[0:05] Okay. Good evening, everyone. I know that clock says 5:29 p.m., but my phone says 5:30 p.m., so I'll go
[0:11] ahead and get started. I want to welcome you guys to our regular city council meeting tonight for
[0:17] Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Just want to thank you guys for coming out tonight. Been
[0:24] enjoying some, some good weather lately. Still, still hot outside. So hopefully the next month or
[0:29] two everything will calm down. But with no further ado, I'm going to leave with the invocation
[0:35] tonight. Let us bow our heads in the presence of the Lord. Father God, we come to you humbly
[0:41] tonight Lord God. We just thank you for another day. We pray that you will bless this regular city
[0:47] council meeting tonight. Father God, I pray that you will work through the council members who are
[0:51] present tonight and our staff so we can make the best decisions possible for our constituents.
[0:58] Father, we thank you for our residents, Father God, we pray that you will bless them and for the
[1:03] ones that came out tonight. We thank you for their presence tonight and for the ones who couldn't
[1:08] make it. Father, we also thank you for them and their membership as members of our community, Lord
[1:14] God. But Father, ultimately we thank you for your son Jesus, and for Father God. Again, we pray that
[1:21] you will bless Morehead City. We are very grateful and thankful for our city. We are blessed to be
[1:28] residents of this magnificent city. But Father, again, thank you for another day. And we pray that
[1:34] you will bless this meeting. In Jesus' holy and majestic name we pray. Amen. Amen. Let us stand for
[1:40] the pledges of, Pledge of Allegiance.
[1:44] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it
[1:51] stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[2:04] So council members Taylor, Bill Taylor, and council member Harvey Walker, they called us earlier,
[2:12] informed us that they wouldn't be able to make it tonight for both had personal issues going on. So
[2:18] I'm going to ask the council to entertain a motion to excuse their absences tonight. So moved, Mr.
[2:24] Mayor. Okay. Motion made by Councilman Abell. Second. Okay. Seconded by council member Nathan
[2:30] Chambers. Any discussion on this motion? Hearing no discussion. All in favor, indicate by raising
[2:34] your hand. Okay. Motion carries three to zero, unanimously. Okay. Also item number two on the
[2:44] agenda, we had planned to honor our Fire-EMS therapy dog, Cowboy, tonight. But Cowboy actually also
[2:54] has some personal issues going on. He didn't call in. He didn't call in. But Chief Wade, on his
[3:01] behalf, sent us an email and we're going to have to move that presentation and recognition probably
[3:06] to our October meeting. So I'm going to ask the council to amend the agenda tonight to remove item
[3:13] number two. And if you want to accept the rest of it, the agenda as presented, you may do so.
[3:21] Yeah, go ahead, Nathan.
[3:24] Okay. Is there a motion? I make a motion that we approve the agenda as presented. Okay. Motion made
[3:29] by council member Nathan Chambers. Is there a second? Yes, sir, I'm second. Okay. Seconded by
[3:35] council member Richard Abell. Any discussion on this motion? All in favor, indicate by raising
[3:40] your hand. Motion carries three to zero, unanimously. Okay, so that goes to the next agenda item.
[3:49] Adoption of the consent agenda. The consent agenda is a list of items that council discusses and
[3:56] they vet in our committee meetings. So at this time, the council has the power to remove any topic
[4:02] on the consent agenda for discussion. But if you want to accept it as presented, you may do so also.
[4:10] I make a motion, we accept it as presented. Okay. Motion made by council member Nathan Chambers. Is
[4:15] there a second? Yeah, I'll second that. Okay. Seconded by council member Richard Abell. Any discussion on
[4:21] this motion hearing? No discussion. All in favor, indicate by raising your hand. Okay. Motion
[4:29] carries unanimously, three to zero.
[4:33] Okay. Now for public hearings, item number 5-A, continuation of the rezoning of 202 Pensacola
[4:43] Avenue. So that public hearing is still open. And if the applicant or whoever's going to speak on
[4:49] the applicant's behalf wants to come up to the mic. Mr. Cullipher, you have 15 minutes to present on
[4:54] behalf of the applicant. (unintelligible)
[5:12] Thank you.
[5:15] Ron Cullipher with the Cullipher Group here in Morehead City, representing the applicant for this project. I
[5:23] never do this right, sorry guys. At our last meeting we were asked to provide a site plan for what
[5:31] our activity was proposed under conditional zoning, specifically looking at what we're asking. We've
[5:40] had a lot of discussion, you know, over, I guess two previous hearings about traffic and you know
[5:48] what we're proposing, basically the addition of some additional boat storage
[5:54] record, vehicle parking, landscaping. And so the plan identifies the required landscape that will be
[6:02] there. There's a type B buffer on the west and on the south landscape strip along Pensacola highway.
[6:12] And then landscape planners for parking up in that northern corner.
[6:18] The type B buffer includes eight-foot fence, up into the front setback, which is 10 feet in this
[6:26] particular case. And it reduces to a three-foot fence. And then plantings are on the inside of that.
[6:35] This is the proposed use. This is what we're requesting approval for. I do want to thank Emily
[6:41] Nobles in the community. She's helped disseminate this information to her neighbors. And this is a
[6:49] club membership facility. Most of these people arrive with their boats beginning of the season,
[6:55] leave their boats there, they'll bring their truck or boats on the trailer and back them into the
[7:00] ramp, pull the truck in that space. When they're done for their day, they'll take it out of the ramp
[7:05] and put it back in that space. My client tells me that some of those members do leave their boats
[7:11] year round, but they're not transient, on every weekend kind of thing. I mean, their boats are
[7:16] pretty much coming in and staying. We talk a lot about traffic, ways in and out of the neighborhood,
[7:25] can't control really how they go because there's numerous directions that's possible. But we feel
[7:30] it's likely that this particular new entrance would help, help alleviate a lot of those concerns.
[7:37] Other than that,
[7:40] provided what was asked and respectfully request approval (unintelligible). Can answer any questions if you have them. Thank you,
[7:47] Mr. Cullipher. Does the council have any questions for Mr. Cullipher?
[7:53] No questions. Thank you, Ron. At this time, if any
[7:59] attendee wants to get up and speak in favor or opposition of this request, please get up, state your
[8:04] name and address. And you, I will give everybody a five minute time limit. And if you can, speak
[8:10] into the microphone when you get up.
[8:13] Yes, sir.
[8:20] Good evening. My name is Cole Whitt. I live at 4311 Coral Point Road. I see all the boats go up down
[8:26] the road all day long.
[8:29] If they park them there at the beginning of the year and leave them, I was just trying to figure out
[8:33] why they're going back and forth all. I took a picture yesterday of a boat, didn't turn out very
[8:40] well, but on the bluff right there. I measured the road today. The road is 14 to 14 and a half feet
[8:47] wide. The boat goes right down the middle of the road. I had to go up in somebody's yard
[8:54] so the boat could get by. All the traffic comes down Savannah because of the stoplight and turns
[8:59] right and goes all the way down South Shore Drive. I don't think you're going to see a lot of
[9:04] traffic going that way because they all come, they want to hit that stoplight so they can turn left.
[9:10] Is, you know, besides 70 West Marina, if you want to go left, it's hard to go left out of there. So
[9:16] that's why everybody uses Savannah. Biggest problem I have is you gotta get up in somebody's yard
[9:23] for the boat traffic to go down and it's going there all day long. I thought I counted 10 boats
[9:28] today.
[9:31] I don't know if it'll do any good? I just want y'all to hear the other side of the story. Okay.
[9:35] Thank you. Sir, can you answer one question, if you don't mind? Sure. When you said you measured the
[9:41] road at 15 foot, what. What road? One point it was 14 foot. What road was that, sir? South Shore.
[9:46] South Shore. Right there on the bluff that goes around there. That's where all the boat traffic is.
[9:49] Go. Yeah. I sit there and watch them all day long. Right. Thank you. So. And I measured the other
[9:54] part. Some of the roads are 20 feet wide. They're coming up Roanoke, and there's, It's just that that
[10:00] road right there can't handle boat traffic. And it's, it's with kids playing, it's a
[10:06] problem. Especially when they get going, the speed they do. Thank you very much. And thank you, sir.
[10:11] Is there anyone else in attendance? Yes, ma'am. State your name and your address.
[10:19] Hello, I'm Emily Nobles. 210 Pensacola Avenue. Good evening. I'm Emily Nobles, and I'm here again
[10:28] regarding the rezoning request we've discussed over the past several months for 202 Pensacola
[10:33] Avenue. I'd like to start by clarifying that I'm speaking tonight only on behalf of myself and my
[10:39] husband. I'm not representing the views of the neighborhood as a whole, and I recognize that others
[10:45] may feel differently about where things stand. My concerns about rezoning this property have not
[10:50] changed. For all the reasons I have shared at previous meetings, traffic and safety, the residential
[10:57] character of our neighborhood, the limitations of our streets and access, and the permanence of
[11:02] changing residential property to commercial use, I would still prefer this property to remain
[11:08] residential. I do not believe this expansion will have a positive impact on our neighborhood, and I
[11:14] remain concerned that the traffic issues we already experienced could become even greater. That
[11:20] said, I feel significantly more comfortable with a specific concrete plan proposed through
[11:26] conditional rezoning than I did when we were relying solely on verbal assurances about how the
[11:32] property would be used. Having defined conditions and expectations provides a level of protection
[11:38] and predictability for the surrounding neighborhood that was missing before. While this is not the
[11:44] outcome I would choose, I recognize the work that has gone into finding a compromise. I'm grateful
[11:49] to the town council for taking a thoughtful and deliberate approach, for slowing things down when
[11:55] necessary, and for listening to the concerns of the residents. I would also like to thank the town's
[12:01] planning and development staff for your time, responsiveness, and guidance. Thank you. Thank you,
[12:07] Miss Nobles. Is there anyone else?
[12:13] Okay. Seeing no one else. I've got a question for Ron. You've got a question for Ron? Yeah, okay, Ron, if you can come back to the microphone.
[12:22] So, Ron, I'm looking at the map and I see on here you got your longer slips and then you got your
[12:28] short. Where are people going to park when they come over here to, to, you know, get on their boats?
[12:34] There's people parking, car parking up on the north side. Where the slips are? Right up to where the.
[12:41] They're on, on the big piece. But there's some proposed on a small piece, too.
[12:46] You got the driveway, and they're the north side of the driveway is passenger vehicle parking. So
[12:52] how many actual slips you have spaces here for like, trailers and stuff like that? We're adding, I
[12:58] think, nine out of 10. Okay.
[13:04] So if I'm looking at this map, I see these, these number 40s by 12. I'm assuming that's where
[13:10] people. Yeah, that. Where they can park their boats in. Will there be boat parking, you know, up
[13:15] against where the, the slips are, or is that for pass, car parking? Currently they're using that as
[13:22] car parking for the west slip lease leaders or renters. Okay, I gotcha. And the boat trailers park
[13:28] has very organized space. That's kind of what this plan is trying to do is have some organized. So
[13:34] you have more of a V, automotive parking over there next to the slips, and then you've got a little
[13:38] bit close to the entrance. And then these 40 by 12 is mostly where the boats are going to be parked.
[13:43] That's right. And that's where they back out, put their boat in, and then park their trailer back in
[13:47] there while they leave. Okay. All right, sounds good. Thank you. Okay, thank you. Any other
[13:53] questions? Okay, again, is there anyone out in the audience who would like to get up and speak in
[14:00] favor or in opposition of this rezoning request? Okay. If not, public hearing is now closed.
[14:09] Refer to council member Abell, who's the chairman of our planning committee. If we, again, we
[14:14] talked about this last week, maybe before. I can't remember when we had our last.
[14:22] Last week. Anyhow, two weeks ago we talked about it again. Mr. Cullipher was there at our planning
[14:29] committee meeting. And of course, this was presented to us actually towards the end of the meeting,
[14:38] I think last month. But it was on a smaller scale, and he, he provided us with the current plan. I
[14:46] just, you know, obviously I understand the concerns about traffic. I really do. But I think that
[14:54] this plan here, and especially the gentleman that was talking about the
[15:01] South Shore Drive, I think that would alleviate probably 95% of any vehicles going up and down that
[15:09] one. Because I would assume this only makes sense to me, that if, if folks do come in off of
[15:17] Savannah, they're going to turn directly on Central Drive and come in that way. It don't make sense.
[15:25] Obviously, you can't help when people leave which way they might go, but I think once it gets done,
[15:34] those folks will realize that's the best way in and out for their boats. So
[15:42] anyhow, based on that, I'm just going to go ahead and
[15:47] unless you want to add anything to it? I just think the, the plan, instead of dry stack storage or
[15:51] anything like that, just makes so much more sense. Yeah, it does, it does. (unintelligible) Marina. And yeah, when you look at it, you
[15:58] initially will have traffic when you fill the place up, sell the slips. But then people aren't, you
[16:02] know, if they have their trailer there and they put their boat in and pull it out, they're not
[16:06] leaving the neighborhood unless they're in the car. Exactly. Yeah. So I think the trailering of
[16:10] boats will be minimized. And I would almost, when you were talking about parking, would almost think
[16:15] those who leave their trailers there would probably wind up parking in front of their trailer or
[16:22] where their trailer is located. It looks like there's adequate parking. Yeah. Time. Okay, so. So
[16:30] based on that, Mr. Mayor. Go ahead and make a motion? I'm going to go ahead and make a motion to adopt Ordinance
[16:35] 2026-0-09 to rezone property located 202 Pensacola Avenue from R10 single family residential district
[16:47] to commercial marina-conditional zoning district and resolution 2026-R-30 of plan consistency in
[16:56] accordance, accordance with North Carolina General Statute 160D-604 for map amendment. Motion made
[17:04] by council member Richard Abell. Is there a second? A second. Seconded by council member Nathan
[17:10] Chambers. Any discussion on this motion? Hearing none, all in favor, indicate by raising your hand.
[17:16] Motion carries three to zero, unanimously.
[17:20] So for item 5B on the agenda, continuation of the rezoning of 191 and 195 Morgan Street and 201
[17:29] Marine Drive. Again, this is another continuation, so public hearing is still open. And if the
[17:36] applicant or whoever wants to speak on behalf of the applicant wants to get up.
[17:49] Okay, Just state your name and address, sir, and just speak into the microphone. Good evening. Good
[17:54] evening. My name is David Eudy.
[17:58] I live at 1509 Tryon Road in New Bern, North Carolina, along with my two brothers own this property.
[18:08] I am also the manager of Radio Island Rental Property, LLC and Radio Island Investment, LLC. So we're
[18:16] simply attempting to have property zone within the town of Morehead City. Property's been in our
[18:23] family for nearly a century.
[18:27] It's been in the county for all these years. And we are requesting the closest city zoning that the
[18:34] town has to the county's ports industrial zoning. The town's commercial marina zoning is much
[18:41] stricter than the port's industrial zone. We're essentially having to downzone this property to
[18:48] become part of the town.
[18:51] We're losing a lot of developmental options by accepting this reduced zoning by being part of the
[18:58] town, We've incurred numerous additional restrictions and governmental oversight than before.
[19:06] Despite all of this, we believe this is a step in the right direction for us and future use, future
[19:14] people that will enjoy Radio Island as we have.
[19:20] So at this time, I'd like to ask anybody of y'all that would like to ask any questions to me. Okay.
[19:28] Does council have any questions? I've got, I guess one and, anyhow. And I know the, the, the
[19:36] plan is for dry stack storage, correct? Yes, sir. And that's okay. Sorry. People can hear you, and
[19:44] that's what we need.
[19:47] Is that enclosed or is that an open dry stack storage? Is it? I believe that it's, that its open.
[19:55] Okay.
[19:57] That's my recollection. Okay. I will remind council the current plan. They can do anything that
[20:05] zoning allows. So that's a theoretical question. (unintelligible)
[20:15] Okay. Everything. Any other council members have any questions? Okay, thank you, sir. Is there
[20:22] anyone else who wants to get up and speak in favor or in opposition? Yes, sir. Just state your name
[20:26] and address. My name is Clark Ryan. I'm with the law firm of Davis Hartman Wright out of New Bern,
[20:31] and I represent the property owner, Radio Island, the two business entities. And I wanted to speak
[20:40] briefly about, the
[20:44] city attorney just made a very important point. Y'all are in legislative session on zoning.
[20:52] That's a big pick. What's the category you're going to pick? You actually get in trouble if you
[20:58] start talking too much about a particular project proposal at this stage, because that's not what
[21:04] zoning is about. It can be a good example to help you understand maybe various potential uses. But
[21:11] this is simply a zone, a rezoning request. And on that score, I think a pretty good way to make the point
[21:18] that Mr. Eudy made. This is a table of uses
[21:25] in the county Ports Industrial. It's three and a half pages long and it includes wonderful things
[21:33] like scrap processing, seafood processing, cell phone towers, automobile parking, cargo facilities,
[21:43] cold storage plants, and a whole host of other items. Bulk storage terminals, wind turbines, small
[21:53] wind turbines, large wind turbines, utility scale. Four pages of what is currently allowed as a
[22:02] table of uses under Port Industrial with Carteret County zoning that's there now.
[22:10] What the property owners are asking for is commercial marina under the city. That's the whole table
[22:17] of uses,
[22:20] nine items I think.
[22:23] And so what that means is that the Eudys are voluntarily reducing by about three whole pages the
[22:31] potential uses that can be made of this property after rezone. The second very important legal
[22:39] point, and I think the city attorney referenced this at the prior meeting, but I think it needs
[22:46] emphasizing, is the annexation's already happened.
[22:52] Y'all, now, y'all have called the 800-pound gorilla. This is now within your jurisdiction. So now
[22:59] the question before you is well, how can you best manage that? And if you do nothing or if we
[23:07] withdrew it tonight, then Port Industrial would still be the only potential zoning. And it's
[23:15] arguably legally that it be no zoning because you have the annexation and you wouldn't have a
[23:21] related zoning requirement. Fairly unusual. Usually the two go together and are done at the same
[23:28] meeting. And as I think the city attorney mentioned to y'all last time, There was a 60-day clock on
[23:35] that and it's ticking. And you wouldn't have time for another regular meeting. You'd have to throw
[23:42] something together and have a special meeting and throw something together to figure out what other
[23:48] action you might want to take. Whereas right now the UDIs are simply voluntarily giving up about 50
[23:57] different potential uses that currently they can do on this property. And if you look at that map
[24:04] and look at what's all around, you get a pretty good sense that what they're asking for fits. And
[24:12] that is again a reduction in the potential uses. And if, and when, an actual application is before you to
[24:25] consider then at that time I think issues like parking or traffic or density or the intersection and
[24:33] all that are then relevant. And I think I can speak, since I've been working with the Eudys for five
[24:41] years now, that they'll be open to reasonable discussion about those things if and when someone
[24:48] comes with a specific plan. And let's not forget that right now it's Bowline who has got a contract
[24:55] to buy the three acres that are most southern of the nine and a half acres. And that's right next to
[25:03] another piece that Doug Brady purchased previously and it's still Port Industrial. So you know, this
[25:11] will be again a reduction. And I think it probably set the trend for what will likely be done for
[25:18] that piece. I can't read the future or read y'alls minds, but again this is a process and it's just
[25:25] one step in it. And I think it's really,
[25:29] really important that folks understand that this is a zoning, rezoning request and not a specific
[25:36] proposal. And in fact, I think this city attorney made the point previously Allied could change their
[25:46] mind tomorrow or withdraw their development proposal tomorrow. The question is what's the right big
[25:55] picture construct to have for this property? Thank you, sir. And I won't give you the specifics
[26:02] that's in the little one pager from, from the clerk. But we ask that the council approve the
[26:10] rezoning request and the related map of it. Thank you. Is there anyone else?
[26:20] Okay. All right. Seeing and hearing no one. All right.
[26:27] Public hearing is now closed. Question, Mr. Mayor. Yes, sir. Mr. Attorney, Mr. Martin, Daniel. I knew it was coming this way.
[26:36] When, when do we, at what point in time do we discuss the improvements of the road? I mean the road
[26:45] is in needed repair and anyone that's been over there has seen it. Which one? Marine or Morgan?
[26:53] Well, it is 191 Morgan Road. So I'm assuming they're going to use Morgan Road for their access or
[27:01] their egress. So when do we talk about that? When they come back with what they're proposing? Yes.
[27:09] For improvements on the road. Yeah. We're not talking about how they're going to develop the
[27:13] property. They have all the options that are on that list and they could change their mind today.
[27:19] They could sell it to somebody else, will change the mind tomorrow. Any of those things on that list
[27:24] can actually be accomplished within the zoning. But the zoning is only the first part. They would
[27:31] get into the development of what they're going to do and depending on what their application is
[27:36] going to be, that is what they're going to do with the property. Then the planning department gets the
[27:41] ball and there's a discussion. Generally speaking, they're not. Let's take a developer's
[27:48] point of view. I want to maximize my profits, maximize my profits. I got to worry about getting
[27:54] people in and off the property to get to the property. So all these things are coming, will be
[28:00] discussed when they get ready to develop the property. Right now we're just defining the parameters
[28:04] of what they can and cannot do. So when do we bring the road up to standards?
[28:11] Who determines that and who requires that and who pays for that if they want to develop their
[28:17] property in any specific use? Who brings the road up to standards in order for them to be able to
[28:24] develop their property? We'll talk about that at the point of development. But the answer to your
[28:29] question is you cannot, if there's X amount of traffic there already, you cannot put that burden on
[28:37] the developer for the extra that he's doing you can only deal with whatever the extra traffic that
[28:41] he's creating. But there is a certain,
[28:46] if you believe in a free market system they're going to want to do something to get people in and
[28:50] out of their property that isn't going over potholes. Sure.
[28:54] So that's likely to happen because of the development. But we're not there yet and we don't know
[28:59] exactly who's going to invest in what. And there's also discussions going on about Marine Drive that may
[29:05] have some bearing on it with the Department of Defense, with the Department of Transportation.
[29:13] There's a whole lot of unknowns. All we're really dealing with tonight is this area. Is this a good
[29:19] fit the CM district for what's going to be there. That list of things tells you what you think is
[29:25] best suited for their design. This fit, if it does then you go on and you wait for the next shoe to
[29:30] fall for you to discuss. Is it appropriate to ask them what road that they're primarily going to use
[29:37] for their I think it'll depend on different parts of their property because they have dual access
[29:43] points. Yes sir. It depends on whether they subsequently subdivide it as we just mentioned as a
[29:50] possibility. Portions could come in on both routes, depending on what, how they lay out the plan. As you are
[29:59] aware staff, we've already been assessing the various options and what requirements would be
[30:07] necessary for those options to be utilized. Specifically Morgan, because it would have to be extended
[30:15] into the property to a great degree in and it has access to a right of way or easement and that is a
[30:23] city maintained street. So we would have the full slate of regulatory authority on that one. The
[30:30] other option and portion of the access to the whole island is DOT. So between DOT, the federal
[30:39] government and the city, all those agencies that represent various pieces of those streets would
[30:46] have input into what requirements will be necessary dependent upon what developments eventually
[30:53] occur. So I agree with the assessments the attorney made of all the different parameters and that
[31:01] whatever the proposed development with the kind of investment dollar wise that we're talking about,
[31:08] that will not be a significant driver in my opinion. The because they're going to be responsible for
[31:14] utility extensions necessary as well as any street improvements necessary for their development to
[31:21] occur that they impact. So just for the record, develop, the developer would be. That would be the
[31:28] position I would recommend that the city take. Yes sir. There's two components to your question. One is
[31:34] they could tell you but they could change their mind. And number two is they probably haven't
[31:38] decided yet. So we don't know that they can answer that question until they put this whole
[31:42] development on the plan and decide what they're going to do. And maybe it's better to come from
[31:46] Marine. Maybe it's better to come from Morgan. We don't know yet, and they may not know yet. And
[31:51] even if they did, they ain't got to lock in. But it's, but I guess it's good that we're having this
[31:57] discussion. So it's on the record. So when they start to develop their property, they know what the
[32:03] city is going to be looking for and it's on the record. And for Morgan, my understanding that was
[32:09] exactly the way it was developed. The portion that has been developed was they came to the city,
[32:15] built the utilities and that they had to on site and street improvements, according to director,
[32:23] He can comment on that because he was here after I left. That portion was built, but that's was
[32:31] paid for by the developers of that portion of property that's adjacent to these. Yes. I would
[32:39] anticipate we'd see a similar scenario. A similar scenario. Okay, thank you. And we'll probably take
[32:46] into consideration other people because they're doing this part, somebody else is doing that part.
[32:53] They'll have to get together, join hands and figure out how do we get the access from what direction
[32:59] to get onto both pieces of property. And they may share. There's so much that we don't know yet and
[33:04] can't know. And they probably don't know. This is just a zoning matter. Yeah. And, and I think it's
[33:10] significant that we don't forget that this is an initial city zoning of this property that has not
[33:18] previously been under the city's jurisdictions. So anytime we go through that, the processes over
[33:24] the years there and everywhere else in the city that's not already under the city zoning authority,
[33:32] it is incumbent on the city to establish what it believes to be the best category. And as was
[33:39] pointed out, we believe this is a significant improvement over what the county classification in
[33:47] terms of allowed uses and being compatible with existing uses in the vicinity. So I think this is
[33:56] part of the process, but we have to zone it, in my opinion. I would highly recommend the city not
[34:01] let it go into limbo and not be compliant with the statutory requirement that the attorney's already
[34:08] laid out for you. That's required. Instead of sooner of either that 60 days is the sooner. Just one
[34:18] more question. Who will make the determination which is the better access? Will the city do it or
[34:24] the state once they develop their property? Depends on which street and which how they're going to
[34:31] propose to access it. So it could be both. I think from a planning perspective, the city will have
[34:38] input in the process either way. Either way. Okay. All right, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[34:43] Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem. Councilman Abell, Council member Chambers, any thoughts? Okay, I
[34:50] entertain a motion with a motion. Okay. And. And I'll certainly make a motion to go ahead and adopt
[34:56] ordinance 2026-0-14, to rezone 191 and 195 Morgan Street and 201 Marine Drive from county port
[35:07] industrial district to commercial marina district. And resolution 2026-R-50 of the plan consistency
[35:17] in accordance with North Carolina General Statutes 160d-604 for map amendment. Motion made by council
[35:25] member Richard Abell. Is there a second?
[35:30] I'll second it. Okay. Seconded by council member Nathan Chambers. Any discussion on this motion? All
[35:36] right, hearing no discussion, all in favor, indicate by raising your hand. Motion carries three to
[35:41] zero, unanimously. Thank you. All right. City manager's report. Mr. Randy. Tonight I would like to
[35:48] share with you and the public
[35:51] that staff has pursuing the budget priorities pulse survey that was discussed during your most
[36:00] recent budget process, development and adoption process. With the new technology the city has
[36:07] available to survey citizen input on future budgets and priorities that the citizenry would be
[36:15] interested in. So that survey will be available across our website and online platforms beginning
[36:22] Tuesday, September 15th of this year and run until Wednesday October 21st of this year to give
[36:29] people an early opportunity for next budget cycle. So we want to, hopefully the citizens will take
[36:36] advantage and there'll be more of these efforts as we get closer to the process and we'll keep you
[36:41] apprised of the feedback received. So congratulations to the staff for pursuing that. Thanks, Mr.
[36:48] Randy. Before you move on, can I make one comment? Yes, sir. Sandi, you, are you. You've not spoke
[36:55] tonight. I'm really shocked. I think this is the first meeting since I've been here that you've not
[36:59] had to get up present something other than in a special meeting. So, bravo.
[37:07] We can ask, we can ask her a question if you would like to. I thought she's good with that too.
[37:13] Let's let Sandi have a relaxed meeting for a change. that would be a change.
[37:19] Thank you, Mr. Randy. So she'll be back in next month, no doubt.
[37:23] I got a couple questions.
[37:26] Thank you for that city manager report, Mr. Randy. All right, for citizens comments. So I'm gonna
[37:32] ask for any citizen out in the audience to come up. You have a three minute time limit and I'll
[37:37] state your name and address. Mr. Jimmy. And speak into the microphone, Mr. Jimmy. Yes, my name
[37:43] is James H. Walker, Jr. I live at 1503 Bay Street, Morehead City, North Carolina. I'm kicking the can
[37:49] into the budgeting process already because we know January, February, March is going to come and I'm
[37:55] always here trying to find a way to reduce taxes for the citizen and myself in Morehead City.
[38:04] That's why I'm here, in that particular. Our city manager stated during a work session that that the work
[38:12] on the W.S. King gym was on its way to be completed and could be completed without raising taxes. I'm
[38:19] saying not raise tax, but we should be in, a in a position that we could lower taxes to 24 cents per 100,
[38:28] and that's what I'm still requesting that the
[38:33] percentage would be $0.24 per funding for all taxes here for city. The other point I want to make
[38:43] Morehead City citizens and
[38:47] the county taxes both Morehead City based both Morehead City taxes and county taxes. And I would question that the
[38:54] county commissioners and Morehead City Council get together to work to see if there are ways that they
[39:01] could fund the W.S. King construction. And this, you have a presence in that. Understand that there was
[39:08] a project to buy property
[39:13] that dealt with the armory and the landing pad at the hospital and there was an agreement,
[39:19] agreement worked out so now they were able to get that property. We got the landing pad and things
[39:25] in place. That's a landing pad for the helicopters and the armory. So the property was switched
[39:31] around and worked out so they could be able to use it and work it out that way. So I'm asking to see
[39:37] if there's a way that the city and the county commissions can get together, together again.
[39:45] If there's a way that we could fund the building construction at the W.S. King site. So mention the county and the city to get
[39:53] together again to see if we can cut the cost
[39:58] of project at W.S. King site. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jimmy. Are there any other citizens?
[40:07] Yes sir. Mr. Linder. State your name and address, Mr. Chuck
[40:14] Good evening. Name is Chuck Lindner. 123 Center Drive, Atlantic Beach.
[40:23] Okay, I'd like to compliment you folks on the decision to renovate the King Building. It's one of
[40:31] the much needed youth activities for this community that needs to be also addressed. Also like to
[40:39] congratulate you on the PARTF grant fund for Spooners Creek Conservation Area. So we know there
[40:48] are funds available.
[40:51] I'm here tonight to advocate for our dear youth in the community ages 3 to 12 that you won't find
[40:59] many of them that want to come up here and stand in front of this microphone. So, as a 30-year
[41:05] participant of Morehead City Little League, we have recognized that funding for parks and recreation
[41:10] is always difficult for our county and municipalities. Our Morehead City Little League volunteers
[41:16] have spent countless hours helping the youth of our community, ages 3 to 12 to begin their journey
[41:25] to become a productive citizen. For the past 15 years, Morehead City Little League has been hosting
[41:32] Little League and travel ball tournaments at Swinson Park, the local area high schools and the other
[41:38] parks in the county, providing a huge economic impact not just for Morehead City businesses, but for
[41:46] businesses throughout the entire county.
[41:50] We have helped to bring millions of dollars to this community. We have provided over $400,000 of
[41:58] improvements to Swinson Park alone through Big Rock grants and through our fundraising.
[42:06] Just two months ago in July, the Crystal Coast Woodbat World Series came to town. People want to
[42:13] come to the Crystal Coast. We saw 84 teams travel here from as far away as Michigan and New York.
[42:22] That is a huge economic impact for the city and the county.
[42:29] We did not have enough youth athletic fields in this county to service those 84 teams. We had to
[42:35] send them to Onslow County and Craven County, with a lack of youth fields in this county.
[42:43] Our Little League program in the spring averages over 280 participants. That will provide a huge fan base
[42:50] for the Morehead City Marlins and the new Carteret County Community College Kraken baseball team.
[42:57] Last year we had 30 teams that needed fields for practices and games. The Morehead City girls
[43:04] softball program is growing and they also need fields and games, practice fields for practice. (Music on timer)
[43:19] Just recently you approved 310 more residential units that are sure to bring more youth into the
[43:25] area that would need facilities for athletic activities. The new Interstate 42 will certainly
[43:32] increase our population. But without the athletic fields needed for our growing youth population
[43:37] population, I'm not sure we will be able to continue to serve our youth. Losing the baseball and
[43:44] softball fields behind the King Center is going to hurt. It's certainly going to be a challenge for
[43:50] all of our sports organizations to find rooms for practices and games. I truly hope this community
[43:57] can come together to invest in the youth of our county for every sport. Our youth, they're our
[44:04] future. And we need to recognize how far behind we are in providing for them. Thank you. Thank you.
[44:11] Mr. Chuck. Certainly agree. Is there any other citizen that would like to get up and speak for our
[44:18] citizens comment portion of our meeting?
[44:23] Okay. Seeing and hearing no one, council comments. I'm going to start with Mayor Pro Tem George
[44:28] Ballou. Thank you. Mr. Mayor. Mr. Linder, thank you for your comments tonight. They're duly noted.
[44:36] And we certainly are working on ways that we can expand our
[44:42] Parks and Rec for our kids. Mr. Walker, thank you for your comments. Appreciate you being here
[44:47] tonight. Thank you for staff, for all that you do for us each and every day. Mr. Martin, thank you.
[44:54] Mr. Attorney, thank you for keeping us straight over there. I do want to remind everyone of the
[45:01] North Carolina Seafood Festival, and I don't have my mic on. I'm sorry, Anna. Why did you turn it
[45:07] off? I was told to admonish you if you turn it off. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Councilman Abell. But I do want to
[45:15] remind everybody of the North Carolina Seafood Festival, which is the second, third, and fourth. I
[45:21] will remind everyone that is one of the largest festivals in North Carolina. There are a lot of
[45:28] moving parts behind the scenes. There's so many volunteers, board members, vendors that make our
[45:36] city, our community and our heritage shine during that weekend. And I hope you don't think it is a
[45:43] burdensome on our community. It's something that showcases and we are doing everything we can to
[45:50] enhance our North Carolina seafood with the vendors, making sure they serve North Carolina seafood.
[45:57] So I invite you, I look forward to seeing you on the Waterfront October 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Good to
[46:04] see everybody tonight. I hope you have a good evening. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem.
[46:09] Council member Nathan Chambers. You know, I'm all for youth. Yeah, there's so many things that, you know, kids want
[46:15] to do. There's a lot of things that you can do in this area, but, you know, organized sports and
[46:19] things, my family's participated in those. And I'm just seeing what a blessing it can be for young
[46:24] people to have something to do in this community. And how about the softball team? I mean, that was
[46:29] fantastic. Making it to the state championships. We got a driver here where we could really develop
[46:35] some of these things. I'm excited about it. I'm like you council members, fellow council members.
[46:40] You know, I'm, I'm all for doing things for the youth. Absolutely. Okay. Thank you, Councilman
[46:46] Chambers. Council member Richard Abell. Again. Make sure you make sure your mic's on. So I don't even know
[46:51] how to cut it off. Again, I will tell you the last two years. Wow. You saw that jump? Last two years in
[47:01] our annual retreat, and there's no doubt in my mind this coming year at our retreat, we've been
[47:07] discussing that same thing. And of course, Daniel Williams over there can tell you ad nauseam. He's
[47:13] discussed it and you know, we got a lot of ideas we're trying to kick around and yes, I think it's
[47:18] already been set up here
[47:21] amongst us and through the city manager that ways of this town council and the Carteret County Board
[47:29] of Commissioners getting together to try to do something together. So anyhow, heard loud and
[47:37] clear. The other thing I want to mention is Friday is the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 and there's
[47:46] going to be a, a ceremony out of Carteret Community College starting at 8:45.
[47:57] And I'm just, I'm gonna read something real quick. Okay. So 25 years later, we remember. Carteret
[48:01] Community College invites you to join our campus and community as we gather to commemorate the
[48:07] anniversary of September 11, 2001. Together, we'll pause to remember the nearly 3,000
[48:15] lives honored, lost, lives lost, honor the courage and sacrifices of the first responders and service members who
[48:20] answered the call and recognized the countless families and communities whose lives were forever
[48:25] changed. For those who remember that day, September 11th will remain a moment where we never forget.
[48:30] For a new generation born after 2001, this commemoration is also an opportunity to carry forward the
[48:37] stories of courage, compassion, service and unity that emerged from one of our nation's darkest
[48:43] days. We invite our students, employees and first responders, veterans, families, members of the
[48:50] community to stand together in remembrance. Remember those, we remember those we lost. We honor those
[48:56] who served and together we ensure that we never forget. With that being said,
[49:03] the Morehead City Police Department's honor guard will be there presenting with the colors. Also,
[49:11] our own chief Courtney Wade will be the keynote speaker at that ceremony. It'll probably only be
[49:18] about 30, 45 minutes, so we certainly invite everybody. And this is an opportunity. Opportunity to
[49:24] let you guys know again, Friday, 8:45. And we'll be behind the McGee building, which is the
[49:31] administrative building. It's going to be out on the lawn. Thank you. Awesome. And anyhow, thank you
[49:36] all for listening to that and thank you for being here. Thank you, Councilman Abell. Speaking of
[49:41] Councilman Abell, he just had a birthday yesterday, so I want to give him a birthday shout out.
[49:46] 54 years young. Yeah. So happy birthday to him. And I think 35.
[49:52] I think our police chief Bryan Dixon has a birthday this month too. Do you, bro? (unintelligible)
[50:01] So we want to give you a birthday shout out too. And Mr. Randy Martin, our city manager has a
[50:06] birthday coming up too, the next week or so. He just celebrated his wife's birthday this past
[50:13] weekend. They went on a camping trip, so birthday shout outs for them. And Shawne, I think I'm missing
[50:18] somebody. Who else? I know Mr. Martin's the oldest one in the room, the old man. I want to give a
[50:27] special congratulatory shout out to Kelli Jones, our grants manager, for her hard work on securing
[50:34] the PARTF grant, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant, so we can go ahead and try to start
[50:39] the project of the conservation park out to the Mitchell Village community. That's something that
[50:45] Kelli worked really hard on. Jewel Laster, our finance director, and the rest of the finance staff.
[50:51] And they've done a tremendous job securing these grants. And that's a project that I'm looking
[50:56] forward to. I know a lot of the Mitchell Village residents have applauded
[51:03] us receiving that grant and they're excited and happy as well. So that's something that we want to
[51:09] continue to invest in preserving our green spaces. That's something that's not always talked about.
[51:15] You know, that environmental piece of making sure that we're preserving our green spaces and taking
[51:20] care of our environment. That conservation park will have many different components. One in
[51:26] particular would be bird watching. And I know when I campaigned for council in '23, a lot of the
[51:31] residents in Mitchell Village, they were asking me about that very same thing about implementing a
[51:36] park for bird watching or conservation. So just happy to honor the requests of the citizens. And
[51:44] also for the three council members that showed up tonight, I just want to thank you guys for your
[51:49] service. I know Mayor Pro Tem Ballou has been feeling under the weather himself, but he decided to
[51:56] come out tonight so we could have a quorum. Y'all made me come Mayor. That is applauded. But also
[52:04] to our staff, I thank you guys for your hard work, working through our committee meetings and your
[52:10] service on the front lines. Daniel Williams. Can't say enough about Daniel. Him and Mr. Randy went
[52:15] out to North 21st through 25th street, talked to some of the residents out there. I know there's
[52:20] been a lot of concern about our stormwater project out there, but we hear the citizens, we hear you
[52:25] guys' concerns, and we want to make sure we address your concerns and come up with some sort of
[52:30] solution to any issue that you may have. But like Mayor Pro Tem said, North Carolina Seafood
[52:37] Festival is coming up October 2nd through the 4th. That Friday through Sunday. I want to give a
[52:43] shout out to Nick Eatman, the executive director. Nick has worked hard. Him and I worked together at
[52:47] Jack's Waterfront Restaurant and Bar earlier today, we met with WCTI 12 because this is the 40th
[52:54] anniversary of the Seafood Festival. The Seafood Festival started in 1986. Just to have a special
[53:00] event like that that has so much tradition. Our local seafood industry is not just industry. It's
[53:09] who we are as a community. It's our way of life. And it's a part of Morehead City, a major part.
[53:18] Along with the Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament, those are two of our biggest events. So
[53:25] that's something that I want us to continue to support, want everybody to come out and attend. It's
[53:30] gonna be a special event. And I also would like to say that me, myself, I'm about to start doing
[53:37] mayoral walkthroughs, going to different neighborhoods, just like I was when I was campaigning when
[53:43] I was running for the mayor's seat. I was knocking on doors. I'm gonna start that very soon. Just
[53:48] wait for the weather to cool down, to be honest. But also going to go to our local business owners,
[53:53] too. Like, we got Mr. Robert Purifoy in attendance today. He's the owner of the Olympus Dive Center.
[54:00] So I just want to get an ear of our local business owners just to make sure that, you know, we're
[54:05] taking care of their needs, that we setting up all parameters for them to be successful in Morehead
[54:12] City. So that's something that I want to make my duty as well. I also want to thank citizens like
[54:18] Holly Fletcher, who's here tonight, who shows up to our meetings and attends on a regular
[54:22] basis. I know we're recording our meetings now, but I want to encourage more citizens to come out
[54:27] and attend our meetings. I mean, listen to discussions we have. Be informed on what your local
[54:34] government is doing, and we just want to make sure you guys stay informed. I try to keep citizens
[54:41] informed as much as I can on my social media pages. I know Ty Weatherton does some great reporting,
[54:47] but I think I honestly can say that in the last year or so that this has probably been the most
[54:53] transparent that Morehead City has been. It's just me, my opinion, and we want to continue to, you
[55:00] know, push that going forward. I even talked to Mr. Randy Martin about potentially in the future,
[55:05] live streaming our meetings, you know, if council is agreeable to it. But those are options. Those
[55:10] are things we can explore, but we are taking the proper measures to make sure that our citizens are
[55:16] informed. You're doing surveys. I know our staff has even talked about doing surveys at our
[55:21] upcoming Community Night Out event, getting the input and feedback from citizens regarding our
[55:27] budget. We want to hear from you guys. You guys, as taxpayers, you should be driving your local
[55:33] government, as I stated before. But again, I just want to thank you guys. I know it's been a fairly
[55:39] quick meeting, but we got some things handled, two rezoning requests were approved and we look
[55:46] forward to October's meeting coming up. So with nothing else to be said, this meeting is adjourned.