[0:00] Thank you for joining us tonight. It's
August 11th. Um we'll go ahead and get
[0:04] the town of um the golf board of
commissioners meeting started.
[0:09] » Lindsay,
>> Mayor Logos
[0:11] » here.
>> Mayor Pro Tim Holland
[0:12] » here.
>> Commissioner Brownlow
[0:14] » here.
>> Commissioner Plum
[0:15] » here.
>> Commissioner Sanderson
[0:17] » here.
>> Commissioner Wood
[0:18] » here.
>> Okay. Commissioner Brown, would you like
[0:21] to lead us in opening prayer? Let's
>> please bow our heads in prayer, please.
[0:25] Heavenly Father, we come before you with
grateful hearts for the privilege and
[0:29] responsibility of serving the people of
Emerald Isle. We ask for your wisdom as
[0:34] we consider the matters before us this
evening. Help us to listen with open
[0:38] minds, speak with humility, and make
decisions that are fair, thoughtful, and
[0:42] in the best interest of our community,
both for today and generations to come.
[0:46] Tonight, we especially lift up the Lind
family as we remember Trenton and the
[0:51] remarkable example of courage, kindness,
and love that he shared with our
[0:55] community. May your peace and comfort
surround them. We ask your continued
[0:59] protection over our first responders,
our military, our law enforcement
[1:02] officers, town staff, and the many
volunteers who faithfully serve our
[1:06] community each day.
Bless their work, and keep them safe.
[1:10] Dear Lord, we ask these things in your
holy name. Amen.
[1:13] » Amen. Amen.
>> I'll rise for the pledge of allegiance.
[1:20] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[1:26] republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[1:32] justice for all.
[1:40] » Okay, now it's time for public public
comment. Lindsay, has anyone signed up
[1:44] today?
>> Yes, Carol Peoples.
[1:52] » Hi, I'm Oh, it is on. I'm Carol Peoples,
401 Hickory Street. Um, I just wanted to
[1:57] make a comment about a topic that was
discussed a little bit last month about
[2:03] reappointing city members on the
planning board. and I've emailed all of
[2:06] you, so none of this is a surprise, but
I just wonder if it would be a good idea
[2:10] because we have other residents who are
interested in serving to consider term
[2:14] limits for the planning board. Um, and I
think if two consecutive term limit
[2:19] limits would give you six years and then
if you're still interested, you could
[2:22] sit out for three years and then come
back and be considered with all the
[2:26] other applicants. That was just a
suggestion because I think a lot of
[2:29] people are highly qualified and very
interested in serving.
[2:32] » Yeah. Thank you, Carol.
That's it.
[2:36] » That's it. Okay. Um, if anyone else
forgot to sign up but has a comment. No.
[2:42] Okay. Well, um, you guys, everyone knows
that you can all email us at any time
[2:46] and we're happy to read and respond. Um,
so moving on, um, to the we heard you
[2:53] from last month. Um, if there were any
comments from that section or followup
[2:58] needed, we have printed them and they're
on the back.
[3:02] Would you like to do the
>> any conflict of interest? Mayor Logos.
[3:06] » No.
>> Mayor Pro Tim Holland.
[3:08] » No.
>> Commissioner Brown?
[3:09] » No conflict.
>> Commissioner Plum?
[3:11] » No.
>> Commissioner Sanderson?
[3:13] » No.
>> Commissioner Wooten?
[3:14] » No.
>> Okay, great. So, now we can move on with
[3:17] the adoption of the agenda tonight as
written. May I have a motion?
[3:21] » So moved.
>> All those in favor?
[3:23] » I.
>> Okay. Um, so next we have our public
[3:27] announcements. Um they were rolling
through as everybody arrived this
[3:31] evening. Um there are some larger
festivals and things coming up. We have
[3:35] Kidfest, um Labor Day weekend, we have
Emerald Fest. Um is this the last
[3:41] concert coming up in August or is there
another one?
[3:47] » We had a cancellation earlier, so we
rescheduled that to August 20th. So
[3:51] that'll be the last one. So we'll have
one on the 13th and the 20th.
[3:54] » Okay, great. So, everyone get out and
watch some music on the beach. Um, we
[3:58] have a blood drive coming up on the 21st
and youth at the Youth Advisory
[4:03] Council's first meeting will also be in
August. Um, there will be a a
[4:07] proclamation tonight. Jason, if you
would please read it for us.
[4:10] » Absolutely. And, uh, uh, first off, um,
thank you to Transparents for being here
[4:15] tonight. Uh, means a lot. Thank you for
allowing us to do this. And uh thank you
[4:20] Mayor Logos for allowing me um to u
break protocol a little bit and and read
[4:26] this proclamation means a lot. Thank you
so much.
[4:30] The town of Emerald Isle proclamation
honoring Trenton Linds. Whereas Trenton
[4:35] Linds was a beloved member of the
Emerald Ale community and a ray of light
[4:38] to everyone who knew him. And whereas
Trent had a profound love for Emerald
[4:42] Isle and embodied the family beach vibe.
Trent enjoyed body boarding, surfing,
[4:48] the outdoors, spending time with his
family and friends, serving patrons at
[4:53] Southwell Surf Shop and Fish Hut Grill,
his work homes. Whereas Trent was always
[4:58] a joy to be around, bringing smiles to
his friends faces simply by being
[5:02] himself.
Whereas Trent was diagnosed with
[5:05] cranoparangioma
in 2013 and courageously battled
[5:10] numerous health challenges stemming from
this rare brain tumor. Whereas despite
[5:15] these challenges, Trent never releas
relinquished his innate joy, his
[5:20] positivity, and love for life. Whereas
Trent passed away on July 25th at the
[5:25] age of 28 years old, Trent touched
countless lives in Emerald Isle with his
[5:31] infectious personality, strong
character, and giving spirit and set a
[5:35] positive example for all in the face of
significant challenges.
[5:40] Now therefore, I, Jason Holland, Mayor
Pro Tim of the town of Emerald Isle, by
[5:44] virtue of the authority vested in me, do
hereby issue this proclamation honoring
[5:49] Trenton Linds for his kindness,
positivity, courage, strength, and love
[5:54] of community and urge all residents to
reflect on these qualities that he
[5:58] embodied. May we all live our lives
forever stoked. Proclaim this 11th day
[6:03] of August, 2026. Jason Holland, mayor
pro Tim Emerald.
[6:13] » Thank you, Jason. Thank you. Um, moving
on to the consent agenda. May I ask
[6:19] approval [snorts] or motion to approve?
>> So move.
[6:25] » All those in favor? I
[6:38] as we move on to um item number 11 on
the agenda, I do want to make an
[6:44] unofficial announcement. official,
unofficial, I don't really quite know,
[6:48] but I want to make the announcement that
our planning director here um was the
[6:53] zoning official of the year for the
second time in the row from the North
[6:57] Carolina Association of Zoning
Officials. So, Mr.
[7:02] [applause]
[7:06] You will please lead us in um talking
about the ordinance amending the UDO to
[7:11] clarify that contractors may also be
subject to penalties. Sure. Now I got to
[7:16] do it perfectly.
>> Yes, you do.
[7:19] » Good evening everyone. Today we are
holding a public hearing for a proposed
[7:23] UDO UDO text amendment in section 9.2 of
the ordinance. The ordinance of this the
[7:29] purpose of this ordinance amendment is
to clarify that fines may be incurred by
[7:33] both the owner of a property and or the
contractor that performed the
[7:36] non-compliant work. The UDEO currently
states that the owner of a property is
[7:42] the responsible person when
non-compliant work is performed. But
[7:45] there are many situations in which the
contractor who performed the work should
[7:49] also be responsible. We are proposing
the section to read,
[7:53] "The owner of and any contractor,
subcontractor, equipment operator, or
[7:59] other party performing or directing work
for each property located within the
[8:04] town is responsible for ensuring that
the development, redevelopment, use of
[8:10] the land, and improvements to the land
on that property occur and are
[8:14] maintained in compliance with this
ordinance.
[8:18] Notice of violation shall be issued to
both the owner and any contractor,
[8:22] subcontractor,
equipment operator, or other party
[8:26] performing or directing work.
Fines may be incurred by both the owner
[8:31] of a property and or the contractor,
subcontractor, equipment operator, or
[8:37] other party that performed or directed
the non-compliant work.
[8:41] The proposed amendment would apply to
any violation of the UDO in the future.
[8:45] [clears throat]
[8:48] On July 27th, the planning board
reviewed the amendment and voted 5 to
[8:51] zero to recommend adoption of it. They
also completed a plan consistency
[8:56] statement stating that the amendment is
consistent with the comprehensive plan
[9:01] and reasonable and in the public's best
interest because on page 1-9 it states
[9:07] we will review, modify as appropriate
and enforce zoning consistent with local
[9:12] municipal efforts and the capability to
charge contractors in addition to
[9:17] property owners in specific situations
may help deter land use violations from
[9:22] occurring in the future.
All required public hearing procedures
[9:26] have been performed as directed by our
ordinance and state statutes. Within the
[9:31] public notification period, we did not
receive any calls, emails, or citizens
[9:35] that visited the planning department
requesting more information about the
[9:39] proposed amendment. At this time, I ask
the board to make a motion to begin the
[9:44] public hearing before making a final
determination. Thank you.
[9:50] » I'll make a motion to open the public
hearing. All those in favor?
[9:53] » I I
excuse me.
[9:58] You
>> want me to speak from here? Uh
[9:59] » oh, just come over.
>> I'm sorry. I'll try not to get up here
[10:06] too much. Carol Peoples, 401 Hickory. Um
I support this amendment and I'm asking
[10:11] you to as well. I see it as an easily
implemented step, especially with our
[10:16] new building inspectors on staff to
better protect our coast. um the
[10:21] contractors who are the people maybe the
little guys actually doing the work um I
[10:26] think rely on their reputations and word
of mouth and I think having them be sure
[10:31] that they know the rules is just another
layer of protection that we can build in
[10:36] and if someone above them is asking them
to do something that does not is not in
[10:40] line with the ordinance then that's the
place where it should stop. It's just to
[10:43] me another layer of protection. So I
hope you'll consider it.
[10:48] » Thank you Carol. Any
[10:53] that's it? Okay. A motion
>> make a motion to close the public
[10:56] hearing.
>> All those in favor?
[10:58] » I
Anyone have any questions for John?
[11:05] » Yeah, John. We um I think shortly before
the meeting we we revised the language a
[11:11] little bit that so that it was clear
that it doesn't pertain just to a
[11:15] contractor like a licensed contractor.
Could you clarify on that for the
[11:18] audience please?
>> Right. Yeah. So that's that's absolutely
[11:21] true. Is there a certain wording you
wanted to
[11:25] » have that in or so so we have placed at
your places tonight the revised agenda
[11:31] item which is substantively similar to
that was included in the original agenda
[11:35] packet. We have actually included copies
of the replacement item on the table in
[11:39] the back as well, but we've just
expanded that and clarified that it's a
[11:42] contractor, a subcontractor, really any
representative of an individual who's
[11:47] performing the work or directing the
work there. So, we think that's a
[11:50] helpful change to further clarify the
the requirements.
[11:57] » Thank you.
I'll make a motion to amend the unified
[12:01] development ordinance to clarify the
contractors and their entities may also
[12:06] be subject to penalties for UDO
violations.
[12:10] » All those in favor?
>> I
[12:14] [clears throat]
excuse me.
[12:20] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[12:22] » Thanks, John.
>> Zoning officer of the year is everybody.
[12:27] » Yes.
[12:33] Okay. Agenda item number 12. Um, this is
regarding amending chapter 2 from
[12:39] administration, the code of ordinances
to extend certain lifetime recreation
[12:43] benefits to planning board members with
20 years or more of service to the town.
[12:48] Frank,
>> Mayor Logos, commissioners, um the town
[12:52] has for many years provided lifetime
recreation benefits to uh any elected
[12:57] official uh who currently serves or has
served the town in the past or will
[13:01] serve in the future. [clears throat] Um
that's a nice benefit to recognize the
[13:05] dedication and the commitment of your
yourselves and those who've come before
[13:09] you and come after you. Um we also
provide uh a benefit for employees
[13:14] who've worked for the town for 20 years.
uh the identical recreation benefits.
[13:19] Essentially, what that is is a free
beach driving permit, a free community
[13:22] center membership. Uh it's also a free
regional access parking permit. And you
[13:28] might ask, well, why do they need that
if they live in Emerald Ale? Well,
[13:31] perhaps if they're former, they may move
to another community and so forth. And
[13:35] then the other benefit that's provided
is free access to a future public
[13:39] fishing pier. And obviously we don't
currently have any public fishing peers
[13:43] in the town, but this provision was
enacted years ago when the town
[13:47] contemplated having a public fishing
pier. So it was written to incorporate
[13:51] that in the future as well, probably 20
years ago. Um we provide that benefit
[13:56] for current uh past future elected
officials and town employees with 20
[14:00] years or more of service. The proposal
for your consideration tonight is to
[14:04] also extend that same benefit to
long-erving planning board members. Um,
[14:08] and essentially the 20 years mimics the
20 years that's available to full-time
[14:13] town employees. Uh, we currently only
have one individual that would qualify
[14:17] for that. That's our chairman, Kenny
Sullivan, right now, uh, who has been
[14:20] serving for a little more than 20 years.
Um, this amendment was requested by
[14:24] Commissioner Wooten. Um, and again, it's
just another effort to, uh, recognize
[14:29] and show appreciation for those who are
willing to provide that kind of service
[14:32] to the town going forward. So, happy to
answer any questions you may have about
[14:35] it.
board.
[14:41] » I would just say that I I suggested this
and again it mirrors the um long-erving
[14:47] employees. I think that um it's great to
have a commitment and and folks that are
[14:53] willing to serve the town for that
length of time and it's not a huge uh
[14:58] expense necessarily to grant these
privileges, but I think it's a a great
[15:02] recognition. Um, we do have as the town
has grown and evolved and to Carol's
[15:09] point, I think we have so many people
that are willing to serve now, I don't
[15:13] know that we would be granting these to
a lot of folks going forward. So, I
[15:18] don't think there's a big expense to it,
but I thought it was a a [clears throat]
[15:21] nice recognition of for the time served
for um,
[15:26] Mr. Sullivan and anybody else that was
say, you know, similarly situated.
[15:31] One one thing I neglected to mention
just to clarify for everyone's sake, we
[15:34] also provide those same benefits for
current planning board members and we
[15:38] have for many years. That's not actually
codified anywhere in the ordinances or
[15:43] the town policy. So this ordinance would
also rectify that issue as well.
[15:48] » Frank, I recall as a staff member there
being questions oftentimes at the
[15:52] community center. Is this for a board
member, a planning board member, a
[15:58] retiree
alone and their immediate families?
[16:04] » Yes.
>> Or I think we need to define that
[16:08] because immediate family would be
defined as any other legal definition of
[16:13] immediate family.
>> Yeah. And I will tell you the intent is
[16:17] for the member himself or herself.
>> Okay.
[16:20] » We can certainly revisit that if you all
would like to, but that's
[16:22] » No, I'm fine with that. I just think it
needs to be clarified.
[16:25] » Sure.
[16:29] » I was just wondering too about the um
just the recognition of longevity
[16:34] because that's [snorts] that tells us
how long someone has occupied a
[16:38] position, but it doesn't by itself tell
us like the quality, the impact or the
[16:43] character of that service. And I just
want to make sure that if you're going
[16:48] to throw a bestow upon someone a special
privilege, then um certainly I would
[16:54] hope that it it that service would merit
that other than just
[17:00] longevity.
>> Well, if they retire, apparently they've
[17:03] been in good standing.
[17:07] » They would have to been reappointed
numerous times, right?
[17:11] » Yep.
>> Well, for planning board. that pops.
[17:13] I've seen it just repointing itself as
that can happen
[17:20] regardless of merit [snorts] of anything
else.
[17:24] » Yeah, I think you know as as I've been
alluded to before, I think it's highly
[17:27] unusual, right? I think you're very
unlikely to have this situation um many
[17:31] times in the future, if at all. And so
>> I I am fine with this, but I do want to
[17:40] revisit term limits.
>> Okay.
[17:44] » Well, tonight, do we want to make a
motion to adopt this ordinance amending
[17:49] chapter 2? I'll make a motion to adopt
the ordinance amending chapter 2
[17:54] administration of the code of ordin
ordinances to extend certain lifetime
[17:58] recreation benefits planning board
members with 20 years or more of service
[18:02] to the town.
>> Okay, great. All those in favor
[18:05] » I
>> we will um we'll certainly bring you
[18:10] something on term limits for planning
board members and probably board of
[18:13] adjustment members also going forward.
Um, one thing that I think we're going
[18:17] to have to research is um, whether that
should go through the general code of
[18:22] ordinances or whether that should go
through the UDO. If it has to go through
[18:26] the UDO, which is where those terms are
currently codified, that requires review
[18:31] by the planning board first and then
advertising public hearing, same process
[18:34] you just went through a few minutes ago.
So, I want to get clear and I'll talk
[18:38] with the town attorney and others and
make sure we've got the right process
[18:41] outlined. So that may come back directly
to you all or it may go to the planning
[18:45] board depending on what we learn.
>> Okay. Thank you. So moving on to agenda
[18:51] item number 13. Um this is regarding the
resolution requesting um NC do
[18:58] designation of MC58 as a new parking
zone.
[19:04] Um, Mayor Logos, commissioners, um, I
did want to point out that I actually
[19:08] placed a replacement item uh, at your
places tonight and apologize for the
[19:12] number of those this evening. There's
also a copy of this on the table uh, in
[19:16] the rear of the room as well. Um, the
replacement item uh is the same
[19:20] substantive consideration for the board
of commissioners. Um, it's just in the
[19:24] form of an ordinance as opposed to a
resolution. Uh, last week when we put
[19:28] the agenda packet together, it was under
the impression that it would need to be
[19:31] a resolution. uh learned earlier today
that it should be an ordinance. So, you
[19:35] actually have the authority to establish
a no parking zone on Highway 58 if you
[19:40] should choose to do so. Uh the
recommendation that's presented for you
[19:44] is to name the entire length of 58 in
Emerald Isle as a no parking zone. Um
[19:50] historically, the perception has always
been that uh it is a no parking zone. Uh
[19:56] it was really never an issue over the
many many years. um until recently we've
[20:00] had folks parking near the intersection
of Mangrove and Highway 58 in kind of a
[20:05] haphazard manner there and potentially
presenting a safety consideration at
[20:09] that intersection. Um obviously it's the
most heavily traveled road in the town.
[20:13] Uh obviously people are traveling um
faster [clears throat] speeds on Highway
[20:16] 58. Uh we've got a lot of bicyclists and
pedestrians milling around with the bike
[20:21] path and the sidewalk. Um, and as you
know, and I'm very proud of and our
[20:25] staff, I think, should be very proud of
is we invest a lot of resources in
[20:28] trying to keep the whole Highway 58
right away looking attractive and and um
[20:33] very wellmaintained. So, if you're going
to have people parking on that, it kind
[20:36] of is contradictory to that goal. So,
the recommendation presented for you
[20:41] tonight is to consider the ordinance,
[clears throat] um, if the board adopts
[20:45] the ordinance,
>> [snorts]
[20:46] » um, it will be conveyed to the NC DO. um
they ultimately would be responsible for
[20:52] placing future signs uh on Highway 58.
And I will be working with them to
[20:56] hopefully find the right balance between
uh effective signage to communicate the
[21:02] requirement and also avoiding sign
clutter because I think we're very
[21:05] sensitive to having too many signs out
there. Um it's really intended to just
[21:10] kind of formalize what the actual
perception has been over the years. Um
[21:15] and hopefully it would be helpful going
forward. So,
[21:19] » Frank, it exempts uh festivals, right? I
mean, special events or
[21:24] » Yeah, that's right. We have we have
language in the current code of
[21:26] ordinances that allows the town manager
and the police chief to allow parking
[21:30] for like things like St. Patrick's
Festival or the marathon and those kind
[21:33] of things. So, that would not change.
>> And if a car is broke down on the side
[21:37] of the road, um does it get stickered or
does it uh I mean, is it is that just
[21:43] going to be kind of like a common sense
employment there?
[21:45] » Yeah, absolutely. And there are other
provisions in the code of ordinances too
[21:48] that talk about those kind of emergency
situations. Certainly if it's a bonafide
[21:52] situation like that, we're going to be
um apply common sense. Excuse me.
[22:00] » I'm not opposed to it. U I I do have one
excuse me question SL request uh because
[22:07] it's not formal now. I just in my
experience driving up and down the road
[22:10] all the time. I don't see it on a
regular basis. I have seen it before.
[22:15] excluding excluding festivals and things
like that. Um I think if we were to pass
[22:19] this um I don't know if it needs to be
written in
[22:26] hard hard language or whatever because
it's not formal now if we decide to make
[22:30] it formal tonight. I agree with you on
limited uh sign clutter but at the same
[22:37] time uh one concern would be that it's
not formal. There's no signs. Uh, I
[22:44] don't think it would be uh fair and just
if we see if we do pass it, excuse me,
[22:49] to see someone parked there and for it
to be a a ticketable offense uh the
[22:54] first time. I would encourage admin,
LEO, staff, everybody.
[23:02] There's a a one time warning u I didn't
know. I know ignorance is an excuse for
[23:07] not knowing the law, but if it's not
posted or if it's posted uh
[23:13] a little bit without sign clarity, a
little bit of leniency,
[23:19] teachable moment kind of a thing. I
don't want to pass something like that
[23:22] and then all of a sudden someone decides
to park there, they didn't know any
[23:25] better and they're out 50 bucks, 100
bucks. I just just there's some kind of
[23:29] happy medium there. That would be my
biggest concern there. Yeah, I I I share
[23:32] your concern and share your approach on
those kind of things. That's generally
[23:36] how we operate on these things. If there
are areas where it's clearly established
[23:39] you shouldn't be parking there,
obviously they're going to issue a
[23:42] citation um early on in that process. My
my intent on this going forward and
[23:46] obviously can adjust in any way that you
would like to, but my intent is to place
[23:51] as few signs as necessary to accomplish
the goals that I outlined before. Um and
[23:56] then certainly if someone parks in an
area where there's not a sign and
[24:00] technically it's no parking violation,
certainly don't want to write that
[24:03] person a ticket. Want to use it as an
educational opportunity as you
[24:07] described. So um you know I want our
staff whether it be law enforcement
[24:11] officers or planning um zoning
enforcement um to be able to exercise
[24:15] judgment, right? To be able to exercise
discretion, [clears throat] consider
[24:18] those kind of things. So
>> excellent.
[24:21] » And this is applicable for the entire
stretch from
[24:24] » the way that it is written now. it's
applicable for the entire stretch of
[24:27] Highway 58. You know, if you would like
to consider some other subset of that,
[24:32] we certainly can do that. You know,
initially contemplated just making it
[24:36] effective through the main stretch where
it's 200 foot wide rightway basically
[24:40] from the bridge up to the uh welcome
center, but then started contemplating
[24:44] more whether or not do we really want
people parking say along the bike path
[24:48] um in central eastern Emerald Aisle. Do
we want people parking near the sidewalk
[24:53] in those areas? So the the draft that's
before you tonight makes it the entire
[24:57] section of Highway 58, but that's
certainly a reasonable conversation to
[25:01] have. As it stands right now, as you
probably know, there's a short segment
[25:05] down there by the bridge that says no
parking, stopping, standing, etc.
[25:09] Probably a few hundred feet or so in
that area. So, but to be clear, this
[25:13] would be the entire length of 58. If you
want to consider something different, we
[25:16] certainly can. Yeah, I' I've seen some
instances on the east end of town where
[25:22] it's it's narrow and some of the uh uh
vacation rentals are right on Highway 58
[25:27] and I I don't and I've seen like well
maybe they were having a party and
[25:30] people temporarily parked on the side of
the road or either sometimes the house
[25:34] was over overflowing and they had you
know weekend parking there. So I don't
[25:38] know how you would break that apart or
just kind of keep an eye on it and
[25:42] monitor it or
>> Yeah. So, and so we obviously have those
[25:45] situations occasionally on other town
streets. Um, if people are having a
[25:49] special gathering or something like
that, particularly if there's a new home
[25:51] under construction and the contractors
really just don't have anywhere else to
[25:55] park. So, you know, we try to apply
common sense and make sure that there's
[25:58] no safety concern there. Clearly, if
there's a safety concern, we're going to
[26:01] make the person move the vehicle. If
it's a a poor attitude or poor response,
[26:06] then perhaps they would get a citation
in that. Or if it's a repeat offender,
[26:09] those kind of things. So, you know,
again, I think our law enforcement
[26:12] officers are going to use discretion and
judgment and try to be reasonable with
[26:15] people.
>> Was stopping and standing always just a
[26:21] given or now it's in black and white?
Like, can you elaborate on that a little
[26:27] bit? Yeah, that that's the current
language in the ordinance, the header on
[26:31] that particular section, and it lists 13
other um instances um that qualify under
[26:36] that, things like a loading zone or a
turning lane and other things like that.
[26:41] Um but the stopping or standing, it's
intended to apply to parking or leaving
[26:45] your car there for some prolonged period
of time. So, I mean, I think, you know,
[26:48] again, if someone pulls over because
they are lost or they're looking at
[26:52] their phone or they're trying to call
someone, I mean, we're going to be
[26:55] reasonable about those kind of things.
It does make a Commission Brown does
[27:00] bring up an interesting point. I've
worked down on the east end a lot,
[27:03] especially down toward the east end when
it does narrow up. um uh specifically to
[27:09] construction, not necessarily uh rental
over overflow, which obviously can be a
[27:13] problem uh at any house anywhere on the
island, but u you know, if a house is
[27:19] under construction or a house is being
remodeled, a lot of those driveways uh
[27:24] especially down towards the east end of
the island, um they're narrow and some
[27:28] of the ones I work, I wait until
nobody's coming and I back in because I
[27:32] I wouldn't be able to back out. And if
you've got a crew there with three,
[27:36] four, five, six uh machines or or
vehicles or a trailer with, you know, a
[27:42] piece of heavy equipment on it, they can
or won't be able to get down the
[27:45] driveway. That would be a a big concern
to for me to not ticket
[27:53] or not sight workers there. If they have
a crew there with eight people and four
[27:59] vehicles in a trailer, a heavy equipment
trailer, there is nowhere else for them
[28:02] to park to get their work done. other
than the rightway. I I wouldn't want to
[28:05] create um angx between contractors and
and subcontractors,
[28:12] employees of those contractors, you
know, to where they're they're getting
[28:15] citations. It might be a bad look. Open
up a can of worms. That would I hadn't
[28:20] thought about it that way um until now,
but that that's something to consider.
[28:25] » Yeah. And absolutely 100% agree with
you. Um that concern is in place
[28:30] currently. We're not going to write
someone a ticket if it's a bonafide
[28:33] worker there and as long as they're
safe, right, we're going to work with
[28:36] them and try to get them to move. But,
um, that's a fairly common concern that
[28:40] we hear from people. Sometimes, you
know, a neighboring resident calls up
[28:43] and says, "Hey, the the painting
contractor or the landscape contractor
[28:47] or the construction guys are parking in
the street." And, you know, we look at
[28:51] each situation on a case-by case basis.
Obviously, we want those folks to be we
[28:55] want the our residents to be able to get
the work done for their homes, first of
[28:58] all. We want those people to be able to
make a living and perform work. And so
[29:01] we consider all those things. I don't
want to I don't want our guys going out
[29:04] there writing a bunch of tickets for
that kind of situation as long as
[29:08] they're being safe and you know parking
as safely as they can.
[29:11] » Right.
>> I feel like we've addressed the
[29:17] situation that's probably brought this
up to light. Are we being I don't want
[29:23] to say forced by NC DOT to put this
ordinance in place or
[29:29] » so so the to be clear um this action
would essentially formalize what we've
[29:35] done at the intersection of Mangrove and
NC58 absent an action like this or for
[29:42] that specific location that's
technically invalid. Um, I ultimately
[29:47] decided it was a big enough safety
concern and took the step to ask our
[29:50] staff to put the no parking signs up
there. And DT is comfortable with that
[29:54] and I certainly consulted with them on
these things. But absent you all
[29:59] adopting an ordinance like this for
whatever area of 58 you wanted to be, we
[30:04] would have to take down those signs.
>> Okay.
[30:09] » So, this is essentially bringing us into
compliance with DOT is maybe a better
[30:13] way to say it.
Just making the rule.
[30:16] » That's right.
>> Yeah. Okay.
[30:19] » Would you guys like to move forward with
making
[30:21] » and and let me say this also. If you
think that was an overreach on my part
[30:25] or if this is not something you're
comfortable [clears throat] with,
[30:27] absolutely respect that and we'll adjust
accordingly and and remove the signs.
[30:32] But um I know uh we received several
complaints about people parking on the
[30:36] highway down in that area. I think it is
a safety concern. We've had some
[30:40] concerns from law enforcement about
that. And I want every business here to
[30:44] be successful. I also actually discussed
this issue uh with the business owner in
[30:48] that area. He was comfortable with
putting up the no parking signs in that
[30:51] area. So, it's as you can probably tell
from this conversation, it's all
[30:55] basically a big balance, right? And
trying to keep the peace and keep safety
[30:58] in mind. So,
>> I think as long as we're applying some
[31:02] common sense and some reasonleness and
application of the the ordinance, I'd
[31:06] make a motion to adopt the resolution
requesting NC DOT designation of 58 as a
[31:11] no parking zone. Um, Commissioner Brown,
>> we have to amend the um
[31:16] » if if we could revise that, Commissioner
Brown to
[31:20] » What we need to do is amend chapter 11,
transportation of the code of ordinances
[31:25] um by adding the the following section
1128, stopping, standing, and parking.
[31:31] No person shall stop, stand, or park a
vehicle in the following locations at
[31:36] any location in the North Carolina 58
right away in the corporate limits of
[31:41] the town of Emerald Isle.
>> As amended, [laughter]
[31:46] » all those in favor?
>> I
[31:48] » I
>> So, was that three? Yes,
[31:53] » three. I'm I'm Excuse me. I'm going to
vote no just because I feel like there's
[31:58] a little more talking to be done, a
little bit more working to be done. like
[32:00] contractors, things like that. I think
that um there's there's a little bit too
[32:06] much room for um interpretation. Uh I'm
not totally opposed to it, but based on
[32:12] the information I have now, my my vote
would be a no vote for just just for
[32:16] right now.
>> Okay.
[32:17] » We can come back and visit it and and
refine it.
[32:20] » Correct.
>> Y
[32:21] » Okay. As it stands now, it passed,
>> right?
[32:25] » Yes.
>> There's three. Yes.
[32:26] » Okay.
>> Thank you. Yes. Moving on to the
[32:30] appointments for tonight.
Um we will need to
[32:36] have a roll call vote to appoint three
individuals to the bike and pedestrian
[32:41] advisory committee that would expire in
2028.
[32:54] I feel like I'm still new at roll call
votes. So, does someone start off with
[32:58] an appointment or does do I call on
every each
[33:01] » I would recommend that um each of you
make any nominations that you would like
[33:05] to see move forward for that and then
conduct a roll call?
[33:09] » Okay.
Do I have any nominations?
[33:14] » Okay. For the this for the bicycle.
>> Yeah.
[33:18] » All right. So, we got three the the four
that's to be reaffirmed and three
[33:23] vacancies.
Um, I'd nominate uh Jeremy Fowler, Jean
[33:30] Fries, and Christina Volater
[33:45] and the reaffirming I guess
of Mike Taylor, Ary Daily, Ken Stewart,
[33:52] and Judy Stark. I don't think we have to
do a roll call on those, do we?
[33:56] » To reaffirm.
>> I don't think so.
[33:59] » No,
>> I think we stick with the three and I
[34:04] don't have any to add to Ro as far as
roll call goes.
[34:11] » Can you repeat who you said?
Commissioner Brown.
[34:15] » Yes. Um Jeremy Fowler, Jean Fry, and
Christina Volater.
[34:26] Okay,
Commissioner Wooten, you want the same.
[34:47] » We need a B.
>> Go ahead. You're back. No, I I I was
[34:51] just going to say I was fine with the
reappoint of uh Gaye Stewart and Stark
[34:56] and Mike Taylor.
>> Okay.
[35:00] » And we have to add three.
>> Take it.
[35:04] » We have to add three.
>> Add three. I think we're on that first
[35:07] step.
>> The first step is the roll call vote on
[35:10] adding three.
>> Oh, sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. And it
[35:13] was
>> You need a ballot next time.
[35:15] » Yeah.
And it was uh Commissioner Brown. It was
[35:18] fries. Can you repeat this please?
>> Fowler.
[35:21] » Fowler fries and volier. Fowler fries
and volunteer.
[35:27] » Agreed.
>> Okay.
[35:33] » Alicia.
>> Agreed.
[35:35] » Okay.
>> Agreed. [clears throat]
[35:37] » Okay.
>> Jay.
[35:40] » Oh, Jay. He agreed already.
>> Oh, yeah. I agreed.
[35:43] » Yep. Okay. So, the I make a motion to
reaffirm the appointment of current
[35:49] members Gaye, Stewart, Stark, and Taylor
to terms on the bike and uh pedestrian
[35:54] advisory committee that would expire in
December of 27.
[35:58] » All those in favor?
>> I
[36:03] make a motion to reappoint Deb Mueller
to a three-year term on the EIPR A, Inc.
[36:10] Board of Directors that expires in
August 29th.
[36:13] » All those in favor? I
>> I
[36:17] » And then we also need a roll call vote
to appoint one individual to fill an
[36:21] unexpired term on the EI.
>> I'll make a motion that this be tabled
[36:27] um until we have uh additional interest
in this position and the town seek
[36:31] applicants for that position.
>> Okay, [clears throat]
[36:35] sounds reasonable. All those in favor?
>> I
[36:38] » I Okay,
[36:41] » is that all of it?
>> Yeah. [clears throat] I just like to
[36:44] comment that um ask staff in the future
that even if uh it's a
[36:49] » incumbents want to be reappointed that
we get their applications um like I
[36:54] might not know who who the people are
you know from previous years ago and so
[36:59] that'd be nice to know who they are and
a little bit about their background. Um,
[37:05] and I think it also makes a level
playing field for the other other people
[37:08] wanting to apply that they uh everybody
has to submit an application.
[37:16] » I think that's a fair ask.
>> We'll certainly do that in the future.
[37:20] » Okay.
So, moving on from comments.
[37:26] No, nothing from you, Lindsay. Okay. Um,
attorney kills.
[37:31] » No, ma'am. Thank you. All right. Great.
>> All right. Um, several things. Um,
[37:37] mostly good. Um, we have, uh, now
received, uh, actually three significant
[37:43] financial donations, uh, for the town's
services for the departments. Um, we
[37:49] have uh, Emerald residents who have made
a significant in excess of probably
[37:55] $10,000 donation for outdoor fitness
equipment. Uh that's Ken and Sharon
[38:00] Ambrose here in Emerald. We are
[clears throat] their son was killed on
[38:05] 911 in the plane that crashed into the
Pentagons and we're working to
[38:09] memorialize him uh and also recognize
911 on the 25th anniversary. So we're
[38:16] still working to put together a um an
actual date for that. will not be on
[38:21] September 11th due to other commitments
by the Ambroes
[38:25] either in their hometown or in
Washington DC on the 25th anniversary,
[38:29] but absolutely appreciate their
generosity uh toward the town of Emerald
[38:33] Isle and the outdoor fitness equipment.
So, we'll move forward uh with that and
[38:37] I'll certainly keep you informed as we
make progress on that. We're hoping to
[38:41] secure the equipment and get it
installed prior to the ceremony. Uh
[38:45] we're looking at early Octoberish time
frame and it's going to be a little bit
[38:49] tight, but we'll do our very best to
make that happen. Um we also had a
[38:54] resident uh Clifton Barkley uh made a
very generous $5,000 donation to the
[38:59] fire department um simply to benefit the
department and our community. So
[39:03] appreciate his generosity uh in Emerald.
And then finally uh we received uh
[39:09] multiple donations. Um the final amount
is unknown depending on the cost of some
[39:16] equipment, but probably in the range of
$20,000
[39:20] uh from a woman named Nancy Frantel uh
who is a frequent visitor uh to Emerald
[39:25] Isle and um uh just very appreciative of
our community and our police department
[39:31] in particular and would like the funds
invested in police department things.
[39:35] So, um, I mentioned that tonight we we
and certainly throughout the year, we
[39:39] also receive generous contributions from
others, but I was just really struck by
[39:43] the dollar amounts involved with these
and the fact that they all came
[39:48] literally within a few days of each
other and I just felt like it was worth
[39:51] mentioning to you and really just
representative of what a great community
[39:55] of people uh we're fortunate to have
here in Emerald Isle. So, um, to those
[39:59] who I didn't mention who have previously
contributed, thank you also. But I just
[40:03] wanted to make you particularly aware of
those three. Um, we are, uh, as I
[40:09] communicated in an email to you all, uh,
we're set to meet with, uh, Senator
[40:14] Sanderson and Representative KS, uh,
[snorts] next week, August 20th, um,
[40:19] hopefully to eventually secure state
funding for a new fire station. um
[40:24] whether that be fire station 3 in the
future or perhaps even something here at
[40:27] the town complex. So looking forward to
that meeting. Um appreciate Commissioner
[40:31] Wooten and Brownlow agreeing to
participate in that. I'll certainly
[40:34] update the rest of the board on how that
goes. Um I I look at these things as um
[40:40] kind of the first step in the process
and trying to educate them about the
[40:44] town's needs. Hopefully uh gather their
support going forward and and be helpful
[40:48] in the future. Um, fire station 2, uh,
as you know, we have not started yet.
[40:54] Um, we had hoped to start, uh, last
week. Um, we are still waiting for the
[40:59] final approval from FEMA, uh, to go
forward with that. Really just a
[41:04] procedural, um, approval. We are
actually starting to see a little bit of
[41:09] movement on that. We reached out to
Congressman Murphy and his staff has
[41:13] been helping us trying to move that. Um,
I don't think there's any concern about
[41:16] it. But I think it's for just the
bureaucratic process that these things
[41:20] go through. So we will get started on
construction as soon as we get that uh
[41:25] that final word from FEMA. Um ironically
that outstanding reimbursement of more
[41:30] than a million dollars is wrapped up in
that same process that we've been
[41:34] waiting for that for about 15 months
now. So uh anyway um appreciate
[41:38] everybody's patience on that. Look
really look forward to getting that
[41:41] started. Um the youth advisory council
uh the youth advisory council their
[41:45] first meeting uh is two weeks uh from
today uh on the 25th at four o'clock. So
[41:51] be working on an agenda for that group
uh and trying to finalize that and
[41:55] hopefully make that a very positive um
rewarding experience for the 14 youth
[42:00] that you all appointed to that. Um
several other things uh in the written
[42:06] materials. I'm happy to answer any
questions you have about anything. Um,
[42:09] you know, my intent with the memo is to
give you guys and the public, um,
[42:14] updates on things that don't rise to the
level of board action at this point in
[42:18] time. Um, and sometimes it's really just
to kind of give you an idea of what
[42:21] future agenda items might be coming down
the pike. So, um, that's the intent
[42:25] behind that and hopefully that's
helpful. Happy to answer any questions
[42:30] that you may have.
[42:34] I don't have a question, but I well I
guess this is a question for um you had
[42:39] in your memo it was mentioned about or I
guess it's a consent agenda about asking
[42:46] or applying for a grant from the Big
Rock Foundation. Should we as a board or
[42:50] from the town draft a letter or anything
else to go with that application?
[42:56] » Um you certainly can. essentially that
resolution that you approved as part of
[43:00] the consent agenda is your letter of
support so to speak. But to your point,
[43:05] I think if you are familiar and have
relationships with anyone on the Big
[43:10] Rock board directors or anyone at all
affiliated with the Big Rock
[43:13] organization, please put in a good word
for us. Um, express your support for
[43:17] this. But that resolution is kind of
your letter of support.
[43:21] » Okay.
[43:25] I really like the idea of the microchip
scanner for lost pets because
[43:29] [clears throat] it happens here all the
time. Is it um I don't know what your
[43:34] plans are for the funding, but is it
possible to use the dog park money that
[43:38] we have sitting there to get this done?
>> Oh, that's a good idea.
[43:42] » Yeah, I I think that would be a good use
of those funds. Um I don't expect I
[43:46] don't know what the cost is at this
point in time. I don't expect it will be
[43:49] a difficult number for us to achieve.
The other thing I've asked staff to do
[43:53] is to see if there's some sort of app
that does the same thing, right? That we
[43:57] can certainly do both and have a scanner
here at the police department, but also
[44:01] just advertise there's an app and you
can find it. I don't know if that exists
[44:04] or not, but that's the other angle that
we're doing. So, should be a really nice
[44:07] thing and I think I think we can figure
it out. Dog park fund would be I think a
[44:11] good source. So, another citizen had
asked me, so now when our pets get um
[44:17] picked up by the police, they get put in
those cages if we could use any of those
[44:21] funds to make that more of a pleasant
area for them because it's just kind of
[44:27] just a cage now and probably getting
old. I haven't been there for a while.
[44:31] My dogs haven't been in police jail for
a while, but [laughter]
[44:35] » yeah, I I I
think that's a worthy cause for us to
[44:40] pursue. I probably would want to go
back. I just don't recall what the um
[44:44] commitment was of the people who
contributed to the dog park fund. I'd
[44:48] want to just make sure that we're
honoring their commitment on the
[44:51] microchip scanner. I'm expecting that'll
be a pretty easy thing for us to
[44:55] accommodate. Um I would just want to
make sure that we're honoring the wishes
[45:00] of the people who made the contribution.
So, and I just don't I don't know. So,
[45:08] » any other questions for Frank?
[45:13] Okay. Thank you, Frank.
Alicia, would you like to kick us off
[45:18] down there?
>> Sure. Just thank everyone for coming out
[45:21] tonight. Uh, I appreciate all the
response from the public that we
[45:24] received on the UDO amendment and
appreciate everyone's input on on every
[45:32] aspect of town government. It's it's
great to know your what you think and
[45:38] those are things that we obviously need
to take into consideration very heavily.
[45:43] Thank you.
[45:47] » Um yes, thanks everybody that's here and
everybody that's watching. But uh two
[45:52] things I wanted to touch on. One is the
trolley. I had the opportunity about a
[45:57] week ago to do a full circuit of the
trolley and had some friends join along
[46:03] the way and they got on and got off at
different spots, but got the whole
[46:07] trolley experience. I got to tell you,
the the route and the flow is so much
[46:12] better than what I would think just
looking at it on paper. So, I would
[46:16] encourage everybody to go out and use
that trolley and actually take a ride.
[46:21] It's very well airond conditioned. the
young lady that was driving was
[46:26] absolutely lovely. She was fun to to
talk to. Um and it it drops you just
[46:31] about anywhere that you would want to go
and I suspect if you wanted to stop
[46:36] somewhere and you raise your hand, she
might stop and let you out. Um so I
[46:40] think it's a great thing. Uh I'm excited
to find some way to fund it that isn't
[46:45] taxpayer dollars for the coming years
because I think it's a tremendous
[46:49] service and a great idea. And um I think
the more folks get out and try it, I
[46:54] think the more you would use it. So
that's one. And the other one I was
[46:58] gonna say, I love the idea of the dog
chip scanner. Um they and the dogs
[47:05] always turn up missing the day they're
leaving. That's the one that really gets
[47:09] me. So it make it a whole lot easier to
connect the dog with the people
[47:13] hopefully before they leave the island.
So um I'm all in for whatever we need to
[47:18] do. I think the dog park money is a
great idea if we can use it and if not I
[47:22] don't think it's going to be a huge
lift. So I'd support doing whatever we
[47:26] need to to make that happen.
>> I think I think think those dogs are
[47:30] pretty smart. They don't want to leave.
>> Exactly.
[47:33] You got that right.
>> Commissioner Bellow.
[47:37] » Yeah. Thanks, Mayor. Um, I just I want
to go back and talk about that uh
[47:42] 20-year recognition thing. And uh um I
agree too with with the term limits u to
[47:47] give other people opportunities to to
serve also. Uh but I'd like to keep it
[47:52] on the broader recognition um of for
immortal that it was shaped by not just
[47:58] one or or two or three people. It was
it's been a cumulative effect of uh
[48:03] founders, residents, staff, volunteers,
civic organizations, business owners,
[48:08] elected and appointed officials, and
just generations of families that have
[48:12] shaped and molded Emerald Island to the
family beach that it is today. And I I'd
[48:16] like to see us uh maybe honor and
celebrate all these people with a maybe
[48:21] a Founders Day parade or Founders
Heritage or a Emerald Celebration Day or
[48:27] something like that. Um, I think that
that way it'd be inclusive of everybody
[48:31] that's contributed to the success and um
to the beautiful home that we have
[48:36] today. Thank you.
>> That sounds very interesting,
[48:41] » Mr. Holland.
>> Uh, short and sweet. Thank you, Ambrose
[48:45] Barkley and Frantel family for your
generous donations. That's uh uh
[48:49] remarkable. Uh, thank you Jennifer and
Justin Lens. I know they had to leave,
[48:53] but thank you both for being here. Thank
you for giving us Trent and uh grateful
[48:59] for the opportunity and and time that we
got to share with him. Um
[49:05] that's it. Thank you,
>> Commissioner Plum.
[49:08] » So, we still have the one opening on the
rec board. Um we did not have any
[49:13] applicants, so please reconsider. Tell
your friends, tell your family. We need
[49:17] to get that position filled. And second,
this weekend on Sunday, Little Pink
[49:23] Houses of Hope where breast cancer
patient survivors come to the island is
[49:28] happening on Sunday. Um, the trolley
company has graciously donated the
[49:34] trolley to take them from the Watson
House to Land's End for their lunch free
[49:38] of charge. Um, and the Emerald Garden
Club supplies bouques of flowers for
[49:44] those folks that are coming in with
their families. There's seven families
[49:47] this year. So, if you see them out, just
give them the warm Emerald Ale welcome.
[49:52] Thank you.
>> Great group of people there.
[49:54] » And mayor, I got got one more
[clears throat] thing, too. Um, if I if
[49:57] I could, the um I'd like to recognize
that public works department. Franken
[50:02] mentioned it earlier about how they
maintain our streets, but uh there
[50:05] there's so much more other work they do
that's not even it's what you don't
[50:09] notice [laughter] that that makes them a
success. And that's the uh they do get
[50:14] rid of the trash and stuff, the tree
limbs and collecting yard waste and and
[50:18] everything, but uh I mean they're up at
the crack of dawn. I was you get on the
[50:23] the peer cam to check the surf and and
there goes the public works truck and
[50:27] it's still they got their headlights on
cuz it's not even daylights yet. And so
[50:31] I applaud these guys for for the work
and dedication they do. Um they do a
[50:36] tremendous job. And I was asking someone
the other day, I said, "Look on the side
[50:40] of roads here. What is it that you don't
see? They're like like what? Like you I
[50:44] said you don't even recognize it, but
you don't see the trash and litter, you
[50:48] know? It's just it's a really clean town
that we have here and the roads are are
[50:52] maintained good and uh I just like to
recognize our public works department
[50:56] and staff. They do a tremendous job.
>> Thank you. Um I just have a few things
[51:02] as well. So it has come to my attention.
Um, thank you, Mayor Commissioner
[51:07] Waldrip, about the um there's a public
information meeting regarding the
[51:12] Highway 24 and 58 intersection on the
other side of the bridge. Um, it's going
[51:16] to be happening on August 18th between
3:30 and 7 at the library off of Taylor
[51:22] Notion Road. Obviously, that's going to
affect us all. So, if you want to know
[51:25] what that is going to bring to us, um,
that's happening then. And then also um
[51:30] on Thursday the August 20th at 1:30 um
the Civic Center Morehead City there's
[51:36] going to be an update on I7 and
Interstate 42. Um I'm hoping to attend
[51:40] both. So I will try to you know share
what I learned um from that. Um I also I
[51:47] think this summer personally has kind of
taught me that we need to readress pack
[51:52] it in pack it out a little bit strongly
moving into next summer. Um, and so I
[51:57] think and no, you know, not leaving
holes on the beach and removing your
[52:01] beach gear. I think we need to kind of
revamp that um those talking points to
[52:06] our customers and our guests and and our
town members as we move forward into
[52:10] next summer. So, I have that on my
ongoing list so we don't forget come
[52:14] April. But, um, yeah, I'm looking
forward to seeing the school buses back
[52:18] on the road and school getting back in
and seeing September come. So, thank you
[52:22] everyone for being here. Motion to
adjurnn.
[52:26] » All those in favor?