indicative of good government in Emerald

[15:44] Isle and in Carter County and the other towns over the last 25 years. So it's a

[15:49] good thing. Um it keeps the beach um in great condition. uh provides that storm

[15:54] protection that we need when the hurricanes come. Provides that u

[15:57] beautiful aesthetics as well as the recreational benefits. Certainly

[16:01] provides habitat for the critters that live out there on the beachrand. So um

[16:05] if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

[16:09] Again, the two items for your consideration tonight, a resolution

[16:12] authorizing our 25% share and then the budget amendment that formally

[16:16] appropriates those funds. If the board approves these items tonight and if the

[16:21] other community's governing boards approve similar items in the next couple

[16:25] of weeks, we expect that Carter County would award the contract later this

[16:30] month. Again, work would occur this winter at a time still yet to be

[16:34] determined. So, with that, happy to answer any questions you may have.

[16:38] » Thank you, Frank. Um, Alicia, did you want to start off with any comments or

[16:42] questions? >> I have no questions. I I would like to

[16:47] reiterate the fact that although this is normalized now and so many people have

[16:52] done such a good job of making sure that that funding was in place from our

[16:59] legislators all the way down to the local level as well as towns throughout

[17:05] the vote banks all the staff and the elected officials and we just need to

[17:11] make sure we don't take that for granted. That's a tremendous gift that

[17:16] um and it's a tremendous boost to our economy because tourism is our economy

[17:25] and you heard it the tourism is paying 75%

[17:31] those those tourists their money spent is paying 75% of that tap.

[17:37] » Yeah. One thing I neglected to note, um the other 25% from the town that's

[17:42] derived primarily from the primary benefit district property taxes that

[17:46] oceanfront and inlet front property owners pay as well as a contribution

[17:50] from the general fund as well as interest earnings in there. So um it's a

[17:54] very I think equitable um financing plan.

[17:59] Yeah, I would add I was talking to a neighbor who's in that primary benefit

[18:02] zone and he was saying how that part of his taxes he was glad to pay because he

[18:07] saw the benefit and I say it a lot that our greatest asset in this town is that

[18:12] beach. It's really the reason I know it's the reason I'm here and it's

[18:14] probably the reason most people have u come to live in this area. So anything

[18:19] we can do to protect it or enhance it or nourish it or anything to the good I

[18:25] think um is a tremendous benefit to the town and to all the visitors that we

[18:30] have. So I think this is as you said Frank and you said it well this is a

[18:34] great orchestration of government at multiple levels working for this common

[18:39] good and the results will be evident by next calendar year. Rarely do you get to

[18:45] see something get enacted and and accomplished so quickly. So kudos for

[18:50] everybody that's made this happen. >> Thank you, Jay.

[18:54] » Yeah. Um thanks, mayor. Um the mayor and I serve on the on the beach commission

[18:59] for the county and when it came to time to vote on it and I was just looking at

[19:03] that that huge number. It's almost $40 million. And it was humbling to know

[19:08] that I was going to be participating in that vote on how that money was going to

[19:12] be used. and uh and knowing that it's going on on to our beaches and for

[19:17] Emerald Isle to be investing 4.2 million and in return getting 16 million dollars

[19:24] worth of sand back. That's a great investment of our tax dollars and uh and

[19:29] it's it's protecting probably one of our our best uh hurricane defenses that we

[19:34] have is our beach shoreline. Um, this is I consider it to be more of an

[19:37] investment because it's protecting a a core coastal resiliency investment in uh

[19:44] in in our shoreline. Why are we picking out these hot spots? The engineers

[19:48] picked them out. They are hot spots because our our entire shoreline is only

[19:53] going to be as strong as our weakest section of the beach. [clears throat]

[19:56] So, we need to fortify fortify those. With that, uh the beach will reach

[20:00] equilibrium and the rest of the like Frank said, it'll it'll balance itself

[20:04] out. Um, but this is a a great thing for our beach, uh, for our our community. It

[20:10] helps keep our taxes low. It supports our tourism. It maintains a recreational

[20:15] beach and hopefully it'll make a good surf break out there too sometime after

[20:19] it adjusts. But but otherwise, it is a uh it's a it's a great investment. I

[20:23] strongly support this project. Thank >> Jason,

[20:28] » no further comment. Thank you. Great job by all.

[20:31] » Chris, right? Um, I just second what everyone else has said. Many times you

[20:35] hear people say this is the most beautiful beach they've ever seen. So

[20:40] what we're doing here is testament to that and [snorts] that's what keeps

[20:44] people visiting Emerald. >> Yeah, there's a lot of data and a lot of

[20:47] studying that goes into this. Um it's almost a foreign language the first

[20:52] couple times you hear it, but u but there's a lot of thought and so I think

[20:56] it's definitely a good move. Can we ask for the motions to move forward? I'll

[21:00] make a motion to adopt the resolution authorizing town contribution Carter

[21:05] County for beach reour or beach nourishment project.

[21:09] » Okay. All those in favor? >> I

[21:11] » I need one more motion.

[21:14] » Motion to adopt the budget amendment for future beach nourishment fund.

[21:18] » Okay. All those in favor? >> I

[21:20] » I >> Thank you.

[21:24] » Okay. Great. So, agenda item number 13. [clears throat] Um, this is regarding

[21:29] the police department contributions. >> Excuse me.

[21:32] » Interim Chief Waters.

[21:39] » Again, thank you all so much u listening to me tonight and uh for something that

[21:44] is I feel very passionate to those and some may not be so passionate, but I

[21:50] believe by talking about this tonight is going to be very beneficial to those in

[21:56] the future. and uh beneficial to us in in the present.

[22:01] But I want to preface this for just a second. And if I move around, that's

[22:05] just how I talk. Is that okay? So, a lot of you know me, some of you don't

[22:12] know me. I've been employed with the police

[22:16] department since 1984. I was 10 years old when I started.

[22:22] [laughter]

[22:24] But I was born here. I was raised here and I've worked here. This has [snorts]

[22:28] been my home away from home for many years. I'm very passionate about

[22:33] Inortisle and moving forward with

[22:39] with this topic I'm bringing up. Um, it is a it's a tool that could be very

[22:46] helpful to the police department for keeping our town safe and moving

[22:52] forward in the future with >> suggestion. Anybody at home can hear

[22:56] what he's saying. >> Excuse me. Chief Waters, do you mind

[23:00] grabbing the microphone? >> I'm sorry.

[23:03] » How about that? That better? >> Yeah.

[23:05] » All right. Okay. I'm going to be speaking tonight about

[23:09] two different two different um programs underneath our surveillance policy.

[23:16] This first one is called the E1 Police Department UAS proposal

[23:22] unmanned aircraft system and let's just go and call it a drone.

[23:28] It's a rapid deployment, search and rescue scene documentation and major

[23:32] event overwatch. And I'm going to be talking specifically about each thing

[23:37] about on this slide.

[23:41] Why does the Emerald Ale Police Department need an unmanned aircraft

[23:44] system? Why? We live in a small community. Why do we need it? I'm going

[23:49] to explain to you why. One of the reasons for officer safety

[23:54] where we observe hazardous, inaccessible, or uncertain areas being

[23:58] committed before committing our personnel into a dire situation.

[24:04] It gives us faster response for searches which cover the beaches, the inter

[24:08] coastal waterway, the bug sound neighborhoods, the wooded areas and

[24:12] other large search areas efficiently. It also brings us

[24:18] the supervisor real time overhead view of developing

[24:23] incidents at and major events. Also, it also gives us better documentation.

[24:29] Capture repet uh repeatable aerial imagery for serious crashes,

[24:36] crime scenes, and postevent review. So, the UAS will be a departmentwide

[24:42] tool supporting patrol, investigation, supervision, emergency responses, and

[24:47] mutual aid to our neighboring communities.

[24:51] What is this drone?

[24:56] » [clears throat] >> and enterprise public safety

[24:58] capabilities in a compact platform that can live in a patrol vehicle.

[25:04] Realistically, they can can be deployed in less than 2

[25:09] minutes. The takeoff weight is 2.7 lbs

[25:15] and with no wind, course we always have a wind around here. The flight time is

[25:19] averaging around 49 minutes. It also has a thermal sensor by 640 x 512.

[25:26] Now [snorts] the multi multi-ensor payload is 48 megapixels

[25:31] for a wide angle camera 48 megapixels on a medium telephoto camera and thermal im

[25:37] imaging cuz the laser rangefinder

[25:41] what in the world we have a laser range finder for it. Well determine about

[25:45] what's going on at the beach. How much beach are we losing? That's that is a

[25:50] safety issue. Near infrared auxiliary light which cannot light up at night

[25:54] time. If we have to go out to the water for swimming in distress which we have

[25:58] people swimming out there at night. We can uh actually light up that area as

[26:03] well.

[26:07] It is the highest the highest value uses for the NY police department. There's

[26:11] three mission sets would provide immediate operational value.

[26:17] Search and rescue. missing or endangered persons,

[26:24] folks with Alzheimer's walking out of their houses. I tell you a quick story

[26:29] on that. I had one in Dear Horn Dunes one time. She came up missing. Family

[26:33] was hysterical. We looked for her. We called in officers

[26:37] from all over the place trying to find this lady. We finally found her. She was

[26:42] at Sheron Hotel in Let it Beach. She had walked that far.

[26:48] If we had a drone, we would we picked her up a whole lot quicker than 5 hours

[26:52] later.

[26:55] Beach shoreline inter coast waterway sound searches have a boater in

[27:00] distress, bo missing, we can assist with that as

[27:04] well. Wood visibility areas, nighttime thermal

[27:10] searches. If we have another Alzheimer's person or or child walk out of the house

[27:14] at night time, they can look at by the heat sensory of

[27:19] that of that child or that person. Water rescue reconnaissance.

[27:25] This drone is actually set up to where we can pick up a flotation device, take

[27:30] it out and drop it off to a person in distress.

[27:35] We also have uh payload that's payload drop systems, highintensity spotlights

[27:41] for that and a loudspeaker PA system. I know I talked to uh chief uh from the

[27:47] fire department. We had an incident Saturday

[27:51] where we were called out. They were called out to send out a jet ski to

[27:55] kayakers out there think they're in trouble. So the fire department had to

[28:00] take their resources, deploy it onto the beach strand, go out to the kayakers to

[28:04] find out they were okay. If you had a drone, fly it out there.

[28:09] Are y'all guys okay? And they fly back. They didn't they

[28:14] didn't take up the time of a fire department personnel on on expanding

[28:19] that resource. Same mapping and documentation. Serious

[28:24] traffic crashes. I would tell you we had a head-on collision at the base of the

[28:29] bridge back in um about 12 years ago. Head-on collision, a fatality.

[28:35] There was debris all over that area around that bridge.

[28:41] We were told there was a child ejected from the vehicle.

[28:47] So, we had to get people searching all over the place up Marsh looking for a

[28:50] child. Fortunately, the child was not there. Even though we found a car seat,

[28:55] the child was not in the car seat and was not ejected.

[28:59] Evidence, vehicle positioning, 2D, 3D model data collection to help recreate

[29:06] that crime, that crime scene or that accident scene. Major event overwatch,

[29:11] large public events such as the St. Patrick's Day festival. We have a large

[29:16] crowd showing it, people from all over the place. So what that could get for us

[29:20] is an overview watch going up if there's issue with personnel uh attending we can

[29:27] also go there and uh uh uh have officers go in that area to assist in that

[29:33] matter. Command level resource deployment. Again, expandable platform.

[29:38] Additional thirdparty accessories can expand aircraft capabilities. Payload

[29:43] relief system, spotlights, loudspeakers for committing instructions to missing

[29:48] or distressed persons. [snorts]

[29:52] Another good thing about the drone system is the same platform can also

[29:56] support storm damage assessment and mutual aid to another agency if needed.

[30:02] We all have experienced a lot of issues with hurricanes here. We have seen how

[30:06] much kind of devastation it causes. Trees across roadway, power lines down.

[30:12] Instead of sending out deploying our rescue out there to see if they can get

[30:17] there, you can deploy a drone to find out if it's accessible. Is there

[30:22] somebody in need of EMS? How can they get to them? We can find a better route

[30:27] to get to them. Accountability and responsible use.

[30:34] Every system deployment will operate under establishment legal training

[30:38] documentation and supervisory safeguards.

[30:42] This is very important. Anybody operating any of the officers

[30:47] operating that drone would be trained and

[30:50] qualified through the part FAA part 107 certified program. also a 60-day flight

[30:57] and training quarterly training and annual evaluation for that person that's

[31:01] piloting the drone.

[31:05] documentation every time that drone is deployed

[31:10] it's called a CFS would be generated a call for service

[31:14] it's documented if there is a issue that port is needs

[31:21] to be done and OCA will be also generated OCA is means originating case

[31:27] agency number which is assigned to that case flight records will be implemented

[31:33] evidence for evidence procedures authorized

[31:37] and lawful. It's authorized purpose. It's also through the laws of FAA and

[31:40] North Carolina law and the ML police department policy as well. There's also

[31:46] constitutional and privacy protections. That is important. It's not there to

[31:52] infringe upon anybody's rights. It's only there for safety, resources, and

[31:57] recoveries. The oversight for this is always a

[32:02] supervisory involved. A supervisor will oversee the process of this of this uh

[32:08] program along with the coordinator which is the

[32:12] pilot the annual program review and reporting person in charge final

[32:16] authority. With this there's always greater capability of training oversight

[32:22] documentation and accountability built into every deployment.

[32:27] Now the unmanned drone also provides more

[32:31] than live video. It can also create location based on data and document a

[32:36] record of each deployment. Mapping documentation we already went

[32:40] over that about create detailed overhead maps which can generate through

[32:45] something for the town of Eald. Listen to this part. It is GIS capable.

[32:52] Every time that drone is deployed, it is marked mapped where it is going and

[32:57] where it has returned. The flight path history. It records

[33:02] where and when the drone flew. Records the flight path at altitude, time and

[33:07] location. Flight data can be downloaded and retained. Maintain as a central

[33:13] departmental record and also supports afteraction review and accountability

[33:18] which is very important. Documenting deployment. Each department

[33:23] will be signed again a call for service record. Multiple flights can be

[33:27] documented underneath one CFS. An OA will be attached to each one. Photos and

[33:33] video with evidentiary value will be preserved in accordance with department

[33:38] evidence procedures. Flight records identify

[33:43] the reporting person in charge and miss mission.

[33:48] This this system is is delicately

[33:54] overlooked, overwatched by supervisors,

[33:58] by the administrative staff of the department. There is strong policies in

[34:03] place.

[34:07] When I look at something like this, I think about what a great tool this could

[34:10] be used for for the department, especially had a child in distress, a

[34:14] missing person.

[34:17] I we could use this many many times, but it's not going to be used for such

[34:23] things as code enforcement. It's not going to be used for traffic

[34:26] enforcement. It's not used for such a thing. It's it's used for [snorts]

[34:30] search and rescue, going out and helping people at the time of need. I have a

[34:36] lady here tonight, Miss Nancy Fantel. She's traveled all the way from

[34:40] Virginia. Uh she has been a big contributor with this. Um, and I'd like

[34:45] for her to come and share her story.

[34:51] » This will be my easel. [snorts]

[35:09] Um, good evening everyone. Uh, madame mayor, commissioners, and staff. My name

[35:15] is Nancy Frantel and I live in Midlotheian, Virginia. However, I was

[35:20] born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. For the past 33 years, my

[35:25] family held reunions at Emerald Isle. And I'm going to start getting emotional

[35:29] because you're going to understand why as I get through the rest of this story

[35:33] because it's a very powerful story. Um, we rented cottages on Ocean Drive. I

[35:38] frequently returned for extra relaxation. It's kind of my home away

[35:42] from home. I mentioned the period of visits in order to establish standing.

[35:48] I realize tonight is for the budget amendments approval on the police

[35:52] department contributions. However, I'm going to be proactive and ask that you

[35:57] approve the purchases when the time arrives for all of the equipment

[36:01] requested and already funded for the police department. I'm going to focus

[36:07] now on requesting the approval of the drone. A recent donation was made to

[36:13] cover the full cost, and yes, that was me. Thankful and humbled to be able to

[36:18] do it. I love police officers. I deal with them all over the country. Um,

[36:23] please allow me to tell you a true story to help you identify with my plea and my

[36:28] passion obviously about purchasing a drone. One year ago during an excuse me,

[36:34] one year during an August reunion, say I'm already just wait till I get to the

[36:40] end of the story. Um, my brother and I left from the beach on a Hobie catamaran

[36:45] 16 for a short sale.

[36:52] You guys live at the beach, so you know what a patter might look like, but maybe

[36:56] some people don't, especially the people on the other side of the world who can

[37:00] watch this video. Um, it is, and this is important for later. The mass height is

[37:08] 26 feet, 6 in, and the bow to stern is only 16 feet. And it has a mesh like a

[37:15] trampoline. So it's not substantial although it's legal. So um

[37:22] and where we left from this was it um this picture is great because we left

[37:29] around here and we started sailing out very

[37:36] um okayized

[37:43] the marine forecast was uneventful when we left about 20 minutes into sailing A

[37:49] storm developed resulting in high waves, high swells, winds, and heavy rain. We

[37:55] tried to turn the Hobie back to shore. We're typically only gone like an hour

[38:00] and a half at most. Um, instead we capsized.

[38:09] So, if you're familiar with the Hobie, it has pontoons, it has two, and then

[38:13] there's the mesh in between. So, that

[38:20] Um, we tried the

[38:30] » I used to be a So, I'm very visual. Um, with a a Hobieat there's a writing line.

[38:38] So, you try to upright the boat, which is actually in this picture what the

[38:42] people are trying to do. They're leaning back.

[38:46] So, this is how thick the rope is to try to get up a very heavy boat. Doesn't

[38:51] work real well, especially when you've got winds and sails, swells fighting

[38:56] against you. Um, so we eventually kept trying and

[39:01] trying. It was ours by now. And we knew family on shore would have called 911,

[39:07] but there was nothing. There was nothing coming, nothing in the sc nowhere. And

[39:14] so eventually we turtled. So those don't don't know because these

[39:19] are beach people. You probably know upright sailboat capsized turtled and we

[39:25] were of course there's nothing you can do after that point.

[39:32] Um the wind and the rain eventually stopped. But you see where I'm headed

[39:36] with this about a drone purchase. Um,

[39:43] my brother is an experienced sailor, but when you've got a turtle boat and you've

[39:47] got current fighting against you, there's nothing you can do. So, I'm a

[39:51] very strong Christian. I said it quietly, but I prayed to our heavenly

[39:56] father and Lord Jesus and said, "Please rescue us." Because I had two small

[40:00] children. I mean, we had all the family on shore and we knew all the vacationers

[40:05] in the area were probably also hysterical because these people had been

[40:09] gone for hours. And um so I said a prayer, please rescue us.

[40:15] I'm a mother of two children. And I did tell God, I'm a mother and I'm not dying

[40:20] today and I'm definitely not dying in the ocean. So it's like just at least

[40:25] give me the chore. Um, and I'm going to jump ahead a little bit, but if the

[40:29] police department had had a drone early in, and I understand it can't fly in,

[40:34] you know, severe weather. I get that. But when it did calm down, they could

[40:38] have sent the drone out and started a grid. So,

[40:43] um, and clearly a drone for other situations

[40:47] with rescuing, Jeff's already talked about. They're obvious, but this is a

[40:52] real life example of why I could be here and not trembling telling this story.

[40:59] Because what if it's somebody else?

[41:05] Eventually, a small speck off of the side of the horizon started coming and

[41:13] we were going like this. And you got to keep in mind we had our life vests but

[41:17] you you cannot see the trampoline. And if this was the water, this is how much

[41:23] of us you could have seen. That's it. And so eventually the boat

[41:30] came and it was a 40 43 foot fishing charter that was coming in. They were

[41:36] last boat for the evening and or was like, "Okay, thank you. Thank you,

[41:41] Lord." Well, the clincher is, and that's my last piece, but I'm going to wait for

[41:47] that. Um,

[41:51] we knew family called 911. There's obviously a very close coast guard

[41:55] station. In fact, the funny thing is, not very funny now or even afterwards is

[42:00] when we first went out, there was a Coast Guard boat, a small one, and the

[42:06] saying is they were so close, I could have thrown them a sandwich. So that's

[42:10] how close they were, but we never saw a Coast Guard after that. And in fact, the

[42:15] more I started researching this and I called the Coast Guard, I wanted to

[42:19] foyer the records and they said, "Oh, no. We we wouldn't have come to rescue

[42:24] you. That's not what we do." Now, I am not bad mouthing the Coast Guard, but

[42:30] and I know they work very very hard, but they were not coming. They were not

[42:35] coming. So the drone once again we get to the drone. So talked to the boat

[42:42] captain and get on the boat. I went in shore talked to him a couple days later

[42:47] and I said, "Thank you so much for rescuing us and answering the 911 call."

[42:51] He said, "I didn't know about a 911 call. I didn't know about two people

[42:56] lost at sea." >> Here's the punch.

[43:04] the name on the boat.

[43:11] That was the name on the boat. God heard my prayer and I'm all for prayer, but a

[43:18] drone would have worked out really well. So, thank you.

[43:23] » Thank you for sharing your story. >> You're welcome.

[43:35] I am sure there's a lot of other stories that could be shared. Um,

[43:40] but the drone is a very important piece of tool that the police department could

[43:43] definitely utilize in the right way in the right manner and I guarantee you

[43:50] this is that we do have a policy in place and I believe it's a lot of you

[43:54] have received the policy on your uh on your email. I actually brought some

[43:58] extras tonight. If you don't have one, you're welcome to it.

[44:03] The uh another part of this presentation had to talk about the

[44:09] automatic license plate reader. Somebody said, "Jeff, are you crazy? All

[44:15] that stuff going out there about the flock systems?" I said, "Yeah, I'm crazy

[44:19] sometimes." But uh this system here is not a flock system.

[44:26] You'll pay attention to the the screens. I'm going to show you what the

[44:30] difference is on the flock cameras [snorts] versus the vericotta.

[44:35] The flock purpose built is uh to connect local users

[44:40] to connect local users to a massive searchable multi- agency

[44:47] network shared with thousands of law enforcement all entries.

[44:52] capture data feeds into a collaborate nationwide hot list and search

[44:58] ecosystem. The ricotta

[45:04] keeps the data localized within the deployed organization rather than

[45:08] sharing with the national database. National play and video data remain

[45:15] confined to the specific organizations private command dashboard. That's our

[45:20] dashboard. >> [clears throat]

[45:25] » giving local administrators tighter control over storage and excess

[45:30] boundaries. Now the key technical and functional

[45:34] differences is this. The flock's primary value propos proposition is its talons

[45:41] network which automatically shares captured vehicle data with thousands and

[45:47] law enforcement agencies nationwide that are on the network.

[45:53] This is what allows a controversial vehicle tracking over a period of time

[45:58] and space. Now the vericata operates on a closed

[46:04] siloed architecture where the captured vehicle

[46:08] data is totally isolated. Capture data belongs strictly to the

[46:13] organization that purchased the system. There is no central interconnected

[46:18] national database and out of jurisdiction. Police departments cannot

[46:22] log in or search a global ricotta pool to track someone.

[46:30] data can only be shared if the local administrator manually exports a

[46:34] specific clip after an incident occurs and only for a legitimate law

[46:39] enforcement period.

[46:44] So the proposal for this is LPO technology is an investigative tool not

[46:50] a standalone basis for law enforcement.

[46:55] The authorized uses are this used only for law enforcement purposes under North

[47:00] Carolina law. The last complaint reader data shall not be used for enforcement

[47:06] of traffic violations. Shall not be

[47:11] used for enforcement of traffic violations.

[47:15] Audits conducted annually. I'll move that to monthly.

[47:21] [clears throat] investigative value may assist with stolen vehicles,

[47:26] felony warrants, missing endangered persons or criminal investigations. I

[47:31] keep on thinking about we get a lot of calls of people with Alzheimer's or

[47:35] dementia walking out of their houses, getting their vehicles and leaving and

[47:38] they're not seen for days. That vehicle has entered into that

[47:42] system where we would receive alert say, "Hey, that vehicle just came across the

[47:46] bridge going see if you can help them out."

[47:51] LPR information supports investigations. It is not by itself enforcement

[47:57] authority. Therefore, you have to verify and

[48:01] document. Officers must verify any LPR alert before taking enforcement action.

[48:09] We must verify before we do anything we get alert on to. If it's a stolen

[48:13] vehicle, we have to verify that it is still stolen before we act upon that

[48:18] alert. Historical searches require legitimate purpose and documentation.

[48:25] Now the data not this is captured data is confidential and subject to restrict

[48:31] retention limits in accordance to state law.

[48:35] Assess search and sharing and preservation are subject to audit and

[48:40] supervisory oversight. Now this retention is held for 90 days. 90 days.

[48:47] I want y'all to see the bottom of this, please. Misuse of this system will

[48:53] result in disciplinary action and possible criminal liability.

[49:00] The safeguards that are in place, there are six controls in place to prevent

[49:04] misuse. Five already built into the software

[49:08] itself. So the rent policy is not in the software, that's in the town of M1's

[49:13] policy. The written policy is adopted policy

[49:16] defines permitted uses only prohibited queries and disciplinary consequences.

[49:23] So therefore, anything that's taking place is a case number and offense

[49:26] required. Software requires case number and offense type before any query can be

[49:33] run. Every search is logged. Role based permissions and sieges

[49:40] custom roles. permission limit search capabilities and see this view required

[49:45] by NCIC alerts. NCIC is National Crime Information Center which is based all

[49:52] over the United States. They're the people that when you put in a stolen

[49:56] vehicle, a wanted vehicle or a vehicle used in commission of felony, that tag

[50:00] number is put in that system and that tag comes onto the island, it alerts us,

[50:06] but we have to verify before we do anything.

[50:10] Supervisor and random audits. Supervisor reviewed flag searches the same business

[50:17] day. We have to make sure it is legit. Audits filter to the log by event type.

[50:26] Now alert recipient scope type. They alert scope to certain camera sites.

[50:31] Alert scope to specific user groups. I keep on saying users and entries.

[50:37] Not everybody has access to the LPR software. Only the administrative staff

[50:43] of the Emil Police Department will assign those folks to be able to assess

[50:49] this program. They have to log in and they have to put in a password. That

[50:56] audit comes up. It tells me who's been in there, what were they looking for, or

[51:01] what were they entering and therefore it's audited every month.

[51:06] Retention and training. Retention is set by state law and departmental policies.

[51:11] Annual training on authorized uses and bias awareness descriptors.

[51:17] So the retention is held as well for 90 days. And again the audit is held once a

[51:23] month.

[51:26] So this is important. All of it is important. But the

[51:31] department of policy is based on four core principles.

[51:35] the legitimate need, the legal authority, accountability, and privacy

[51:41] protection. Now the goals for this is to ensure the

[51:45] technology remains a focused public safety that does not allow for

[51:48] unrestricted monitoring to provide officers with modern tools that can help

[51:54] improve public safety while placing clear

[51:59] boundaries while placing these clear boundaries around how those tools may be

[52:05] used to respond more effectively to

[52:09] emergencies while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

[52:12] to provide to protect individuals constitutional rights and public trust.

[52:20] Folks, this is not the flock camera. This is the fragata. This is a single

[52:23] use system. Now, I will tell you, [clears throat]

[52:28] I've been made aware that Lamp Beach has a Vicotta system. It's still in action.

[52:33] They going to be moving that Vicotta camera system to the base of their

[52:37] bridge having one down this bridge. If

[52:42] something happens, seriously, we can put in that

[52:45] information and alerts go out. If any one of those cars exit, then we know it.

[52:51] We have a timeline. Could we have used that for when we had the homicide and

[52:56] arson case down here? Absolutely. It would have cut the resources down to

[53:01] minimal. Very minimal. but we didn't have it. It would have help with the

[53:05] evidentiary procedures in court.

[53:10] With that being said, I know some of y'all received a summary of

[53:18] the surveillance program. [clears throat]

[53:22] The police department surveillance technology policy establishes rules for

[53:26] the use of two law enforcement technologies.

[53:31] the automatic license plate readers and unmanned aircraft system which is called

[53:36] the drones. Both technologies can improve public

[53:40] safety, increase officer safety, assist criminal investigations,

[53:46] and allow officers to respond more efficiently to certain instances. At the

[53:51] same time, the department recognizes that these technologies have the

[53:55] potential to collect significant amounts of information and must therefore be

[54:00] subject to clear limitations, oversight, and accountability.

[54:05] We keep on hearing the word accountability, and that's that's a

[54:08] fact. The proposed policy designed to ensure that LPRs and drones are used

[54:14] only for legitimate and lawful law enforcement purposes. and

[54:21] in compliance with North Carolina law, federal law, constitutional protections,

[54:27] and applicable federal aviation administration requirements.

[54:33] The policy also establishes specific restrictions on use, limit access to

[54:39] authorized and trained personnel. It also requires documentation for

[54:44] certain activities, establish data retention and disclosure

[54:49] requirements. Provides for supervised review and auditing [clears throat]

[54:55] and prohibits the use of the technology for personal,

[54:58] discriminatory, retaliatory, and other unauthorized

[55:03] purposes. >> [clears throat]

[55:06] » The intent of this policy is to provide the department with useful public safety

[55:11] tools while establishing a strong safeguards to protect individual privacy

[55:18] and maintain public trust.

[55:23] I'm not going to go through the whole summary. Y'all have seen it.

[55:28] I'm just asking that um we look more into this and moving

[55:34] forward for the purpose of the police department having a good tool

[55:40] to betterment our opportunities to help others.

[55:44] And I think just allowing the people to know what we're doing would definitely

[55:48] help as well. >> Thank you, Chief.

[55:53] » Thank you. So, I have a feeling this discussion is

[55:57] probably going to take a bit. Um, it's a lot of information. Do just remind that

[56:02] on the agenda tonight is the motion to adopt the budget amendment for the

[56:07] general fund. It's not what we're actually purchasing, but I know that's a

[56:11] hot topic as well. So, Roy, did you want to start off in discussion?

[56:15] » Yeah, thanks, Mayor. Um, this uh this topic just happens to be a particular

[56:20] sensitive issue for for me personally and my family personally, but I'm not

[56:24] going to dwell on that as much as I got the but I have to use that as an example

[56:30] of what can happen when uh when drones are misused and your your constitutional

[56:36] privacy rights are uh are abused. Um, but I had a number of phone calls,

[56:42] texts, and emails and uh and and I and while I appreciate the the many benefits

[56:50] of a drone, um, and let me start by saying also that I I I trust my life

[56:56] with with Chief Waters, I trust everything our town manager, Frank Rush,

[57:00] tells me. Uh, I trust these two gentlemen uh, adamantly. Uh, they're

[57:06] what they say. I they're men men of their word and I I believe them

[57:10] absolutely 100%. Um, however, there's some some people

[57:15] throughout this town that I was contacted by and I guess they came to

[57:18] me. I don't know if they came to everyone else too, but probably because

[57:22] of the the past experience what happened with my with my family on this and uh

[57:27] and where the the town droned my my family's property. Um, I mean, it was it

[57:34] was pretty pretty bad. Uh my my daughter-in-law was breastfeeding the

[57:38] baby and the drone was flying around the windows looking inside and it was the

[57:42] town drone. Um, now I wish we had more time to look

[57:47] into this tonight because we were handed this packet just today uh about the the

[57:54] new policy in place for drone use and and uh and I able to talk with the chief

[57:59] today and stuff and I believe there are some many many good benefits that that

[58:04] could be used from the drone. However, um I'm not going to sit there and and go

[58:09] against the will of the people who who contacted me and and asked me do not

[58:14] approve that for various reasons and it was including the uh the will of the

[58:19] people, their the privacy, the constitutional rights uh and and the

[58:23] misuse. They said we don't want that to happen to us. What happened to you? And

[58:28] um and but I wish we had time to educate people, educate me about it some more,

[58:34] my family about [clears throat] it some more.

[58:36] Um, I I didn't even tell my family about this coming up on the agenda tonight. I

[58:40] mean, my wife had a stroke last year at a board meeting. So, um, I'm not not

[58:45] even going to didn't want to talk about it with her. And so, I I feel that the

[58:50] the people that contact me probably represent a lot of people in this town

[58:53] who just don't call and speak up. Um, I I hear what the the chief was saying

[59:00] and and I I agree with him that there there's some benefits to this, but uh I

[59:07] I I feel like I have to represent the the people. They they were saying look

[59:11] the the verbal assurance is not a safeguard because if that limitation is

[59:15] genuine, the policy should plainly and unequivocally state that drones should

[59:19] not be used for code enforcement. Uh the the policy has been upgraded. It still

[59:25] doesn't say it won't be used for code enforcement, but there's catches and and

[59:28] and things in place now that weren't in place before or that would be in place.

[59:34] Um and uh and they said uh basically this

[59:38] is what their thoughts are. Our citizens should be able to live in their homes

[59:42] and enjoy their private property without concern that the town government may be

[59:45] watching or recording them from above or peeping in their windows such as what

[59:48] happened to my family and they were referring well they said your family.

[59:52] they and they feel that the benefits don't outweigh the risk to the

[59:56] constitutional protections, personal privacy, and public trust. Uh

[1:00:00] particularly given the town's prior droning incident. Um and again we have

[1:00:05] uh different people in charge now for myself but uh and so

[1:00:12] with that I mean the county went so far at that

[1:00:16] time to even put it on the permit application that you consented to have a

[1:00:21] have your property drone and photographed in order to get a permit.

[1:00:25] And that that was just uh that's just the propensity to abuse this uh

[1:00:31] technology is uh it's regretfully uh it happened here. Um I wish it didn't.

[1:00:38] Believe me, I wish it didn't. And uh and I uh

[1:00:45] and I wish I could uh vote both ways. Uh but I have to uh the people who contact

[1:00:51] me voted for me and I'm going to represent their their vote.

[1:00:55] And so that's that's where I stand on this. Okay.

[1:00:59] » Thank you for that opportunity to speak, mayor.

[1:01:02] » Anyone like to chime in next? Then we go down the line.

[1:01:05] » I will. Um, Chief, you mentioned Atlantic Beach has these systems. Do

[1:01:11] what other beach towns and what does the county have?

[1:01:17] » I was told by the chief down Shore, they actually have a ricotta system as well,

[1:01:22] but they just use it for data purposes. In other words, as a timeline, if there

[1:01:26] was a crime committed, then go back, pull up that timeline, and look at what

[1:01:29] vehicles went through there. This is basically what we're looking at on the

[1:01:33] on the LPR system. >> Do they have drones as well?

[1:01:37] » Not to my knowledge. The Morhead City Police Department has a drone system.

[1:01:41] Actually, I think it's like a 50 or $60,000 drone system. It's mounted on

[1:01:45] top of their station. They do crowd overwatch. They do whatever. They have a

[1:01:50] crime scene um that they deploy that as well. The

[1:01:54] Card County Sheriff's Office has a couple of drones that have are in

[1:01:58] operation for when they have a subject barricaded or whatever, they use it for

[1:02:02] that or whatever other needs they may have. But yes, ma'am.

[1:02:07] » And I'm sure you don't know this and you can get back to me.

[1:02:11] Based on those areas, the police and the county having those systems, has there

[1:02:16] ever been reports of abuse? >> No, ma'am. Not to my knowledge.

[1:02:21] » Okay.

[1:02:28] » Can I say something else? J, >> I apologize.

[1:02:31] » No, you're good. >> And I I told Rory this earlier today. I

[1:02:38] perfectly understand how you feel about that, Roy. I really, really do. If that

[1:02:42] was me, I feel the same way. That's why I work diligently and my staff has

[1:02:47] worked diligently to put parameters up, safeguards up to keep that from ever

[1:02:52] happening again. Is is everything foolproof? It's not.

[1:02:58] But we're striving to do the best we can.

[1:03:02] And I assure you that on my watch, it's not going to happen.

[1:03:07] But I just ask that the board just consider this if we need to look at this

[1:03:11] moving forward and educating. That's fine. I'm all about it.

[1:03:17] I'm all about it. And [snorts] I'll tell you this. I've already set aside I ain't

[1:03:21] saying anything to Frank. I might get in trouble later,

[1:03:25] but I've already set aside for September the 15th for our police educating the

[1:03:31] public as a as a educational day for the system I just talked about.

[1:03:38] Trying to help the people understand cuz I understand some of them don't have the

[1:03:42] full picture. They don't have the all the information and that'll be a grand

[1:03:46] opportunity for us to do so. >> Thank you, sir.

[1:03:50] » Thank you. Uh excuse my turn. >> Yeah. Uh two things real quick. I am

[1:03:55] going to leave. I have to meet a family need. Um I hear all points u all points

[1:04:00] of view that have been verbally expressed. Uh interested in hearing

[1:04:06] more. I won't share now which way I lean one way or the other. But I have a

[1:04:10] fairly strong uh initial viewpoint. Uh might surprise one or two people in the

[1:04:16] room and that's okay as well. Uh if there is a police educating the public

[1:04:22] session on this particular matter already in place, I think that's great.

[1:04:27] Um if it doesn't have to happen tonight, I

[1:04:31] also think that's great. Uh I look forward to hearing more

[1:04:37] viewpoints on one side of it or the other. Uh

[1:04:43] it is a slippery slope one way or the other. Uh, I've seen it go one way and

[1:04:49] the other and uh I'm willing to listen to all different

[1:04:56] points of view, left, right, up, down, in the middle,

[1:05:02] all that kind of stuff. I can tell you right now, I wouldn't be prepared to

[1:05:05] make a decision on it tonight. I'm not going to make a decision on it tonight.

[1:05:09] If my absence counts as a vote one way or the other, then I'm okay with that. I

[1:05:12] do have somewhere I have to be. And um if there's a an educational portion

[1:05:18] upcoming and it doesn't have to be tonight, I'm happy to attend that

[1:05:22] educational portion on the 15th. I'm happy to entertain and obviously sit in

[1:05:27] on a public hearing in the October meeting, which I obviously will be here

[1:05:31] for. U I don't feel prepared to make a call on

[1:05:35] it one way or the other tonight. I know which way I lean, but I'd like some more

[1:05:39] information and I'd like to hear more from the public on the matter. or I've

[1:05:43] had a couple of phone calls, but a couple doesn't constitute

[1:05:48] enough in my opinion to make a call one way the other regardless of which way I

[1:05:52] initially lean on it. So, uh, my viewpoint is I'm happy to hear more. I'm

[1:05:58] happy to learn more. I'd be happy at the next meeting to make a firm call on it

[1:06:03] one way or the other, whether my vote changes things or not. And, um, I'm

[1:06:08] going to leave you with that. I wish you all the best of luck with the uh

[1:06:12] committee uh procedures and appointments and um wish you all have a great night.

[1:06:18] Thank you. >> Thank you. [clears throat]

[1:06:23] » I know you want me to if I may please f

[1:06:28] » first and foremost uh Mrs. friendel, thank you for your generosity and for

[1:06:33] your intent with this and I'm very grateful for you and all of your family

[1:06:38] that uh you had a very >> just me. It was just me.

[1:06:42] » Okay. But the the outcome affected all your family is my point. And I'm glad

[1:06:47] that you are all able to to continue that and that it didn't end that day.

[1:06:54] » I I would have died that I left a lot out. We were seven miles we were seven

[1:06:59] miles out from shore in the camp loun um danger area and we would be dead

[1:07:06] kind of happy about the dance part. Thank you very much.

[1:07:13] » Absolutely. And and thank you. Um I know that we're we're only here to to

[1:07:20] vote on the budget amendment for this tonight. that's what's on the agenda in

[1:07:27] front of us. I too have re received some calls. Um I don't know what constitutes

[1:07:34] a lot. Um but I've received some calls and very I' I've re received far less on

[1:07:41] the drone use than I have that of the LPR. And I have a very thorough

[1:07:50] understanding of license plate readers and the different types. I know the

[1:07:57] difference between the flock and what we're looking at. But I can assure you

[1:08:01] that regardless of what was said here tonight, the general public does not and

[1:08:06] they don't understand that they're they're only buying into the national

[1:08:10] hype, which is it's all it's all over the news all the time. Uh just this week

[1:08:17] I believe um New Hover County dismissed their contract for the flock cameras

[1:08:25] simply because of what happened with the m misuse by law enforcement in Brunswick

[1:08:31] County. So the the policy is great. I applaud you for putting all the work

[1:08:37] into it, both of you, Frank and Jeff. Um, I think it's great, but I'm not

[1:08:44] comfortable and and it's below the threshold that we

[1:08:48] would have to approve the amount quite honestly, but

[1:08:53] I I would I would love to see more consideration given to public input and

[1:09:01] I appreciate what you're doing with the September 15th police educating the

[1:09:06] public, but I'd also like to that's in the in the morning. Um, I'd also like to

[1:09:11] see something done in the evenings and then possibly something done on a

[1:09:17] Saturday so that it gives ample opportunity for those who wish to be

[1:09:23] educated or share their input an opportunity. Um,

[1:09:32] that's it. >> All right. Well, I'd like to echo, thank

[1:09:37] you very much for the generous um gift and I'm

[1:09:44] generally um skeptical of any kind of passive surveillance. Um I worked in

[1:09:51] support of the intelligence community for about 35 years. I've seen things go

[1:09:55] horribly wrong and I'm by nature skeptical of all of that. And then I

[1:10:02] spent some time talking to the chief about this and the boundaries that have

[1:10:06] been set up. And I was not super happy with the draft of

[1:10:12] the policies that came out when the package came out, but having seen the

[1:10:16] work that's been done since then and the additional safeguards and and guard

[1:10:21] rails and all the rest of it, um, I feel a little bit better about it. I don't

[1:10:26] think it's possible to leverage technology that helps our officers and

[1:10:34] our first responders do their job super much more efficiently and effectively.

[1:10:40] There's no guarantee that something won't happen, but what you can do is

[1:10:44] absolutely minimize that, buy down the risk of such an occurrence while getting

[1:10:49] all the benefits of the um technology. I think the search and rescue use cases

[1:10:55] really sell themselves. Um, it could really it can absolutely, as we've seen,

[1:11:00] save somebody's life. And if it saves one person's life, that seems like a

[1:11:04] really big deal to me. And that offsets some of the small risk of a potential

[1:11:10] incident. And I lived through what you went through, Roy. like I I feel it, but

[1:11:17] I also don't want to have any kind of, you know, past bad actions taint our

[1:11:23] ability to leverage technology as it develops more and more year after year.

[1:11:29] So, um I am cautiously supportive of these two programs, but I think it's

[1:11:36] critically important to get buy in and education from the public. You know,

[1:11:41] when I woke up this part, one of the hardest things about this job is to

[1:11:44] remain open-minded. And when I woke up this morning, I was a reasonably firm no

[1:11:49] on either one of these technologies as it would be implemented until I had the

[1:11:54] opportunity to have a conversation with the folks that were actually going to be

[1:11:58] operating it and understanding what the guard rails are and what the real risk

[1:12:04] profile is is not zero and everybody needs to know that. But I think as

[1:12:08] Alicia pointed out and others, there's a lot of anxiety among our community

[1:12:14] folks. What is this? Why are you going to be watching my license? Why are you

[1:12:18] going to be reading my license plate? I understand if I go to a parking lot, I

[1:12:23] consent for you to read my license plate, but if I drive over the bridge,

[1:12:27] why do you need to know that I drove over the bridge? Um, those kinds of

[1:12:32] things. And when you talk to the chief and others about what it does it mean,

[1:12:38] it's like we might actually know that you went over the bridge, but nobody's

[1:12:41] going to look to see that you went over the bridge unless you got a body in the

[1:12:44] back of your car. There's some other reason that they're looking for you. So,

[1:12:49] I'm a huge fan of setting up some public engagement

[1:12:54] discussions. I think police educating the public is a natural uh forum for

[1:12:59] that. Uh, I didn't think about it, but I love the idea of morning, evening, and

[1:13:04] weekend to make it as accessible as possible. I'd also, frank, like to open

[1:13:09] it up so that it's an informational session, so as many of us as can attend

[1:13:14] will attend to be part of the discussion and to hear the concerns of the people

[1:13:18] that show up to talk about it. Um, my experience is somebody will come in and

[1:13:24] have an idea or a concern that none of us had thought about yet and that will

[1:13:28] be the the best idea that came out of this whole process. So, I'm a big fan of

[1:13:35] engaging the public. Again, I'm not philosophically opposed to using these

[1:13:41] technologies to make our first responders more efficient, effective,

[1:13:46] faster. Um, but I think we owe it to the town that we serve to engage them more

[1:13:52] before we implement it. And you, to your point, it's very gracious the amount of

[1:14:00] the gift. Um, but I think most important is to maintain the public trust and I

[1:14:06] you can't really put a price tag on that. So, I think that's the part we

[1:14:09] really need to get right before we proceed with this.

[1:14:15] I'd like to add that I please don't take my I I'm not against this concept. Um I

[1:14:24] I see value. However, I I I feel like the public feels they've been a little

[1:14:31] blindsided with with the short notice on it and and I'd really like to see all

[1:14:37] the information that's been shared with us, shared with others who have voice

[1:14:41] those opinions and just make sure that they all have an opportunity to share

[1:14:45] those thoughts. >> Yep. Well said.

[1:14:48] » Yeah, I agree with that. I think with with enough time that we Mike could put

[1:14:52] this community thing at rest with this and uh because I I really enjoyed our

[1:14:57] talk today with the manager and with the chief because um and I wish I had more

[1:15:01] time to read they updated the policy and you know because I read the first one

[1:15:04] and had some concerns and they addressed it immediately and and uh I wish I had

[1:15:08] more time to to look into it and and because I I do uh I mean I make prayer

[1:15:14] based decisions but I also make informed decisions and I haven't had a chance to

[1:15:18] fairly inform myself with this or uh and and then to talk to my constituents

[1:15:24] about the new changes. So, it's not really being fair to the town either

[1:15:28] that I haven't had a chance to talk to them. So, uh

[1:15:33] I hope we could postpone this or somehow or and because it is a generous gift and

[1:15:38] and I certainly I'm grateful for that. >> Yeah, I I think obviously you all are um

[1:15:45] have a common theme in your comments tonight. So, I think the appropriate

[1:15:48] thing for us to do would be to schedule those public information, public

[1:15:52] listening sessions u and then bring this back to you either at your October or

[1:15:56] your November meeting agenda. We'll try to get everything set up over the next

[1:15:59] few weeks. If we don't quite make it for October, we'll bring it back to you in

[1:16:02] November. And again, appreciate Miss Frantel and the the generous donation um

[1:16:06] and hopefully we put the funds to good use for the community, for the police

[1:16:10] department. So, unless somebody objects to that approach, we'll absolutely

[1:16:13] proceed in the manner suggested. I make a motion that this item be tabled for

[1:16:19] additional public input sessions to be hosted by the police department and with

[1:16:26] the opportunity that their information sessions in order for commissioners to

[1:16:31] attend because no action will be taken on behalf of the boards and that it be

[1:16:37] brought back and just to give everyone time to schedule everything and that

[1:16:42] we're not rushing it. Let's bring it back in November, please.

[1:16:47] » All those in favor? >> I

[1:16:50] » we will do that. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[1:16:59] » Yes. >> Protocol is whatever.

[1:17:02] » You can come up. You can come up

[1:17:06] » regarding regarding the finances. Yes. Because I make lots of donations. I'm

[1:17:10] very fortunate to do that. So, I'm always very specific. So if for whatever

[1:17:14] reason, and I respect that, the drone is, you know, a while, the money is

[1:17:19] still to go to the police department. >> So it's not a matter of, oh my gosh, we

[1:17:23] have to deny the money. No, please don't do that. So, [snorts] um,

[1:17:29] » and I don't want to offend anybody by saying this, but since I'm a visitor,

[1:17:33] I'm not someone who lives here, my understanding is the actual population

[1:17:37] of Emerald Isle is 4,200, something like that. And I know you were voted. I know

[1:17:42] you respond to your constituents. I get that. But what about the 30,000

[1:17:49] visitors that come and might have a problem? I understand exactly, you know,

[1:17:55] with the issue, the personal. My son has a drone and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what

[1:17:59] are you going to do with it?" But he hasn't he ran away so he just used it to

[1:18:04] try to find in a construction site tried to find the dog. Um, but I get it. But

[1:18:08] please think big picture. You're talking for 4,200 people. You're not talking on

[1:18:15] behalf of everybody else. >> So that's that's one of the things I

[1:18:19] sure say. >> Thank you. Should we um since she just

[1:18:25] explained to us that the donation does not have to go towards this equipment?

[1:18:29] Should we go ahead and make a motion to receive the funds?

[1:18:33] » Well, I think that we can receive the funds without a motion. The motion in

[1:18:37] front of us is to approve a budget amendment um to purchase the budget

[1:18:43] amendment. We purchase these. >> Okay.

[1:18:46] » Am I correct? >> Yeah. Yeah, you're you're correct. So

[1:18:49] essentially, in order to actually spend the funds, there has to be a budget

[1:18:53] appropriation and particularly given the sensitivity with these issues, I

[1:18:57] certainly don't want to spend those funds without your consent for these

[1:19:00] items. >> Okay, got it. Just wanted to be clear.

[1:19:02] Okay, thank you. Okay. So, moving on to agenda item

[1:19:07] number 14. Um, this is regarding a resolution to amend the rules of

[1:19:13] procedure regarding appointments to advisory boards. Would you like to give

[1:19:18] us a quick recap? >> Yeah. Um, briefly, the resolution uh, if

[1:19:22] adopted would amend rule 31 in your rules of procedure that has to do with

[1:19:26] appointments to advisory boards, committees, i.e. planning board, board

[1:19:30] of adjustment, uh, things of that nature. Um this resolution [snorts]

[1:19:34] uh if adopted would do three things. One is it would eliminate the current

[1:19:39] requirement for a roll call vote for appointments. Uh it would replace uh

[1:19:44] that with a process where you could use utili you could either utilize a motion

[1:19:50] um obviously followed by an affirmative vote of majority of the board

[1:19:53] commissioners uh or a written ballot for appointments. Practically speaking, we

[1:19:58] would recommend the use of the uh verbal motion and then the formal vote um for

[1:20:04] one individual appointment. If you have multiple vacancies and a large number of

[1:20:08] applicants, we would recommend the use of the written ballot as we've done in

[1:20:12] some recent uh appointment processes. Um and then finally, uh at at the May

[1:20:17] special meeting, uh the board authorized the mayor to break a tie in the case of

[1:20:21] an appointment. There's language in the proposed resolution that formalizes that

[1:20:25] so that that's clear the next time there's an issue for the planning board,

[1:20:29] the board of adjustment, etc. would apply to any appointment of the board.

[1:20:34] Um, if the board approves this, uh, it would be in place immediately upon

[1:20:38] adoption. Um, it is something that is not necessary. Um, the current process

[1:20:45] with the roll call votes is certainly legal, acceptable, is effective, works.

[1:20:50] um at times it can become a little bit confusing and a little bit burdensome.

[1:20:54] The intent behind the recommended amendment is to make it simpler and

[1:20:58] clearer to people. One thing that I want to make clear to the board and to the

[1:21:01] public is that there will always regardless whether you change the policy

[1:21:06] or don't change the policy, there will always be a record of who uh a

[1:21:11] particular individual voted for. So whether that's a roll call vote, you'll

[1:21:14] know that Commissioner Plum voted for so and so and Commissioner Wooten voted for

[1:21:18] so and so. If it's simply a motion, you will know that Commissioner Sanderson

[1:21:23] and Commissioner Brownlow voted for so and so. And certainly if it's a written

[1:21:27] ballot, your name will be on that. That's a public record. We'll announce

[1:21:31] the results of the uh ballot process for making appointments going forward. So

[1:21:35] it's all completely transparent. Uh it's all completely known. It's a matter of

[1:21:39] public record. we have to inform people how you voted on those kinds of

[1:21:43] procedures. So that would not change regardless. So the intent behind this is

[1:21:47] to make it simpler and easier for you all and for the public to understand and

[1:21:52] follow going forward. Um at the end of the day, it's your policy. So it is your

[1:21:56] decision whether or not you think this is the best way to go about these.

[1:21:59] Again, the intent is to hopefully make it easier and smoother uh in the future.

[1:22:04] So I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about this.

[1:22:06] » Thank you, Frank. Chris, would you like to ask any questions?

[1:22:11] » I um I like what you've put together here because I do feel like the roll

[1:22:15] call, especially when we have a lot of appointments, gets very clunky and

[1:22:21] it's not clear at all what we're doing. So, I think this simplifies the process

[1:22:25] and then we all know what's happening as well as the public.

[1:22:31] Yeah, I think it would be great and I don't recall having read this if it says

[1:22:37] or can it say that we p that we either read the results of the ballot. I

[1:22:42] think the written ballot is a much more efficient way to get it done a lot less

[1:22:47] confusing and more direct. But I also want to be sensitive and make sure

[1:22:51] people know who voted for whom uh as close to immediately after as possible.

[1:22:57] Um, so I think what you put together is a great compromise as long as we make it

[1:23:01] easy for people to know who voted for whom.

[1:23:05] » Absolutely.

[1:23:09] » Alicia, thoughts? >> Have none.

[1:23:12] » Okay, Roy. Um, yeah, I I spoke with uh Frank about it earlier today and uh the

[1:23:18] statute just requires that the uh written ballot be signed uh by the board

[1:23:22] member that that voted and um as long as that's uh done follow the the general

[1:23:27] statutes then I think it's a great idea. >> Yeah, I think it would make the process

[1:23:32] a lot a lot easier for us. Um okay, can we get a motion?

[1:23:39] Motion to adopt the resolution amending rules and procedures regarding

[1:23:42] appointments to advisory board. >> All those in favor?

[1:23:45] » I I >> I

[1:23:47] » Okay. All right. So, let's put this to action.

[1:23:52] We have some appointments to make um for the let's see for two additional

[1:23:58] individ individuals for the bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee.

[1:24:05] I make a motion to appoint Ken Ambrose and Tom Bonds to terms on the bicycle

[1:24:10] pedestrian advisory committee that would expired in expire in December 2028. Both

[1:24:17] are current members of the bicycle and pedestrian committee who would like to

[1:24:21] continue. >> All those in favor?

[1:24:23] » I. >> Okay. And we have one more um

[1:24:27] appointment to make today. Um, we need to appoint one individual to the Emerald

[1:24:31] Isle Parks and Wreck Association Board of Directors to serve on the remainder

[1:24:36] of an unexpired term that expires in [clears throat] August 2027.

[1:24:42] I would like to make a motion to adopt to uh nominate Walter Dwayne McDougall

[1:24:49] to fill the unexpired term of the on the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation

[1:24:53] Association Incorporated Board of Director that expired in August 2020.

[1:24:58] That expires in August 2027. >> You said nominate. Do we have to say

[1:25:02] appoint? I think >> Appoint. Make a motion to appoint.

[1:25:05] » Make a motion to appoint. Okay. >> All those in favor? I I

[1:25:10] » Okay. I I I did just want to add and town

[1:25:14] attorney pointed out to me that um because Jason departed the meeting, he

[1:25:17] will be counted as an affirmative vote for every decision from that moment. So

[1:25:22] he voted to table it with you in terms of the police donation and therefore

[1:25:27] voted to uh approve the resolution amending the rule of procedure as well

[1:25:31] as the appointment. So we'll record him as an affirmative vote. Does the board

[1:25:34] need to vote for the excused absence or >> he was present so it's not a complete

[1:25:40] absence? >> I remember when when uh Joy had her

[1:25:44] stroke and I had to leave in the middle of the meeting. I don't know if the

[1:25:46] board had to >> we excused you.

[1:25:50] » So I I don't know if we had to do that similar for Jason or not.

[1:25:56] » I I I think you certainly could have but obviously we did not. Yeah. Um,

[1:26:02] » can we retry that just to make sure it's all legal?

[1:26:04] » Well, I think you know I think the practical result is the same either way.

[1:26:08] I just wanted to simply point out to you how it would be recorded in the official

[1:26:12] votes that it so for example the resolution will show as a 50 vote as

[1:26:17] opposed to a 40 vote because of what our language is and the rules of procedure.

[1:26:20] So I think the practical result is that it won't change in the future. I think

[1:26:24] we certainly could excuse him if you all would like to do that.

[1:26:28] » Okay.

[1:26:31] Okay. So, now we have comments from the town staff.

[1:26:39] » No, Frank, >> you have some comments.

[1:26:42] » Uh, ju just a few things. Um, uh, we're currently soliciting bids for the 2026

[1:26:48] street resurfacing contract. And so, public works director Joe Smith is

[1:26:52] working on securing bids for that. We have a little under $200,000 available

[1:26:57] in the current year budget for that. We think that that'll get us maybe 1.3 1.4

[1:27:02] miles. We're trying to structure the package so that all the work is in a

[1:27:06] relatively close proximity in the hopes of getting a better uh price tag on

[1:27:11] that. So, we expect to put that recommendation on your agenda for

[1:27:14] October. Um, we also expect to bring you um a resolution authorizing a grant

[1:27:22] application to the NC DOT for the trolley service in the future. As I

[1:27:26] mentioned before, we've had some encouraging conversations. We think

[1:27:28] we've got an excellent chance of securing grant funding for that in the

[1:27:32] future. We'll also include kind of an overall summary of the past year. I've

[1:27:35] got some wrership data in there, but we can break it down in terms of the hours

[1:27:39] and so forth and maybe some potential changes to it next year if funding is

[1:27:43] provided. I mean, I think the concerns about um whether or not that's the best

[1:27:47] use of town funding certainly understandable and reasonable and

[1:27:51] ultimately it's up to the five of you, six of you to make that judgment as to

[1:27:55] where what we should spend our funds on, but we're trying to minimize any burden

[1:27:58] on the town going forward. Um happy to say that uh after probably three months

[1:28:05] longer than I thought, um FEMA has um authorized construction to begin on Fire

[1:28:10] Station 2. We made that request back in I think uh early May. Um so we expect to

[1:28:16] hopefully begin construction one day next week. Um so hopefully we'll see

[1:28:20] some activity out there. The fire department will relocate a few days

[1:28:23] before that to the temporary station on 24th Street. Um we also as wrapped up in

[1:28:29] that same transaction, um we've got the federal government's

[1:28:33] blessing on providing the earlier $1.2 $2 million reimbursement um that

[1:28:39] initially requested probably about a year and a half ago. We think um maybe

[1:28:44] up to 60 days to go through the rest of the process with the state and we'll

[1:28:48] have those funds in hand. So that will be a great uh boost to the town's uh

[1:28:51] cash balances. Um the red pump station uh met with the

[1:28:56] contractor last week. I expect them to begin work on the installation of that

[1:29:00] pipeline next week. So glad to see that moving forward. Also really happy to let

[1:29:04] you know that we've filled one of the two building inspector positions um with

[1:29:09] a very qualified individual with previous municipal building inspector

[1:29:13] experience, good customer service ethic and commitment. So um we still have one

[1:29:18] more position open. If anybody knows anyone, please tell them to apply. The

[1:29:21] the ad is on the town's website. Lots of other things in here. I'm happy to

[1:29:25] answer questions about these things or really anything that's on your mind uh

[1:29:29] with regard to the town.

[1:29:34] It was very comprehensive. So, I personally don't have any questions. Um,

[1:29:38] who would like to begin the around the table comments? Alicia, do you want to

[1:29:42] begin tonight? >> Just thank everyone for the in-depth

[1:29:46] discussions that we've we've had tonight. Again, thanks to Mrs. French

[1:29:50] Tell for the generosity that that she has offered the town. And um I I

[1:29:56] appreciate the dialogue among the board to make sure that we're we're addressing

[1:30:01] this from every angle. I I don't believe that there's anyone who's opposed to

[1:30:08] giving the police department or any department the most beneficial tools for

[1:30:14] their needs. But sometimes we we've got to address other issues as well. And

[1:30:21] it's a proven fact that policies are incredible, but people who do bad things

[1:30:30] do bad things. It's not a policy that does it, and it's not a piece of

[1:30:34] equipment that does it. It just happens. And I'm sure none of those set out with

[1:30:39] that intention, but it's life. Thank you.

[1:30:44] » Thank you, Jay. >> Yes, I would agree, Alicia. And thank

[1:30:48] you everybody for the good conversation. I know we'll end up in the right place

[1:30:53] and um we just need to make sure we do it thoughtfully and to come to the best

[1:30:59] outcome for the most people. It's unlikely that everyone will be happy,

[1:31:03] but we can see how close we can get. Um Mr. Willis, thank you for your comments

[1:31:09] at the beginning of the meeting. I agree. I am a proponent of the trolley

[1:31:14] in concept. I think it was worth doing for the first year to prove the concept

[1:31:19] that it could be done, but I don't think it's something that the town should be

[1:31:23] spending our own money and certainly not taxpayer money on. And I think that

[1:31:27] Frank and others have been working hard and Chris and and some others to line up

[1:31:33] funding other than uh taxpayer funding to keep it going. And my hope is that

[1:31:38] we'll get the benefits that you obviously know are possible without uh

[1:31:44] committing tax money that's paid by people that don't ever even look at the

[1:31:48] trolley, much less ride it. So, thank you for your interest and your comments.

[1:31:53] Um, the only other thing I want to put a plug in again for the Emerald Fishing

[1:31:57] Tournament, the captain's meeting on the 25th and the tournament on the 26th of

[1:32:02] September. It's always a good time. If you get a chance, if you don't fish at

[1:32:07] all, come by the weigh station in the afternoon. It probably starts at three

[1:32:11] as I recall. Um it's always a good time and you get to see people. And I

[1:32:17] remember last year I was amazed at the number of fish that came in. So, um come

[1:32:23] on out if you can and support that great cause. It raises money for scholarships

[1:32:27] for local kids. go >> in and the private visal auction

[1:32:30] midnight before >> because that's a big fundraiser

[1:32:33] » is yes that's a great point and that's usually really good food there too

[1:32:39] » yes >> that's all from me

[1:32:43] » all right um I'd like to praise and and thank our our staff our volunteers and

[1:32:49] and our residents for supporting our public safety and and our recreational

[1:32:53] uh department and the uh and I guess if I take away anything from tonight. It's

[1:32:58] about um large commitments and and important commitments like this just uh

[1:33:03] you know there's authority and accountability that needs to be taken up

[1:33:07] and and then proceeding with that and um and each month I try to recognize an

[1:33:16] important part of our town and uh you know what it's admin's turn this time

[1:33:19] he's you guys do a great job you know our manager our planner um even our

[1:33:24] legal counsel over there um uh you know everybody Everybody in that in that

[1:33:28] department over there at town hall just does a tremendous job and and we have

[1:33:32] the best commissioners notebooks ever put together [laughter] and uh our

[1:33:37] finances are in order and everything and and thank you Laura for all that. It's

[1:33:40] just uh we have a tremendous staff and I applaud you guys for the work you do.

[1:33:44] Thank you. >> Thank you Roy Chris.

[1:33:47] » Yeah. Um I just want to add that I don't know if you all saw it yesterday but the

[1:33:52] traffic leaving here was insane. So, we had an incredible summer. Um, and I just

[1:33:59] want to thank everyone that was a part of that, all of our staff. Um, I don't

[1:34:04] think there were any major incidents. I'm not aware of any. So, we had it was

[1:34:08] a good summer, good tourist season. Um, not to belabor the drone topic, the

[1:34:14] camera topic, but when we have these public sessions, please tell your

[1:34:18] friends, please tell our citizens, they have to come out. We don't know what

[1:34:22] everyone's thinking if you don't come out. So, please spread the word so we

[1:34:27] can make an informed decision. Thank you.

[1:34:30] » Okay. It was great meeting everybody. Um, we learned a lot. There was great

[1:34:34] discussions. Did you have something else?

[1:34:36] » No, I'm sorry. >> Raising your hand. Okay. Um, I just want

[1:34:39] to quickly thank the town for throwing a day for kids. Um, last weekend I

[1:34:43] attended with my children. I volunteered there and there were a ton of kids that

[1:34:47] came out and just really enjoyed all the free time, playtime, and actually

[1:34:52] spending really good quality time with their parents. So, it was a really nice

[1:34:55] event. Um, yeah, looking forward to the fishing tournament later in September. I

[1:35:01] have, um, the Northakota Mayor's Association fall meeting is, um, next

[1:35:07] week in Buffford, actually. So, I look forward to going to that and I bet we'll

[1:35:11] be talking a lot about cameras. So, um, it will be nice to hear other people's

[1:35:15] point of views. But, um, yeah. So, great evening everybody.

[1:35:19] » Also, just a reminder. >> Oh, you did mean to raise your hand.

[1:35:22] » I did. I I did because you um we all need to be reminded um that September

[1:35:29] 11th is approaching us very quickly and we just all need to be reminded to show

[1:35:36] our gratitude. >> Yes. Thank you.

[1:35:38] » Motion to adjurnn. >> All those in favor? I

[1:35:41] » I

Board Of Commissioners Meeting September 8 2026

Transcript