TOWN OF VANCEBORO BOARD OF ALDERMAN MEETING  Held their regular monthly meeting on February. 5, 2024 at 7:00PM in the. Jimmie L. Morris Boardroom  I Call to order by Mayor Chad Braxton.  II. Roll call Those Present: Mayor Chad Braxton, Alderman Keith Cannon, Alderman Russell Ipock, Alderman Thad Jones and Alderman Todd McMillen. Those  Absent: Alderman Steve Belrose II. Invocation by Alderman Ipock. IV. Pledge of Allegiance.  V. Approval of minutes from last meeting. Alderman Ipock made a motion to approve minutes. Motion was seconded by Alderman Jones and carried. Vote 4-0. VI. Approval of Cash Receipts and Disbursements. Alderman McMillen made a motion to pay bills. Motion was seconded by Alderman Cannon and carried. Vote 4-0.  VII. Public Comment. No Public Comments.  VIII. Presentation by Vanceboro Public Library. Miriam Roseblossom, librarian here at Vanceboro Public Library presented a slide show of what our local library offers to residents of all ages in our area. They had 8,526 people throughout the 2023 year at this location. They offer books, dvds, online resources, hotspots, tablets and laptops, copying, faxing, printing and etc. Their goal is to continue to reach people in the community and create programs to draw them into the library. IX. Police Report was presented by Chief] Keys. Officer Johnson has completed his training and has taken over the SRO position at Vanceboro Elementary. Corporal Herring is now assigned toj patrol. Seargeant Sheldon is currently out on FMLA for health reasons. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Iam currently  seeking a reserve officer to help out the department.    X. Mayor's Reports. Officer Sean Johnson celebrates a birthday this month. March 4th will be our next Board of Alderman meeting. Next recycling date will bel February 29th. Iattended the Friends ofthe Library meeting and the Vanceboro Strawberry Festival meeting. Iattended the Craven County Recreation meeting; they have installed a new sign out at West Craven Park at the entrance. They have completed ab beach volleyball court, and a new playground. Hopefully they will budget for a new baseball field lights and a new disc golf course for the 2024 year. They now have five parks across Craven County. Thanks to Alderman Belrose for repairing the welcome sign at the Hwy 17 end of Vanceboro. The East Carolina Council is preparing our subdivision ordinance and will get us a draft when it is completed. Mr. David Millis, Warden at the Craven Correctional Institution here in Vanceboro, North Carolina has been awarded the State Warden of the Year. He has been employed with thei institute since 1998 and has also served in the US Coast Guard. Congratulations to Mr. Millis on this award. The prison is currently looking to fill positions for 47 correction officers, and they have a 30% vacancy on medical positions available. Thank you to Alderman McMillen for his work prepping the Richard W. Bowers Park for the new fencing, it looks great. Primary election will begin on March 5th, February gth is the deadline to register to vote for election. Early voting begins on March 15th and a valid driver's license or valid id will be required. Ispoke with Attorney Scott Davis regarding the home daycare on McLawhorn Lane, we cannot allow the daycare to open at this residence because of  the zoning in place. XI. Alderman Reports.  Alderman Cannon stated that we: needed to reline the parking lot here at the Town Hall. Iattended the Craven County Opioid meeting; it was very informative. I believe that our local law enforcement is doing a great job in fighting crime. Vanceboro Christian Help Center could use more training in the fight against opioid crisis. Iwould like to see more adequate funding provided to the Rescue Squad. Craven County is organizing aj post overdose team to reach out to people after they come home: from the hospital and help them with their next steps to recovery. Ithank the ladies from the library for their presentation. Alderman Ipock has had great comments from the residents regarding the new sign at the Town Hall. Have we found anyone to replace Pernell, or have any candidates interested? How are we: advertising for the current position in the Public Works Alderman Jones stated that hel had positive comments on the sign at the Town Hall. He thanked Public Works employee, Cornelius Bradley for his hard work. He told Alderman McMillen stated that the fence at the Richard W. Bowers Park has been completed. The park has been cleaned up and branches cut down that need to be picked up. Iam willing to help Cornelius in getting those removed from the park. We need to look at replacing the mulch at thej playground or possibly getting the  Department?  Vernon Edwards he was willing to help if he was needed.  Meeting Minutes  February 5, 2024    rubber matting placed at the playground. Iwilll look into some pricing for this, and  we can discuss it at thel budget workshop for next fiscal year. XII. There being noi further business we dismissed at 7:51 p.m.  Ihereby certify that the above is true and accurate record ofs said minutes.  BwnlyW-Dale BEVERLY W.DRAKE TOWN CLERK  OaEBah CHAD E. BRAXTON MAYOR  Meeting Minutes  February 5, 2024