County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Vice Chair Harris. Mr. Chairman, may we all stand? If I could take a point of privilege and get the coach to uh give me one player to help me to lead me in the pledge and then I want to get Reverend Harris to lead us in invocation. Y'all give me a give me a player. Give me just give me There we go. But we'll do it together. Okay. All right. I pledge allegiance.

To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Re. Let us let us pray. God Almighty, we come before you in a sense of awe because you are sovereign. You are totally in control. We thank you for a day that we never seen nor experienced before. And we thank you for your amazing grace. We ask, oh Lord, that you bless our county commissioners. continue to give them wisdom to lead this county. We thank you so much for this baseball team uh that won the state and we thank you for the lessons of life they're learning on the field. Now bless this meeting. You say blessed are the peacemakers for they should be called the children of God. We ask it all now in the strong and mighty name of Jesus our blessed redeemer and our sooncoming king in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. Thank you commissioners for those who have helped you and participate tonight. Before we adopt, we need to add an item tonight and that is the baseball team. Chairman, I make that motion that we add a uh our parks and team to the agenda. Okay. All righty. We added that tonight. That would be number four. 4 be five. 5 B6, 6 B 7, 7 B 8, and 8 B nine. That's motion second. Right. Time to sit. All f with I

I have it. All right. Consent. We only have one item tonight. What's the wish of this board? Make a motion to approve. A second. Second. Motion. Second to approve item number two. All had time to consider. All in favor would I? I post. I have it. Tax administration, Miss Dly Dudley. Good evening, commissioners of the board. Um, tonight I have one release. Um, it's a DOT acreage correction and it's an amount of $247. Okay. Motion to approve release. So move, Mr. Chairman.

Second. Second. Motion second approve release. All right. Time to consider. All in favor with I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I have it. Thank you. Miss Din. Total collected for tax collector report. The total collected for the month of June current year was $230,68569 ending our year at a 97.17% rate compared to a 97.7% rate last year. Um, prior years was $91,125.50 ending the year at a 61.88% rate compared to a 59.57% rate last year. Total collected for the month of June was $321,811.19.

You keep going up. That's great. Thank you. To accept bid for surplus property. Clerk to the board. Yes. Resolution offer of a bid on property is 2024. The bid amount is $6,647.

Okay. Should the board accept the bid? Accept. Second. Second. Motion second. Accept the bid. All in favor? I I oppos. Thank you. All right. Resolution on winner. Yes, sir. Moved everybody else down. I changed my agenda. You didn't change yours. That's just five of us. Mr. Baseball. Yeah, that's where it's five of us. Isn't that nice? Yeah. I was talking Mr. Hunt. It's fine. Let me address the coach. Maybe you're not as young as you used to be.

That's someone talking maybe one year younger. Let maybe have the coach to come up at this time of this great team of the coaches of the board. Give me just a minute now. Yeah. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening.

Um first of all, can I have all my boys stand, please? So this right here, um, this is your 14year-old Dixie boy state champions. So I think they should get a um, they went six and one this whole tournament. Um, shouldn't have lost the first one. We'll get that later. But um, they they fought hard. Um, matter of fact, we were down one game in the last inning. They came back and put up like eight runs to win the game against a very talented team. Um, so I mean they deserve all the credit. Uh, the reason we here, um, I think all you have this Okay. Um, so the whole county 14 baseball team, uh, we earned an incredible opportunity to represent our community, um, at the 2025 World Series in Hattisburg, Mississippi, um, from July 26 to July 30th. Um, so we're here reaching out to seek your support um, and helping these kids dream a reality u for our dedicated group of young athletes. Uh so on your paper you can see we have lodging. Um so hotel accommodations for players and coaches throughout the tournament. Uh we're looking at six rooms for the players, three rooms for the coaches. Um and you can see the total of that on the paper as well too. Um we also have travel expenses. Um we have a couple options for those. Um I don't know if yall have this other paper right here.

Okay. Um so we have travel expenses and then we have meals. Um trying to do like a PDM for the kids. So like $50 a day. Um 10 for breakfast, 20 for lunch and dinner. Um so I mean our team is committed to representing Hope County. Um this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's never been done. Um so we're just hoping for some for some support, some help. How many days total you looking at leaving and return back home? Uh six days. Six days. Yes, sir. That's the whole extent of the tournament. Yes, sir. The whole extension of the tournament. It can be cut short. Elimination. Yes, sir. Double elimination. I'm glad you said that the whole term because that's faith and we want y'all to be there the whole term. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Did you Did you tell everybody where you were going?

We're going to Hattisburg, Mississippi. So, it's about a 12-h hour trip. Um so, we're looking the park. Um it was 8:00 p.m. Thursday. We probably going to push that up um earlier than Thursday, but yes, sir. Going to Hattisburg, Mississippi. 12 hours. Yes, sir. When is the opening? Um the opening is Friday. That Friday. Friday morning.

Uh yes, sir. Yes, sir. Okay. All right. Um, commissioners and and community parents, coaches and players, first of all, I want to say congratulations. You know, uh, me and Allan and and few others, we think we were athletes, but we never did what you guys did. So, what you guys have done has been truly amazing. Uh, we really appreciate that. We we are honored that the fact that we got a team actually going to the 2025 World Series. Sometime we see it on TV, but to have to from home to go is is man, you guys did outstanding job. I gotta take my hats off to the coaches because you coached those young men and you did an outstanding job. We really appreciate that. You all came before us last year when y'all went to the state because y'all had an outstanding season. And again, we we want to just say thank you to the parents as well because everybody, it was a team effort from the from the parents making sure they get to practice and coaches doing their job and the players practicing hard and working hard every day. So, we just, you know, we're extremely proud of you guys

and I do want to say uh our backed by assistant coaches uh Ronald Wack and Sammy McNair as well, too. So, good. Yeah. I just want Yes, sir. these our children and we have do everything in our power to support them and we will um do that tonight. Uh Mr. M, you have any recommendation? Um whatever the wishes, Mr. Chairman, I'd like for us to do it like we did before. You know, we allow the manager to get our parks and Rick um Mr. ball in there and um get with the coaches and they go ahead and line everything up and we just I think what we did the last time we just approved an amount.

I think it was 20,000

and then the then the manager worked all that out. I don't think they spent all that the last time. I mean, you know, um uh let her uh get with them and because what we what we can do is as the chairman mentioned, we want to make sure that our players are their travels taken care of, their meals and their rooms are taken care of along with the coaches. So, we can we can provide that, you know, for them. Um and the transportation, they can get with the manager and she can um decide, you know, with them on what's this mode of transportation and everything. So, I would uh entertain a motion that we allow the county manager uh to take care of it and uh maybe just not um and just give her an amount.

Mr. uh Commissioner Hunt, could I add to that? Um we the coach is going to be busy worrying about the players, getting the players ready, and the players going to be worried about playing and getting ready to play. I think that we need a representation from Parks and Rec. Uh Mr. Baldwin, he's our baseball director. I would like for him to go as well to represent Hope County. You got to have somebody there that's looking out for for the county while the coach is getting ready to play, getting ready to coach for the players and the players getting ready to focus on playing. I would like to have Mr. Bowman go on the trip as well to represent us. Uh I think someone from parks and rec should be there to represent in case we have some type of issue they can always step in.

Absolutely. If there's a question about something I totally agree with that that we had with the coaches and I would love to get that call back from y'all saying hey y'all need to fly here. We want it all and we on our then we'll fly. We on our way that'll be great. I think both of you have very good idea and I support all those ideas. I think we ought to start right away. You leaving this Friday? This Thursday? This Thursday. Okay. Got a couple days. Let's do it.

Yeah. Yeah. But we can um we can do the motion up to 20,000. But if Mr. Mr. Chairman, I want to give my county manager some latitude in case we'll put that as an amount, but if she needs to go over that, she can have the authority to go over that. Okay. I agree. I second motion. Yes, sir. I second that motion up to 20,000. I get the county manager having to once she begins negotiating the parts and work to be able to go over and just update the board at a later time.

Sounds great. Let's do it. We want y'all to go and we want you to be safe, have fun, enjoy yourself, and we look for y'all to return back home. Every one of you safe. Mr. Chairman, I want to I definitely want to second Commissioner Hunt's motion uh to go up to 20,000 um because I have uh concerns about the possibility of a parent or a coach driving 11 hours, 12 hours if they're not uh accustomed to doing that. And so I I know if I just so happen to be coaching and you want me to drive our most precious commodities for 12 hours and I'm not used to doing that.

That's too much of a liability I want on my shoulders. And so if there's a professional who has a professional CDL who on a daily basis they make a living driving 11 12 hours, I would trust them uh with our most precious commodities.

And so you know we we of course wouldn't want to spend this. We all kind of looked at the possibility of vans. We all agreed that would be a great uh cost savings. Um but I don't think the $10,000 difference or whatever would be worth us being up road about the possibility of someone falling asleep driving 11 12 hours cuz if they leave at 8:00 p.m. 11 12 hours, you're driving throughout the entire night. And so um you know, Mr. each other. And I just want ask that our board would make sure that we have a professional driver uh to drive these kids because the coaches don't need to be worried uh taking all these breaks. They need they need to be able to be peaceful and get their mind ready for the game. Uh because this is a big moment, not just for the players, for the coaches, and for the county. Uh you know, we're very proud of what you all doing. I don't know who came up with this logo y'all have in your hats and I'm trying not to look at it. I'm trying not I'm trying not to look at it, Larry.

Me, too, man. I'm trying not to look at it, but but we we are are excited about what you all are doing. I'm sure some of us have been looking at our schedules to see what we can do in Hattisburg uh sometime this weekend to cheer you all on, you know, but uh like the vice chairman said, I played baseball throughout all my younger years and we never made it out of the first uh first tournament. That's right. If it's double elimination, we we knew we were good for two games. We didn't make no plans to stay three, four days. We go down to Robinson County. That was it. That was it. We went back home, you know. So, for you all to be in Brunswick County and Duke County and all these counties, you are Mexican facing baseball, you know. So, I can play baseball.

My my my request, my only request, if we approve this money for you all, my only request is that you all keep staying here in Hope County and play for them Bucks one day. I I want to see you all on that varsity baseball field beating up on Richmond County and Pine Crest. Can you all beat it up? Can you all beat it up? I want to see you beat up on Scotland County. Oh. Oh, excuse me. I saw the Scotland County superintendent here. I want you to be Richmond County and play well against Scotland. But hey, we're proud of you all guys and we look forward to checking you all out, Mr. Chairman. Here's my comment.

And this is great, Alan. You have great good point to get you all in a group on a bus, professional driver to go together as a fellowship. It'd be great. keep the team together from hope all the way to the ball game. More you stay together, know each other, work together as a team on this bus or however we do this together rather than each individual in a vehicle. It'll be great for all of us and most safe that we go together and stay together, play together, talk together. You have a great time. So there been a motion in a second to refreshments for you all when the meeting is over out front.

No, don't leave. Don't leave. And I do I do want to uh publicly publicly thank our baseball director uh Justin Bin. Oh yeah. Stand up cuz uh cuz I I know I've been stressing him out about this team uh and about all this stuff, but I appreciate it, man. You put in a lot of work for us, too. He's going with you. Yes, sir. There with you guys. Yeah, I've been saying for a long time, Hope County is the greatest in the state of North Carolina. Once again, y'all prove me right. Thank you. There's a motion in the second we take care of this team. Y'all have heard it, had comments. All in favor by I. I

oppose. I You're on my way. Five. [Applause] Okay. Oh, yeah. We got to take pictures, too. We not finished yet. Yeah. My man's not finished with y'all yet. We need We're not done. I'm sorry. Okay. You got to decide. You got caught up. It's on you now. Jeremiah, come on for a second. He always does that. This the important person though. Yeah. He always does. She control the money now. She controls the money. Yeah. So Jeremiah um myself and staff um created something for your team.

You help. So I'm individual and the county produced something for your staff. So we have it up front or you guys can come up because it's from the board of commissioners and I have something created for the team.

So they have their Don't pick it up so quickly. I say it to pick up their name and you pick up the bag for them so we can get it to the right person. I got you.

Number 50. Number 50 Justin Wacy, [Applause] Justin Wack last year at the state tournament broke the state record for home run dirty. [Applause] number 12 RJ. [Applause]

And just as an FYI, this is one of our employees on both of these nephew and son. Mason Lee, number 21. Congratulations

Brayan Newkerk number two. [Applause] John Oxendon number nine

Trevor Bullard number [Applause] Christian puller. Number four. [Applause] Christian Lair number one. to Kobe Locker. Number seven, [Applause]

Mark Chavis. Number 11. [Applause] Kayen Chavis number one. [Applause] Matthew Jones number three [Applause] and Bradley Wright number five. [Applause] Thank you big man. Look at you. [Applause] Thank you. Good job. Good job.

Yeah, I think we can stop. I'm serious. My wife let me go. You got a wife now? Got a wife now. Yeah, let's do a different weekend. Let's go. Decided to come back. Yeah, come back. You won't miss church. Yeah. How long take the church? I don't take the train to get me.

No. [Music] You missed the whole thing. Time to come back. I made it. Again, thank you uh coaches, our team, our parents for letting them play and participate. Thank each of you for playing a playing a great part in what just happened as our children, our citizen. Thank you very much for holding up the name of Hope County. We really appreciate that because you represent Hope County. you represent each of us and you represent local government tonight and we know that you do well. So, thank you so much. We're glad to have certainly I think two of those who works for Hope County Park Recreation. It shows us what we have working for us on staff this tight and this kind of uh activities going on. So, thank you very much for what you do and how you do it tonight. Thank you. Miss Mary, you finished?

Yes, sir. Okay. have asked her as she finish not to remind me. Alrighty. Okay. We have one other item. We have a another hero will hope county is that actual save a individual life. Mr. Manager, you like to participate in that? Yes, I will. I don't know if the sheriff is here, but the sheriff here. Sheriff and Brian.

Yeah. So, just to give the um board of commissioners a little bit of background, I received an email from our fire marshal, Brian Marley. Come up, Sharon. Um and he um sent me an email to let me know what an outstanding job um Lee Black did. And he sent it to me and the sheriff to let us know um what Lee Black did. Um and I sure I let the board of commissioners know um that um he did an outstanding job, sheriff and I. So I contacted sheriff and said that we wanted to honor Lee Black. So sheriff is here um and we always want to make sure that we honor our employees when they do such a good job. So I'll let the sheriff know we wanted to honor.

Tell us about it.

So um I I'll start out if you don't mind sh and I'll turn over to the sheriff. Um, I I don't know if y'all have seen this, but I'll go ahead and read it so everybody in the audience can can hear it. Um, this is the uh email that I sent Sheriff and uh the county manager, Miss Eatens. Um, it was dated July 14th, 2025. Sheriff, on the morning of July 14th, 2025, approximately 8:24 08 24 hours, Tyler Town Fire Department was dispatched to report of a structure fire at 2871 Doc Brown Road. Multiple units from multiple agencies within Ho County responded to assist Tylertown Fire Department to include the Ho County Sheriff's Office and Ho County Fire Marshall's Office. I, Brown A. Marley, Fire Marshall, responded to the address above to assist. Upon my arrival, I observed a what we call a singlestory single family dwelling uh residence with smoke showing from the address side of the house. Uh Deputy Medic Lee Black arrived prior to my arrival. Upon approaching the residence, I encountered um Deputy Medic Lee Black removing an occupant from the structure to an area of safety. Tyler Town Fire Department arrived on scene and the fire was brought under control quickly and a search for other occupants occupants uh was completed. The occupant was transferred to K35 EMS and transported to the hospital. And in my professional opinion, the quick actions of Deputy Medic Lee Black going above and beyond contributed to a life saved.

Good. [Applause] Let me also ask the chief of telltown please come. This was in your district and then the sheriff officer going to speak to us. Thank you. Thank you.

Yes sir. Thank you. you know, been doing for brother Lee a long time and I'm quite sure he's been asked that question and he's answered that question many times. I've been asked that question and I've answered that question many times. Am I my brother's keeper? Well, Lee proved that the other day. That's what we are. Our call is to look out for those that's not so faulted as others. And I'm quite sure in this room, you look around, there's other members and other people in here too have answered that call. Am I my brother's keeper? The question should come simple.

Yes, I am. I'm not feeling too well, but I'm here. Thank you, man. Because I I wanted to be here to let Lee know that we appreciate what he's done. Thank you. It's a work that goes beyond. It's ironic that I've been on seas and see people running out of million dollar homes and five don't even know who live there running in. And I sometimes it amazes me and then I stop and I think I said that's what we do. That's right.

That's that's what it's all about. Looking out for your main kind sheriff. Thank you for putting this organization together and putting such great fine people in it like Lee. Lee, I reached out to that 82 year old man today. He's doing fine. Good. He's coming along well. Good.

Now, he's not here tonight, but I would do something that he's not able to do. I'm going give Lee I'mma give you a great big hug for him. [Applause] Sheriff, tell us about your employee. Thank you, Chief. Thank you.

So, I'm not going to stand up here long because I know he's I'm going stand up here just long enough so you can get yourself together. That's what I'mma do. But anyway, um, in the times that we're living in, we're living in the times where we have to be innovative because you don't have the volunteers like you used to have anymore. That's right.

So, um, so myself along with our team, you know, we sit at the table every week thinking of how can we better serve this county and keep everybody safe with with the rapid growth that we're having. And so the deputy medic program because of my medical background. Um I said, "You know what? We can benefit this in our county. It's the first of its kind in the whole state of North Carolina. We don't have nobody's ever done it before, but it just makes sense, right? So the deputies are the first one to show up on scene. The deputies are the first ones to show up on scene. But just so happens I have three to four certified paramedics every day that are doing prevention. So it just makes sense. Why not just get them cross trainined? You know, see how I've been working out with the county manager, commissioners. Let's get this liability thing covered and let's just provide this service to our citizens because it's well worth your tax dollars 100%. When someone loses a life, who cares about money? It's your life and your safety. Absolutely. That's what we're here to do is to take care of our citizens. And with this program, to implement it. We've been to NC State, Wake Force Baptist talking about this program. Um I've even been reached out from Connecticut, American Heart Association to so people can find out more about what we did there. So um chairman has said it before, Hope County is the best county and the sheriff's office is going to make sure that it stays that way as far as the law enforcement aspect goes. We're going to give top tier service to our citizens here in Hope County and u and we're not going to back down, you know. We're going to be resilient and we're going to take care of our people. That's why we're full of staff at this point at the jail and the sheriff's office. So, you should have a lot to be proud of for the people that you have served. Um, but now it looks like that you got yourself together. And it's okay to cry because I cry sometimes, too, cuz that's what real men

do. You know, we let it out. [Applause] I really don't know what to say other than just say um thank everyone here. Thank you. County commissioners, fire marshall, sheriff, all of our staff, administrative staff. We're a team. Everybody here is a team. Thank you.

Everybody in this county is a team. I've been doing public safety in this county since 1985. And like the sheriff said, you know, we have limited resources in this county. And we have to do what we can do. And with my background in fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement. I try to implement and utilize my my knowledge, my training, and my abilities to help every citizen in this county when on or off duty when when the need arises. And that's just what I'm doing. and I'm just doing my job to help our community and our county be the best that it can be. Thank you, sir. Thank you,

brother Lee. Mr. Le ask y'all to come out. We want to make this about your night by giving you a resolution from Hope County, showing that this night, this is a special night that we go into local government history that will be there forever, that we resolute you for this night for the job that was well done. We want to show that so that it go into the minutes of Hope County also that it will stand forever that this night is a night that we honor you for being the hero that you are and serving our citizen county. The bill, please come. That's why this is only the job we pay you for. It's truly 60,000 plus citizens. to recognize a man who has actually went beyond the call of duty to save one of us. He is truly our brother and he is true our brother and we really appreciate you all. Thank you sir. The resolution read in honor of Deputy Mayor Lee Black for his work. Whereas on the morning of July 14th, 2025 at approximately 8:24 a.m. Town Fire Department was dispatched to a report structure prior at 2871 Road in Hope County, North Carolina. And whereas multiple units from across the county responded, including the whole county sheriff's office and the whole county fire office and of the town fire department and whereas upon arrival at the scene our marriage observed a single story single family dwelling with smoke showing from the address of the

structure and whereas prior to the arrival of the fire suppression unit Lee Black had already arrived on the scene and was observed courageously removing an occupant from the burning structures of the safe area despite the clear and present danger to his own Whereas the prompt and selfless action of deputy black were instrumental in preserving the life of who was later transported to the hospital by Valley for medical and whereas such acts of balance and quick decision making exemplify the high stand of dedication professionalism and the service to the residents of county. Now therefore be resolved the board commission of county hereby recognize deputy mayor Lee Black for his bravery and conduct on July 14th 2021 and be it for the resolve that this resolution of bravery be entered into the official record presented to deputy black as a symbol of the county appreciation and respect for your life saving action this day. James chairman Harry Southern Vice Chairman Commissioner Tony Hunt commissioner Mary Commissioner Thomas Jr. tested by clerk of the board. Thank you. [Applause] officers that like to come. Come on. Come on.

[Applause] That's right. We'll see you tomorrow.

Thank you. We almost ready to close. Thank you so much. Miss manager, it's your turn. I have nothing. I think I've done enough. You've done a good job. We ask it you not to leave. We have refreshment for our team tonight and also Mr. White and the sheriff department may go and be with us as we go out and celebrate them and our team tonight. So team, please don't leave. We have refreshment outside for you and for those who we recognize tonight if all of us. So please stay be with us. I ask for a motion to adjourn this meeting.

Mr. Chairman, yes. Before we adjourn, I would like to congratulate the team again uh for winning and um Mr. Black for Deputy Black for all that he's done for our county and the leadership for the sheriff and the fire department at Tyler Town and all those folks. We thank them for uh being there for somebody else when they needed it. You know, a lot of nights you leave from here uh kind of discouraged about things, but tonight I leave happy because I know that we've got a good baseball team down in Mississippi to represent Hey County, North Carolina, and it makes me feel good. Thank you, Mr. President.

Yes, sir. Any other comments? Anybody? If not, there's a motion to adjourn. Some move. Second. Second. All I good night. Anybody else?