[3:46] We're going to call our meeting to order at this time

[3:49] for our September the 8th meeting of the Jones County Board of Commissioners.

[3:52] Thank you for being here.

[3:54] At this time, I would ask Vice Chair Dunn if he'd do the invocation for us.

[3:59] Thanks, Frank. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you again, Lord, for blessing

[4:03] us to assemble here. We ask for your guidance, your

[4:07] wisdom in carrying out the business for this county.

[4:10] We ask that you bless this nation, Lord, and just keep us in your will and in your

[4:14] way. We ask all things in Jesus' name. Amen.

[4:17] Amen.

[4:18] If you'll stand for the pledge.

[4:22] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United

[4:25] States of America, and to the republic for which it

[4:29] stands, one nation under God,

[4:33] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[4:37] Thank you.

[4:39] Do we have any public comment?

[4:43] No public comment.

[4:44] Thank you again. At this time, I'd entertain a motion on the approval of

[4:48] the agenda.

[4:50] I move.

[4:51] Second.

[4:52] Have a motion and a second. Any discussion, any changes? Nothing.

[4:56] All in favor?

[4:58] Aye.

[4:59] Motion carries.

[5:01] Okay. Dennis Register, are you here?

[5:05] How you doing tonight?

[5:08] You're going to give us something on the forest lands.

[5:11] Appreciate you being here.

[5:13] Thank you for having me this

[5:14] evening.

[5:22] As you all know,

[5:27] I've

[5:39] been

[6:07] Some negotiations with Senator Berger and Esther

[6:11] Oliver from staff

[6:15] Was, in fact, forestry firefighters.

[6:17] The staff you have on station here at Jones County, they received, in

[6:20] addition to the 3%, another 10% raise,

[6:24] which impacts the county budget significantly.

[6:27] So we've been asked to come back to Henry County commissioners to

[6:32] ask if we can re-amend the budget to reflect the increase in the salaries

[6:36] for these individuals.

[6:39] What it's looking like for Jones County is just a

[6:42] $11,132 increase in the salary on the county

[6:46] side. State side would be

[6:48] $20,674.

[6:51] And so we're respectively asking to increase your budget

[6:55] by $11,000.

[6:59] Okay. So we need to entertain a motion on that.

[7:04] So moved.

[7:05] Second.

[7:06] Got a motion and a second. Is there any discussion as to why increase

[7:10] instead of decrease?

[7:13] We know why.

[7:15] Hearing none, all in favor?

[7:18] Aye.

[7:18] Motion carried. We appreciate what you guys do.

[7:20] Thank you, sir.

[7:21] Thank you very much.

[7:23] How many other

[7:25] things did they slip in on us, Kyle, besides this?

[7:31] Other one I've heard of, several.

[7:33] We had the 177,000, didn't we? That came in

[7:37] on us.

[7:37] Yeah.

[7:38] Yeah.

[7:38] This is going to be 80.

[7:39] Yeah.

[7:41] Okay. National

[7:43] Senior...

[7:48] Laura? How are you doing?

[7:50] I'm good. I hope you all are. Thank you all for having me.

[7:54] For anybody that doesn't know me, I'm Laura Andrews.

[7:56] I am the nutrition program administrator with Jones County Senior

[8:00] Services,

[8:01] here to talk about the National Senior Center Month.

[8:06] We have 170 senior centers in 96

[8:10] counties.

[8:12] Governor Josh Stein officially proclaimed on September

[8:16] 1st, 2026,

[8:19] that September will be National Senior Center

[8:23] Month,

[8:25] which is awesome.

[8:27] I am pleased to have the opportunity to recognize National Senior Center Month and

[8:31] to share why this month is so important to our community.

[8:36] National Senior Center Month is a time to recognize the important role senior

[8:40] centers play in helping other adults live healthier, more

[8:43] connected, and more meaningful lives.

[8:47] Senior centers are much more than buildings where

[8:50] programs and activities take place.

[8:52] They are places where relationships are built, where people find support,

[8:56] where new friendships begin, and where older adults can remain active and

[9:00] engaged in their communities.

[9:03] In many ways, senior centers are where happier,

[9:06] healthier birthdays happen.

[9:09] Every day, senior centers provide opportunities for connection and community.

[9:13] They offer programs that support physical and mental well-being, provide

[9:17] opportunities for learning and creativity, connect

[9:21] individuals with important benefits and resources, and

[9:25] help people remain engaged in an increasingly digital

[9:28] world.

[9:30] They also provide support for caregivers and families,

[9:33] and perhaps most importantly, they create a welcoming place where people know they

[9:37] belong.

[9:39] The impact of that work reaches far beyond the doors

[9:43] of a senior center. When older adults have opportunities to

[9:47] participate and connect, they are less likely to experience

[9:51] isolation. They are more likely to stay active, build

[9:54] relationships, maintain their independence, and have access to resources

[9:58] that can help them navigate life's challenges.

[10:02] And when older adults are supported, our entire community benefits.

[10:07] Families have stronger support systems, communities

[10:10] become more connected, people are able to remain active and

[10:14] involved, and older adults have more opportunities to

[10:17] continue contributing their experience, knowledge, talents,

[10:21] and time to the community they call home.

[10:24] Across the country, more than 10,000 senior centers are helping make healthier

[10:28] and more connected lives possible every day.

[10:31] National Senior Center Month gives us an opportunity to make that work

[10:35] visible and help our community better understand what senior centers

[10:39] really provide.

[10:40] It also is an opportunity to recognize that partnerships that make

[10:44] this work possible are volunteers, staff, community

[10:48] organizations, service providers, families, and local leaders.

[10:52] As commissioners, you have an important role in recognizing and supporting

[10:55] services that strengthen our community.

[10:58] Senior centers are one of those services.

[11:01] They help people age with dignity, purpose, independence, and

[11:05] connection. So this month, I hope we take a moment

[11:09] not only to celebrate our senior center and the people who walk through those

[11:13] doors, but also to recognize the value that older adults bring to

[11:17] our community every single day. National Senior Center Month is

[11:21] about more than celebrating a place.

[11:24] It is about celebrating people, relationships, independence, and the

[11:27] opportunity to continue living a healthy and meaningful life at

[11:31] every age. Senior centers help turn everyday support into

[11:35] healthier, more connected, and happier years.

[11:38] Thank you for allowing me to recognize National Senior Center Month

[11:42] today, and thank you for your continued support of our older

[11:46] adults in our community.

[11:49] Appreciate it.

[11:50] Thank you, guys.

[11:52] Thank you.

[11:54] Yeah, we all are part of that group.

[12:01] Okay, we have National Environmental Health Day. Can I have Ms.

[12:05] Yarborough, is that correct?

[12:06] Yes.

[12:08] How are you, Deborah?

[12:12] Perfect. So this is actually World Environmental Health Day.

[12:16] It's a global observance dedicated to raising awareness about the

[12:20] critical connection between human health and the environment.

[12:23] Just like the rest of public health, our main purpose is prevention of disease,

[12:27] and this year's theme of standing with science to protect

[12:32] communities

[12:34] does reflect our goals.

[12:40] So there are key messages that aren't very

[12:44] clear,

[12:45] but they are key.

[12:47] I'm sorry about that. But the-

[12:50] It's not.

[12:52] All right. Well, the key messages are environmental health practice is

[12:56] evidence-based public health action, and that

[13:00] science protects communities from environmental risks.

[13:03] And then, there it is, the environmental health professionals are that

[13:07] bridge between science and implementation.

[13:11] Most of our implementation does involve the laws and rules associated with the

[13:15] programs we enforce or are otherwise involved with, but the rules are

[13:19] almost always based on science.

[13:23] So

[13:24] our

[13:25] programs in North Carolina and Jones County in environmental health

[13:29] includes our food, lodging, and institutions.

[13:32] There's actually-- And as well as our on-site wastewater treatment and disposal,

[13:36] private drinking water wells, childcare and school

[13:39] sanitation, public swimming pools, childhood lead poisoning

[13:43] prevention, and tattoos. We do all of these in

[13:47] Jones County, except for tattoos. But we're ready.

[13:49] If anybody wants to have a tattoo parlor, they can come see me.

[13:57] Between the three environmental health staff members, we are authorized in all of

[14:00] the programs, but I am working on an additional swimming pool authorization, and we

[14:04] have an associate, which is different than a specialist, that's working toward

[14:08] authorizations, and I'll talk about that in just a moment.

[14:11] Of course, our busiest programs are on-site wastewater treatment and disposal and

[14:15] our retail food, childcare, and school inspections.

[14:17] But we do have public swimming pool in Maysville now that has to have

[14:21] a permit and at least annual inspections.

[14:24] And we also have had children with elevated lead

[14:28] levels that we go and try to find the sources of lead in that child's environment.

[14:34] As far as environmental health professionals in North Carolina and Jones

[14:38] County,

[14:39] environmental health professionals get authorized to work in specific programs in

[14:43] environmental health, and uphold the associated laws and

[14:47] rules. The health director actually has the obligation to enforce these

[14:51] environmental health laws and

[14:54] working with the North Carolina Environmental Health Section regional environmental

[14:58] health consultants,

[15:00] that authority is delegated to local staff after we've proven that we're

[15:03] knowledgeable in the different program areas.

[15:07] We have an environmental health specialist.

[15:10] We have to have at least a four-year degree with 30 hours of science

[15:14] before we can become an intern. Then we're an intern for one to four years

[15:18] before becoming a registered environmental health specialist.

[15:21] We take at least 15 hours of approved continuing education yearly,

[15:25] mostly on environmental health or public health topics.

[15:27] But we also have the-- Oh, and we have a part-time supervisor.

[15:31] That's me. We have a part-time employee who, unfortunately, Chris's

[15:35] last day was this past Friday, so that's an open position at this moment.

[15:39] But we do have a contractor who works full-time in Onslow County, Erin,

[15:43] and she comes here,

[15:45] when she's not there.

[15:47] So we've been able to keep up, but we

[15:51] fear we might get a little bit behind, but we have something in the works

[15:55] coming along. We have an associate.

[15:59] It's another track for people that

[16:03] aren't able to become a full REHS. They will be able

[16:07] to enforce environmental health programs, but they are restricted

[16:11] from doing everything an environmental health specialist can do.

[16:14] But for on-site wastewater, I do believe Michael Benfield will be able to do

[16:18] a lot of the applications that come in.

[16:21] So hopefully, once he's authorized, which hopefully will be at the end of

[16:25] this month, we've turned in all the paperwork, and we have a date for the regional

[16:28] environmental health-- Nope, the regional soil scientist to come work with him to

[16:32] make sure he is knowledgeable enough to be able to work independently.

[16:36] Then, again, I'm hoping a lot, but I hope that

[16:40] our backlog does not build up too much.

[16:46] And then, so we have our professionalism

[16:50] before we even get out there to do any of the work, and

[16:54] then we work hard to maintain our professionalism.

[16:56] Right now, that's coming from a few different

[16:59] ways

[17:01] to maintain our high level of professionalism. It does start with our staff.

[17:05] One member of our staff I didn't mention is our permits technician.

[17:08] I think we've all had to learn a lot about what this position does for

[17:11] environmental health. Jessica Kennedy is great,

[17:15] but there's a lot on her plate to learn a lot of the ins and outs

[17:19] of environmental health. And, we've all been working as a team

[17:23] so that she learns, and she's doing well,

[17:27] but that she learns and that our public get consistent, correct

[17:30] information on how they can develop their land or do other

[17:34] aspects involving the on-site wastewater program especially.

[17:40] But it is an ongoing project. Another aspect to

[17:44] promote professionalism in Jones County is our quality assurance.

[17:48] All of our environmental health programs, those seven programs that I talked about,

[17:52] we all have our individual quality assurance programs now.

[17:55] The state

[17:57] required us to develop these programs, I

[18:00] think partly because of Tort Claims Act, in order

[18:04] to defend counties if there's a tort

[18:07] claim. The state wanted to at least have some

[18:11] kind of report that shows the county is doing what they're supposed to be

[18:15] doing.

[18:17] And on-site wastewater definitely was ...

[18:19] a big program where they were having to pay out to different areas.

[18:24] So,

[18:26] it became quite expensive for the state to cover, so they wanted some oversight.

[18:30] We've developed plans before the beginning of this year, and then in

[18:34] January, we'll start turning in that annual report, and then annually ever

[18:38] after that. So, that gives us a time to stand back and look at

[18:42] what's going on in our program, and we have some oversight over each

[18:46] other's work to make sure that we're in agreement.

[18:50] In addition, the Retail Food Protection program has received grant funding from the

[18:53] FDA since '22 to improve our program and reduce

[18:58] the risk of foodborne illnesses in restaurants and other food establishments.

[19:01] That's the main goal of the Food and Drug Administration, but they've given us

[19:05] quite a bit of money to be able to help just with our less than

[19:09] 40 restaurants and other establishments that we

[19:12] regulate. And then lastly, the local health department

[19:16] goes through an accreditation program.

[19:19] We are going to be getting reaccredited this

[19:23] January or February. And

[19:27] before that happens, the state comes and does a four-year

[19:31] review of our program to see if we are in

[19:34] compliance with the regulations.

[19:36] So, that makes us look at our program too.

[19:40] So, it helps with that consistency and that

[19:42] professionalism.

[19:45] And for environmental health, not only do we have our programs, but we,

[19:49] because of our grants and our outside activities, we're actually able to

[19:53] provide some evidence to meet some requirements

[19:57] for other activities that aren't necessarily just associated with environmental

[20:01] health. So, I really do appreciate the opportunity to talk about

[20:04] professionalism. That's not something that we always get the time to talk about, so

[20:08] thank you very much.

[20:10] Do you have any questions?

[20:11] Gentlemen?

[20:13] No.

[20:13] We're good. All right. Thank you.

[20:15] Thank you.

[20:16] Thank you.

[20:17] Thank you, Ms. Overall.

[20:20] Now we have Mr. Meadows with our Juvenile Crime Prevention Council

[20:24] funding.

[20:26] Is that decrease?

[20:27] Increase.

[20:28] Okay, that's what I thought.

[20:30] Just by a few.

[20:32] Go ahead.

[20:32] Hope everybody's doing well tonight.

[20:34] Very.

[20:35] So, what we're going to ask is for you to consider a resolution supporting

[20:39] an increase in state funding allocated to counties for Juvenile Crime

[20:43] Prevention Council programs. JCPC allocations,

[20:47] they have not received a legislative increase since fiscal year

[20:51] 2020/21. But there's been significant increases in staffing,

[20:55] transportation, supplies, and other

[20:57] delivery costs.

[20:59] The resolution urges the North Carolina Department of Public Safety

[21:02] Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to provide an

[21:06] adequate and timely funding increase so counties can

[21:10] continue delivering essential prevention, intervention, and diversion services

[21:13] to juveniles and their families.

[21:17] You all have the resolution?

[21:20] Yes.

[21:20] Yeah. So, if we could get your support with that, we'd really

[21:23] appreciate it. JCPC, we do some really good things,

[21:27] and hopefully have your support to continue to move forward.

[21:31] And the next thing was board appointments.

[21:34] In an effort to fill remaining vacancies and strengthen the membership of JCPC,

[21:38] we're requesting the approval of the following appointments.

[21:41] We'd like to move Chris Henderson to the district attorney or designee position.

[21:45] This would open the commissioner appointee position currently held by Mr.

[21:48] Henderson,

[21:49] which should provide greater flexibility in filling the remaining vacancies.

[21:53] And then we'd also like to appoint Beverly Hines, she's a pillar of the community,

[21:56] as a nonprofit representative, replacing Doris Harris.

[22:00] Following these changes, the JCPC will have four remaining vacancies only: juvenile

[22:04] defense attorney, business community representative, and two commissioner

[22:07] appointees.

[22:10] So, with your permission, we'd like to make those changes.

[22:14] Okay. We need a motion on that.

[22:16] Yes. So moved.

[22:18] Second.

[22:19] So, a motion on the resolution here-

[22:20] Both. Yeah, both

[22:23] Yeah. So, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

[22:28] Hearing none, all in favor?

[22:30] Aye.

[22:31] Aye.

[22:31] Motion carries. Congratulations.

[22:33] All right. Thank you.

[22:34] Have a good night.

[22:35] Mm-hmm.

[22:36] You too.

[22:39] Now we have our soil and water conservation update with Blair King.

[22:42] How you doing, Blair?

[22:43] Good. How are y'all?

[22:44] Good.

[22:46] I wanted to give an update for soil and water for 2025 to

[22:50] 2026.

[22:57] Second one.

[23:02] We received six cover crop

[23:05] contracts,

[23:07] or applications, and we only received

[23:10] $47,491 in cost share funds from the

[23:14] state last year, which was not enough to cover the six

[23:17] applications. So, I requested and secured an additional

[23:21] $18,940 for those applications, so we

[23:25] were able to fund those applications for a total of

[23:28] $66,431.

[23:33] How'd it farm with your tractor?

[23:34] Skip

[23:35] that one.

[23:37] They didn't even know how that went.

[23:40] I also attained job approval authority for nutrient management, which

[23:43] expanded the district's ability to provide technical assistance to local

[23:47] farmers. And it also gives the district more local capacity to

[23:51] assist farmers with planning and conservation implementation without

[23:55] waiting on outside technical

[23:58] support.

[23:59] And a supervisor and myself also spot checked 10-year

[24:03] contracts to make sure that they were in compliance with the program

[24:07] rules.

[24:11] I secured funding through the North Carolina Foundation of Soil and Water

[24:14] Conservation for a no-till drill.

[24:17] With that grant, I hosted a demonstration day at the civic center for

[24:20] producers in the community. We have rented the drill

[24:24] out to three local producers since then, and I also

[24:28] used the drill for the Jones County Heritage Festival

[24:34] Education and community outreach.

[24:36] We had 127 students last year participate in the Soil and Water

[24:40] Conservation Education Contest.

[24:43] Myself, along with NRCS, participated in the high school

[24:47] career day event at Jones Senior, and I also continue my

[24:51] participation in the North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation annual

[24:54] meeting and the conservation employees training activities, which I will

[24:58] also be attending again in October.

[25:05] District funding has increased over the past five years, this year being the most

[25:09] we've ever received, $64,957

[25:13] in cost share funds. Each year, I've continued to request additional

[25:17] funding when program needs and opportunities arise.

[25:20] Additional funding has allowed the district to put more money into conservation

[25:24] practices, expand services to local producers, obtain

[25:28] equipment, increase education outreach, and build stronger

[25:32] community partnerships.

[25:36] This slide has actually changed. We actually got a

[25:40] $1,000 sponsorship just the other day.

[25:42] So, I did get

[25:45] $17,200 in sponsorships for the Heritage

[25:49] Festival this year, which exceeded my goal of $10,000.

[25:53] Awesome. Mm-hmm.

[25:55] And moving forward, I will continue pursuing additional funding and grant

[25:59] opportunities, continue expanding services available to Jones County

[26:03] producers, continue investing in conservation

[26:06] education and community outreach, and I'll make every dollar

[26:10] allocated to the district work towards measurable results for Jones County.

[26:15] Awesome.

[26:15] Thank y'all.

[26:16] You're getting the money, girl. That's good.

[26:17] Did y'all hear that, guys?

[26:19] Thank you.

[26:19] What did you plant with the drill?

[26:21] Sunflowers that are dead.

[26:26] That's what I figured.

[26:26] It's been a rain too.

[26:28] Yeah. Thank y'all.

[26:29] Got to have a little help, had you?

[26:31] That's right.

[26:32] Thank you so much.

[26:33] Very good. Good job.

[26:34] Okay. Jones County water system update, Public Works

[26:38] Director Garrett Harvard. How you doing, Garrett?

[26:42] Good, good.

[26:42] How are you?

[26:42] All right.

[26:43] Good.

[26:44] Glad y'all could have me down here tonight.

[26:46] I'd like to start off by saying,

[26:48] in August, we sent two of our operators to the North Carolina Water

[26:52] Treatment Facility Operator Certification Board.

[26:55] It's a mouthful, but that's what they're called.

[26:58] Noah Mercer went and took his B well exam, passed it.

[27:02] Clayton Rich went and took his C distribution exam. He passed it.

[27:05] So we've gotten two more certified operators on staff.

[27:07] Oh, good.

[27:09] We know that we have had some concerns about our sampling of our water,

[27:13] so I wanted to come down tonight and just give a brief overview of what we do.

[27:16] So daily, we're out in the Jones County Water System.

[27:20] We're not only sampling at the eight wells that we have and the one water treatment

[27:24] plant. We're going out. We've got a distribution

[27:27] sampling plan, which includes various businesses,

[27:31] churches, and residences scattered all the way across Jones County.

[27:35] So every day, there's a sample taken somewhere in the

[27:39] system, and we're sampling chlorine.

[27:41] On a monthly basis, we're going out to these same sites.

[27:44] We're pulling bacteriological samples to make sure nothing is growing in the

[27:47] distribution system itself. At the same time, we're still sampling the wells

[27:51] and the treatment plant every single day.

[27:54] Then on a course of

[27:57] guidance from the state,

[27:59] we are sampling over three-year periods for inorganics

[28:03] and secondaries. These two items are what you see when people complain

[28:07] about staining on their fixtures. You see the iron stains.

[28:10] You see the manganese stains. You see the stains from the sodium.

[28:13] We do have some staining from sodium from the treatment process we do at our water

[28:17] treatment plant. Our treatment plant removes

[28:21] hardness from the raw water that we pull out of the wells.

[28:24] So after we've removed the hardness, it exchanges it for some free sodium that we

[28:28] use just like a standard household water softener does if you installed one at your

[28:32] home. So these levels are well within safe limits

[28:35] given to us by the state and by the EPA.

[28:40] We sample for nitrates. We do those annually.

[28:43] That is something, nitrates are very dangerous.

[28:45] We've never had an exceedance for a nitrate.

[28:48] We've never had an exceedance for a radionuclide, which are radioactive

[28:52] materials which can occur in groundwater.

[28:54] We've never had an exceedance for SOCs, which are your pesticides and manmade

[28:58] chemicals, agricultural products, things like that.

[29:01] And we also test for VOCs, which are your fuels, your

[29:05] chemical solvents, and things like that, of that nature.

[29:08] The state and the EPA has us on a very stringent testing

[29:12] schedule, and I'm proud to say that our Jones County water is safe according

[29:16] to national and state drinking water standards.

[29:21] Good job.

[29:22] That's it.

[29:23] Mm-hmm.

[29:24] If anybody's got any questions, I'll be glad to answer them.

[29:26] Keep the water flowing for us.

[29:28] Keep the water flowing.

[29:29] Keep us safe.

[29:30] Yes, sir. Will do.

[29:31] Thank you.

[29:32] Thank you. Good job.

[29:33] Yes, sir. Thank y'all.

[29:34] Thanks, Garrett.

[29:36] Awesome.

[29:36] You haven't seen any boats coming loose anywhere down the road, have you?

[29:40] Just in the past few minutes.

[29:45] So,

[29:46] we have Clement Jeffries, our tax administrator, who's going to give us some good

[29:50] news.

[29:52] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good evening, everyone.

[29:54] Good evening.

[29:55] I'm here tonight to present the resolution that we discussed at the last

[29:59] public meeting,

[30:01] which is a resolution revising Jones

[30:05] County's schedule for reappraisal of real

[30:07] property. The resolution

[30:12] authorizes the advancement of the 2030

[30:15] reappraisal by one year to January the 1st,

[30:19] 2029, in accordance with the provisions

[30:23] of North Carolina General Statute

[30:26] 105-286A3,

[30:32] and that after the 2029 reappraisal, the

[30:36] county will assume a schedule of reappraising

[30:40] real property every four years

[30:43] With the next reappraisal occurring in

[30:46] 2033, and every four years

[30:50] thereafter.

[30:53] The county manager,

[30:55] clerk,

[30:57] tax administrator, and county attorney are

[31:00] authorized to take all the actions necessary to accomplish

[31:05] the purposes of this resolution, including the

[31:09] forwarding of the resolution to the local government division

[31:13] of the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

[31:16] So, I present this resolution to you for you to vote on

[31:20] tonight. If you got any questions, I'd be glad to answer.

[31:23] Okay. Entertain a motion.

[31:26] So moved. Second.

[31:27] Have a motion and a second. Any more discussion, questions?

[31:32] Hearing none, all in favor?

[31:33] Aye.

[31:34] Aye.

[31:34] Motion carries.

[31:36] That's all I had tonight.

[31:37] Thank you.

[31:38] Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

[31:40] No problem.

[31:42] Jennifer King on administrative update. How are you doing, Ms.

[31:46] King?

[31:47] Good evening. I'm good. How are y'all?

[31:48] Good.

[31:49] Good.

[31:50] All right. Got a few updates for you guys tonight.

[31:52] The Urgent Repair Program, we've started accepting applications for that

[31:56] program on September the 1st.

[31:59] All applications and the requested materials that go with them

[32:03] are due back at the county manager's office September the 30th.

[32:06] We've already received back 11 applications already,

[32:10] this early into September.

[32:13] Applications can be picked up here from the county manager's office.

[32:16] They can be printed from the website under the Urgent Repair Program, or

[32:20] they can be picked up at DSS or the senior center.

[32:24] No applications will be accepted after the deadline, so 5:00 p.m.,

[32:28] September 30th.

[32:30] The DOT Pedestrian Safety Project, Jones County has sponsored and

[32:34] submitted this project request through North Carolina DOT's Pedestrian

[32:38] Safety Project for funding at both the Brock Mill Pond

[32:42] and the new accessible park location.

[32:45] So, this would be for additional pedestrian safety equipment at

[32:49] those two locations.

[32:52] We didn't actually request a specific thing.

[32:56] There was an option to have the DOT evaluate

[33:00] to see what would work best at those locations, so that's what we did.

[33:04] Project selection is expected to be in

[33:06] November. And then the Harold H. Bate

[33:10] funding request, we plan to put in a grant

[33:14] application to Harold H. Bate Foundation for a basketball

[33:18] court at the accessible park location.

[33:21] The awards for that will be after their November meeting.

[33:25] So hopefully, in November, we'll be having a basketball court

[33:29] grant approved so we can put that out there for our

[33:32] citizens. I did attend the Part F Selection

[33:35] Committee meeting in Raleigh on August the 28th.

[33:38] So we had put in for a half a million dollar grant for the

[33:41] accessible park, and unfortunately we were not funded.

[33:45] We were tied for last place.

[33:48] We were tied for partial funding for last place, so- How

[33:51] many applications were submitted?

[33:55] What? There was 40-something out of- Oh, yes ...

[33:58] so you're not tied for last overall No, yeah.

[34:01] We were tied for the last funding spot. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Smith.

[34:06] We were tied for the last position that would be funded.

[34:09] Oh, I was talking to the

[34:10] That wasn't very nice.

[34:11] Yeah, no. So we didn't come in last. They had 45 applications.

[34:15] We didn't come in last, though.

[34:16] He's used to using that scenario in his fishing tournaments.

[34:20] There you go. He's like, "Hold up."

[34:24] I wasn't last

[34:24] I was like, "What did I say?"

[34:26] But I did attend in person so that I could hear

[34:29] specific information on what they use, what criteria they're looking for,

[34:35] what maps they like the best even. So I think we've got

[34:38] information to move forward with the next round,

[34:42] to put it together an even more attractive application.

[34:45] And I think we can get funded. I

[34:47] shook some hands and met some really intelligent people while we were down there,

[34:51] and had a couple of folks that were really rooting for us.

[34:54] I had one lady come to me and say, "We know Jones County.

[34:57] There ain't nothing in Jones..." I said, "There is."

[35:01] "We want more."

[35:02] So we were encouraged to apply again for the next round, and

[35:06] we will do that.

[35:09] If we get funded for the next cycle, then this would be our third major parks

[35:13] grant that we've received through the Parks and Rec Trust Fund program

[35:17] in recent years for a total of $1.4 million through them.

[35:21] So we are very

[35:23] blessed and thankful for them.

[35:26] NCACC, a couple of you guys were at the

[35:30] NCACC conference where our consolidated team...

[35:33] I wanted to show y'all our award. We've talked about the Community

[35:37] Closet Civic Excellence in Innovation award.

[35:40] The state had 55 applications for that program.

[35:44] They chose 11, and Jones County was one of them.

[35:46] So, wanted to show that off and get a picture maybe after the meeting with you guys

[35:51] with that award. So that

[35:53] award represents over 800 hours of volunteer service

[35:57] throughout the last year for that Community Closet, and thousands upon

[36:01] thousands of pieces of clothing that have been donated.

[36:04] So, we're proud of that.

[36:06] Yeah.

[36:07] The health department will hold a rabies vaccine clinic on Saturday,

[36:11] October 3rd, from 9:00 to noon.

[36:14] We do have a

[36:17] link that we'll share again tonight for people to click and tell us how

[36:20] many doses that they're expecting to come.

[36:23] You don't have to have your name on that list in order to come get your vaccine,

[36:27] but it does give us an opportunity to make sure we've got enough doses, hopefully,

[36:31] for everybody that shows up. I think we've got about... What's the number, Inga?

[36:34] We got about 60 doses that have

[36:38] been requested so far for that rabies clinic.

[36:42] Now, as you guys know, we've had a couple of raccoons that have tested

[36:46] positive for rabies, and then there was another county in the state that had the

[36:50] rabid baby goats. So,

[36:52] definitely, if you have animals, make sure they're vaccinated.

[36:55] You said baby goats?

[36:56] Baby goats.

[36:57] Mm-hmm.

[36:58] Mm-hmm. I think there was two baby goats.

[37:00] No, never heard anything like that

[37:04] Okay. And then if anybody wants to call

[37:08] him and get more information about that, they can call the health department.

[37:12] Jones County DSS and Senior Services recently closed out our digital inclusion

[37:16] grant, and we have already begun offering technology classes for

[37:19] seniors at the senior center, and we will offer those classes

[37:23] monthly. And after the meeting, we offer one-on-one

[37:27] tech support for the seniors. Seniors have really seemed to like this.

[37:32] We've been able to help some folks block some spam callers.

[37:37] We had one senior who wanted to block all the calls, but-

[37:41] We have had some seniors that have really been...

[37:44] People get your number, and my mama had 25 phone calls in

[37:48] one day. I was like: "Let me see your phone." So now she looks at it and says, "I

[37:51] would've had 31 calls if you hadn't have fixed my phone." So, we

[37:55] do plan to work with them every month on a different topic.

[37:59] This past topic was

[38:01] cell phones. So,

[38:04] a special thank you to the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments for partnering

[38:07] with Jones County to provide that service through the BAND NC

[38:11] Digital Inclusion Program.

[38:13] Mm-hmm.

[38:14] And does anybody have any questions about any of that? I know it was a lot.

[38:18] No, I have just a quick comment about the senior center.

[38:22] I think it's

[38:24] has really been elevated

[38:27] in the activity and what I see out there from the time I joined

[38:31] three, four, five years ago till to current day.

[38:34] So, my hat's off to all those that play the role in that.

[38:39] And secondly, you said when you went to the party thing, you met a lot of smart

[38:42] people.

[38:44] I submit that they also met a smart person.

[38:48] Well, thank you.

[38:48] And lastly, I'd like to applaud Kyle for...

[38:51] I think it's important and smart to go to these grants

[38:55] sessions

[38:57] that's being administered and learn what the criteria is and

[39:01] what the judges are really looking for.

[39:03] I think that gives you a leg up in the process.

[39:06] So I applaud the county manager for even thinking along those lines.

[39:09] So job well done.

[39:10] Thank you. We knew it was going to be a long shot with that one,

[39:14] because Western North Carolina got 10 extra points, I think,

[39:19] in their application for obviously Helene and all the things

[39:23] that they've been through. So we knew it was going to be a long shot, but we went

[39:26] for it anyway.

[39:27] And we

[39:29] about topped our points out, so we were grateful for that. Ms.

[39:32] Ellen is doing a great job with the senior center.

[39:35] She's good leadership there. And I don't know if you all have seen the commercial.

[39:39] I'll send it to you in an email. We've got a commercial for the senior center-

[39:42] For the senior center

[39:43] ... Ms. Ellen did.

[39:44] Hell yeah. Wow.

[39:45] Yeah. So I'll make sure you guys get that in an email.

[39:48] It's on our website, too, under the senior center if y'all want to go look at that.

[39:51] Ms. Ellen did a really good job.

[39:54] Anything else?

[39:54] I saw it.

[39:55] Did you?

[39:55] It's nice, yeah.

[39:57] I just didn't see Harper out there dancing.

[40:01] Mr. Harper-

[40:01] I saw a lot of familiar faces, though

[40:03] ... Mr. Harper was the one trying to get all his calls cut off.

[40:09] All right. Anything else?

[40:11] We appreciate what you did. Thank you for getting-

[40:13] Thank you

[40:13] ... that crowd to go up to

[40:15] Greensboro or Durham. We were in Durham over there.

[40:18] Yeah, Durham.

[40:19] Yeah. Appreciate you getting them all up there. Good job. Thank you again.

[40:22] Mm-hmm.

[40:24] Okay, now we got approval of items on the consent agenda.

[40:28] I would ask the county manager to run over these real quick, and then we'll

[40:31] get a motion on that.

[40:33] Mr. Chairman, 7.1 is the approval of the meeting minutes from

[40:37] the August 3rd work session, August 17th meeting,

[40:41] July 28th meeting, the May 4th meeting, May 18th, June 1,

[40:45] June 15th, and June 13th, and closed session minutes

[40:49] there. 7.2, ordinance approving the annual

[40:53] festival parade and road closure. The Heritage Festival's coming up.

[40:57] I have more details noted in my manager comments report.

[41:01] But, we do need the board to approve an ordinance

[41:05] to shut down a portion of Highway 58 and Lakeview Drive during the

[41:08] morning of that parade. It's going to be on a Saturday, September 26th in

[41:12] September.

[41:13] 7.3 is a health services agreement for nurse aid

[41:17] towards inmates at our jail for another annual renewal.

[41:22] 7.4 is an annual lot lease renewal for a previously

[41:25] leased lot off of Oak Grove Road that the county owns.

[41:29] 7.5, budget amendments 10, 11, and 12.

[41:33] Motion to approve.

[41:35] Second.

[41:36] Have a motion and a second. Any more discussion?

[41:39] Hearing none, all in favor?

[41:41] Aye.

[41:41] Motion carries on the consent agenda. Thank you.

[41:44] This time we have our emergency service director, Ryan Mills.

[41:47] How are you doing tonight?

[41:49] I'm good. How are you?

[41:50] Good.

[41:51] All right. So first, for 8.1, I am before you tonight to try to

[41:55] expand the emergency management services in Jones County.

[41:59] If you remember back after Florence, we had these FEMA trailers that we sold, and

[42:03] that money had to be utilized for emergency management purposes.

[42:06] Currently, that available budget is $16,364.

[42:10] The first request out of that money is for a drone.

[42:13] Over the last six months, we've called Lenoir County and other mutual aid to help

[42:16] with search and rescue, and other incidents along the river and in the

[42:20] wooded areas, and we've utilized their drones four times.

[42:23] And I would like to see Emergency Management Jones County have that capability.

[42:27] So tonight, I'm requesting to expend

[42:29] $11,508.19 of that

[42:32] $16,000 for a drone.

[42:34] We'll entertain a motion on that.

[42:36] So moved. Second.

[42:37] Any discussion?

[42:39] Hearing none, all in favor?

[42:41] Aye.

[42:41] Motion carries.

[42:43] Using that same remainder of money, which the balance at that point would be

[42:47] $4,855.81,

[42:50] we received a medical UTV under a grant back in

[42:53] 2023. At that time, that grant paid for all of it except

[42:57] for the lighting and the emergency equipment that needed to go onto that

[43:00] UTV, such as lights and the wiring, and of course, the siren

[43:04] and all of that. So utilizing that funding, looking to expend

[43:08] $2,400.92 to upfit that UTV

[43:12] So moved.

[43:13] Second.

[43:13] I have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

[43:16] Hearing none, all in favor?

[43:18] Aye.

[43:18] Motion carries. Pretty good, huh?

[43:20] Thank you. Have a good night.

[43:21] Spend it when you get it.

[43:24] Is that drone thermal?

[43:27] Yes, sir.

[43:28] Can I borrow it?

[43:31] If you want to last a little bit, the vendor we're getting it from is Drone Dealer

[43:34] Recovery.

[43:35] There you go.

[43:36] There you go.

[43:36] Saw that.

[43:38] Okay. County manager's going to give us some information on the

[43:43] public works building.

[43:44] Mr. Chairman,

[43:46] after the second bid opening, if you recall, we revised

[43:50] this project a little bit to meet the county budget.

[43:53] The lowest responsive bid was submitted by Farrier and Sons

[43:57] in the amount of $1,077,000. Staff would

[44:01] recommend moving forward with Farrier and Sons for construction of the public works

[44:04] building at the price reflected in the bid tab, which is in your packet.

[44:09] Construction will be contingent

[44:12] upon, of course, approval of an owner contract or agreement,

[44:17] reviewed by the county attorney, and would ask the board to consider giving the

[44:20] authority to the county manager to execute that contract.

[44:24] Motion to approve.

[44:26] Second.

[44:27] Have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

[44:31] Hearing none, all in favor?

[44:33] Aye.

[44:33] All right, you got it. Manager comments.

[44:36] Garrus will be happy with that.

[44:38] We'll take the tip.

[44:42] Next scheduled Board of Commissioners work session meeting will be on Monday,

[44:46] September the 21st at 7:00. Next Board of Commissioners regular

[44:49] meeting will be on October the 5th at 7:00.

[44:52] Both of those are Monday meetings.

[44:54] Water Summit, hosted by Congressman Murphy and Rouzer, will be in Greenville this

[44:58] year on October the 21st. If you'd like to attend, please let me

[45:02] know. Brockmill Pond Recreational Enhancement Project is underway.

[45:06] You've likely seen construction and a sign posted across the street from

[45:10] the pond itself. But construction is in progress.

[45:13] The county-owned parking lot across the street is temporarily closed for safety

[45:17] purposes.

[45:18] NCDOT has performed a site visit on Hawthorne Lane and has provided a

[45:22] punch list of items that would need to be addressed in order for the road

[45:26] to become a state-maintained secondary road. We got that.

[45:30] They did the site visit on September 3rd. They sent me the report late last week.

[45:34] So working through that punch list.

[45:35] It does seem like it could be obtainable.

[45:38] I'll work with the residents on that road to provide the punch list to them,

[45:42] and explain the necessary steps for that road to be adopted.

[45:47] The Jones County Heritage Festival will be Friday, September the

[45:51] 25th. We'll have a movie night. Going to have "Toy Story

[45:55] 5" as the movie that night. So a good family movie if you

[45:59] like "Toy Story."

[46:01] Not going to give any spoilers, but I've seen it, and it really humbles you in

[46:05] terms of age when you watch that movie compared to the other "Toy

[46:09] Stories."

[46:12] Saturday, September 26th, is going to be filled with a parade, vendors, games, and

[46:16] more. Certainly would invite the Board of Commissioners to participate in that

[46:18] parade. Parade lineup this year is going to be at the government complex.

[46:22] NCACC will host a legislative goals conference in Wake County in

[46:26] November. It's our time to let our voices be heard

[46:30] with the NCACC as they advocate on behalf of the

[46:34] counties across the state of North Carolina.

[46:38] If you'd like to attend that, please let me know.

[46:40] That'll be the evening of the 19th running into the day of the 20th of November.

[46:44] Committee 100 annual meeting is going to be on,

[46:48] it says Tuesday here, sorry. Thursday, September the 17th.

[46:52] Committee 100 annual meeting Thursday, September the 17th, beginning at 6:00

[46:56] PM. I do know that a few of you have already RSVP'd, but if you haven't

[47:00] and you'd like to attend that,

[47:02] please let me know. You're certainly welcome and invited to attend that.

[47:06] I know they have on the agenda some businesses that are local to Jones County

[47:09] that'll showcase their team and what they do from a

[47:13] manufacturing standpoint and offering to the public.

[47:15] So, happy to hear from some resources that we actually have here locally

[47:19] that maybe we don't see and talk to all the time.

[47:23] Board of Transportation for North Carolina at its meeting on September the

[47:27] 3rd, did approve an honorary designation of US

[47:30] 258 from NC 41 to Tuckahoe Swamp in Jones

[47:34] County as Senator Cecil Hargett Highway.

[47:37] So, I'll be working with NCDOT on next

[47:41] steps. We'll have a dedication ceremony and more of an unveiling-type ceremony

[47:44] related to that signage along 258 near Hargett's

[47:47] Crossroads. Another thing I wanted to mention was,

[47:51] I've copied the chair and the vice chair on a few emails I've been sending, but

[47:55] certainly not all related to some CDBG applications the

[47:59] county submitted. We actually did these back in February.

[48:04] We're not sure that the applications were ranked properly, so we've really been

[48:08] going after this coronavirus and rehabilitation funding.

[48:12] We've gotten as far as involving some legislative offices with

[48:16] our poke at the Department of Commerce related to

[48:20] how these grant awards were nominated and ranked.

[48:24] Most recently, had a conversation with Congressman Murphy late last week.

[48:27] He's going to offer his aid towards this.

[48:30] But just to put in perspective what we asked for.

[48:32] One was NR funding, which is how we rehab homes through the

[48:36] CDBG program. Certainly, a very important resource for our constituents in

[48:40] the county. The other was

[48:42] radios. We budgeted for these radios, but if we can certainly get these

[48:45] $1.2 million worth of radios the county invested in paid for in grant

[48:49] funding, that would be substantial toward the county budget.

[48:51] So,

[48:52] I may be at a point to ask a lending hand with your voice

[48:56] as a local political figure as we get there.

[49:00] But we had a pretty spontaneous meeting with Senator Jackson and

[49:04] Senator Budd last week. I've talked to Senator Jackson about this.

[49:07] So he's working and offering his help towards this too,

[49:11] but we're in this process probably four or five months now.

[49:15] We're

[49:16] But we're starting to move the needle a little bit in terms of getting some

[49:20] answers. So we beat the bush a little bit, and it's not just us.

[49:23] This is more of a regional approach.

[49:25] There's some other counties that have questions related to how their applications

[49:28] were ranked as well, and just trying to pull those resources back to their

[49:32] counties. So keep you in the loop on that, but wanted to let you know that we are

[49:36] working towards that. I think that's all I

[49:40] have, Mr. Chairman.

[49:42] Good.

[49:43] County attorney.

[49:45] Chairman, well, you were there. I will tell the rest of the board we had a good

[49:49] planning board meeting before tonight's meeting.

[49:52] I think as we see continued growth in the area, Kyle

[49:56] tasked that board with

[49:58] reviewing the subdivision ordinance and continuing to give feedback on how we

[50:02] might improve that ordinance and land regulation

[50:06] in general moving forward. So there's some positive, good feedback and

[50:10] engagement tonight.

[50:12] And then just wanted to add, Mr. Chairman, I attended the

[50:16] plaque dedication for the Revolutionary War

[50:20] history plaques in front of the courthouse the other day.

[50:22] I thought that was very well done by all involved.

[50:25] It was a very hot day, and yet there was a good

[50:29] crowd, so testament to all involved there.

[50:32] Thank you.

[50:33] Thank you. Yes, sir.

[50:35] I did want to introduce the board to Ms.

[50:37] Jessica Taylor as the county's new finance officer.

[50:39] I was going to do it, but I'll let you go ahead and do it. You go ahead.

[50:42] So welcome, Jessica, to the

[50:44] team as the finance officer.

[50:47] Was it Section 82, Subsection 4-282?

[50:50] What was the total balance on that?

[50:53] I can talk about that.

[50:53] Okay, I thought you'd have it.

[50:57] Commissioner comments. Vice Chair Dunn.

[50:59] I'd just like to comment on the

[51:02] new shell building.

[51:05] Passed by that the other day. Actually, I was coming into Trenton, and

[51:08] I said to myself, "Trenton's looking good."

[51:13] So if you guys haven't looked at it, even though it may be

[51:17] situated

[51:18] a little off-center, whatever, it's a good-looking building,

[51:22] and I can't wait to get somebody

[51:26] leasing it or whatever we're going to do with it. That's all.

[51:30] Thank you.

[51:31] I don't have anything.

[51:32] Commissioner Haddock, Commissioner Halford.

[51:33] No comment.

[51:35] Commissioner Gray.

[51:36] No, that's right.

[51:38] Chairman. Okay, public comment.

[51:41] These guys are ready tonight.

[51:46] No public comment, Mr. Chairman.

[51:48] Okay, hearing none, we'll entertain a motion now, then.

[51:51] Motion to adjourn.

[51:52] All in favor?

[51:53] Aye.

[51:54] Thank you all for coming. Appreciate it.

[51:56] Yes, sir.

[52:02] Thank you

9-8-26 Jones County Board of Commissioners Meeting

Transcript