Board of Commissioners
By Valerie Payne
The regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners was held on May 11.
Commissioners present were Alicia Durham, Clark Edwards, Robert Cox and Ted
Goetzinger.
Mayor Broadman called for the agenda to be approved. No disclosures or
conflicts of interest were added. He announced the Kayak for the Warriors
(K4TW) paddleboard/kayak race will be held on June 4.
Town Clerk Rocci read one comment, and several people spoke during the pub
lic comment session. Julie Anderson introduced Lois O’Leary as a new member of
the finance and administration staff.
The consent agenda including past minutes, tax discoveries and releases, and
Strategic Planning Committee appointments of Suzanne Wheatcraft, George
Green and John Ferguson was approved.
New Business:
Town Clerk Charlie Rocci introduced a grant for preservation of the natural en
vironment with a focus on osprey protection, which was approved.
Town Planner Kevin Reed presented information on the North Carolina
Resilient Coastal Communities (NCRCC) grant, which involved an amendment to
the budget, and was approved.
Finance Director Julie Anderson discussed the budget amendments and noted
that inflation issues are a major concern. Adjustments were made and approved
for the gas budget. The encouraging word was that lots of building permits are
being issued, generating income for the budget.
Unfinished Business:
Town Manager Brian Kramer continued the discussion on FY2022-23 General
Budget fund options. There were four proposals, all of which included various lev
els of tax increases. With inflation impacting everyone, this was of great concern,
and the public is encouraged to express concerns and opinions. The budget vote
will be in June, with more discussions in upcoming meetings. Option #3, which
includes a tax increase of 4.3 cents was recommended by Mr. Kramer. This op
tion includes $100K in American Relief Plan (ARP) funds, $100K from the fire
truck reserve, and a water fund base and usage rate increase. The annual impact
for a property valued at $400K and using less than 5,000 gallons of water a month
would be $258.
Other options were discussed. It was noted that the difference between Option
#2 increase and Option #3 was that Option #2 had a $40/year difference in tax on
a property valued at $400K, with no money being removed from the fire truck
reserve. There are no salary increases and no appropriations for sidewalks in this
budget.
The table below provides the timeline for our planning for
next year’s budget. All budget meetings are open public
meetings. Call Town Clerk Charlie Rocci at 247-4353,
ext. 13, to check for changes before a meeting.
Pine Knoll Shores Budget Timeline (FY2022-23)
DATE
TOPIC
June 8, 6 p.m.
First monthly regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners
meeting and Budget hearing (Vote no later than June 30, 2022)
Welcome to Valerie Payne
Valerie Payne, who has lived in Pine Knoll Shores for five years, is our
newest addition to The Shoreline staff. Originally from the Pittsburgh area,
she majored in elementary education and received her master’s degree in
behavioral disorders from West Virginia University. She taught children
of all ages for 38 years before retiring. Valerie has always enjoyed writing
and has volimteered to cover the Board of Cornmissioners meetings to
incorporate that hobby with community service. She currently lives with
her two children, who fell in love with the area and decided to join their
mom and make this community their home. She enjoys gardening and
entertaining and, of course, the sunshine of the Crystal Coast. She is looking
forward to this new challenge of covering the Board of Commissioners
meetings, and we thank her for volunteering.—The Editors
Town Manager Kramer reported on these additional items:
• The NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and NC
Department of Transportation (NGDOT) grants were submitted.
• The Salter Path Road water project preliminary design plans are 50%
complete.
• A dune management consultation was scheduled to be held the week after
the rheeting. Ken Richardson was working to establish an annual record of
height, width and vegetation of the dunes to use in growth comparisons.
• Actions are being implemented from the Strategic Plan, such as establishing
attributes for the ideal Public Safety Department, including education,
experience and outreach to second-home owners.
Finance Director Julie Anderson reported that ad valorem collections were
down from 99.6% to 99.3% and that beach tax collections were down from 99.7%
to 99.2% from FY21 to FY22. She also stated that the annual audit interim field
work was to begin on May 31.
Fire Chief Jason Baker reported that, with regard to EMS billing collections for
January 1-December 31,2021,58% ofEMS billing was collected after adjustments
and 48% of aU bills were adjusted. He also gave a safety reminder for residents to
know their location on the beach so that they can give that to dispatch if an emer
gency arises and for residents to be aware of surroundings when doing yard work
because copperheads are in our area.
Police Chief Ryan Thompson reported that the Burgers, Boots & Badges cook-
out was a big success, and a similar event is planned for the fall. He reported that
two new officers were welcomed to the force: Sgt. Kenny Castro, a bilingual for
mer Marine who has 13 years of law enforcement experience and numerous certi
fications, including crisis intervention and leadership trainings, and Officer Dillon
Haymore, certified Firefighter II and EMT-B, who has worked part time for the
Pine Knoll Shores Fire Department for the past four years and also graduated first
in his class in Basic Law Enforcement Training.
Public Services Department Director Sonny Cunningham reported that beach
grass was to be fertilized the week after the meeting. He noted that the cost of
fertilizer has gone from $17/bag to $33/bag. He also said that the town has begun
spraying for mosquitoes and is using a larvicide. Beach Access K stairs and a water
leak at HoUy Road were repaired, and the septic field at Veterans Park has been
rehabilitated.
(Continued on page 30)
June 2022 i The Shoreline 15