All right ladies and gentlemen I'd like to officially call this meeting to order. Hope everybody has had a good week. You know we've made it through the storm and that's that's wonderful and had the less damage and less water than anticipated. That's that's even greater but you know I want to say now I do appreciate all the work that everybody did especially our emergency management and what they were on top of and our staff y'all were very very attentive and plus part of our commissioners I know we're out riding and looking at water levels as well so again I think all of you for the work that was done to try to help the storm and show them good teamwork. I would like you to have this kind of teamwork. I would like to start this meeting out by asking the mayor if he would to lead us in an implication and then the pledge to if everybody would please stand. Let us pray Heavenly Father, we come before you today to thank you for the many wonderful blessings you give unto us each and every day. We thank you that you allowed us to rise early this morning clothing our right mind and allowed us to travel from one place to another. We thank you for mercy and grace today. Now Father God, we ask you to bless our commissioners with the wisdom and knowledge that is needed to carry out not just a business today, but in the days to come. Remember our county manager and assistant county manager and their assistant as well as they travel from one place to another. Bless their families while they're absent, protect them, cover them. And then Father, we ask you to remember that as we head into Monday, cover our children as they go into the new school year, bless them with the safety that is needed, that no harm or danger. We thank you for the blessings of the storm that you covered us. We ask you to continue to let the light from the lighthouse shine down on Dukeland County to be prosperous, not just our farmers, not just our agricultural, but also our industrial areas as well. In Jesus holy name, but all the God's children say men. Amen. A pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation and the God, individual with liberty and justice for. Thank you, Mayor. At this time, does any informationers have anything to add or take away from the night's agenda. OK, what about County Manager? I'll back to clerk. OK, with that said, I'd entertain a motion to approve the night's agenda. So I got a motion from Commissioner Garner and a second, Commissioner. Edwards any further comments? Here in none all in favor say aye. All opposed same side. Carry. Okay, hopefully everybody's looked through the minutes of the August 5th meeting, but pleasure to board. I got a motion, my Mr. Branch. Second. A second, but Mr. Garner, any further discussion? Here and none. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Same sign. All right. As you know, we have an emergency meeting held on August tonight. As you review those minutes, what's the pleasure to board? To accept. Got a motion from Commissioner Edwards. To. A second motion from Commissioner Edwards. To say a second for Commissioner Dahl. Any further discussion? Here and none, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Carry. All right, that brings me down to the Consent Agenda. Plus the pleasure to board. I got a motion from Commissioner Garner, a second from Commissioner Branch. Any further discussion? Here and none. All in Okay, get that ranges to item number one on the agenda and that's recognized Mr. Michael make a doubt. Make a deal. I ain't got my glasses on folks. I'm sorry, senior. And the honorable James A. Face in the third. So y'all can y'all from the Keynesville Eastern Missionary Baptist Association. If y'all want to come up together or separate, I did not care, but I won't be. Most of you got your time. Thank you to this board and to the county manager. We take this opportunity to present a resolution on behalf of our stance on bullying. Take a good stand by for a minute. They are on the public comment as well. You're gonna take your time for the public comment where you sound up for. Okay. Yeah, yes. So they've been assigned up for the public comment so they can go ahead and deal with that right now. Both of them. Yes, talking about the same thing. Yeah. All right. Thank you, sir. Again, we come to take a stance on our stance and collaboration to eliminate and address bullying of our young people and our schools and come to with the consent of this commission board to unite with us and partner with us as we take a religious stand dealing with bullying because we face we are representative I'm the moderator for 46 churches in this area serving with our main seat in Dupland County. We come as a religious stance again to address this bullying. We have a large factor with bullying. It's increasing in our societal to menace in our homes and our schools and our children are suffering through traumatic stress. The learning environment is tainted and stressed. And we'd like to just address a little bit about it. And it's not just the bullying that we grew up with, the one bully in the neighborhood, but now we face so much bullying through society, through social media, through texting children because of social economic depravity and different things. Our children do go through a lot. Now we also deal with sexual gender identity crises, some of our children display, just from troubling the home, troubling school, troubling their minds. So we come to stand along with our 46 churches to present that we totally against bullying, we are there to offer an avenue out, partnering with the National Parent Teachers Association, along with the National Center for Injury and Prevention and Control Knowledge. Myself, along with Dr. Fason, drafted this resolution that we request that the board would consider an adoption on tonight. We already approved. Okay, great. So yeah, you all done a good job of watching you put together and put the boards because we've repeated and we approved it in the consent agenda. But go ahead and speak, be live. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and fellow board members. We do appreciate this opportunity again to come in just to re-emphasize a high important it is to take a stand against this business to society that is just negatively impacting our children. Interrupting their journey toward success and education of schools of place for learning. Should not be treated or viewed as a felt, as a battleground, place where they have to go and fight and defend themselves. You should be able to concentrate on the studies and build relationships and just to forge their path to our success. And so we want to thank you for giving us this time and thank you Chairman Branch, I mean, Commissioner Branch and Mr. Chairman and the others for lending your ear to this issue and giving us opportunity to again thank you for adopting it and with the hopes that as leaders in the community that your spirit of activism and pro-activness will also pervade throughout the county as well as other areas, we'll see your move as an example of what kind of stand can be taken against this issue. And so our children oftentimes don't have a voice. My wife was telling me recently about a child, her approach to her, and said how this child was bullied, and many times they don't feel they can tell anyone. But today the message is you can tell someone, you do have a voice you have the support of your commissioners you have the support of the community leadership and we're here to help you in any way so thank you so very much for this opportunity and thank you thank you okay um can I say something yes um I think you were getting ready to read the resolution. I could, I was just shouting. I don't think everybody knows what it's about. So if you and Chairman were allowing to, you can read. Okay. This is a resolution against bullying to the Duke and County Board of Commissioners. Whereas bullying is an increasingly prevalent societal to menace in our homes, schools, and communities throughout our state and nation. It is disruptive to the efforts of students to pursue academic excellence and acquire life skills and a safe, secure, peaceful, and harmonious environment conducive to learning without fear. Whereas bullying is an imbalance of power carried out by repeated and systematic acts of harassment, attacks on others by individuals through their verbal, nonverbal, written, or electronic communication, including taunts and gestures, name calling and physical violence or threatening communication, intended to place the student, the teacher, or other employees, and an actual reasonable fear of harm of their person or property, and long lasting and life changing perpetrator and the victim of bullying. Whereas bullying involves harassing behavior by the perpetrator who in discriminately targets individuals and victimizing those who may actually appear to be possessed, differentiating characteristics that include but are not limited to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, academic status, gender identity, physical appearance, sexual orientation, or mental or physical or developmental or sensory disability, or because the victims actually or appear the associate with persons who have or perceive to have one or more of the characteristics. Whereas the National Parent Teachers Association, along with the National Center for Engineering Prevention and Control and Knowledge, that bullying, that goes unchallenged, produces risk factors in lives of the bullying and the victims of bullying, that increase the likelihood of those individuals becoming violent adults, domestic violence offenders, and or child abusers. Whereas the physiological and emotional trauma that victims of bullying are forced to suffer can lead to irreparable negative consequences associated with social isolation and anti-social behavior and suicide. Whereas as mandated by North Carolina School of Violence Prevention Act, the Dupin County School system alone with the systems throughout North Carolina have implemented policies and procedures to prevent and forbid and discourage billing on school property, school vehicles, and any school spots of function. Whereas billing can be educated eradicated from the home schools and communities of Dupland County by parents and adults who are educated about the dynamics of billing and are involved in preventing and solving incidents of bullying are encouraging in dialogue and interacting with the children to ensure adult support and discussing techniques and strategies to defend against bullying and who are working with school personnel and providing a profit intervention as needed. Whereas the Dupland County Board of Commissioners shall strive to help prevent youth violence and to promote tolerance and understanding through the schools and community. And now therefore be it resolved that the Duplen County Board of Commissioners officers is unequivocal support and encouragement to every school unit and all school personnel in Duplen County to implement, execute anti-bullying policies and procedures with due diligence and be it further resolved that the Dupland County Board of Commissioner, Urges Parents, religious institutions, civic and community organizations to cooperate with school personnel and other child advocacy organizations to promote anti-bullying efforts to take proactive measures through implementing programs, functions, events, and public announcements to help raise awareness to and to eliminate the bullying in the homes of schools and communities in Dupland County. This resolution drafted and presented by myself, Reverend Dr. Michael Seamick, do the moderator of the Kenisville Eastern Missionary Baptist Association and the honorable Reverend James H. Facing Judge Esquire. Thank you. Thank you. Any other commission? Anything? Again, thank you for all that you're doing. Look forward to the system in any way that we can. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Thanks very much. All right, that brings us to item number two, public comment. I think there's a list if you all will. Call them one at the time. Everybody's got three minutes. I'm Mary A.J. Conner's of Warsaw, North Carolina. And on behalf of the commissioners as well as the citizens of Warsaw, I'm going to sound almost like a broken record, a scratch record because I've been before you, before. The reality is that the county has expressed that we could come together on some terms of animal control in the town. And but the towns would have to set up little animals and others in the city limits as well. And the town of municipalities are feeling that that is a little bit overkill by bringing, allowing them to have to take in the animals, the large animals into town. The other side to this is the savings to the county would be if they would just allow the animal control, things be the same as they are, but they would only have to deal with the small animals, which you know and I know, we have a certain amount of people in our communities that do squatters deals which get up and move and leave things that leave Get up and move and leave animals behind and other things the town Would have to call the animal control to come and pick up those animals. That's just a horse or cow Our goats if they were left in the town because we would not be able to handle that So the reality is that our citizens are asking that the county would revisit this issue and consider letting the town stay in the fashion that they're in, which is just without the large animals, and that the county would only come in and pick up dogs and cats or animals that may become vicious such as animals that may have rabies. Now the town folks are feeling in this fashion that is as light going to red lobster. They order a table, they order crab legs but they end up getting shrimp. That's the way they're feeling with this situation here, is that they're paying the same taxes as outside into county. But when it comes to this service, they're not getting the service. And reality is, it's just asking you to just pick up the dogs and cats or small animals and allow the towns to keep, to have, not have to deal with the large animals. Because again, as I say, we have a group of people in the world that believes in getting up, moving in the middle of the night and they leave their trash behind and, or leave their animals behind and because they could care less. And this will become this is more expensive on the county if they have to do this. So it's a money saving for the county if you're left, if we could keep it this way without the large animals in the town or reevaluate it and look at it from another point of view. Other than that, we thank you for your time. And again, I don't want to sound like a broken record but I've been here at this podium before on this issue. Thank you. Next. Mayor Bobby Jones. Good evening commissioners. I'm Mayor Bobby Jones from Town of Teaching. And I wanted to piggyback kind of on what Mayor Conner's brought up as well representing from Town of Teaching and I wanted to pick you back kind of on what Mayor Conner's and brought up as well representing the town of teaching our citizens and myself because I live there in town of teaching. We also have this issue with animals and animal control and obviously with teaching being pretty small. We have limited capacity to handle those issues and so I know there's been proposals from from the county As far as picking up or as far as adopting the ordinance that the county has proposed But you know, I'm in agreements with Mayor Conner's is that we don't have the capacity to serve And to serve these these animals and to have our own animal control officers and so but also on the other end of the spectrum we can't have horses and cows on and to have our own animal control officers. And so, but also on the other end of the spectrum, we can't have horses and cows on half-acre and quarterbacked lots. Number one, that could be quite a nuisance on the town. But number two, I doubt it's very humane to have heard of cows on the quarterbacked lot. And so that's what we would be having if we adopted the county's ordinance. But with that being said, I know, I'm a really solutions oriented person and I'm trying to attack this issue as it comes. We've had some issues with that in our town. And so I really wanted to come together with the county to understand what we need to move and work together to move forward with this because it's not just my municipality, it's not just American or his municipality, there's multiple ones and some of them aren't represented here, but I've had conversations with multiple mayors and town managers that this has been an ongoing issue, not just since I've been in office, but for some have told me over a decade. And so I really want to try to have some solutions to this, and I'm really looking forward to working with the county on this, whatever it may be. While I don't think it's fair and just to add any tax or any fee to someone who lives in teaching or someone who lives in Warsaw, just to get the extra animal service that the same resident in the county is getting. I do understand that money moves things and I do understand that you know in order to create a solution that may be a possibility but at the end of the day I want to know what the specifics are for that what you guys are thinking so that we can move forward this. I mean I've been in office for eight months and you know it's been an ongoing issue every month and what I don't like to deal with is ongoing issues. So if we can open the case, close the case, and move forward and be proactive with other issues, I would most appreciate your time and efforts and energy and working with us as municipalities for that. Whether it's developing an amendment to the current ordinance, municipality specific, or it's us adopting that, or it's a fee for service type of situation. I'm all ears, and I'm sure other municipalities are definitely all ears when it comes to developing these solutions. So just wanted to piggyback on that and also bring that to you guys' attention, which I'm sure you've already been well aware of, and appreciate your time and efforts in working together with our municipalities for that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next. It was just a couple of minutes. Hello. Hello. Good evening commissioners and members of the community. My name is Jessica Thomas. I'm a Dupland County resident in Kenensville in District 2. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight and thank you for your unanimous vote to clear and snag the river as a whole. Tonight I'm here to address another critical issue. The discharge of toxic forever chemicals into the Northeast Cape Fear River by Lear Corporation as permitted by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. My husband and myself and our three boys are here tonight. We live on the river in Syracda two and a half miles down stream from this company's discharge site. Our land has been in my husband's family since before the Revolutionary War, so our roots here run deep. For years this company has been discharging, what are known as forever chemicals into our backyard without our knowledge. The backyard that we share with many others reaching all the way to Wallace and beyond. We have known about the dangerous environmental and health impacts of these chemicals for years, yet DQ allows them to not only discharge but violate their permits without accountability. It's important to note their current permit does not allow them to discharge these toxic substances into the river, yet they continue to violate the law, and the response from DEQ has been unacceptable. These chemicals are called for ever chemicals because they never go away. They stay in the environment. They travel through the soil, through the air, and through the water, and affect every single person in this room. Because they can seep into our water supply. We know this from Bladen County, from the Kimmerwurst facility that has poisoned hundreds of thousands of people downstream from that plant. They cause many health issues at Dupland County citizens' face every day, including cancer and mean disruptions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and it's not limited to that. I would like to add here that if this were a hog farm causing this amount of environmental destruction, the penalties would be swift and severe. No one wants lear to pack up shop. I understand the economic development and tax money is important to this county as well as the community that I reside in. We're just wanting them to be held accountable for what they're doing and for DEQ to not allow them to do this. fast in the river were over 1,800 parts per trillion and the acceptable level as far as the federal government goes at the time was 400 parts per trillion and this is absolutely unacceptable, especially since they're violating the law again and again. I would like to urge this board to use its influence to join this fight as like I said, it affects every one of us. You can help by emailing DEQ. I've emailed them several times to know if they were supposed to have a public comment section. In August, and here we are, August 19th with no date. When you email them to demand accountability and change, also attending the public comment session would be helpful as well. So thank you. Thank you. Can I leave? Absolutely. Right, next. The other two we have for our daughter, Chris? Thank you chairman and the commissioners. We come before you do not to present a plaque to a retired employee of 17 years. That is unheard of in Duke and County communications. Someone's staying that long. And I have asked her last supervisor Miss Tammy Kennedy to present and appreciation for your commitment, dedication, and service to the citizens of Dukeland County. From August 7th, 2006, to February 23rd, 2024. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. If y'all will, I would like you to line up up here and get a picture with the commissioners You give us all yeah Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. All your dedication All right right. That moves us to item number four. Mr. Miller. Commissioners. Good news today. We have a new business in Warsaw. Mayor Conner's congratulations. We attended a soft opening for sheets today. The ribbon cutting will be this Friday, August 23rd. It'll occur between 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock. They expect the actual ribbon to be cut closer to 10 o'clock. So if you could join us for the ribbon cutting that would be great. I can tell you it's a beautiful looking store. I was very impressed when we toured the facility today. He said this is Friday. Friday, August 23rd, this coming Friday at between 9 and 10 a.m. ribbon cutting most likely to happen closer to 10. Right on the street. So I also wanted to let you know that we have contacted the OT about your road concerns. And we wanted to explain a little bit about how DOT is funded and what's occurring right now. Because we do see the grass on the side of the roads. We do know that that's a problem. So DOT is funded to mo a total of five cycles per year. There are fourth cycle actually began today. Their fifth cycle will begin in October. So we do believe that we'll start seeing improvement in the grass cutting with the beginning of another fourth cycle. DOT is investigating the intersection of Botancus road and several ends cross road and we'll cut what's possible for them to cut. They also wanted us to point out right now is a difficult time for them or has been because the shoulders of the road are so wet, it's been hard for them to operate without causing ruts which will lead to further deterioration of the banks. So as I said, the OT stated that the citizens should start to see improvement by this week. Any questions on that? No, but while you're on that, I would like to say that we had an adjacent county that had a motorcycle, fatal accident, with debris on the road. So as we, our people are doing a great job of citizens trying to help out with mowing shoulders, I would just like for everybody to think about the fact that when you blow that stuff on the highway, it is a hazard. And I'm not trying to discourage the people that are trying to do us a good job, but I never told them about it until I heard about this accident. You know, it's easy not to think about it, if you're not a motorcycle driver, but it is an issue with filling that debris on the road for motorcycles. So, that's pleased. Just make sure everybody thinks about what they're doing before they do it. That's great. So, also we have the Dupland Agribusiness Fair September 12th through the 14th. At the Dupland Events Center, we have the Duplines County Fair rodeo September 14th at the Duplines Event Center Fairgrounds. Gates open at six. Showed begins at seven. We have the James Brunt Community College Foundation 39th Annual Golf Termin. September 19th at the Duplines Country Club. If you want to team be sure to register I heard it's feeling pretty quickly. We also have the 20th anniversary Muscadine Festival set 10th or 28th at the Dupland Events Center. Tickets are on sale now visit the website to purchase. And we need you to save the date. Eastern Carolina Council Annual Membership Dinner meeting will be held October 3rd. ECC will hold the annual membership dinner meeting. The evening of October 3rd at Craven County River Fund Convention Center in Newburn. Scott Hamilton, the president and CEO of Golden Leaf will be the keynote speaker, and all town county officials are invited to attend. We'll share more information as we receive it over the coming weeks. That's all I have I think. Okay. All right. The commissioners that that leads us to basically talking about the journey into meeting until the next meeting. I would like for the commissioners to speak. But our next meeting cannot be on Monday night for the Labor Day. So it's been moved to September and the third. When you look at how small the agenda that we had for this meeting and I have discussed this with Mr. Miller, he is not expecting anything big and would have no problem on us not having the first meeting in September and just meeting on September 16 on a regular Monday night, which we create some people that may want to take long vacation for the last summer vacation Labor Day and not have to be here for our meeting. So I would like to put a board to take that in consideration and let's talk about it. I'm going to put a motion. Well, I think we'll, yeah, put it in a motion. I'll make a motion that we adjourn until the 19th, the 16th. 16th? I think, Claire, make sure I'm right. But I think it's 16th. 16th, the 16th, the 16th. 16 sick. A sick pinium right here in the street. See. Yeah, I got a motion from Commissioner Garner. A second from Commissioner Edwards, that we are next meeting be held on September midnight, September the 16th, at 6 o'clock here. I'll put it up for further discussion. Also here in none all in favor say aye all opposed same side Okay, we are officially adjourned and our next meeting for everybody will be said number 16 before we adjourn I have one right Is it finally go in? We have Some some folks with us tonight who are having some issues with their homes We've had I've a company reach out to me specifically and offer to do the legwork. On behalf of the homeowners, I think they'd be able to do a total of about five different homes within the county. It comes through the form of a state grant to be able to help these people deal with the issues that they're having. The one caveat is it does require two separate public hearings. So I've talked with the company that interested in helping with this at length. And it's my opinion that this is a worthwhile program and would eventually add to our tax base. So I would seek approval for two public hearings to have two public hearings. One, the second meeting, September 16th, and one, the first meeting in October for the public to offer comment and for the Board to render decisions on this program. Would you legal? Would he need that in an emotion or just consent? Because if he needs that in emotion, we've got the open to meet him back there and call the official adjournment. Let's do that just to officially schedule the bill. No, we should look at it. Yeah, official notice, I'm out of that. All right, I would entertain. I would entertain a motion to go into back into open session. So I got a motion by Mr. Branch or Commissioner Branch, second by Mr. Garter. Any further discussion? All right. All in favor say aye. All opposed same time. So we are officially back into open session. I would like to address in the open session that our county manager has asked to open the public comment for two sessions, one September 16th and one October the third is it? It's in the public comment or public hearing public hearing for comment Get the date Yes, second 16th So the public hearings would be September of 16th and October the 7th. It's where we say I got a motion and a second to accept those public hearings. Any further comment? It's okay. Well those individuals that are here, Mr. Bannonman in particular, you would catch up with the county manager if you have any additional questions. He will be able to support that in any way you need. Okay. That's Mr. Mill. Okay. Okay. All in favor say aye. All opposed. Same sign. Now I entertain a motion to adjourn. I got a motion from Commissioner Edward's second commission Commissioner Branch. Any further discussion? Here and then all in favor say aye. All opposed, same sign. We're officially adjourned.