Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call to order this meeting of June 1st, Craven County Board of Commissioners, a regular session. Madam Clark, would you please call the roll?

Commissioner Smith. Commissioner Howard. Commissioner Hunt. Commissioner Mason. Commissioner Mitchell. Vice Chairman Jones. Chairman Bucher.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you would stand with me, we're going to have a prayer by County Attorney Grady. Remain standing and we will do the Pledge of Allegiance.

Holy God, our Creator and Redeemer, help us to hear your word with new ears. Long ago you declared that you were the first and the last. Your hand laid the foundation of the earth and your right hand spread out the heavens. The former things you declared long ago, the words that came from your mouth at creation have come to pass. All that you desire for us and all you have done for us has been made known. Reveal to us now the hidden things we could not appreciate because your wisdom is too wonderful for us. Now more than ever, we need a word from you. Your guidance unveils your eternal and gracious design for our lives, and your direction clarifies the decisions before us. Speak, and we will listen. Lead us, and we will follow. In your sovereign name we pray. Amen.

If you have not done so, I'd appreciate it if you would all silence your cell phones so that we don't have an interruption of the meeting. Commissioners, you have in front of you the agenda for tonight. Does anyone have any changes or do I hear a motion to approve? Motion to approve. Second. Motion and approve. Please call the roll.

Commissioner Smith. Yes. Commissioner Howard. Yes. Commissioner Hunt. Yes. Commissioner Mason. Yes. Commissioner Mitchell. Yes. Vice Chairman Jones. Yes. Chairman Booker.

Yes.

Our first item on the agenda is County Manager Jack Fite. Item number one, public hearing and the proposed budget.

Mr. Chairman, thank you. Commissioners, pleasure to be here with you tonight. As required by state law, tonight we'd ask that you open a public hearing for fiscal year 26-27 proposed budget. It was presented on May 18th. The board held work sessions on May 18th and also on May 19th. It has been available for public inspection since May 18th. So at this time, a motion and a second to go into public hearing would be required, sir.

Okay, do I hear a motion to open the public hearing?

Motion to open the public hearing on the FY26-27 proposed budget.

And a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Opposed? The ayes have it. Public hearing is now open.

Mr. Chairman, we have one citizen who signed up, Ms. Nail Hudson.

On Mr. Paul Hill's lead, I have a little handout for you. My name is Nell Hudson. I live at 301 Fairway Drive in Trent Woods. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm not sure where the budget numbers have ended up, but it seems that our public schools will have to operate on a smaller amount than was requested on May 4th. With the tight school district budget, I hope you'll be willing to step in if needed, and I have a few funding concerns. The school district is currently working out numbers regarding the local teacher supplement, possibly moving from a percentage to a fixed rate and I hope that if more money is needed to keep the local supplement competitive, you will step in with additional funding. Thank you for joining PIE this past winter to support the athletic departments at each of our three traditional high schools. I hope you and PIE will continue to fund this grant and I hope that you will increase the funding to add the middle school athletic departments for this coming year. This county money makes a difference. It helps our schools stay competitive with private schools. Another concern, if fuel prices remain high. I hope you will offer our school district bus fuel funding so that programs do not have to be cut back on their offerings. Our students, educators, and parents are already doing lots of fundraising. I've contacted our federal representatives in the hopes that they will sponsor federal legislation to help fund these fuel costs. But if federal funding doesn't come, I hope the county will step in to help pay for activity bus fuel. And in closing, thank you for advocating for our educators and their pay scale at your May 18th meeting. We need all our commissioners and county government workers to be our school district's biggest cheerleaders. As we were reminded in this room a few weeks ago, words have power. They linger. I hope we can all elevate how we speak about our school district, especially during budget discussions. I hope we can have greater communication between our county and school district officials. Craven County Schools is an important community resource, just like our military base, hospital, historic sites, and industries. Yes, it's important to hold our school district accountable, and it's important to remember that Craven County Schools must compete with private and charter schools. There's an education marketplace. As you can see on the handout, during this recent school year, over 8 million state tax dollars flowed to private schools in Craven County. A strong financial commitment, thoughtful questions and comments, and a little cheerleading on your part can help curb the loss of additional students to these schools. We all know a budget is a moral document. I hope you will do all that you can to support our public schools, our students, educators, and families. Thank you for your time and your service to our community.

Mr. Chairman, that's the only citizen in the Senate.

Are there any other citizens who want to speak on the subject of the budget? Hearing none, do I hear a motion to close the public hearing? Motion to close. Second? Second. Madam Clerk, call the roll, please.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Item number two on our agenda is the petition of citizens. Mr. Vice Chair, no one signed it. No one signed up to talk about the agenda topics. Third item on the agenda is the consent agenda. There are two items on there. First is the minutes of the May 18, 20, 28, 26 regular session. And the second is tax releases and refunds. Madam Clerk, do I have a motion to approve the Consent Agenda? So moved. Second. A motion and a second to approve. Madam Clerk, I need you to call the roll, please.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Thank you. Item number four, Craven County Board of Education Apple Lease Extension. Mr. Stuart Blount, I believe, is coming to speak to us today. He's Assistant Superintendent for Systems and Operations.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, fellow commissioners. I come to you tonight. I also have Ms. Marlena Shine, who's our director of technology, here with us, as well as our superintendent, Dr. Cheeseman, and finance officer, Ms. Daly. I come to you tonight requesting approval of a resolution for entering into a multi-year lease agreement with Apple. And because it is coming from capital, it does require the County Commissioner's approval. The Craig County Board of Education approved their resolution on May 19th at their board meeting. And that resolution indicated that their approval was pending your approval of the resolution. So I'm here requesting approval of that resolution.

I just have one quick question. Was that a unanimous approval by the board?

Yes, sir.

Is this different from what was presented to the commissioners earlier?

In the capital outlay budget? Yes. No, ma'am, it's the same way. Okay, thank you.

Okay, any other questions? Ms. Chairman, I make a motion that we enter into the Apple lease extension request.

Second the motion.

Okay, got a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Commissioner Smith. Yes. Commissioner Howard. Yes. Commissioner Hunt. Yes. Commissioner Mason. Yes. Commissioner Mitchell. Yes. Vice Chairman Jones. Yes. Chairman Bucher.

Yes.

Okay. Thank you all. Thank you all for your continued support of Craven County School.

Thank you. Okay, under departmental matters, number one item, item number five, social services home and community care block grant recommended budget for 26-27, Mr. Clayton Gaskins.

Good evening, commissioners. I'm speaking from document number 731 in the top right corner, which I believe is the first one in your packet. So over to the left, you'll see the providers, traditional providers that provide services through these block grant funds. Right now, over in column A, total down at the bottom, you'll see a figure $622,658. That is the expected NGA, National Grant Award. It has not been confirmed. That typically doesn't come out until the end of June or July. The block right beside it is the block that affects the county. That's the required match. Column B, required local match, at the bottom is $69,184. So this is the budget that the board has proposed and put together that Commissioner Smith has been part of discussions about as well.

Questions for Mr. Gaskins?

If this amount changes, I'll have to come back for budget amendment later in the summer.

Okay. Do I hear a motion?

I make a motion that we approve this.

Okay. Second. A second? Call the roll, please.

Commissioner Smith?

Yes.

Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher? Yes.

Item number six, solid waste budget amendment. Mr. Steven Astor.

Good evening, Board. Thank you for having me this evening. One item for your consideration this evening, and that is the budget amendment for the solid waste department. The solid waste department has seen an increased usage at each of these seven convenience centers, which is driven by a growing number of citizens who rely on these centers for proper waste disposal. Also, this fiscal year, Coastal Environmental Partnership, also known as CRSWAMA, implemented a tipping fee increase that was not included in the Solid Waste's fiscal year 25-26 budget request. The combination of the higher participation and the increased disposal cost has accelerated spending across several key budget lines. These factors have resulted in projected shortfalls that were unfortunately unforeseeable during the budget development process. To ensure continued uninterrupted operations throughout the remainder of the fiscal year, the Solid Waste Department requests approval of the attached budget amendment in the amount of $35,000. This amendment will allow the department to cover increased operational and maintain the level of service expected at each of the county's convenience centers.

Okay, Board, do we have any questions for Mr. Raster?

Now I would make a motion to approve the budget amendment for $35,000.

Second. I have a motion and a second. Please call the roll, please.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howell? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Thank you, Board. Thank you. Moving to item number seven, recreation and parks budget amendment for utilities, buildings, and grounds. Mr. Mark Seymour.

Good evening, Commissioner. Thank you for having me here this evening. Athletic field usage at West Craven and Creekside Parks continues to grow. Over the past year, more than 325 teams have held practices and games under the lights at these parks. This includes Field 3 at West Craven Park, which received new lighting last year. In addition, electrical rates at both parks have increased. The requested $35,000 will help cover utility expenses from April through June. For buildings and grounds, costs associated with routine maintenance continue to rise. The expenses include field chalk, field paint, lawnmower blades, fertilizer, weed control, and ant treatment. The requested $9,000 will assist in covering materials needed to maintain quality playing surfaces and green spaces throughout the parks. The board will be requested to approve the attached budget amendment in the amount of $44,000 to cover utilities as well as buildings and grounds costs for West Craven and Creekside parks.

Okay, we're being asked to approve a budget amendment. 44,000 to cover utilities and other costs at West Craven and Creekside Park.

I make that motion.

I second that. I have a motion and a second. Any questions for Mr. Seymour? Hearing none, call the roll, please.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Item number seven, I'm sorry, item number eight, planning. Sandy Ridge Mobile Home Park.

Budget amendment, Mr. Chad Strong. Thank you, sir. Good evening. We got one budget amendment this evening for the Sandy Ridge Mobile Home Park. As a result of a judgment against Sandy Ridge Mobile Home Park, Craven County was granted authority by the court system to remove dilapidated mobile homes and solid waste from the park. Due to the lack of park management and maintenance, the park has once again fallen into a state that poses health and safety risk for the community. So at this time, the Planning Department requests a budget amendment in the amount of $32,200. This will be for the removal of four dilapidated mobile homes and the removal of solid waste from the park. Once the cleanup is complete, we will apply this cost to the owner to be collected in the future.

Okay, questions? No questions? Do I hear a motion? Motion to approve. Motion and a second. Second. We're being asked to approve a budget amendment in charge in an amount of $32,000. Board, you'll recall this is an ongoing problem with this mobile home park and We keep moving trailers out. There won't be a problem because there won't be anybody living there eventually. That's correct. We've got an ongoing issue. We have a motion and a second. Will you please call the roll?

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Thank you, Board. Thank you, Chad. Item number nine. public school building capital fund application. Mr. Craig Warren, finance director.

Good evening board. I have one item on the agenda and that is an application to the public school building capital fund. Each year the Board of Education and the Board of County Commissioners jointly approve a project application to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Public Construction. This application is necessary to access the lottery proceeds allocated to Craven County by the state through the public school building capital fund. These funds are restricted for use exclusively for school construction projects or to pay off debt incurred for such projects. These proceeds will be applied to the current year's debt service payment of approximately $1.3 million for the 2013 limited obligation bonds, which were previously known as the 2007 Certificates of Participation. The debt service on these bonds will retire next fiscal year, eliminating the last remaining debt on the county's books for school systems.

I would make a motion to approve the public school building capital crime application. Second the motion.

A motion and a second. Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Thank you, Board. Thank you. Item number 10, consideration of adoption of the fiscal year 26-27 budget ordinance Mr. White and Mr. Warren.

Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, thanks again for the opportunity tonight. We've had the required public hearing earlier. Now I'll review the budget ordinance with you for fiscal year 26-27. It's also shown on the screens and in your agenda package. We'll start on page 2. Make sure we're there. Yep, we're there. So Section 1 is the revenue in for the budget, $169,121,047. It goes through the different variety of revenue sources for the county. Starting at the bottom of page 2 there is your expenditure side, and we're going to flip to page 3. You get to the end, $169,121,047. It is balanced to zero there. Beginning on page 3, halfway down, we'll start the different funds within the budget that are segregated from the general fund. The first is the seized property fund with the sheriff's office. See there on page 3, it balances out. Page 4, we'll begin the fire departments. And, Robbie, I'm just going to ask you to kind of scroll through. This will carry on to page 10. And these are all the volunteer fire departments throughout the county. They each have their own taxing. district there are no tax increases in this year's budget for any of our fire departments and I should have said earlier there is no tax increase in the general fund either remaining with this existing tax rate there so going through all your different fire departments remember on page six uh township number three actually has three fire departments built into that one so that's why it's a little more wordy there Okay, page seven, number six and number seven, Township. Page eight, West and Newbern District Fund. Township nine on the bottom of page eight. Sandy Point, which is a service district that funds into Tri-Community Fire Department there. Much smaller, just a small area there, just outside of Bridgeton. Being on page nine, section 14, you have the Emergency Telephone Fund. This is a separate 911 fund that comes from the E911 tax on phones. Bounces out. Oxby Tax Trust Fund coming in for the Tourism Development Authority and the Convention Center. Revenues in is section A. Revenues out in section B. Representative Payee Fund is through Mr. Merritt with Social Services, folks in our guardianship. You'll see that on the bottom of page 10. The Opioid Settlement Funding, what's budgeted for this year. Remember, that's an 18-year commitment of the settlement fund, so this is year three. We're budgeting for that. School Debt Service Fund, as Mr. Warren was just here, that's a great opportunity. That's the money he just referenced in item number nine. A in, B out. You've got your capital reserve fund. This is for the county. This is to fund smaller capital projects within the budget. And then section 20 is the school capital fund. This is not to be confused with a normal capital. These are projects over $100,000 that are handled differently in a separate fund for the larger capital with the school system there. Page 13 is your water fund. No water rate increases this year, maintaining the same rates as we established last year. There are small changes on the installation of meters and new service there. So A is the revenue coming in from the sale of water. B is the operation and debt service for the plant. Section 13 is your self-insurance fund, both for workers' comp, health, dental, and automotive, as you can see there at the bottom of page 13. And then 14 is the important part. That is the levy of taxes. I knew I would get to it. Section 23, the tax rate of 0.4448 cents per $100 evaluation for property listed as of January 1st, 2026. against a $15.8 billion valuation countywide and a collection rate of 99.29%. In section 24, you have the fire departments. That's the levy for each of the fire departments. Again, no tax increases in any of those fire departments. Bottom of page 14 is the charge to the budget officer, which is the county manager, to implement the policy as it's presented here. And page 15 is incorporating the schedule of fees, which the board has reviewed. And last, copies of the orders to be available both in my office and online if you choose to approve. Happy to answer any questions. Craig's here with me, walk you through anything we need to.

Okay, board, we have an opportunity to ask any questions at this point. I make a motion that we approve the budget as submitted. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the budget as submitted. Madam Clerk, call the roll.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. Thank you, Commissioners. Thank you. Before we go to item 11, appointments, I believe we have a couple of guests in our back row from Leadership Craven. Am I correct? Yes, sir. Would you just take a moment, Stan, and tell what organization you are with?

Sure. I'm Justice Tom Justin. I'm a member of the Twin Rivers YMCA.

Okay.

Jana Martino. I'm with Tom Gingrich State Farm.

Okay. Thank you both for being here. Thank you. Those who aren't familiar, Leadership Craven is an organization that a number of folks every year go to a number of facilities around this county, all kinds of facilities, and learn how this county functions. So we appreciate you being here tonight. Thank you. Okay. Having said that, I should have done it at the beginning, but I wasn't sure if that's who you were, so... Under appointments tonight, item number 11. We got a bunch of them. So I'll start by mentioning under pending, Craven Aging Planning Board, Craven County Clean Sweep Committee, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and Recreation Advisory Council. Those are for future meeting. Under current, The first one is the Craven Aging Planning Board. Kitty Hardison seeks appointment. Do I have a motion or rather a nomination for her?

I nominate Kitty Hardison.

Okay. Are there any other nominations for that seat? Hearing none, she will be appointed by acclamation. Second item, Craven County Recreation Advisory Council. Carlos Kowalczewski. seeks reappointment do i hear a motion or a nomination for mr i would recommend carlos be reappointed carlos yeah let's call him carlos a little that last one i don't want to mess it up too bad third item craven county social services board commissioner beatrice smith seeks appointment to fill the expired term of gwen bryant chairman i would make that nomination for miss smith Okay, are there any other nominations? Hearing none, Commissioner Smith will serve on the Craven County Social Services Board by acclamation. Fire Tax Commissioners Board. Carlos again, Kowaliszewski, seeks reappointment, Township 5, Harlow.

And I would recommend that reappointment.

Okay, any other recommendations? Hearing none, Mr. Kowaliszewski will be appointed by acclamation, and Brentley Hart seeks reappointment. Township 7, and that is my district, I will nominate Mr. Hart. Are there any other nominations? Hearing none, he will also, and Mr. Kozlowski and Mr. Hart will be reappointed by acclamation. Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Tiffany Powell seeks reappointment.

Mr. Chair, I recommend Tiffany Powell be appointed.

Are there any other nominations? Hearing none, Ms. Powell will be reappointed by acclamation. Local Emergency Planning Committee. Cheryl Ann Murray seeks appointment to fill the seat vacated by Rich Weaver as recommended.

I would recommend the appointment of Ms. Murray.

Okay, are there any other recommendations? Any other nominations? Hearing none, Ms. Murray will be reappointed. James Azurski seeks appointment to fill the seat vacated midterm by James Long. This is also for the Planning Committee, Emergency Planning Committee.

I'll nominate Mr. Azurski.

Okay, are there any other nominations? Hearing none, Mr. Azurski will be appointed by acclamation. Mike Carroll also seeks appointment to fill the seat vacated by Tom Glasgow due to retirement.

Mr. Chairman, I nominate Mr. Carroll.

Okay, are there any other nominations? Mr. Carroll will be appointed by acclamation. Taylor Wright seeks appointment to fill the seat vacated by Brian Bradley. Are there any nominations for Taylor Wright?

I'll nominate Mr. Wright.

Are there any other nominations? Hearing none, by acclamation, Mr. Wright will be appointed. Christy Welke seeks appointment to fill the seat vacated by Brooke Zalini, as recommended.

I'm proud to nominate that ABAC graduate, Christy Welke, for this seat.

Okay, thank you for that. Are there any other nominations? Hearing none, Ms. Welke will be appointed by acclamation. Coming up at a future meeting, Coastal Regional Airport, we have three names that are going to be coming up, Melissa Riggle, Mark Eckert, and Jason Jones. Under the Havelock Planning Board, Alfred Gray, and under Nursing Home Advisory Committee, Breath Powers, if that's spelled correctly, Breath Powers. Okay, that concludes our nominations and approvals of seats. So item number 12. And he's not going to say I don't have a report tonight. County Attorney Mr. Eric Grady is going to bring us a few items.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize in advance for the length of my report, but we do have 11 surplus properties to deal with this evening. Mr. Chairman, I'm glad to start with the first one if the board's ready. Okay. Okay. The first one is an initial offer to sell real estate the county acquired through the tax foreclosure process. The property is located on I Street within the city of New Bern with a parcel ID number of 8013178. We've got an offer amount of $3,000. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure were $1,622.99. The tax value of the property is $6,000. We own this jointly with the city, and the city has already given its preliminary approval, and I would recommend that this board do likewise.

Okay, board, we're being asked to approve a resolution authorizing upset bid process for 8013178. Motion to approve. Second. Got a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it.

The second property is another initial offer also located within the city of New Bern on I Street with a parcel ID number 8013178. B as in boy. The offer amount is $2,700. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure were $1,620.51 and the tax value of this property is $5,400. The City of New Bern has given its initial approval to this offer and I would recommend that this board do likewise.

Okay, we're being asked to adopt another resolution approving upset bid 8013178B. Do I have a motion? Second. And a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed?

The ayes have it. The next parcel is also located within the city of New Bern. It is on Moore Avenue with a parcel ID number of 8037046. The offer amount is $2,500. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure were $2,025.37. We have a tax value of $5,000. The city of New Bern has given its initial approval to this offer, and I would recommend this board do likewise.

We're asked to adopt a resolution authorizing an upset bid for parcel 8037046. Motion to approve. Second. Motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it.

The next parcel is another initial offer for property located within the city of New Bern. The address is 703 West B Street with a parcel ID number of 8006100. The offer amount is $3,600. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure Together, we're $3,264.32. The tax value of this property is $7,200. The city of New Bern has given its initial approval, and I would ask that this board do likewise.

We ask to adopt the resolution approving transaction and authorizing upset bid for parcel 8006-100. Motion to approve. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed?

The next property is another initial offer for real estate owned jointly by the county and city of New Bern located at 1503 Garden Street with a parcel ID number of 80130043A. The offer amount is $2,700. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure were $5,030.98 and the tax value of this property is $5,400. The city of New Bern has given its initial approval and I would ask that this board do likewise.

Okay, we're being asked to adopt a resolution authorizing upset bid for parcel 8013043-8A.

Motion to adopt that bid. Process?

Second.

Got a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed?

Ayes have it. The next parcel is another initial offer for property owned by the county and the city of New Bern located at 1407 Lincoln Street. The parcel ID number is 8013070. This is an offer amount of $4,250. The original past due taxes and the cost of foreclosure total $10,164.47. The tax value of the property is $8,500. The city has given its initial approval and I would ask that this board do likewise.

Okay, we're being asked to authorize an upset bid process for parcel 8013070. Do I hear a motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

Second. Motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Ayes have it. Item G. B.

Next one is another initial offer for property located on Church Road in Havelock. It is within the city of Havelock. We have a parcel ID number of 6-054-029. The offer amount is $10,000. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure total $2,420.30. The tax value on this property is $35,700. There is no required approval from the city of Havelock on this one. since the foreclosure was in the county's name only. It occurred when the county was collecting the city's taxes. I have had informal discussions with the city attorney and the city is okay with this amount should the board approve it.

Okay. We're being asked to approve a resolution adopting an authorizing upset bid for parcel six, 054029.

I would make that motion to approve the offer.

Second. Second. All in favor?

Aye.

The ayes have it.

Thank you. The next one, we'll shift gears a little to final approvals on several properties. The first is a final approval of property located at 1427 Lincoln Street within the city of New Bern. We've got a parcel ID number of 8013077. The offer amount is $4,200. No upset bids were received. The county and the city of New Bern originally acquired this property through a tax foreclosure, of course, with the past two taxes and cost of foreclosure totaling $4,233.68. The tax value on this property is $8,500. As the city has given its final approval, I would ask that this board do likewise.

Okay. We're being asked to adopt a resolution approving conveyance after the expiration of the upset bid. Parcel 8013077. Motion to approve. Got a motion? Second. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes.

Item number L. This is another final approval after the expiration of the upset bid period. It is property that the county earns jointly with the City of New Bern located at 927 Sampson Street with a parcel ID number of 8006-324. The original offer amount was $3,200. No upset bids were received, so that is your final bid amount. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure totaled $3,086.78. The tax value on this property is $6,000. As the City of New Bern has given its final approval, I would ask that this Board do likewise.

Okay, we're being asked to approve a resolution. Motion to approve. Approving conveyance after the expiration of upset bid for parcel 8006324.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Motion and a second. Please call the roll, Madam Clerk.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes.

A number check. The next property is another approval after the conveyance approval of a conveyance after the expiration of the upset bid period. The county owns this property jointly with the city of New Bern. It is located at 1013 Bloomfield Street. with a parcel ID number of 8006208. The original bid amount was $3,000. No upset bids were received, so $3,000 is your final bid amount. The original past due taxes and cost of foreclosure were $15,032.34. The tax value of this property is $6,000. As the city has given its final approval, I would ask that this board consider doing likewise.

Okay, adopt a resolution approving conveyance after upset bid for parcel 8006208. Do I hear a motion?

Motion to approve.

Second. Motion and a second. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. And the final item, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, is another final approval after the expiration of the upset bid process. The property is owned jointly between the county and the city of New Bern. The property is located at 1017 Bloomfield Street. The parcel ID number is 8006206. The initial bid amount was $3,000. No upset bids were received, so that is your final bid amount. The original past due taxes and the cost of foreclosure together were $10,485.53. The tax value on this property is $6,000. As the City of New Bern has given its final approval, I would ask that this Board do the same.

Okay, our final Final item today under Mr. Grady's supervision is approving conveyance after expiration of upset bid for parcel 8006206. Do I hear a motion? Motion to approve. And a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Commissioner Smith? Yes. Commissioner Howard? Yes. Commissioner Hunt? Yes. Commissioner Mason? Yes. Commissioner Mitchell? Yes. Vice Chairman Jones? Yes. Chairman Bucher?

Yes. That concludes my report and thank you for my patience.

Next item is County Manager's Report for Jack Veit.

I don't have 17 items like Mr. Grady. I do have a few, though. Last week, I was able to attend the Highway 70 Corridor Commission meeting with Chairman Bucher in Smithfield. Great information and update. Most recently, still continuing to work on the Kinson Bypass funding. It's still not funded, but there's some great ideas out there that they're exploring. There was a two-mile section between the Goldsboro Bypass heading toward Kinson that did get funded, about two miles there, so that's something that was kind of unexpected, but good news on getting the whole thing done there. In August, the Corridor Commissioner will be in Carteret County holding a meeting, so if you're interested in attending, let me know, and we'll get to see Chairman Bucher or not. Also last week, C1A had their executive board meeting for economic development. A lot of great things going on. Timothy Downs, our former economic development director, but now a consultant, is representing the C1A on a project in Havelock, looking at how to re-envision some of the Havelock property for economic development. It was the first time we were able to see some drawings and ideas that they had. I thought they were all very good. I know some of the commissioners have seen different drafts of that, but hopefully I'm going to have Timothy come before you and share that vision with you this summer. Lots of good news. You know Jeff's been in here. He's very busy with different projects and things going on around the county. The last thing for you, I just wanted, on behalf of all the employees of the county, to thank you for the county appreciation luncheon last Friday for all our county employees. It was great. There was a lot of goodwill there. Employees all got to get together. We don't do that very often on a Friday, but it was very timely and certainly good to see everyone. And again, thank you to the board for allowing us to do that. With that said, that's all I have. a deep breath after budget right, and here we go to the next one.

Any questions?

No, he answered my question.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Next item would be the commissioner's report. So, Mr. Smith, I'm going to start at your end today.

Well, the only thing I have would be a reminder again that this June is the beginning of hurricane season, so get your preparations. Take care of it. Don't wait until you hear about a hurricane because it may be too late to take care of everything you need to take care of. If you need information, we can get that for you.

Yeah, hurricane season started today. That's correct. It just seems like we just got through one and we got another one.

Yep.

Okay, Commissioner Hunt.

Yeah, I attended three memorial commemorations on Memorial Day, and they were all well attended despite the probability of rain, which we did get the rain at the New Bern event. But I wanted to let you know specifically about Havelock. So Havelock's event was so well attended that they're going to move it from inside of the vestibule into one of the main rooms next year so that they can accommodate even more patriots. And I share that with everyone because parking and weather can both be a challenge to attend the service in New Bern at the National Cemetery. But at the Havelock event, you have plenty of parking and it's held indoors so that we don't have to worry about rain or sweltering humidity. So if you haven't attended or want to do something different next year, we'll have that available in Havelock. That's all I have, Commissioner.

Okay.

Commissioner? This is my first and only Craven County budget development, and I would like to thank the entire Craven County team for making this a, well, low-paying and very interesting event, and I think we put together a quality budget for fiscal 26-27. Thank you. Okay.

Commissioner Howard?

I'd just like to say that I attended a roundtable with Commissioner Jones today, with Secretary Briar Cultural Rollins, our Labor Secretary Troxler, Luke Farley, and others. I think it's a blessing to have someone that is a farmer on our County Commission that is out there frequently, more times than I even realize, advocating for farmers. Farming isn't just a local issue for me, that's a national security issue. It's something that we have to pay special attention to. Farmers have had a couple of hard years due to trade wars and issues like that. So I'm consistently keeping farmers in my prayers and we all need to be out there advocating for our farmers. Second thing, I'm having another town hall. We have one in May, mid to late May. I'll be having a DOT-focused one on June 15th. All are welcome to attend if you're interested. Give me an email. Last time we talked about the county budget, what was proposed. Of course, my constituents were interested about would there be a tax rate increase. That's one of their concerns. Largest concerns, and thankfully with this board of commissioners, there will be no increase. They've been fiscally responsible. We've given increases in a lot of places and addressed many needs and done that in a way that's kept our budget, kept tax rates for our county citizens pretty flat. So I appreciate, again, I appreciate the staff for bringing that budget forward, looking at it in advance, spending months and months on end working that budget in a way that's going to be fiscally responsible. So I appreciate you guys. Thank you.

Thank you. Nothing. Nothing tonight.

Two things, Mr. Chairman. I'll just echo what Commissioner Howard said. I thank him for his advocacy of agriculture. It was a great honor today to have You know, probably won't ever have it again in my lifetime. The United States Secretary of Agriculture come to Craven County, North Carolina. That was very significant. And she toured David Parker's farm. He raises debacle, sweet potatoes, corn, cotton. Soybeans, been a farmer a long time in this county, him and his family. And so she saw firsthand what it is for the family farm, and that's what I advocate for. Not that I'm against corporate farms, but I advocate for the family farm. And so we're thankful for that, and I do pray she can carry something back from today to Washington, D.C. to help advocate for agriculture here in Creighton County, North Carolina, and across the country. Second thing, Mr. Chairman, I do thank this Board of Commissioners and staff for the time they've spent on the budget. Been a part of a number of budgets through the years. You know, I think this Board of Commissioners invested in every area that we should have invested in. Definitely over a million dollars invested in operational funding for schools. We saw a significant increase in the capital part for our school system. We approved some of that tonight as a board. We also, I think, made investments. One of our speakers, I just wanted to say, made comment and I thought it was very worthwhile. And what she focused on was our collaboration with partners in education and trying to advocate for athletics not only in our high school and our middle schools. We did that. $55,000 appropriated in this budget to match funds. Other investments made across the county in our local municipalities. Little towns like Coast City Dover, Vanceburg, They struggle, and I thank you to this board of commissioners for investing in their recreation. It means a lot to them for $5,000 to be seen in there. Investments in West Craven Park, Creekside. I mean, folks, it is amazing the amount of folks that are not only in this county but adjoining counties across eastern North Carolina that are utilizing our recreational facilities here. We've got a lot to be proud of. I could go on and on. Is any budget perfect? No. But folks, I think the dedication that this team put into this budget, we knew we didn't have a lot of extra money to work with without raising taxes. But yet we made some crucial investments. And so I commend you and thank you again, Jack, team, for all you did. And Mr. Chairman, also for your leadership in it. You did a great job.

Appreciate it. Thank you. I also want to thank everybody that was involved in the budget. I did attend the New Bern Memorial Day service and we got a little wet, but it was a beautiful service with good attendance. And so it's always great to see people turn out and honor those who have sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives. The last thing, the only other thing I have is if you haven't driven down East Front Street in the last few days. When it's light out, drive down East Front Street and you will see that one of the walls from this building next door that we've been looking at for a long time, but eight years vacant. One of the walls is down and we're going to continue to work to take that building down and it's a big process. It's a big job, but I'm excited to see it go. So I just wanted to pass that on. We're going to take a five minute recess and then we will have our final item petition of citizens.