TOWN OF VANCEBORO BOARD OF ALDERMAN MEETING  Held their regular monthly meeting on April 6, 2020 at 8:00PM in the. Jimmie L. Morris Boardroom  I. Call to order by Mayor Chad Braxton.  II. Roll call. Those Present: Mayor Chad Braxton, Alderman Steve Belrose, Alderman Keith Cannon, Alderman Thad Jones, Alderman Todd McMillen and Alderman  Dennis Smith.  III. Invocation by Alderman Belrose. IV. Pledge of Allegiance.  V. Approval of minutes from last meeting. Alderman McMillen made a motion to approve minutes as corrected. Motion was seconded by Alderman Smith and VI. Approval of Cash Receipts and Disbursements. Alderman Smith made a motion to pay bills. Motion was seconded by Alderman Jones and carried. Vote 5-0. VII. Police Report was presented by ChiefJenkins. Corporal Anthony began his SRO position on March 1"with VFLES. Mayor Braxton swore in Officer Jared Keys on the 5t of March. Iassisted NBPD with a Text While Driving Event on MLK Blvd. Officer Keys was released from Field Training and was already familiar with the area and reporting systems, he came to us with four years prior experience. The annual plate sale has been moved from March 21 to April 18th. Itlooks like it may end up being in late July or August. Do thel Right Thing winner for March was Manning Green a third grader. Corporal Anthony and a teacher visited thel home to announce him as winner and deliver his prizes. We are assisting the school with meals on wheels each day, it takes about an hour and it helps to ensure safety ofall VIII. Mayor's Report. Its unreal how quickly things can change, COVID 191 has been controlling all of our lives. Please do your part by social distancing, washing your hands, spraying disinfectant, etc. We have 18 confirmed cases to affect the Craven County area, with 5 being recovered. We have joined with Craven County in the State of Emergency declaration. There are restrictions being placed on short-term rental leases, to help prevent spreading the virus. Imet with town employees regarding their personal safety during the remainder of this event. We have closed the basketball court and Town Hall doors until the executive order has been  carried. Vote 5-0.  involved.    terminated. The Town is encouraging its customers to refrain from using flushable wipes; they do not break down like paper and will cause problems with blocked lines. Happy Birthday to Assistant Clerk, Brittany Mumford this month. Our condolences and prayers go out to the families of Shirley Elks and Sylvia Dawson. The deadline has been extended to apply for a Real ID. Vanceboro Strawberry Festival has been cancelled for this year. Town Hall will be closed Friday in observance of Good Friday. Hope you and your family have a Happy Easter. We collected $3,514.66 from Debt Setoff so far this tax season. The first budget workshop will be held on May 11 at 6:00 p.m. Budget will be presented on June 1st Board of Alderman meeting. Public Hearing will be held on June 22"d at 12:00 p.m. inside the Jimmie L. Morris Boardroom. April 30th is the next recycling date for the Town of Vanceboro. Scotty Wilkins with Utility Services spoke with me about the Town possibly installing electronic meters/towers to start collecting readings electronically. This service would allow us to detect leaks quicker, iscommections/umm-ons electronically, etc. This will be something we may consider in a few years, but not this budget year. Once we have completed paying for the water tower repairs in town, we will refurbish the prison water tower. We will set a date to tour Water/Wastewater plants in a few months. Town Hall roofhas been repaired. Our new website is up and running. Thanks to Beverly and Brittany for their work getting this up and going. Stimulus money should be going out soon $1,200 fori individuals and $500 for children. Our IT technician, Joe Scharbrough has retired, sO we are looking for a new IT person for the town. Coastal Dragline will be completing the work for our washouts throughout town soon. Officer Jared Keys was sworn in this month. Still hoping to have a dentist, eye doctor and workout center in Town one day. We had a chance for some new restaurants to come to town, but with all the uncertainty with the COVID 19 not sure if this will happen. The next Board of Alderman Meeting will be held on May 4th.  IX. Alderman Reports.  Alderman Belrose stated that he has new neighbors. They are happy to be living here in Vanceboro and are looking forward to starting a family here. Alderman Cannon stated that the Vanceboro Strawberry Festival had been cancelled for this year. They will be calling the vendors/sponsors and offering a refund or renew their entry fee for next year. They may host a Community Day later on. The house on College Street is being renovated and is looking good. Alderman Jones thanked Officer Jared Keys for assisting a lady change a tire the other day. Itwas nice to see him helping take care oft the community. Alderman McMillen is completing a grant application through the Bate Foundation to help with Phase II of our playground. The basic playground would be suited for 5-12 years old with a climbing station, swings and a slide. Itwould include the  installation, mulch, etc.  Meeting Minutes  April 6, 2020    Alderman Smith stated that there were pot] holes on James/Mill that needs to be fixed. There is a manhole on Williams/2"d Avenue that is sinking and needs attention. Ihave sprayed the weeds at the library and will be placing mulch out soon. Happy to announce that 228 Williams Lane is clean. Thanks to Vernon  Edwards and his crew, they do a great job.  X. Public Comment. No Comments. XI. Adjournment.  There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:48 p.m. Ihereby certify that the above is true and accurate record of said minutes.  OdEBh CHAD E. BRAXTON MAYOR  Bwly-Dale BEVERLY W.DRAKE TOWN CLERK  Meeting Minutes  April 6, 2020