Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

This one every single year to introduce the life cards. Always my favorite one. And how many how it children are there? They make up one 20th of our every year. There's more and more in the video.

They make up one 20th.

All right. Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the June 8, 2026 town of Kildow Hills Board of Commissioners meeting. I call this meeting to order and invite everyone to please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. As we enter a moment of silence, let's pause to remember the 82nd anniversary of D-Day this past June 6th. Around 160,000 Allied troops, the largest amphibious invasion in history, landed on French shores, and their heroism would lead to the end of World War II in Europe just 11 months later. More than 9,000 Allied troops were killed or wounded. We should never forget their sacrifice. I invite everyone to please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you. Good evening, Ward. Nice to see everybody. Our next business item is our agenda approval. Do you have an agenda before us?

I'll make a motion to approve the agenda.

Second. We have a motion and a couple of seconds. Any discussion? All in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. We have a budget. Next, we have a public hearing this evening. The town manager's recommended budget for fiscal year 2026-2027. Debbie, I'll turn the floor over to you.

Yes, sir. Thank you very much. The public hearing will be conducted this evening by the Killable Hills Board of Commissioners, and the following rules and procedure will apply. Public notice of the hearing was published in the newspapers and posted on the town's bulletin board and website that meets or exceeds statutory requirements for the subject matter. A copy of the public notice has been filed with the town clerk for entry into the official record of the hearing. The town clerk will record all comments in a concise and brief manner. Submitted written statements will be recorded in a similar manner and made a part of the record of this hearing. and must be submitted in full to the town clerk. All speakers must come to the podium microphone so that your statement will be recorded. Please identify yourself by giving your name and complete address. There will be no debates. Please limit your comments to matters relevant to the issue and to three-minute time period. A five-minute exception would be made if there was a spokesperson for a group or if your statement is submitted in writing to the town clerk. The public hearing will please come to order. This hearing is called for the purpose of the Kettle Hill's Board of Commissioners to consider the town manager's recommended budget for fiscal year 26-27. Anyone interested in speaking? No, ma'am. This is on the town manager's recommended budget. We have a public comment coming up after this. Anyone? All right. With there being no public comment at this time, the Board of Commissioners now will conduct discussion and make its own comment prior to the public hearing being closed and any action taken by the Board. Mr. Mayor?

Thank you. No wonder new business item number two, we will also bring the budget up again for potential action. But does anybody have any comments or questions at this time? No, not this time.

I just wanted to bring up the increase in the COLA, but we can do that later. Yes. All right.

All right. Having seen no more comments or questions at this time, we will close the public hearing and move on to our first opportunity for public comments. Now is the time we set aside for public comment. This is an opportunity for anyone in the audience to address the board on any topic of their choosing that pertains to the town. Be asked when you're called upon, approach the podium, speak into the microphone, and identify yourself by name and address. There will be no debates. Keep your comments to three minutes if you're speaking as an individual and five minutes if you're speaking on behalf of a group. If you have written remarks, please give them to the town clerk when you're finished so they can be included in the meeting record. If anybody would like to speak at this first public comment period, friendly reminder as well, later on in the meeting after we get through all our business, there's a second opportunity for public comment, but please approach the podium and floor is open.

Well, I'm speaking on behalf, um, well, I'm speaking for myself, but, um, about the Mustang name and address program. Sorry. My name is Ruth wine address, 15, 12 Harbor view drive kill level Hills, North Carolina. And, uh, Regarding the Mustang Music Outreach Program, I'm the... one of the co-founders and the music director of the program. And I'm a musician, a music educator, former North Carolina Humanities Council Rhodes Scholar, and former music ambassador for the U.S. State Department Cultural Exchange Program in the Middle East. And about 17 years ago, after I stopped touring so much, I started teaching music lessons and group, private lessons and group lessons here in the Outer Banks. And... Later, I was approached by the Dare County Arts Council to help facilitate the community music school with Dr. Richard Martin over in Manteo at the Alternative High School, where there I organized other teachers to teach other instruments, drums, bass, violin, piano voice, and we started putting little bands together with the groups. After that program kind of dissolved, we kind of outgrew that program a little bit. I still kept groups of kids together, and we found different places to rehearse. For instance, we rehearsed in a storage unit with no heat or air conditioning, and in the off season. Sometimes we had, people had donated their little cottage. You know, this was pre-Airbnb. So we were able to use a little cottage in Kitty Hawk, another one on Beach Road and Kill Devil Hills. And we moved around a little bit People have donated, well, we paid rent, but eventually, about 12 years ago, 11, 12 years ago, we formed a nonprofit, calling it the Mustang Outreach Program, where we were able to provide scholarships for kids who couldn't afford lessons and wanted to be in bands. And five, maybe six years ago, we were able to secure a place of our own. And we built out a office space over at the Seagate North Shopping Plaza and kept the bands going. We have outgrown that place. I think it's only about 800 to maybe 1,000 square foot. And we had private lessons in drums, bass, piano, voice, ukulele, guitar. and also were able to have seven bands. And so that's kind of the history of my aspect of it, how it started from just lessons to the Arts Council to what we have now. And right now I'd like to introduce Amanda Williams, the Assistant Music Director of the program, so she can further explain what we're doing now.

Good afternoon, mayor, members of the town council and community. My name is Amanda Williams. I'm a resident at 124 High Dune Loop, Southern Shores, North Carolina, and I am the assistant director of the Mustang Music Outreach Program. I am here today to represent and advocate for our local community-oriented nonprofit music education program. It is well known that music is proven to boost cognitive development, improve academics and foster deep community connection. But it is also well known that schools have long suffered from underfunding of the arts and have also failed to keep up with the amazingly fast transformation of popular music and skills one should obtain to become part of that community. This is setting kids up, not just for failure, but for more crappy music in the world. And we don't need that. We have been organizing and directing bands with, I have been organizing and directing bands with Mustaine for nearly a decade, working with kids as they mature into musicians and young adults gaining skills similar to those skills revered by sports players, understanding the nuances of teamwork and personal dedication to the craft and everyone's favorite, conflict resolution. This program has helped to steer kids towards their college majors and some right into some of the same performance venues that we perform at and facilitate as all of our teachers are in the music industry themselves. Recently, one of our bands performed to over 1,200 people opening for a concert on the dunes while others await their chance to play for the Outer Banks Pride Festival, another opening for a show at the Roanoke Island Festival Park. We strive to give back to the community, and we try to show our students firsthand how to be part of something bigger than themselves. The use of the old firehouse as the new Mustang Music home would be a pivotal step in the already growing trajectory of our program. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Thank you.

Hey, my name is Shelly Gates. I live at 4326 South Hesperides Drive in Nags Head. I don't think you need my zip code. I'm also a co-founder of this program with Ruth and Mike Diana. Good evening, mayor, council members, and staff. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Shelly Gates. I'm the president of the board of directors of the Mustang Music Outreach Program. I'm here to share why our proposed move into the former Kill Devil Hills Fire Department building is not only important for our organization, but also a valuable investment in the future of our community. Mustang Music Outreach exists to provide educational opportunities, foster creativity, strengthen community connections through music. Every day we see the impact music has on people's lives. Children gain confidence and discipline. Teens discover positive outlets for self-expression. Adults find opportunities for lifelong learning and social engagement. Seniors remain active, connected, and mentally engaged. However, our current space limits our ability to meet the growing demand for these programs. The former fire department building presents a unique opportunity to expand our reach and increase the services we provide to residents. With additional space, we can offer more music lessons, larger ensemble programs, educational workshops, community events, and partnerships with local schools and organizations. The benefits of this expansion extend far beyond music education. Research consistently shows that learning music supports brain development, improves memory, enhances academic performance, and promotes emotional well-being. Students who participate in music programs develop teamwork, communication, leadership, responsibility, and perseverance, skills that only strengthen our community. This project also provides significant public value. Affordable and accessible arts programming enriches quality of life, strengthens community connections, and makes Kill Devil Hills an even more attractive place to live, work, and visit. Expanded programming will bring more students, families, and visitors into town throughout the year, supporting local businesses and contributing to the local economy. We also recognize the responsibility that comes with becoming stewards of this historic public facility. With the support of the Outer Banks Community Foundation, Mustang Music Outreach will establish an emergency fund that will be partially earmarked for repairs, maintenance, and future renovations to the former firehouse. Our goal is not simply to occupy the building, but to invest in its preservation and ensure it remains a valuable community asset for years to come. This is more than a request for additional space. It's an opportunity to transform an existing public building into a vibrant community hub where residents of all ages can learn, connect, create, and grow. We respectfully ask for your support and partnership as we take this next step. Together we can transform this building into a place where creativity flourishes, connections are strengthened, and community is built one note at a time. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Hi. I'm Laura Willingham, 4012 Tarkel Ridge, Kitty Hawk. And this is my 20th year with Dare County Health and Human Services. But I am here today as a parent of someone who has two children in the program and a volunteer for the program. My kids are super involved in a lot of things. And when they got involved with Mustang, they just fell in love with it. And I fell in love with it. And I get to see how much fun my kids are having, but to see the difference it's making in so many kids' lives, this program is absolutely amazing. So I give all of my free time to volunteering for the program because I love it so much and I see what a big difference it's making. So my daughter, she plays keyboard and some vocals. She's played Sanctuary Vineyards, Brew Station, Tap Shack, Roadside Grill, Festival of Parks, Dowdy Park, Tortugas, Corolla Light, and probably some other ones. And she is 16. Like this program did that. that is like crazy experience this girl is getting so much opportunity uh my son joined he started taking drum lessons with dan martier and um you know he plays with people that have played with dave matthews and right here on the outer banks you know my son is getting this opportunity to learn drums from some some really talented people that are involved with this organization It's been very, very exciting to see. But not just my kids. Like I said, kids are going through it. I don't know a kid that's not going through something. And I have seen this program really change lives from kids that are just... I've helped bring kids to practice and they'll tell me that, thank you for taking me. This is the highlight of my day. I need this so much. I just need to get out of my house and I just need this as my happy place. The Mustang studio is their happy place. So I just wanted to share about how really cool the program is. And I will wrap up on a quote that I heard from John Wright, who owns Sanctuary Vineyards and is also a board member on Mustang. And he said to me that being in a band is the ultimate team building experience. because these kids have to learn to work with other people and compromise. And it's not about them. It's about the group. And it's really neat to watch. And so I just thank you guys for considering this.

Hello, good evening. My name is Kelly Pierce, and I live at 1719 Sioux Street in Kill Devil Hills. This is my first public speaking experience, and so I want you to know that that's how much this program means to me. I have not a lick of musical talent ever. I can't strum a guitar. I can't even shake the tambourine right. But when I first heard about this program, I was thrilled because the music that I love, the performers that you love to see, I knew that there was some more coming up. You know, I'm at the age that a lot of my rock and rollers are leaving us and leaving us to other places. But to see these kids come up, I was thrilled. So I've pretty much been watching the program pretty much since inception. I've seen the program take talented, enthusiastic kids and young adults and mentor them and guide them, teach them to become talented and to focus their talent but they also become involved and caring members of the community these kids have a feeling that they're part of something many of them come right back here you know they become they come back here to serve our communities We appreciate any consideration that you might allow us to move forward to expand this group. I sincerely believe that it is a good win for not only us and the town, but for the community that we all live in. I think it will make better people of all of us. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Ted Mitchell. I'm at 1000 West Dean Street, Kill Devil Hills. I'm just here to advocate for the Mustang Outreach Program. I'm a local musician. I play drums in the band Stereo and Words. I'm also a teacher at the high school, at First Flight High School, just right over here. And I've talked to so many of my students who participate in the Mustang program, and it means so much to them and to this community. And to me, as a musician too, It meant so much to me, you know, when I was in high school in the 90s, playing in a band, doing, you know, Alice in Chains covers and whatever else. Right. And music was my life. It was my outlet and I loved it. And I, you know, now I'm in my late 40s and I'm still doing it kind of on a semi-professional basis here. And A big part of it is because there were people who were passionate about music who were advocating for me when I was a kid. And we see all these wonderful people here who are doing just that and our amazing students who are participating. And I just hope that you'll consider being able to go and participate continue to advocate for these students by you know uh hopefully being able to lease a nice bigger space so thank you thank you good evening

My name is Kathy Weeks, and I live at 20 Spindrift Trail, Southern Shores. I'm here tonight with my grandson, who is in the Mustang Music Outreach Program, and my husband. And I'm going to try not to get emotional. Here I go. But truly, we share a tremendous praise for this program. Our grandson, a little less than five years ago, knew he liked music. He was in chorus at school. but he thought that music was a class in school and didn't know that he could go beyond that. We were able to get him involved in Mustang Outreach by taking guitar lessons. That's how it started for him. Through the support and leadership of Mustang Outreach, he began those weekly lessons, and within a year, he was invited to participate in one of Mustang's youth bands. It has been wildly amazing. and heartwarming to witness our young grandson grow magnificently with his social skills and blossom into a confident, talented musician and soloist. We have no idea. This would not have been possible had it not been for the wonderful teaching and nurturing provided by this program, the leaders of this program, and the opportunities that the program provides for public performances. In addition to developing tremendously, both vocally and instrumentally, he has been mentored by professional musicians. He's made many great friends. He's become very successful in teamwork. He's learned about performance setup and breakdown and technical elements of sound and lighting. He's become knowledgeable about various musical genres, and he's been very successfully challenged to set personal goals for future professional musical performances. It has enriched his life beyond measure. It's broadened his mind to the many wonders of music and what it can do for us in our lives. We are confident that we speak for many, many families on the Outer Banks in saying what a benefit this program is to our community. And we want more youth to have this opportunity to thrive, just like our grandson has. A move to the old firehouse building would allow the program to expand it would be available to more students. It would provide a central location, convenient to also offer workshops and recitals. The possibilities are endless in the many ways that this program can and will support our youth, but we need to help them. Thank you for your thought for consideration of this lease with Mustang Music Outreach Program. I am certain that this is a decision that you will take pride in, and I think you will look back on it years later with absolute confidence. Thank you.

Thank you. Would anybody else like to speak at this first public comment period?

Okay.

We have two that were submitted that are at your place. One of them was Mrs. Weeks who just spoke. They need to have a separate one in support.

Thank you to everyone who spoke at our first opportunity for public comments. We will close this comment section and move along to our response to public comments. We also may just want to move on to ONGOING BUSINESS ITEM NUMBER ONE BEING THAT THEY'RE ALL RELATED. IF EVERYBODY'S COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO. SO MOVING ON, ONGOING BUSINESS ITEM ONE, LEASES OF TOWN PROPERTY. ITEM A, OLD TOWN HALL SLASH FIRE STATION 1634 NORTH CROATAN HIGHWAY. THE BOARD WOULD OBLIGE, I'D LIKE TO START OUT THE DISCUSSION. The Mustang Outreach Project is an ideal fit for the southern portion of our old fire station. At the 2024 State of the Child Conference, Dare County Schools reported that mental health-related nurse visits had doubled between the 2018-19 and 2022-23 reporting periods. While many factors influence youth mental health, this trend highlighted the importance of expanding opportunities that support the well-being of our children. After the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department relocated to its new fire station, the board directed staff to evaluate the old fire station for future use. The July 2025 board assessment found the facility to be in good overall condition, requiring only minor cosmetic improvements. While with the building deemed serviceable, the board began exploring potential tenants that could provide youth-focused programs not widely available in our community. Deer County offers many sports and outdoor recreation opportunities. but there is room to expand access to music and arts programs. Mustang Outreach Projects, a local nonprofit providing music education and tutoring, was a natural choice. By moving into the southern section of the Old Fire Station, the organization will have room to space to grow its programs and serve more children from Kill Devil Hills and throughout Dare County. This partnership benefits both our youth and our taxpayers. Mustang Outreach Project's expanded program will provide more children with the opportunity to discover their talents, build confidence, and find purpose. At the same time, the organization's $1,200 monthly rent will offset the cost of maintaining the facility. At its core, this lease agreement is about investing in the children of Kill Devil Hills and Dare County. I strongly support this agreement and hope that we can work together as a board to make it happen.

I think that's well said, John. I appreciate you guys coming to us today. I mean, the wonders of music, we all know how special it is. I am a musician, as you may know, and I've taught some music myself in middle school, a concert band in the past, and play a few instruments as well. And back, I think, when... When I was young, I remember I was like, oh, I would always have loved the school of rock, you know, the school of rock. You know, you thought, well, because there was always an outlet for a concert band, but there was never an outlet for, you know, anybody who wanted to do popular music, rock, drums, you know. electric guitar, all those things, you were kind of on the outside if you played those instruments because it just wasn't encouraged in school. And then you had to form your own band, and I formed my own band in the garage and did some great, great things as a garage band growing up. And now I'm doing Alice in Chains covers here on the Outer Banks myself in a band called Trickfly. Quick plug, but, uh, ultimately, uh, I, I, I remember, well, I just want to say, you know, raising kids here on the Outer Banks and watching, you know, Mustang grow. And I did in, in all, uh, Full disclosure, I was on the board for a little while of the Mustang Outreach Program back when you guys were moving into the Seagate North Shopping Plaza about seven years ago. And I watched Mike, Diana, Ruth, Ryan, of course, Amanda start. This great organization and watching it grow over the years has been amazing. Just watching these youngsters find their outlet. Not everybody's into sports, and I'm the biggest sports fan. guy you can find. And not everybody's into sports, right? Not every kid has that. Not every kid wants to be in drama even, you know, there were all these sections of school and there was just never a section for, you know, those that wanted to play popular music. So, so just having that outlet is just, is very impressive to me watching, watching the teachers all the time, give it all the volunteer work put in, in all the years that I've been here on the Outer Banks and raised children here on the Outer Banks, I've not seen a more impactful program. work with the children on the Outer Banks. That's me. Maybe at OBX Baseball, they've also done a great job building something on the Outer Banks in the last 20 years. But I will say Mustang has done that. It's done that. So what better tenant, what better staple tenant for this building to build more of an arts culture for our children here on the Outer Banks? than Mustang. I can't imagine one. I would give it to you if it was reasonable and fair to the taxpayers, I would give it to you for free. But I want you guys to know that we fully support you guys. We're excited to have you, at least if everything goes through here, we're excited to have you as our first staple tenant in that building. I can't imagine a more you know, better program to be centrally located right here in town. You know, like I said, we have, we've always had our youth center, right? We've always had our rec youth center over here, but to have a spot for the arts and the spots for, for specifically popular music, it's exciting. And I, I, I, I, I encourage you to just keep doing what you're doing. You made some great bands. I watched a whole concert at the brewing station last year and it was, it was phenomenal. I thought the kids were, and these, these are kids who probably would have been otherwise maybe, you know, trying to get a band together, trying to sit on their, you know, sit on the end of their bed, play their guitar and, you know, figure out how to play this song or that song. And you, and you guys are, are making it happen with groups and bands and, and, They really are getting experience with all the venues out here and all the restaurants. When I was a kid, you had to struggle to find any venue that would ever give you a chance to play at their restaurant or their bar. And just the idea that you guys have these groups, you're marketing them, they're learning how to market themselves. Every lesson that sports teaches, and there are so many great lessons sports teaches, absolutely can be taught in the business of running a band, for sure. So, you know, all that camaraderie, all that confidence that's built from it, it's just excellent. Very, very proud of you guys. And I'm excited for this pseudo partnership, building that art center over there. I think that's going to be great. Thank you.

Anybody else?

Okay. Just to reiterate on what John said and to elaborate a little bit more because State of the Child, I was on the core group that did all the planning for State of the Child. And during that process, we collected data from students, parents, Um, we sent out multiple surveys. Um, so all of this is leading, leading up to where we are today. And I think it's important for people to know that this isn't just us deciding this is our community telling us through data that we've collected. Um, and that data showed us that there is a lack of recreational activities outside of sports for kids in this area. Um, and in addition. Parks and Rec also about a year ago conducted a study that told us the same thing, lack of a lot of things, but one of the things was recreation outside of sports. And then finally, most recently, there was a task force that I serve on that was formed after the State of the Child to make the connections that are happening right now And we've most recently done a student survey. And again, that survey came back with similar data that there just isn't enough after school activities that don't include. In all fairness, that data did show that a little bit more skill building was needed. So if anyone, so that's the direction we'll be taking after this is, you know, life skills, like mechanics, cooking, things like that. So that was the big result of that survey, which I thought was really interesting. So I just want, I think it's important for the public to know that this isn't just us saying this is what we that proves that this is what is needed in the community. And so, and all, you know, all of us wear lots of different hats. And so putting on my commissioner hat with, I do appreciate the emergency fund because I, I think that lends a bit of sustainability for us. It lends us a bit of sustainability for your program. And so you all know that I've been an advocate advocate for that. And yeah, I think investing in our kids, I hope that we can be a model, honestly, because this is what government should be doing, to be honest. So I think investing in community, investing in our kids is important. And I hope that we can be a model for other municipalities, counties, state, national. It's really important. Thank you.

Anybody else?

Well, that's a tough act to follow. Yeah, I am very excited about this. I grew up playing guitar alone with a private instructor. I think I would have had a lot more fun with the community environment. So, yeah, I'm very excited about this. And I'm really glad to see you all come out and actually support it. It's awesome. And I'm glad to see the fire station, the old fire station, be used. Only thing else I have is a big thank you to staff for bearing with us all through quite a few changes, revisions, redos, et cetera. Thank you all. That's all for me.

Oh, and one more thing, Ruth. So my daughter took guitar from Ruth for many, many years before Mustang Outreach was even Mustang Outreach. I was doing the math. I couldn't figure it out. And then when you said, so it was 15 years ago that she started with you. Wow.

I don't know what else to add to any of that. I got you. Kind of put me in a bad place here. But everything they said and more. Great, great organization. I've learned a lot about it through this process and everything else. And then just hearing from different members of the community. I'm a music guy. I love music. I used to play guitar. I can't play anymore because I'm old. But this is awesome. And hopefully get my kids involved too. So thank you for everything that you guys do.

I will piggyback off Commissioner Hyken's comment again to thank staff for an awful lot of hard work. A lot went into this, a few variations, and it was not the easiest thing to do, but we certainly appreciate all the work and the patience and everything. If, unless there's any more questions or comments, I'd like to make a motion to approve ongoing business item one, lease of old fire station property, the lease of Old Town Hall slash fire station 1634 North Corotana Highway as presented in our packet.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. We have any further discussion? hearing none all in favor please indicate by saying aye aye it passes unanimously congratulations all right okay well moving on thanks everybody um New Business Item 1, Partnership Organizations. Since I serve as an employee of the Community Care Clinic of DARE and also a director for the DARE Housing Foundation, I request to be excused from the upcoming New Business Item 1, Partnership Organizations.

I move to excuse Mayor Wendley from the discussion and any action regarding New Business Item 1, Partnership Organizations. Second.

We have a motion and a second to excuse Mayor Windley from the discussion and any action regarding new business item number one, partnership organizations. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed? All right. Motion approved. Mayor Windley, you are excused.

Thanks. Normally, the crowd leaves before we do something big, not a big deal.

Over the years, the town has entered into partnerships. I'll just give it a minute.

Thank you, guys, again. Okay.

All righty. Over the years, the town has entered in partnership with various organizations to establish its missions and provide services for the citizens. Those partnerships have been the Community Care Clinic of Dayer, Interfaith Community Outreach, Nags Head Woods, Eclinopical Preserve, and the Outer Banks YMCA. These different organizations are provided with some financial funding from the town, and as enacted in General Statute 14233, which sets stringent requirements for municipal governments who may also serve as officers, directors, or board members that they are not involved in this funding, hence the mayor's removal from the room. Traditionally, the funding for these partnerships are a part of the town manager's recommended budget. However, in order to maintain transparency, staff recommends that the board approve these levels for the partnership for fiscal year 2027 through a separate motion, which is included as a part of the recommended budget, and a motion would be in order.

I'll make a motion to approve the levels as set for the recommended budget for fiscal year 26-27.

I'll second.

All in favor?

Aye.

All opposed? Thank you.

Some of the mayor.

There's gonna get a long time out there. Get back in there. All right.

Come back.

Okay. It's kind of weird. We're going to come back. I don't want to tell you what Michael Adele was saying when I walked by over there. We'll move on. New business item number two. Recommended action to adopt an updated budget fiscal year 2026-2027 budget ordinance and consolidated fee schedule for town of Killdouble Hills. I thought we had a, I was pleased with our budget workshop last time around. We had good discussion. Ivy, I know you mentioned something about updating the COLA at the beginning. Yes.

Would that be appropriate? Yes. I would like to make one small amendment that we, I had spoken with Charlene in memory of Terry because this was always his thing. He was always, he always wanted to know what the COLA was right around the time of the budget. Yeah. Actually, right after the budget workshop last time, the COLA had moved from 3.5 to 3.8. And so I would like to make a recommendation that we move it to 3.8, which makes a difference of $44,787. So I'd like to make that change if you all agree.

I think that's a good recommendation, totally doable. And speaking on Terry, Terry always wanted to make sure we beat Nags Head. Every call that we had to do, we could never let Nags Head be more generous than we were. That was his motivation. And he obviously cared a lot about town staff and employees, but always winning that battle made it feel good. And it made the whole board feel good, too.

And the staff appreciates it.

Yes. Is there a motion for that? Well, any more discussion? I think as long as we have a consensus to bump it up to 3.8, that can be baked into the budget.

And for the final motion? Yes. And then the final motion would simply say, as amended.

All right, any further discussion or questions regarding the budget? No. And I'll entertain a motion.

I'll make a motion to approve the budget as presented with the increase in the COLA from 3.5 to 3.8.

Second. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Great.

And then your final motion would be to adopt the budget ordinance and the consolidated fee schedule as amended for fiscal year 26-27. So moved. Mayor, second?

I moved it. Okay. I'll second. Second. Any more discussion? All in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. All right.

Okay.

All right. Our next interesting thing to do tonight is new business item number three, proposed amendment to chapter 130, general offenses to prohibit motorized vehicles and play vehicles at skate park and water park. Town manager? Yes, sir.

Over the past several years, the town has developed Operation Ride Safe, which is a proactive program to address the public concerns of I said years, I meant months, over unsafe electric bikes and scooters, also known as e-bikes. We've been using educational outreach, direct interpersonal contact, including both our police department and our public information officer. Oftentimes, we've seen with changes in technology, government has had to adapt to local rules and guidelines to continue to provide the safe environment for our public. Since the skate park was constructed at Aviation Park in 2009, tens of thousands of residents and visitors have enjoyed this area facility. With the most recent development of e-bikes, staff has become aware of the increasing presence of these vehicles on our sidewalk streets recreation area, including the skate park. The memo from Charlene highlights that staff's concerns about the e-bikes at the skate park detailed recommendation by the North Carolina League of Municipalities, which provides our insurance, and the original skate park designer that says that e-bikes should be prohibited in this area. It damages your infrastructure there. The recommendations also include concerns about immediate hazards to the skate park users, the damage that is neither designed nor constructed for these vehicles, and the overall liability to the town. Staff has developed the proposed amendment to chapter 130 general regulations, which addresses this. This does not require, it's not land use. It does not require public hearing. It has been reviewed by the town attorney and we do recommend approval as presented and a motion would be in order.

I have a few questions. I want to thank Commissioner Seidman. He's who I called when I was reading the packet the other night. It's a fun Saturday night calling Commissioner Simon to discuss this. Because, you know, I've talked to you about your history with public safety and public works. My question is really to AC as well. It makes a lot of sense to do this, but how are we going to enforce it? How is this?

Wait, wait. it seems education and alter lane and going to all the schools and we got a general idea of who has what bikes around time so when we do see something like that and a violation occurring with those e-motorcycles or what they are not actually e-bikes is what's causing the problems we can identify the child and then we'll go get up the parents and then get up the child at their homes most of the time so we're not going to chase them

Wow. Okay. Well, it makes sense to me. Do you think if we were to adopt these bans, would they create any undue work or pressure on the police department to stay on top of it and monitor it?

No, sir. In the past eight days, we've had 10 major violations of e-bikes. A couple have actually run from us when they see us take off. They were down the side streets. I think they said they went about 40 miles an hour down the side streets, but we didn't chase them. We were able to identify them and to the heist and some charges on juveniles might be come with that, but that's up to juvenile probation officer. You can't arrest a juvenile.

Gotcha. When I thought about the skate park, but also the splash pad is included in this. What about the skate rink right next door. We're getting ready to make a major investment in remodeling. Should we include this into the van? I doubt kids get in there with their e-machines and cut up and get in trouble, but since they're right next to each other, they're both at fault services, it may be prudent to tack this on the list.

Sure. That would be fine. Like you say, it's getting ready for some major improvements. They seem to be able to provide those things anywhere. So it wouldn't hurt to add that.

And it seems pretty consistent with what Parks and Rec just, you have to walk through Parks and Rec now, you have to walk through, the school's voting on it right now, actually. So it's consistent with what is happening elsewhere.

And the difficult part that I think is hard for a lot of people to understand is law enforcement's hands is really tied with with this um you've got the real e-bikes with the pedals and the kids that do what they're supposed to do and then you've got these ones that are really being dangerous and um we're trying to do what we can through education and through talking with the kids But I think we just need a little more muscle. Yes, sir.

This is another tool in the toolbox.

Yes, sir. I'll make a motion.

Well, I was going to open it up for any more questions or discussion.

You know, I don't really like these things because they're overly broad. You know, it seems, again, but it's obviously enforceability is like... The use is zero if it's not enforceable or enforced. And it includes all e-bikes, including e-bikes. But obviously, no e-bikes belong in the splash pad. I mean, that's pretty common sense, right? On the skate park, I mean... you can see kids wanting to ride their e-bikes on that. That makes a little more sense, but you know, and of course, of course, and also the, the rank, which I hope stays a rank. I hear it might not, but if it's just a flat, if it just becomes a flat surface, it's not really such a, such a spot anyway, you know what I'm saying? So if it's just a flat surface, I wouldn't, I wouldn't include it, but I hope, I hope it remains a rink and it contained because I think that's what makes it special. Otherwise it's just a blacktop area. But, uh, but anyway, regardless, I guess the skate park and the water and the, um, The skate park, yeah, that makes sense. Shouldn't probably be used for bikes. I mean, there are bikes on there. There are people using their bikes on there. I don't know enough about it.

Not the e-bikes. Indioc has a comment who designed it.

Yeah, e-bikes. So e-bikes, and there's e-bikes without pedals now, and those are basically like motorcycles. You know, the pedals, not that anybody uses the pedals, but the ones with pedals, I guess, are okay. The ones without pedals are not okay. And, of course, I'm sure you're going to see, like, five-year-olds riding e-bikes here soon, you know. Their first bike's not going to be with training wheels. It's going to be a little e-bike. A tricycle. It's going to be a little tricycle e-bike. I mean... That's where we're going, right? So anyway, yeah, I mean, it goes without saying we have to have an ordinance for it. I can think of a few things I like the ordinance for. But yeah, that's just my two cents. It seems a little overbroad, but that's all.

I've read it through. Just want to make sure when I ask the question out loud, if someone is otherwise following all the rules, they could ride their e-bike, compliant e-bike to the facility, park it, and then use the facility for what it's intended for.

Yes.

That's all I'm worried about.

Yep.

Yes.

That's it for me. Thank you. I like it. I think it gives us another tool to create a little bit of safety barrier.

All right, we have a motion.

Do we do you really want to add the rank before before we decide what we're doing to the rank? I mean, like I said, I hope it stays a contained area because I think that's what make that makes that spot special. I just becomes a paid parking lot.

It sounds like it might become the board's desire to adopt this this evening. As we get further along with the process with the rink, we can certainly bring that item back in.

Leave the rink out until we have a better... I've never seen anybody take a vehicle, lack of a better term, on the rink before. Being what we budgeted to invest in, I just want to protect that investment.

For whatever reason, over the last six months... They just seem to be everywhere and not being handled in a very safe manner, causing concerns for other people that are trying to use these facilities correctly.

And it's only going to increase exponentially. Yes. I mean, it is popular, and it's only getting more popular. As the price goes down, it's going to be pretty much the only way, I bet. people ride bikes.

Christmas is in six months. We'll have a whole new batch.

All right. We have a motion. Would anybody like to make a second? I'll second. We have a motion and a second. Do we have any more discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. All right. Moving on to committee reports.

The Deer County Tourism Board Budget and Finance Committee meets tomorrow at 9 a.m. I'll be happy to report back. We are in the final draft of our budget. A new version of the budget just came out today. So I look forward to reviewing that tonight for tomorrow's meeting. So that is all for me.

Nothing. She's committee hasn't met in a while, but we should be meeting again here probably in the summer next month. Yeah, next month, sometime this summer.

I'll recognize Donna Cree. Yeah, yeah. The head of the Dare Housing Foundation is here. Welcome Donna. Alright, we will move on to Commissioner's agenda.

There's two items that I am concerned about. Now that we've handed out all the flowers to everybody, there's two issues that I still have. One is the eastbound 5th Street light when you're when you're heading eastbound on off of um well off of east fifth street basically heading westbound excuse me uh next to the target so so that light is still i mean i i haven't asked for much as commissioner but that light is still not changing at night. If no one comes out or someone does a step out of their car and hit a button, it's not changing. I just ask that somehow that gets fixed. I don't know why it's not been fixed yet. I can't be the only one that's having that problem. Literally, I've seen it over and over again. It's like that light is not functioning at night. If someone comes the other way on Fifth Street, it'll change. Otherwise, you will sit there for 10, 20 minutes. I won't sit that long, but you'll sit there 10 minutes and plus. I don't know if you've seen that yourself at night. It doesn't happen during the day only because someone else triggers the light from another direction. But if you're coming that way, and DOT, I thought was going to fix it, even my own committee.

Yeah, Cameron. I talked to Cameron about this recently because we actually got a complaint about it. Oh, you did? Well, we all did. Oh, yeah. Like, I don't know, a couple of weeks ago. Yeah. So I talked to Cameron about it and I think the thing is they're resetting it and then it trips itself. I mean, I'm paraphrasing. I know Bob brought this up like six months ago. It's kind of a long list of issues. Yeah, it does get reset, and then it goes back to the original. And they do have new, they're adding new sensors. You can say it much better.

Hopefully the new sensors will take care of the issue. It does do that.

You did bring it up like six months ago. We did get an email from NCDOT saying that it was operating fine, though.

yeah yeah not so far we have continued to reach out to them that's just the one the one thing and they are changing the sensors and all the lights to a totally different system a few months in the summer or it's it'll take a while i'm not sure exactly when they're doing each one they don't give us that well i hope you wave all the uh people that have to turn there and and don't wait

Besides that, I do have an issue that I think I think is an issue, but I brought it up a month ago and I'm still thinking more about it. You know, I'd like to see maybe something done about long term parking in the the parking that goes on on some of these East West roads that, you know, it's not like if you're having a party and you just have some friends over and you have to park on the side of the road and it's in the right, in the right away, but it's these long-term like cars and boats that I'm seeing on the East and West side that are, that are parked. in the right of way, they're causing traffic concerns. I know one that I'm specifically thinking of, I'm not gonna say it here publicly, I don't wanna do that to the person, but ultimately there seems to be a number of spots that I've noticed on the east-west side where people will just like, you know, use their yard as more of a parking lot, but it's in the right of way. So what if anything can be done about that? Because I know we can ask for enforcement, And I may be the only one, I doubt that, that has these problems. Because it can cause a problem when two cars are coming and there's one car literally on the edge of the road. Now, if you're having a friend over and they happen to park on the side of the road, that's one thing. But it's for those cars that are there long term. And not only is it an eyesore, but it is causing a traffic issue. So my question is, what can be done to add some teeth to something? I'm not against, like I said, someone parking there real quick to have a party. Obviously, we don't have huge driveways here. It is what it is. It's that long-term car or boat that's been there for a long time that's causing it. causing trouble is that is that uh is that is all we can do to have you and have the officers

Well, it would depend. All circumstances are different. Right. Right-of-ways are narrow in some places than they are in others. And some people, when they pull into their driveway, their tail end might be sticking back into the right-of-way because the driveway is pretty short. But when people call and complain and let us know about it, our officers, they see it, it will take action. Most of the time, they can talk to the people and have them move it. If not, then they'll usually have to issue them a citation of parking. And in other cases... that people, cars are broke down, try to work with them to get it towed out, save them money and everything.

Yeah. I'm all about reason on this, on a hundred percent. I would never be trying to pick on somebody that's literally just momentary or short-term, but it's the long-term things that I'm seeing. And I guess the only way to do it is to report it and then you can ticket that, basically.

Well, we can try first, not to tick, try to talk to them and get it moved if we have to and Then you can take them. You can tag it and give them 24 hours. Kill the little hills has ordinances in place to do that.

Okay.

Okay.

Yeah, that's my only question. I see more of that. Everybody has tons of vehicles. Each neighborhood's different. But this one that I'm thinking of caused a little bit of a traffic issue when two cars are coming and it's like there's walkers and there's no sidewalk on this road.

I think I know what you're talking about. There's a few spots, but the one I'm thinking of.

All right. Well, thank you. Thank you.

Good subject matter. Thank you, Commissioner McAvoy. Anybody else have anything for Commissioner's agenda?

I just know that you, I want to say again for staff for that Martin Street project, like it, I'm glad it's done, but, and I know they are too. It looks really nice. And I think Steve had emailed and said that they had a hard time doing the hydro seating. There was a couple of things that there, cause there was so much traffic on it. I'll be honest, it had first, my dog lets you know how much traffic there is on it. We're still adjusting to there being that much traffic and that close to our house. But I personally see three to four times the amount of people walking than we used to. Now I know that they're using the sidewalk where they probably use streets otherwise, but um it is really cool to see them and it's very nice they staff did an incredible job with that it was i know it was a long eight months but we'll share that with them it looks good it's good that we all live in different areas of the town so we can all like keep an eye on our spot areas we see and just to experience something like that you know and to see like how it really makes it I spent a lot of time with Pete learning stormwater stuff. That's good.

Sidewalk. All right. Any more Commissioner agenda items? Moving on to Mayor's agenda, I have a few things. First, first flight to Farmer's Market. Just a reminder that the first of our summer markets begins Tuesday, June 16th. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Aviation Park across from First Flight High School. The market will include around 50 vendors consisting of produce, jewelry, baked goods, homemade candles, jams, and jellies, and one-of-a-kind local crafts, photographs, and products from local artists. The markets will be held every Tuesday from June 16th through August 4th. We hope to see you there. One thing I've always appreciated about our markets and especially in the summer is the shade. Like our markets, the way they kind of spread out for Aviation Park, you have a lot more shaded areas, other places you're cooking. And that really can make it better for our vendors, more pleasant for our patrons. So that's very nice. Our Independence Day fireworks. Make sure you mark your calendars for our upcoming annual Independence Day fireworks show scheduled for July 4th at Avalon Pier. Bring your families and friends and enjoy the show. And if you prefer to enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of air conditioning, they will be live stream. Check out our town website at KD Agency for more information in the coming weeks. That's a tough sell. Live stream fireworks. Updated website. The town's website has just undergone an update with a lot of user-friendly buttons and links on the main page. I encourage everyone to take a look. And 2026 graduates, it's graduation season. And whether you're graduating from preschool, kindergarten, fifth grade, twelfth grade, or college, and professional trade school, on behalf of the town of Kilopah Hills, we congratulate all of our graduates. We're very proud of you. I live in First Flight Village. My children and I went for a walk. FRIDAY. YOU CAN HEAR IT ALL THE WAY OVER THERE. FOOTBALL GAMES ARE NOT AS LOUD AS GRADUATION WAS THIS YEAR. IT WAS IMPRESSIVE. ALSO FOR MAYOR'S AGENDA, I AM REQUESTING THE BOARD ENTER INTO CLOSED SESSION FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS PURSUANT TO THE FOLLOWING STATUTES. Bureau Statute 143-1186 to consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee, and a motion will be in order.

I'll motion.

Second.

All in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye.

They're becoming one.

They're becoming one. All right. See you tomorrow. See you last night.

Okay.

All right.

You got it. All right. My stuff is upstairs in the office. There you go. Think about it. by the net. ... ... ... ... ... No, I was talking about the air conditioning. I thought they turned it down. I was like, I'm going to have to go.

No. Did the public survive? One did. He's offered to buy dinner.

He's taking a nap. What do you want? Longest meeting of the year.

All right, we will reconvene our regularly scheduled meeting. During a closed session, we shared and conducted a review of one of our public officers. Sufficient report, great. Okay, we will now move on to our town manager's agenda.

Nothing this evening.

The panel of attorneys is not here. Consent agenda? Yes, sir.

The minutes from the May 27, 2026 meeting, the April 2026 monthly report, budget amendments as follows, 15, 16, 17, and 18. Excuse me. And staff recommends approval of the consent agenda as presented and a motion would be in order. I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda.

Second.

All right. All right. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. All right. Now is the time we stand aside for our second opportunity for public comment. That fires a bit extinguished, but if anyone would like to take this opportunity to speak. No takers. We'll move on. Nothing to respond to, so I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Second. All right. All in favor, please indicate by saying aye. Aye.

We are adjourned. Thanks, everybody. Thank you.