1 00:05:55,900 --> 00:05:56,420 Mr. 2 00:06:01,350 --> 00:06:07,310 Groes, myself, and Dr. Tate are here. So we just hope to have a very informative night, 3 00:06:08,970 --> 00:06:11,410 taking questions, having some good productive dialogue. 4 00:06:25,100 --> 00:06:26,500 So hopefully we'll have some good 5 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:31,620 productive dialogue tonight. And if there's not anything that throughout the year we've 6 00:06:31,620 --> 00:06:38,920 We'll take your questions, and we've got some county staff here, hopefully some subject matter experts that can help us along the way. 7 00:06:39,340 --> 00:06:40,220 So we'll hit this kick-off. 8 00:06:41,060 --> 00:06:46,300 If anybody's got any questions or concerns, we'll start, and just hand the microphone around. 9 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:48,500 We'll take questions as best we can. 10 00:06:59,460 --> 00:07:01,080 Yes, ma'am, we won't have to sign up tonight. 11 00:07:01,260 --> 00:07:02,920 You can feel free to stand up. 12 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,300 We'll get you a mic, and you can talk. 13 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:05,880 Absolutely. 14 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:07,680 Welcome. 15 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:12,220 Let's roll. 16 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,960 Well, the folks at whom I think the folks who might need to hear what you're 17 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,900 going to ask because they may have the same question. Okay. Well, they probably 18 00:07:28,900 --> 00:07:33,580 they probably don't but just the same. Well, fire away. Good evening everyone. My 19 00:07:33,580 --> 00:07:38,880 name is Regina Fennell. I live at 815 Ridgewood Avenue, Burgall, North Carolina. 20 00:07:39,420 --> 00:07:45,060 And I missed the June whatever date it was. County Commissioners meet me 21 00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:48,760 because I had a speech that I need to give but I'll end up giving it at the 22 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:54,680 next one, even though it's past information, it's all about the property taxes for me. 23 00:07:55,500 --> 00:08:00,860 I stopped in the other day and they gave me some kind of thing called, some called change 24 00:08:00,860 --> 00:08:01,980 value delta. 25 00:08:02,620 --> 00:08:04,420 He explained to me what that was. 26 00:08:05,220 --> 00:08:08,660 I am now waiting to hear when do I go before the Board of Adjustments? 27 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:15,800 I mean, the review board, I'm waiting, I received an email from them and this 28 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:16,560 is my question. 29 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:17,700 This is just one of many. 30 00:08:17,700 --> 00:08:19,780 And I'm going to sit down and give somebody else a chance. 31 00:08:20,820 --> 00:08:24,600 Why is it that I'm getting emails from the county, 32 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,760 but I can't get a written response like this? 33 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,240 I don't sometimes don't have access to a printer. 34 00:08:30,860 --> 00:08:33,320 So now I got to run around, take my email, 35 00:08:33,460 --> 00:08:36,460 and run it over here and print it off to have a hard copy. 36 00:08:36,900 --> 00:08:39,880 So that's why is it that they're doing that instead 37 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,560 of just giving me a hard copy of, hey, 38 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,320 we received your appeal and dah, dah, dah, dah. 39 00:08:45,380 --> 00:08:46,940 It had all these numbers on it, 40 00:08:46,940 --> 00:08:49,660 something about Delta change and all this foolishness. 41 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,140 So I went up the other day to try to figure it out 42 00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:53,480 because I said, I've been out of state 43 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:54,680 and I'm just now back in. 44 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:56,600 So that's one of my questions. 45 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,620 If someone can just answer that question for me, 46 00:08:59,700 --> 00:09:02,760 why is it, how come they're not giving it to us 47 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,740 in a hard snail meal, as they call it, instead of email? 48 00:09:07,460 --> 00:09:07,940 Yes, ma'am. 49 00:09:09,780 --> 00:09:11,400 First off, were they able to help you 50 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,420 and assist you any today when you went up there? 51 00:09:13,420 --> 00:09:19,900 He gave me the definition of the delta change, wait, what, I'm so sorry. 52 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:21,060 I'm sorry, take your time. 53 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:22,340 I got to roll down here. 54 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,300 He gave me the definition of a value change delta in that email. 55 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:34,500 He said it was the difference between the appraised value and the requested value. 56 00:09:34,980 --> 00:09:42,520 And so then I asked him, okay, I said, example, because I can't use mine because I don't know what mine is. 57 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:47,000 I mean other than what he told me and I said well let me use my sister as an 58 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:54,580 example you said that her home was valued at $98,000 I said it is a 28 and a half 59 00:09:54,580 --> 00:10:01,420 year old double-wide mobile home on its last leg and you're telling me it's 60 00:10:01,420 --> 00:10:06,680 valued at $98,000 it's in a floodplain it's in the AE floodplain it needs 61 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:11,220 in major repairs and you're still comparing it 62 00:10:11,220 --> 00:10:14,000 to one of these houses down the street 63 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,920 or are you comparing it to the mobile home 64 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:18,900 over yonder on Antoinette Drive? 65 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:20,060 So which one? 66 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:21,720 Because that's the only comparable thing 67 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,880 that's 28 years of all age and falling down. 68 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,160 And he just told me she has to wait for an answer. 69 00:10:28,380 --> 00:10:30,200 They got some kind of miniature. 70 00:10:30,700 --> 00:10:33,640 You send an appeal in, it goes to them. 71 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:39,640 They'll look it over and they will decide if it's going to the review board. 72 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,460 That's not the information that we were given right here. 73 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:49,540 We were told to appeal and if we didn't like what was happening, then we're going to the review board. 74 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,880 How come they've now put something in the middle of them and the review board? 75 00:10:54,380 --> 00:10:57,020 Okay. I don't know if Mr. Manager can speak to that. 76 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,360 Do we have anybody from the tax office here? 77 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:01,300 No, they went home. 78 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:07,900 Got idea five o'clock as I was there about two minutes to five. I got you. That's all right. They're there to help you 79 00:11:08,420 --> 00:11:11,900 I will say one thing about the floodplain that does significantly impact 80 00:11:12,660 --> 00:11:18,920 Evaluation of the property if it's in a floodplain and they will correct that if if they haven't noted it, but mr. Manager, please 81 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:29,780 Yes, ma'am. So the the middle step where we do the the staff review of the appeal 82 00:11:30,260 --> 00:11:34,840 That is to yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. I thought you were asking me to hold on 83 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:39,920 So you submit your appeal and our staff look it over and we work it. 84 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:47,460 And what that does is we sit here and say we agree with your appeal or staff don't agree with your appeal. 85 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:54,740 And if we do a bunch of work and we come to a consensus and we agree yes, this is a fair value, 86 00:11:55,020 --> 00:11:57,680 then it doesn't have to go to the Board of ENR. 87 00:11:58,100 --> 00:12:03,300 Whereas if we do the work and we still disagree at the end of us looking at your appeal, 88 00:12:03,300 --> 00:12:05,320 then it goes to the Board of ENR. 89 00:12:05,460 --> 00:12:06,920 It's meant to reduce their caseload 90 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,200 when we can't handle it administratively, 91 00:12:09,220 --> 00:12:11,480 but if you don't agree with the staff's decision, 92 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:13,680 it will always go to the Board of ENR. 93 00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:14,480 Okay. 94 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:17,760 Based on what Mr. Burton just said, 95 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,140 the Commissioner Burton just said is that, 96 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:21,560 and I already noticed, I've done, 97 00:12:21,980 --> 00:12:23,920 I've y'all seen me many times before here 98 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:25,780 since this stuff set off. 99 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:27,680 I've been doing all kind of research. 100 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,900 I probably can do better than what they're doing, 101 00:12:30,060 --> 00:12:31,540 but I'm not going to, 102 00:12:31,540 --> 00:12:33,640 But I have done all kind of research. 103 00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:35,140 I've been all in the law books. 104 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:36,380 I've been doing this, that none. 105 00:12:36,700 --> 00:12:40,400 Because the flood zone impacts that value. 106 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,960 But for whatever reason, they reduced her taxes by $2,000. 107 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,560 It went from $98 to $96 in a flood plain. 108 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:52,040 And I didn't understand that there. 109 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,240 And so she took that letter that they gave her, 110 00:12:54,340 --> 00:12:55,480 which I didn't get the letter. 111 00:12:55,580 --> 00:12:58,940 I got an email and said, if you agree with this, 112 00:12:59,540 --> 00:13:02,600 please submit this to us within 30 days. 113 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:04,760 When I got back from Colorado Springs, 114 00:13:04,940 --> 00:13:06,780 I immediately turned it into them, 115 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,680 and I said, I want a copy of it 116 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,240 because she's disagreeing with this issue. 117 00:13:11,260 --> 00:13:12,160 She's in a flood plain, 118 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,940 so why are you only reducing it by $2,000? 119 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,520 I can't believe that there, you know. 120 00:13:19,100 --> 00:13:21,600 So they would have to look at the specific property, 121 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:23,600 and I don't know the details of the property, 122 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:24,940 so I don't know. 123 00:13:24,940 --> 00:13:33,660 The Zoom AE, it encompasses all of the western part of the city limits up until you get to 124 00:13:33,660 --> 00:13:34,480 that 125 00:13:38,070 --> 00:13:38,350 street. 126 00:13:38,830 --> 00:13:43,110 I can't remember the street, but anyway, half of the park, what we call it the park, half 127 00:13:43,110 --> 00:13:45,350 of the park is under a flood plain. 128 00:13:45,610 --> 00:13:51,910 Even those new houses that they just built over on Hay Street, they're on a flood plain, 129 00:13:51,910 --> 00:13:55,470 but they're raised up on these cement things. 130 00:13:55,650 --> 00:13:59,030 It's two or three, double-wide, excuse me, 131 00:13:59,130 --> 00:14:03,750 two or three stick-built homes that are for sale over there. 132 00:14:03,970 --> 00:14:05,110 They're under the flood plain. 133 00:14:05,450 --> 00:14:08,310 They're under that same flood zone that's over there 134 00:14:08,310 --> 00:14:11,270 in the city, and we all know anytime heavy rain comes, 135 00:14:14,190 --> 00:14:17,770 satchel, Fremont, all of those streets over in there, 136 00:14:17,890 --> 00:14:20,470 Antenek, Durham Village, all that stuff floods out, 137 00:14:20,470 --> 00:14:23,730 And that's how close it is that she is to Burgall Creek. 138 00:14:23,790 --> 00:14:25,490 She's just that close to it. 139 00:14:25,690 --> 00:14:29,330 And I said, I'm fighting for her, but I'm fighting for me also. 140 00:14:29,690 --> 00:14:31,050 But with me, mine is simple. 141 00:14:31,950 --> 00:14:35,070 Mine is I'm a septic tank lot inside of the town of Burgall. 142 00:14:35,350 --> 00:14:37,430 That immediately knocks off some stuff. 143 00:14:38,110 --> 00:14:40,910 I have a .21 acreage. 144 00:14:41,310 --> 00:14:43,130 And it's own a septic tank system. 145 00:14:43,390 --> 00:14:45,890 There's not much you can do with that other than now 146 00:14:45,890 --> 00:14:47,750 you want to put me on the sewage. 147 00:14:48,070 --> 00:14:49,050 And someone wants it. 148 00:14:49,050 --> 00:14:53,030 Then I got to go in my backyard and dig up the whole backyard in the sewer system and 149 00:14:53,030 --> 00:14:57,090 the accepted tank system to get whatever they need to get out of it. 150 00:14:57,330 --> 00:14:59,190 But it's not worth $35,000. 151 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:05,440 It went from 10,031 up to 35,000 in some odd dollars. 152 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:10,040 I thank you all very much for reducing my mobile home. 153 00:15:10,580 --> 00:15:12,780 I try to get a lot of people here to understand 154 00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:17,360 that if I did not own the land, but I own that mobile home 155 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,780 and I've been doing that there since 2017 156 00:15:20,340 --> 00:15:23,740 and I was lied to by the tax office because they told me 157 00:15:23,740 --> 00:15:26,780 because my name was on that deed along with my siblings 158 00:15:26,780 --> 00:15:32,660 things that I had to have my mobile home dedicated as real estate. 159 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:42,040 The law came into effect and said, no, in 2017, that's 15 years after this 2002 memorandum 160 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:49,900 went out to the tax assessors, managers office telling them, we understand that this, and 161 00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:55,220 I quote, that there are going to be many mobile homes, whether single-wide or double-wide, 162 00:15:55,220 --> 00:16:00,500 that's going to be impacted where you have them designated as real estate they 163 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:05,080 should be turned into personal that was back in 2002 my home went in place in 164 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:10,240 2000 two years after that they still kept me as real estate until all this 165 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:15,400 foolishness here now transpired when this stuff transpired I did a little 166 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:20,380 digging and I wouldn't a dug if they hadn't said my my home or 25 year old 167 00:16:20,380 --> 00:16:25,740 mobile home was worth $121,000 comparing it to the new mobile homes. 168 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:30,140 I have the old type mobile home, and I didn't understand it. 169 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,280 So I blame the county. 170 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,340 I don't blame the commissioners, but I do. 171 00:16:36,620 --> 00:16:40,580 Because you all approved, whoever it was back then, 172 00:16:40,940 --> 00:16:43,080 you approved the schedule of values. 173 00:16:43,660 --> 00:16:47,100 And the schedule of values went against the statues. 174 00:16:48,340 --> 00:16:55,900 because it stated, and I can stand up, North Carolina General Statue, I think is, oh Lord, 175 00:16:57,900 --> 00:17:06,790 273.13 that you had to meet four criteria for it to be considered real estate, and your 176 00:17:08,170 --> 00:17:12,850 schedule of values as of this time, and I didn't bring it, and I'm sorry because I can tell you 177 00:17:12,850 --> 00:17:18,330 what pages on and everything under manufactured homes stated that all mobile homes will 178 00:17:18,330 --> 00:17:23,570 be considered real estate. That is a that is against the law. That's against state 179 00:17:23,570 --> 00:17:29,390 status and you all, whoever it was, you signed off on that saying that that was 180 00:17:29,390 --> 00:17:33,710 true, but that's not true because the statute say something totally different. 181 00:17:33,830 --> 00:17:38,130 I said I did a lot of research and I just been upset about that. I've been 182 00:17:38,130 --> 00:17:42,710 very upset and I'm sorry that it is coming out wrong, but I know that you 183 00:17:42,710 --> 00:17:46,630 all know what I'm talking about. And for a lot of the residents who 184 00:17:46,630 --> 00:17:52,550 didn't get a chance to appeal yet, I plead them to appeal, especially if they own the 185 00:17:52,550 --> 00:17:59,050 land and not the mobile home or vice versa, so we can get these classifications corrected. 186 00:17:59,730 --> 00:18:04,070 And then they can ask for what the statute says, we can ask for refunds. 187 00:18:04,110 --> 00:18:05,210 And that's another question. 188 00:18:05,550 --> 00:18:09,010 How do I get my refund for all of this miscalculation? 189 00:18:09,210 --> 00:18:14,430 Because the statute said if there's a clerical error, which it is, I want my refund. 190 00:18:14,430 --> 00:18:23,290 I can't get 28 and 25 years worth, but I would like to get my three years worth of refund because I have been overtaxed. 191 00:18:23,450 --> 00:18:28,970 And that is General Statue 381, I think, dash 15. 192 00:18:29,250 --> 00:18:31,410 It says that there, and that's the law. 193 00:18:31,510 --> 00:18:32,630 And I didn't write that. 194 00:18:32,910 --> 00:18:33,910 That is the law. 195 00:18:34,190 --> 00:18:37,010 So how do I go about requesting my refund? 196 00:18:37,830 --> 00:18:39,250 So everybody else would know, too. 197 00:18:39,250 --> 00:18:46,450 Yes ma'am. What I would recommend before you leave tonight is give your name and contact information to the manager and staff 198 00:18:46,450 --> 00:18:52,150 so they can help you navigate that process to make sure that you get anything that's entitled to you. 199 00:18:52,570 --> 00:18:54,630 If you've been overtaxed, you need a refund. 200 00:18:54,770 --> 00:18:58,110 We just asked for, and I think it's a systematic problem here. 201 00:18:58,650 --> 00:18:58,950 I agree. 202 00:18:59,150 --> 00:19:01,510 Systematic means I'm asking you all to investigate it. 203 00:19:01,750 --> 00:19:07,090 You need to investigate how many mobile homes are actually personal property 204 00:19:07,090 --> 00:19:09,850 and they've been overtaxed all these years. 205 00:19:10,110 --> 00:19:10,930 There are some stipulations. 206 00:19:10,930 --> 00:19:12,750 They're calling and asking me to help them, 207 00:19:13,030 --> 00:19:13,670 and I have. 208 00:19:13,930 --> 00:19:15,130 I've given them the statues. 209 00:19:15,490 --> 00:19:17,910 I don't know what they've done with that information, 210 00:19:18,190 --> 00:19:20,870 but I'm hoping that they go forward to let you all know, 211 00:19:20,970 --> 00:19:23,110 hey, you've been doing us wrong 212 00:19:23,110 --> 00:19:25,090 and all we are looking for is transparency 213 00:19:25,090 --> 00:19:27,830 and fairness, truth and honesty. 214 00:19:28,150 --> 00:19:29,170 That's all we're looking for. 215 00:19:29,630 --> 00:19:30,670 Well, thank you for your diligence. 216 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:31,530 Yes, ma'am. 217 00:19:31,630 --> 00:19:33,190 Thank you for bringing that down our attention again. 218 00:19:33,710 --> 00:19:33,930 Yes. 219 00:19:43,170 --> 00:19:44,050 Okay, we 220 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:55,380 can do that before not staying right. Yes ma'am, do you feel free? Okay, I'm with 221 00:19:55,380 --> 00:19:59,880 her on the taxes. No, we have appeal diaries. We appeal diaries, I think, just since we 222 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:06,000 got it. And we went out and talked to them. They came out to our house and looked around. 223 00:20:07,140 --> 00:20:13,320 They come up with another figure. We appealed that. And we have not heard back from them. 224 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:19,400 have talked to them several times on the phone and they have not gotten back to us with something 225 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:25,160 definite. They said they're still working on it because they're working on the neighborhood 226 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:33,440 in a general, you know, the whole neighborhood area. So that's why they claim they are not 227 00:20:35,980 --> 00:20:40,980 putting a figure in concrete more or less yet because they're working on the whole 228 00:20:40,980 --> 00:20:49,460 neighborhood in the whole capacity. I don't know if that's fair or not, we'll 229 00:20:49,460 --> 00:20:53,880 weigh it out when they get through with it. But I am with you on what you're 230 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:59,160 saying. A lot of people don't understand. And like I've talked to you guys before, 231 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:05,300 there are people out there. She does have email, but there are people out 232 00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:11,740 there that she can probably vouch for that does not do email let alone being 233 00:21:11,740 --> 00:21:19,520 able to pull it up or print it and they need as she says the whole snail mail now 234 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,840 I'm not taking snail mail because that's what I did for living either but I'm just 235 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:28,160 saying what I know what I saw out there because I know at first hand they 236 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:33,700 need to get it in their hand and as the old saying goes it didn't happen 237 00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:36,800 unless you got it in black and white on paper. 238 00:21:42,850 --> 00:21:43,490 Thank you. 239 00:21:47,330 --> 00:21:47,630 Anyone else? 240 00:21:50,970 --> 00:21:52,530 Yeah, use the microphone 241 00:21:52,530 --> 00:21:54,290 so folks at home can hear you. 242 00:21:56,490 --> 00:22:00,650 I'm sorry. I'm just on the road tonight and I apologize. 243 00:22:01,090 --> 00:22:04,290 That's all right. We're a whole church. Go right ahead. We knew we were having a town 244 00:22:04,290 --> 00:22:10,290 meeting. Staff knew what some of the questions were going to be. Why did we not mandate 245 00:22:10,290 --> 00:22:15,950 that they show up your mandate. They show up to the Christmas party. So why are they not here? This 246 00:22:15,950 --> 00:22:22,670 is more than a Christmas party. This is people livelihoods. I understand that we did the 2026 247 00:22:22,670 --> 00:22:31,750 tax values are going to be seen values as last year. But what happens when next year come around? 248 00:22:32,370 --> 00:22:36,610 I pray for you. You don't have to pray for me. You have to pray for yourself. 249 00:22:37,990 --> 00:22:43,110 And I pray for you all because this is the reason why he's not 250 00:22:45,260 --> 00:22:47,300 he's not avenged for God 251 00:22:47,300 --> 00:22:54,060 But when the hurricane start coming through here, and they start blowing paper people houses off of the beach and everything else 252 00:22:54,060 --> 00:22:58,480 Your tax your tax value ain't gonna mean a thing to them. No, ma'am 253 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:02,560 You're not gonna have a tax base. I agree with you and he's no respecter of persons either 254 00:23:03,100 --> 00:23:07,320 And that's fine, but my thing again is why it's not the 255 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:12,720 someone represented here from the tax office, not Mr. Saul who represents the 256 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:17,520 tax office and everything else under him, but how come there isn't anyone here? 257 00:23:17,900 --> 00:23:22,120 Yeah, I understand. I think he gave you an adequate answer that helped navigate 258 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:25,840 through your problem tomorrow. I don't think even the tax assessor would be 259 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:31,460 able to give you a definitive answer on what you asked tonight. But the 260 00:23:31,460 --> 00:23:36,820 fellow that gave me the the delta the value change delta he was very 261 00:23:36,820 --> 00:23:42,260 knowledgeable so he would have been able to explain some things when I started 262 00:23:42,260 --> 00:23:46,680 talking about this here value change delta nobody here unless you all been 263 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,580 over there and talking with them you probably don't have a clue that that's 264 00:23:49,580 --> 00:23:53,300 on that their email that they're sending out and I tried to ask them what 265 00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:57,040 what in the world is that that's why I said he explained it to me if 266 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,460 everybody were to get in line behind me the line would have been wrapped 267 00:24:00,460 --> 00:24:04,000 They'll be still be in line right now, trying to get them to explain stuff. 268 00:24:04,220 --> 00:24:08,060 So if they do it in this setting right here, it's all done at one time. 269 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:11,920 So the good thing is this is the first of two town halls and it's going Thursday night. 270 00:24:12,420 --> 00:24:14,420 So I think the manager's got your message clear. 271 00:24:14,980 --> 00:24:18,140 And we'll have some folks to address your questions Thursday night. 272 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,680 I'm not going to Hamsteed. 273 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:25,400 For the folks at home and the folks who are going to watch us on YouTube in perpetuity. 274 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:26,200 Okay. 275 00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:30,260 Well, I have to look at it after the fact because I'm not going to Hamsteed. 276 00:24:30,260 --> 00:24:34,820 that's that's too far to be driving fit to some yes ma'am round trip and gas is 277 00:24:34,820 --> 00:24:40,140 going up so yes ma'am understand that's a burden on again on taxpayers who have 278 00:24:40,140 --> 00:24:44,460 to go over there and I know there isn't anyone here tonight that's that talking 279 00:24:44,460 --> 00:24:50,880 about something else I know I'm on the tax and they're not here and I would 280 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,620 pray that they would have been here and the people that's listening to me on 281 00:24:54,620 --> 00:25:02,280 television. We need to give them people their water. They need their water. You 282 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:07,920 give them their water. I can give you a story. I grew up here in Bergau and I'm 283 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:12,680 not ashamed of how I grew up. We grew up pumping and fetching water out the 284 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:16,040 ground from a pump in my neighbor's yard because we didn't have a pump. 285 00:25:16,740 --> 00:25:20,280 They had to pump. That was the neighborhood pump and that water was 286 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,740 good, fresh and good, clean. But now you're talking about people out here in the western 287 00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:30,220 part of the county. They can't even get good water. Something is wrong with that. If you 288 00:25:30,220 --> 00:25:38,380 walk and buy two or three hundred thousand dollar fleets of trucks and cars for the 289 00:25:38,380 --> 00:25:45,020 police department, everybody seems to have their own vehicle. I can't even afford to 290 00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:49,040 get my car fixed because I'm on a fixed income, but yet I'm looking at them in 291 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:54,420 $80,000 trucks. Why do they need an $80,000 truck? What was wrong with them getting going 292 00:25:54,420 --> 00:26:00,500 up there and getting a $35,000 truck? What's wrong? $80,000? You all don't know how to 293 00:26:00,500 --> 00:26:05,780 spend money. Let me handle it for a month. I would cut everybody off. They'd be mad 294 00:26:05,780 --> 00:26:10,720 at me. They'd be so glad when I left Friday on day 31 because they wouldn't be able 295 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:16,160 to have anything but what was needed. We have to live when we're on a budget. 296 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,320 Why can't you all live within your budget? 297 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:22,580 I'm not just talking about you all, county manager. 298 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:25,240 I don't know how you all are doing your budget. 299 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:30,620 I saw the 300 or whatever it's going to be, and I understand that. 300 00:26:32,970 --> 00:26:36,130 But I'm upset about something else, so I'm trying not to let that come in, 301 00:26:36,170 --> 00:26:39,630 and I apologize that I sound like I'm bouncing off the wall because I am. 302 00:26:40,130 --> 00:26:41,730 I'm trying to get all these questions out 303 00:26:44,030 --> 00:26:46,250 in the budget, and I wasn't. 304 00:26:46,450 --> 00:26:49,190 I think I might have been here, and I may not have been here, 305 00:26:49,190 --> 00:26:50,990 but I was so excited to go to Colorado Springs. 306 00:26:52,070 --> 00:26:54,610 You all talked about nonprofits, 307 00:26:55,630 --> 00:26:57,510 and they were gonna get a certain amount. 308 00:26:58,150 --> 00:27:00,350 Are you all able to tell me what that amount was? 309 00:27:00,470 --> 00:27:01,710 Was it $50,000? 310 00:27:05,370 --> 00:27:06,770 I remember giving them. 311 00:27:06,850 --> 00:27:07,650 I'm not sure if it's 50 or 70. 312 00:27:07,890 --> 00:27:09,110 It's one of those amounts. 313 00:27:16,350 --> 00:27:17,790 But let me finish though, 314 00:27:17,810 --> 00:27:18,910 then you can answer the question. 315 00:27:21,550 --> 00:27:22,750 I voted the Ford Pantry. 316 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,900 Ford Pantries are donations from me. 317 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:29,280 I mean, I go there, 318 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:31,460 But still, I give donations anyway. 319 00:27:32,060 --> 00:27:35,080 You give donations, you give donations, you give donations. 320 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,740 Now we got this line around the box, around the block, 321 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,800 where I needed food today, and they ran out. 322 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:44,440 And if they'd have had that money 323 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:46,720 that you all were supposed to be giving to them, 324 00:27:47,020 --> 00:27:49,400 they could stretch it a little further 325 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,000 to get stuff from the food bank 326 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,360 to try to fill in the gap for the Penn and County 327 00:27:53,360 --> 00:27:53,800 citizens. 328 00:27:53,800 --> 00:28:04,560 For instance, $50,000 and however many nonprofits that we have, you've probably given them $1,000, maybe $2,500 apiece. 329 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:13,340 That's not enough. I am a recipient of food stamps, and I'm going to stand before you and tell you, I'm a recipient of food stamps. 330 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:21,620 Thank God for them. What I do get, it helps me get my food in the household. 331 00:28:21,620 --> 00:28:28,580 but there are so many people around here that receive food stamps and they still 332 00:28:28,580 --> 00:28:32,320 have to get in the food line and when they get in that line and 333 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:37,600 grab their food I'm sorry it's gone and you still got this long line back here 334 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:44,020 wanting food what can we as Pender County do to help those families if you're 335 00:28:44,020 --> 00:28:47,880 only giving fifty thousand dollars to there's probably four or five food 336 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:55,860 banks in town that's not enough for them what can we do to modify that's the word 337 00:28:55,860 --> 00:29:01,260 I won't modify the budget to include giving them two or three hundred thousand 338 00:29:01,260 --> 00:29:06,400 dollars you can buy eighty thousand dollar truck you can buy a hundred 339 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:10,540 thousand dollar dump truck or whatever it is so why can't you give something 340 00:29:10,540 --> 00:29:14,160 that's gonna keep people alive that trucking I can kill this for the 341 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:18,060 department and their trucks, their trucks don't mean a thing. They ain't but 342 00:29:18,060 --> 00:29:21,560 them sitting in their trucks speeding and doing all the other kind of stuff. 343 00:29:21,620 --> 00:29:27,560 Sometimes I just want to just call it in but I don't and maybe I should but I'm 344 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:32,880 looking out for the people now. That's who I am. What can we do to help those 345 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:38,380 nonprofits who have not just only food pantries, clothing, all those other 346 00:29:38,380 --> 00:29:43,460 necessities that these poor folks need around here? Why can't we modify the 347 00:29:43,460 --> 00:29:48,360 budget. Can it be modified to to increase that? Find out what each one really 348 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:53,800 needs and give them at least 75% of what they're asking for. You can't give 349 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:59,960 100% but at least 75%. So what we did with 350 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:06,840 The budget was we did set $50,000 aside for the nonprofits. However, since then, through 351 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:12,100 working with Representative Smith and Senator Jackson's office in Raleigh, we were able 352 00:30:12,100 --> 00:30:16,140 to get some additional state funding into the county, and so all of the nonprofits who 353 00:30:16,140 --> 00:30:20,700 requested money this year received their full ask, or will be receiving their full 354 00:30:20,700 --> 00:30:25,620 We repeat that one more time, because I'm most certainly going to let Sandy Harris, Appender 355 00:30:25,620 --> 00:30:31,060 County Christian Services, know that I told her something about that, but I couldn't confirm 356 00:30:31,060 --> 00:30:31,800 it for her. 357 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:33,320 You're seeing it now. 358 00:30:34,020 --> 00:30:34,740 You're seeing it now. 359 00:30:34,740 --> 00:30:35,440 Yes, ma'am. 360 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:36,020 We've received. 361 00:30:36,100 --> 00:30:37,160 What was the percent we quit? 362 00:30:38,180 --> 00:30:38,680 She does. 363 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:39,520 Yes, she does. 364 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:44,260 But yes, they have any, all of our nonprofits received the request that they made to the 365 00:30:44,260 --> 00:30:44,800 commissioners. 366 00:30:48,780 --> 00:30:51,480 That's a life-saving tool for them, that food. 367 00:30:51,480 --> 00:31:02,840 They need those. Otherwise we're going to have people out here homeless people on the streets and I'm being honest because that's the next thing. What happened with housing? How come we can't have more? 368 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,500 Section eight vouchers going out there. 369 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:20,560 To those families that on a five or six year waiting list, they're waiting for decent housing and they can't get decent housing. And I know that the city don't want people to put up a tent city. 370 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:26,880 Because they told me, and nobody here representing the town of Bergall either, and I apologized to them. 371 00:31:27,420 --> 00:31:33,380 But you told me that there was an ordinance that said, when I put my tent up in my yard, 372 00:31:33,700 --> 00:31:36,820 I'm not fitting to live in my tent, but it's about homelessness. 373 00:31:37,340 --> 00:31:40,640 My tent doesn't have nothing to do with homelessness, but I fall under that ordinance. 374 00:31:40,980 --> 00:31:43,420 It can only stay up there so many days and you got to take it down. 375 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:44,680 That's wrong. 376 00:31:45,700 --> 00:31:49,320 So you have homeless people because I know where they live in that. 377 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:55,340 Some of them are right down there on Ridgid Avenue they and I'm I'm hoping that they're not staying inside of that 378 00:31:55,340 --> 00:31:59,740 They're the storage units to the last few weeks because it's been hard as five 379 00:31:59,740 --> 00:32:04,740 They're in there. They're probably dead as dope nails and nobody don't even realize it, but they're renting 380 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:10,900 Rental units and that is their house that rental unit is where they're at 381 00:32:10,900 --> 00:32:11,980 They go to the 382 00:32:12,540 --> 00:32:16,260 Scotsman to get water go get water to take baths and all that other stuff 383 00:32:16,260 --> 00:32:19,680 We need to help all of these poor folks around here. 384 00:32:19,820 --> 00:32:24,760 You can't just take the money and give it to folks that don't need it. 385 00:32:24,860 --> 00:32:25,660 Let me put it that way. 386 00:32:28,100 --> 00:32:28,980 I'm just... 387 00:32:31,630 --> 00:32:32,450 We understand. 388 00:32:32,810 --> 00:32:33,370 Yes ma'am. 389 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:43,020 Sure. 390 00:32:43,660 --> 00:32:44,260 Please do. 391 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,500 And let's talk a little bit about the section 8 housing. 392 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:51,620 I think that's a bigger systemic problem than just a localized county issue. 393 00:33:12,780 --> 00:33:14,640 I think Ms. Blair is going to lay it out for you. 394 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:15,440 Yes. 395 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:19,020 So I don't want to speak too out of turn, but we do have, 396 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:21,980 we have both section eight housing vouchers 397 00:33:21,980 --> 00:33:25,200 as well as project based housing vouchers. 398 00:33:25,460 --> 00:33:27,460 And the section eight housing vouchers, 399 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:29,780 we actually have more than we can give out 400 00:33:29,780 --> 00:33:33,360 because we don't have places to home folks. 401 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:38,860 Our housing department has done several public events 402 00:33:38,860 --> 00:33:42,320 trying to get additional landlords 403 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:44,360 to become part of the program. 404 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:50,120 But even if we were to give out the vouchers, we don't have anywhere to place people at the moment. 405 00:33:51,140 --> 00:33:55,680 So the need really is not for more vouchers because we have them. 406 00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:58,600 It's for more landlords to become a part of the program. 407 00:33:59,300 --> 00:34:03,000 My understanding is actually pretty easy to become a part of the program. 408 00:34:03,780 --> 00:34:08,180 You know, you get your rent checked every month from our office. 409 00:34:08,180 --> 00:34:17,880 And so the issue is really just having more places to put the folks that would maintain those vouchers. 410 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:18,820 We 411 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:33,480 haven't built any housing for the folks that can fall under Section 8. 412 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:39,620 I am a tax credit expert because I was in for 25 years and I had to step away from it. 413 00:34:39,620 --> 00:34:46,520 So I know what you're talking about, because Section 8 vouchers can go into tax credit 414 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:46,940 properties. 415 00:34:47,660 --> 00:34:53,200 So if you all get together with your people up there in Raleigh, and let's put some housing 416 00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:59,800 down here, tax credit property, or allow them to come in, whoever might be stopping 417 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:07,600 or whatever, all this 1,000 and 1,040 houses going into Rocky Point, and 135 going over 418 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:15,940 here and be facing all those ones down there on Henry Brown out that way to jail 419 00:35:15,940 --> 00:35:19,220 houses a new detention center there's some kind of houses going out there 420 00:35:19,220 --> 00:35:23,600 those are not affordable housing the poorest folks can't get into these 421 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:27,940 brand new houses those houses are designed for mirror 422 00:35:30,820 --> 00:35:31,700 and upper class 423 00:35:31,700 --> 00:35:38,000 families our lower class families still need housing too it's not just 424 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:43,400 systemic I understand that but I'm talking about what can we in Pender County do about 425 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:50,220 our housing crisis because I'm gonna call it that because you said there's landlords 426 00:35:50,220 --> 00:35:54,860 are not accepting and I know why they're not accepting I was a landlord but I was tax 427 00:35:54,860 --> 00:36:00,240 credit I couldn't turn them away otherwise I can turn them away if I got a bad a bad 428 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:05,780 bad bad with um background check on them other than that they were in like fleeing 429 00:36:05,780 --> 00:36:10,520 if that's if that's the terminology but outside of that we couldn't turn them 430 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:14,860 away because if we did North Carolina house and finance would be on our butts 431 00:36:14,860 --> 00:36:21,740 so we had to allow them in so if we build you get the right property manager in 432 00:36:21,740 --> 00:36:27,860 place they're gonna have to be a one like ours I did not play and anybody 433 00:36:27,860 --> 00:36:32,880 that knows me I started off at Ashley Ridge I don't know how it is over 434 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,060 there now, but it was never the way I ran it with her. 435 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:40,640 That was me. That's how I ran it. 436 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:44,480 We didn't put up with drugs. I didn't put up with this. I didn't put it. I put them out. 437 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:49,360 I didn't care about the children on one hand, because you didn't care about your child 438 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:53,680 and you did this and you knew it was against the rules. And this rules say you got to 439 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:54,040 get out. 440 00:36:54,720 --> 00:36:59,920 I had to turn a blind eye to it. I just couldn't. I had to. I'm so sorry, baby. 441 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:05,740 but your your mama and you got to move you know that's just it so please try 442 00:37:05,740 --> 00:37:10,820 to get more house additional housing if there's funds available please please 443 00:37:10,820 --> 00:37:15,060 please please for the low-income families I know that if you get the right 444 00:37:15,060 --> 00:37:19,880 manager in place they're not going to tear it up I can guarantee you because 445 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:27,460 I used to manage Kerry Chapel Village in Henderson 54 houses low-income families 446 00:37:27,460 --> 00:37:33,040 three and four bedrooms they would tell you they probably was Regina was back 447 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:38,740 because I ran it like a again with iron fist we you couldn't tell the difference 448 00:37:38,740 --> 00:37:45,240 between the property owner who was paying you know they own their home and the 449 00:37:45,240 --> 00:37:49,160 next door neighbor which was under tax credit you couldn't tell the difference 450 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:53,880 because that neighborhood it blended in it blended in maybe we need to get 451 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:59,200 up with some property managers, management companies, and then see what kind of grants 452 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:02,560 can be offered to them so they can put more house in here. 453 00:38:02,940 --> 00:38:03,980 We got Cooper's Point here, 454 00:38:06,940 --> 00:38:08,900 West Side has been here so long, I mean, I don't even know 455 00:38:08,900 --> 00:38:09,740 how old it is. 456 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:11,060 Ashley Ridge? 457 00:38:11,700 --> 00:38:17,740 So would you favor the county government like partnering with developers to bring 458 00:38:17,740 --> 00:38:22,980 low cost, lower income homes and developments into the county? 459 00:38:22,980 --> 00:38:25,480 I would would be for that's credit 460 00:38:26,020 --> 00:38:31,180 Even section eight along those steps as long as they are accepting of the section eight voucher 461 00:38:31,180 --> 00:38:37,320 Because we got to reduce a five six years seven year waiting list. We have to it's just too much 462 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:41,020 I mean, I know somebody right now. They have moved into a trailer 463 00:38:41,020 --> 00:38:44,400 I'm not a little camper because they have no way else to go 464 00:38:45,340 --> 00:38:48,700 It's be it's this best there than being on the streets 465 00:38:48,700 --> 00:38:53,680 It's been talked about. I've supported it, but I got hammered for supporting it because 466 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:54,120 they said... 467 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:54,860 Who hammered you? 468 00:38:55,180 --> 00:38:57,140 So I've got a few other stuff for them now. 469 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:01,220 Well, they say I'm the developer's commissioner. So, you know, I'm all for the developer. 470 00:39:01,380 --> 00:39:03,980 And I'm all for people who need a house. That's what I'm for. 471 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:04,600 But we have... 472 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:07,340 Including my youngest daughter that can't afford to live in the county. 473 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:08,780 Yeah. 474 00:39:08,780 --> 00:39:17,260 But we have so much vacant land out there that the county owns... just develop it. 475 00:39:17,260 --> 00:39:23,500 You already own it. We already own it. My tax dollars is paying for land out there, and it's just sitting there 476 00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:30,280 So why can't it be developed to put houses? I mean you as again you finna put unless it was the information was wrong 477 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:32,180 You finna put over 1,000 478 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:35,680 Homes down there in Rocky Point 479 00:39:36,260 --> 00:39:38,180 That has to do with Pender County 480 00:39:38,180 --> 00:39:43,380 I don't know if it's off of 210 or 133, but there's two developments going down there 481 00:39:43,380 --> 00:39:47,520 One of them is over a thousand. The other one I think might be three or four hundred. I don't know 482 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:50,940 So we're branching out. We're gonna be 483 00:39:52,220 --> 00:39:56,340 In coaching Wilmington after a while, you're not gonna know the difference between 484 00:39:56,340 --> 00:39:59,780 Pendant County and New Hanover County other than the Capefield River Bridge 485 00:39:59,780 --> 00:40:02,720 That's the only thing that's gonna that you're gonna know the difference 486 00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:06,520 That's gonna be the line because it's gonna be houses galore 487 00:40:07,380 --> 00:40:10,320 That's just not it's just not fair to us 488 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:15,440 And I'm gonna clue me because I am not considered low income and again 489 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:22,100 I'm not shame of it, but I still would like to make sure that people are treated fair 490 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:28,720 We have housing for them. We need they've got to have housing, you know, it's too hard outside 491 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:30,540 There's nowhere for them to go right now 492 00:40:30,540 --> 00:40:34,920 But inside a Walmart and hanging out in there until the heat goes on in at 10 o'clock 493 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:38,600 They get kicked out and down on the streets and it's still hot at night 494 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:39,820 It's hot at night 495 00:40:39,820 --> 00:40:43,640 It's so humid 10 o'clock at night and they have nowhere to go 496 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:49,460 But to that tent that the town of Burgall don't want them to to put up. I understand ma'am. Yes ma'am 497 00:40:49,460 --> 00:40:51,020 I agree with most everything you say 498 00:40:55,220 --> 00:40:56,180 All right 499 00:40:56,740 --> 00:40:58,960 Anybody else any questions? 500 00:41:08,300 --> 00:41:13,480 Yeah, I was shocked to hear about the rental fee hit rental buildings that she said people were living in 501 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:15,880 That believe my mind really hurt 502 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:21,820 there needs to be a study also done on how 503 00:41:21,820 --> 00:41:30,160 these people got there like that because that needs also be fixed because God 504 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:35,380 knows we don't want a place looking like tense like she said tense all over the 505 00:41:35,380 --> 00:41:39,540 place like California we do not want it looking like that we don't know 506 00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:44,020 people out on the street it hurts breaks your heart but we also need to 507 00:41:44,020 --> 00:41:53,060 study is how people got to that point and helped rectify that too. Not only do they 508 00:41:53,060 --> 00:42:00,860 need homes, they need something to pull them out of that slump wherever they got 509 00:42:00,860 --> 00:42:04,380 there and I don't know if that's the right word that might be not good word 510 00:42:04,380 --> 00:42:09,720 for it but because they may have gotten there with of no fault of their 511 00:42:09,720 --> 00:42:15,520 own is is the way the system who knows it could have been medically pulled them 512 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:21,900 down but it does break your heart to know you got people in your county out 513 00:42:21,900 --> 00:42:27,680 there when she said living in rental buildings I asked the first time I 514 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:33,420 ever heard that yeah it happens more than you know and that just broke my 515 00:42:33,420 --> 00:42:38,860 heart to hear that so that needs to be some studying done on how they got to 516 00:42:38,860 --> 00:42:41,060 that point and try to rectify that, too? 517 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:43,780 Well, so we're seeing locally, nationally, 518 00:42:43,980 --> 00:42:45,080 there's what's been going on. 519 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:48,000 So there's a lot of the communities 520 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:51,080 that are dealing with a large amount of folks 521 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:53,000 that have had substance abuse problems, 522 00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:55,680 folks that have had psychological problems, 523 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,860 medical problems, where they've not been allowed to work, 524 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:00,300 hadn't been able to work. 525 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:05,960 Behavioral hospitals are at max capacity 526 00:43:06,420 --> 00:43:10,160 and those folks unfortunately end up on our streets and it's sad 527 00:43:13,720 --> 00:43:15,100 it's gotten to 528 00:43:15,100 --> 00:43:20,780 be a way to figure that out I mean those that are drug abuse people know if 529 00:43:20,780 --> 00:43:24,780 you have to take whatever money they do get and just not let them get it and 530 00:43:24,780 --> 00:43:29,280 just pals them and make sure they eat now and and make sure you don't get the 531 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:33,440 whole their money to get the drugs whatever it takes to take care of them 532 00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:37,960 look out at them and get them fed unfortunately a lot of folks used to 533 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:43,200 see this stuff on the news, but now they're seeing it in their own communities and it's 534 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:49,300 that big of a widespread problem in the country. I see it every day in things that I do. I 535 00:43:49,300 --> 00:43:53,380 see it a lot and it's eye-opening. 536 00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:57,440 It just seems like there's a way these people 537 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:03,700 could cook and everything else for themselves and clean or if somebody could take their 538 00:44:03,700 --> 00:44:06,920 money and oversee it and make sure that they've got a roof over their head and 539 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:12,040 housing fair to know and not let them have the money to abuse with drugs and 540 00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:12,220 all. 541 00:44:14,970 --> 00:44:18,580 Yes sir. 542 00:44:20,810 --> 00:44:24,710 I'm she brought up a water issue. Water issue is a it's not just a 543 00:44:24,710 --> 00:44:29,030 West issue it's an issue in the East. I'm fortunate myself that I was able to 544 00:44:29,030 --> 00:44:33,630 afford a water softening system in my home. You know I'm a native North 545 00:44:33,630 --> 00:44:39,130 Carolinian. You know Wake County lived in Wake County and moved to 546 00:44:39,130 --> 00:44:45,330 Pender County in 2020. You do talk about, you know, developers and the requirements of developers. 547 00:44:45,690 --> 00:44:50,950 I mean, I'm certain developers have to pay fees in order to build. I have been in the construction 548 00:44:50,950 --> 00:44:55,970 industry for about 40 years and not necessarily develop. I mean, I've been involved with development, 549 00:44:56,090 --> 00:44:59,970 not developing myself, but is there not something that could be 550 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,380 When you have a developer come in that wants to build 1,000 homes, then you allow that, but 551 00:45:05,380 --> 00:45:10,280 you take 100 of those homes and make those affordable housing and make that a requirement 552 00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:15,760 for Pender County. I'm not certain that may be against state law. Most developers are 553 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:22,440 there to make money. I hate to say it, but if you saw your home being built, you probably 554 00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:27,380 wouldn't want to live in it, because you just would not be surprised at the corners 555 00:45:27,380 --> 00:45:31,980 that are taken sometimes, you know, I see a lot of DR Horton homes going up in 556 00:45:31,980 --> 00:45:37,940 Fender County and they call themselves America's Builder, you know, let's be 557 00:45:37,940 --> 00:45:41,880 real about what they're building, you know, and so much like you, Mr. Burton, 558 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:45,420 I have a daughter and her and her husband had to move outside of Fender 559 00:45:45,420 --> 00:45:49,580 County in order to find a home that they could afford and they still had 560 00:45:49,580 --> 00:45:53,240 to stretch a budget in order, you know, to afford a home, but I do think 561 00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:56,040 there's something to be done with the developers that are in this 562 00:45:56,040 --> 00:46:01,220 county building to make it a requirement. You know, I do know when working in Wake County 563 00:46:01,220 --> 00:46:07,020 that in lieu of a lot of towns in the county and lieu of fees would require road improvements 564 00:46:07,020 --> 00:46:12,080 to be done, not necessarily in front of that development, but in certain sites. They would 565 00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:17,460 say, you know, in lieu of paying a fee, we need you to go five miles down this road 566 00:46:17,460 --> 00:46:22,280 and we need something done on this road. And they were doing that. I saw it and 567 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:24,220 and I've seen it for years and years and so. 568 00:46:25,700 --> 00:46:26,780 You're spot on. 569 00:46:27,380 --> 00:46:31,960 There are developers that come to some of us, 570 00:46:32,220 --> 00:46:34,040 come to planning board members 571 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:35,940 and folks that wanna give incentives 572 00:46:36,420 --> 00:46:40,460 to be able to partner and get along with their communities 573 00:46:40,460 --> 00:46:41,200 where they're gonna build. 574 00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:42,980 There are builders out there that do that, 575 00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:43,980 developers that do that. 576 00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:46,220 And for your water question, 577 00:46:46,900 --> 00:46:48,160 coming into a new community, 578 00:46:48,300 --> 00:46:51,160 those builders do pay for all of that infrastructure 579 00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:57,640 to be put in. They do curb and gutter, pavement, do all that stuff and then at 580 00:46:57,640 --> 00:47:02,940 the end of it a lot of times it's turned over, but they do. I think one of the 581 00:47:02,940 --> 00:47:06,140 shock to me when I moved from Wake County to Pender County is that when I paid 582 00:47:06,140 --> 00:47:11,740 my county taxes I was paying for water, I was paying for sewer, I was paying for 583 00:47:11,740 --> 00:47:17,680 trash pickup and I move here and all that's privatized. You know I do pay 584 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:20,760 Pender County water and then I have a sprinkler system that I have to pay 585 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:23,540 as well, if I don't want that sprinkler system on, 586 00:47:24,020 --> 00:47:26,040 I have to pay an enormous fee to get it cut off. 587 00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:28,220 And that used to not be the case, 588 00:47:28,280 --> 00:47:29,420 but they increased that. 589 00:47:29,580 --> 00:47:30,660 So I don't have to use it, 590 00:47:30,840 --> 00:47:33,760 but I still have to pay an administration fee 591 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,040 each month, you know, $32.50, 592 00:47:37,280 --> 00:47:39,260 if I even don't turn my sprinkler system on. 593 00:47:39,940 --> 00:47:42,300 But I will say that a lot of things 594 00:47:42,300 --> 00:47:44,460 that are privatized in Pender County, 595 00:47:44,620 --> 00:47:45,820 and most counties are not, 596 00:47:46,640 --> 00:47:48,080 and they're included in your taxes. 597 00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:52,920 And so I was really shocked as I was paying my taxes and realized, you know, a trash pickup 598 00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:55,140 was something that was not included in other things. 599 00:47:57,060 --> 00:47:57,720 That's good. 600 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:02,380 I hope Wake County is very populated and, you know, we're dealing with spreading taxes 601 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:07,580 to a little over 70,000 folks versus, let's say, New Hanover County. 602 00:48:07,740 --> 00:48:11,160 They're spreading taxes out around 280,000 folks. 603 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:15,240 So that's why when you see our rates a little higher than some counties, that's 604 00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:15,500 why. 605 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:18,600 But I agree with everything you say. 606 00:48:19,140 --> 00:48:23,140 I mean, I would love, and I know Commissioner Springer and Commissioner Groves, 607 00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:26,340 we would love to have a county-wide water and sewer system. 608 00:48:28,200 --> 00:48:30,680 Development growth could be controlled a little better then, 609 00:48:32,100 --> 00:48:36,940 but a lot of folks don't understand, and we have conversations all the time about it, 610 00:48:37,020 --> 00:48:43,320 there's folks that partake of Pima County Utilities water, they pay for the water. 611 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:48,080 folks that have a private home, well, they don't. 612 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:50,500 It's a separate fund. 613 00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:55,760 Those funds have to be used strictly for the water or the utilities. 614 00:48:57,500 --> 00:49:02,320 Hopefully, one of these days, and I think there's some conversations going on with county staff 615 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:07,580 and with some commissioners to generate a plan to look into the future 616 00:49:07,580 --> 00:49:10,860 where we can modernize and move forward with our utilities, 617 00:49:10,860 --> 00:49:14,540 water sewer and everything hopefully to have a better outcome for everyone in 618 00:49:14,540 --> 00:49:15,520 the future I 619 00:49:18,460 --> 00:49:20,400 hope that helped a little bit remember 620 00:49:25,780 --> 00:49:28,160 those picture pump days I'm 621 00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:35,550 not quite that old but I remember them at grandma's house I'm that old and I'm 622 00:49:35,550 --> 00:49:41,210 glad that the Lord allowed me to be 62 men I look at but I'm 62 and I'm so glad 623 00:49:41,210 --> 00:49:47,290 of it but I'm catching you that's okay I don't never want you to catch me you 624 00:49:47,290 --> 00:49:48,750 know what that means don't you? 625 00:49:51,910 --> 00:49:56,090 But this is a safety issue and I don't know if 626 00:49:56,090 --> 00:50:00,210 you're the ones who I need to address this with or whether it's Mr. Sawyer, 627 00:50:00,350 --> 00:50:06,770 probably Mr. Sawyer. I attended the town of Burgall monthly commissioners 628 00:50:06,770 --> 00:50:13,670 meeting and there was something that was said about Bluebird Festival, other 629 00:50:13,670 --> 00:50:20,490 festivals on the courthouse square. You see it threw me and it probably threw a 630 00:50:20,490 --> 00:50:26,290 lot of people. I had no idea that the town of Burgall is not responsible for the 631 00:50:26,290 --> 00:50:34,810 upkeep of the courthouse lawn. There's potholes out there. People are falling 632 00:50:34,810 --> 00:50:38,850 and getting hurt. My understanding is that they brought it to somebody's 633 00:50:38,850 --> 00:50:43,030 attention and they just sweep it under the rug and there's one particular 634 00:50:43,030 --> 00:50:49,070 gentleman that has fallen twice. He was a vet, I'm not going to say no names, and he has no legs, 635 00:50:49,510 --> 00:50:56,330 and he's in a wheelchair, and he has fallen twice. He stumbles around a lot anyway about like me, 636 00:50:56,370 --> 00:51:01,790 but today I'm having a good day, but he has fallen twice. There's been people that have 637 00:51:01,790 --> 00:51:08,510 twisted their ankles. I need to know when are you going to please, I'm begging you just like 638 00:51:08,510 --> 00:51:12,130 at the meeting, that they're going to be contacting somebody. I hope they've already 639 00:51:12,130 --> 00:51:17,470 done it. But I'm glad this meeting is in now. I'm seeing it publicly. Please send 640 00:51:17,470 --> 00:51:24,510 someone to canvass the courthouse square and fill in those potholes because I'm 641 00:51:24,510 --> 00:51:28,430 only just going to be honest with you. If there's an event out there and even 642 00:51:28,430 --> 00:51:34,130 though I have issues with my balance and I fall, you all are looking for a 643 00:51:34,130 --> 00:51:37,970 lawsuit. I'm not talking about just for me. The person that twisted their 644 00:51:37,970 --> 00:51:41,910 anchor I'm surprised that they've not already done but 645 00:51:44,180 --> 00:51:45,000 I think that they want 646 00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:49,080 to just settle down and let it go and it's for to be addressed and they 647 00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:53,640 addressed it and I'm just addressing it now who is responsible for having the 648 00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:57,480 maintenance go out there not just hit it with the lawnmower and the weed either 649 00:51:57,480 --> 00:52:03,180 but actually now walking they go hold identified fill it put some grass seed on 650 00:52:03,180 --> 00:52:09,220 it and keep on going I don't know who that person would be because I don't 651 00:52:09,220 --> 00:52:16,640 I don't want me or my grandchild, children, to fall and get hurt because if I fall I won't be able to get up and I'm being honest with you. 652 00:52:16,720 --> 00:52:21,460 Yes ma'am. So that is a county responsibility. We maintain the courthouse and the courthouse square. 653 00:52:22,300 --> 00:52:29,600 The town of Burgall has let us know about that condition down there. 654 00:52:30,220 --> 00:52:36,400 They sent us a letter, a couple last week perhaps, our Parks and Recreation Director 655 00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:42,040 who's actually overseas, that space has already walked it with Town and Burgos staff 656 00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:45,700 and they've marked the areas and they're developing a plan not just to go fix it, 657 00:52:45,700 --> 00:52:49,480 but how to try to fix it a little more permanently as well, so maybe it doesn't happen again. 658 00:52:49,480 --> 00:53:01,280 Thank you for that because I was just shocked at what they said at that meeting, especially 659 00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:06,120 when they said they brought it to the county's attention a long time ago. 660 00:53:06,900 --> 00:53:11,580 So now we're reacting because somebody is falling, somebody doesn't hurt their legs. 661 00:53:12,040 --> 00:53:16,240 I believe that there may be some kind of legal action if somebody falls again. 662 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:19,340 And that's just, just tell them about the safety. 663 00:53:19,560 --> 00:53:19,880 That's it. 664 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:22,220 Thank you. 665 00:53:24,910 --> 00:53:25,590 Anybody else? 666 00:53:33,220 --> 00:53:35,280 We do have an attendance Chairman Hall 667 00:53:35,280 --> 00:53:37,640 with the Board of Education back in the back right back there. 668 00:53:37,660 --> 00:53:40,000 He's taking the meeting in and we appreciate him coming. 669 00:53:40,780 --> 00:53:44,320 Appreciate his input and his involvement in the community. 670 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:45,120 We do. 671 00:53:46,180 --> 00:53:48,180 I would like to say we got a great relationship 672 00:53:48,180 --> 00:53:49,160 with the Board of Education 673 00:53:49,720 --> 00:53:51,660 and we look forward to the future 674 00:53:51,660 --> 00:53:53,180 of doing a lot of good things with them. 675 00:53:53,180 --> 00:53:57,820 So with that being said if there's nothing else, I don't think we had. Oh, sure 676 00:54:00,560 --> 00:54:05,740 Miss for now, thank you for coming tonight. I know you but you don't know me 677 00:54:06,940 --> 00:54:08,840 Yeah, I work for Burger Hall police department 678 00:54:12,990 --> 00:54:15,170 But anyway, I'm gonna come see you 679 00:54:15,170 --> 00:54:18,570 Are you listening? I'm gonna come see you 680 00:54:21,180 --> 00:54:26,100 Everybody in this room knows I've been fighting for water for three years three and a half years 681 00:54:26,100 --> 00:54:35,440 years, but you're exactly right. We can buy F-250s, diesels, and drive them to counties 682 00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:44,100 over to go home. That's a lot of money. Figure it up a year, we could probably put you down 683 00:54:44,100 --> 00:54:51,440 a well if you needed one or somebody else. But anyway, I did talk with David Rouser's 684 00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:58,000 office. And he told me the same thing. His office told me the same thing that 685 00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:04,480 Carson told me two months ago. If the county would put together a plan and 686 00:55:04,480 --> 00:55:10,220 submit it, we might can get some federal money, but we have to put together a 687 00:55:10,220 --> 00:55:17,920 plan. And I am asking the manager a second time to start a plan. 688 00:55:21,970 --> 00:55:22,790 And when 689 00:55:22,790 --> 00:55:28,490 When I talk with someone, Rouser or whoever, I send an email to every commissioner. 690 00:55:28,990 --> 00:55:34,110 I don't go out there in secret and try to have a meeting and try to pat myself on the back. 691 00:55:34,270 --> 00:55:35,290 That's not what I do. 692 00:55:35,410 --> 00:55:36,550 That's not what I'm about. 693 00:55:38,350 --> 00:55:40,050 I'm just like you, Ms. Fanel. 694 00:55:40,970 --> 00:55:44,310 I was raised up very poor, very poor. 695 00:55:44,470 --> 00:55:46,890 We had a pump also at one house. 696 00:55:46,890 --> 00:55:53,370 But anyway, we all made it. We always have food on the table. 697 00:55:54,710 --> 00:55:58,290 And I want to speak to the gentleman talking about house building. 698 00:55:59,330 --> 00:56:02,290 You're exactly right. My dad was a master carpenter. 699 00:56:03,230 --> 00:56:05,890 And I'm in the third house that I built with my own hands. 700 00:56:06,690 --> 00:56:09,750 The houses they're building now, they're terrible. 701 00:56:10,710 --> 00:56:14,950 And they're paying double the premium what they're worth. 702 00:56:14,950 --> 00:56:20,690 but I can't fix that the county can't fix it you know the person buying the 703 00:56:20,690 --> 00:56:22,790 house has got to fix that I 704 00:56:29,510 --> 00:56:33,030 just want to say one more thing about the water I'm 705 00:56:33,030 --> 00:56:38,710 challenging this management up in the county to put together a plan so that 706 00:56:38,710 --> 00:56:43,910 we can get all these people water all across the county we 707 00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:54,600 appreciate 708 00:56:54,600 --> 00:56:59,300 everybody's input and we have some good productive conversations miss 709 00:56:59,300 --> 00:57:05,120 now thank you for coming. A couple of things that you brought to our attention I didn't know about. 710 00:57:05,720 --> 00:57:10,000 I didn't know there was potholes or holes in the courthouse square so we need to get that tank 711 00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:16,080 here up. I do know there's always towns deal with uneven pavement and stuff like that that 712 00:57:16,080 --> 00:57:21,140 happens you know you got big oak trees with roots and that happens but thank you for bringing 713 00:57:21,140 --> 00:57:26,780 that to our attention and hopefully you'll get some of your tax questions and get that 714 00:57:26,780 --> 00:57:32,160 That situation rectified may be starting tomorrow, and I'm sure the manager has heard you clearly 715 00:57:32,160 --> 00:57:35,820 on a lot of your concerns, and you just don't speak for yourself. 716 00:57:35,920 --> 00:57:41,520 I know you're speaking for your neighbors too, but we appreciate it, and so with that 717 00:57:41,520 --> 00:57:46,640 being said, Thursday night, for those folks at home or anybody in the audience that wants 718 00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:51,680 to come over to Hampstead, we'll split this up east and west, so if you want to 719 00:57:51,680 --> 00:57:54,180 come over and we'll have some conversation over there. 720 00:57:54,180 --> 00:58:01,340 So with that being said, I'm sure the staff will hang around a few minutes if you've got anything you want to touch base with them. 721 00:58:01,440 --> 00:58:02,540 But thanks everybody for coming.