Town Council members Matt Neal and Mark Batenic, who were re-elected in the Nov. 7 election, and newcomer Robert Neilson will be sworn into office for their four-year terms, and the Town Council will elect a mayor pro tempore and make Dare County and regional council committee appointments, at its meeting Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m., in the Pitts Center.
The Town Council also will recognize outgoing Councilman Leo Holland, who served eight years in two non-consecutive terms, for his service. Mr. Holland has been Southern Shores’ representative on the Dare County Tourism Board of Directors during his tenure.
In other business, Ken Willson of Coastal Protection Engineering will present the results from the first survey of the Southern Shores beaches since the October-November 2022 beach-nourishment project, and the Council will discuss renovations to the Town-owned flat top at 13 Skyline Road that are needed to convert the historic building back into a residence, which will be used on a temporary basis by newly hired police officers.
The flat top most recently served as headquarters for the Outer Banks Community Foundation, which moved its offices to Manteo.
As of the close of business Friday, Mr. Willson had not filed his draft report of CPE’s beach nourishment monitoring with the Town. If the report is posted before Tuesday’s meeting, we will preview the results.
A list of items deemed necessary by Town staff to renovate the Skyline Road flat top (e.g., carpeting/flooring, roof repair, plumbing, washer/dryer, kitchen supplies, etc.) is included in the meeting packet. These items total $14,890. The staff also prepared a contingency list for furniture that totals $21,150.
Town staff is requesting approval from the Town Council of a 2023-24 budget amendment in the amount of $36,150 to cover $21,150 in flat-top renovations and $15,000 in other costs, including $450 in annual water charges, $1,200 in annual electricity charges, $528 in pest control, and $11,669 in legal fees.
See agenda and meeting packet at https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/soshoresnc-pubu/MEET-Packet-6d099d50750d4849b5df2848e638e422.pdf.
The Town Council’s regular December meeting after a municipal election is always an organizational meeting for the reconstituted governing board, during which the election of the mayor pro tem, who serves as mayor when the mayor is absent or incapacitated physically or mentally, is the paramount task. Mr. Neal has served as mayor pro tem during the past two years.
The Council also will appoint or nominate people to serve on the Dare County Gov-Ed Access Channel Committee, the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization, and the Dare County Tourism Board and approve its 2024 meeting schedule.
The Council’s first meeting in 2024 is scheduled Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m.
NEW POLICE RECRUIT POSITION
At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Town Council unanimously approved Police Chief David Kole’s request to create a “Recruit” position in his department, enabling him to hire a full-time employee whom the Town would pay to attend and successfully complete the 16-week N.C. Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy (BLET) offered at the College of the Albemarle.
Chief Kole estimated the cost of the BLET training at $2800 to $3000.
According to the Police Chief, the Recruit would initially receive a salary “25 percent below the base starting pay for a fully qualified police office.” Upon meeting all of the qualifications for a police officer, the Recruit would be sworn into office, promoted to the appropriate pay grade, and serve on a probationary basis for one year.
According to a draft contract between the Recruit and the Town, a copy of which was included in the Nov. 14 meeting packet, the Town would “recoup” some of its financial investment in the Recruit in the event he or she does not fulfill his/her obligations—and other specific conditions are met—for up to three years from the date of hiring.
Town Attorney John Leidy prepared the agreement, which can be found at pp. 10-14 of the Nov. 14, 2023 meeting packet: https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/soshoresnc-pubu/MEET-Packet-07078fc5eb374bbaaf4ccca3c7d8f75a.pdf.
This unprecedented hiring method is an attempt by Chief Kole to fill one of three officer vacancies he has had for the past 2 ½ years with someone he believes would fit in with his department and the community, he told the Town Council.
“I could have filled these [three] slots six months ago,” he said at the meeting last month, “but we don’t want just anybody.”
When asked by Mayor Elizabeth Morey what other Outer Banks municipalities might have done or be doing to fill police vacancies, which the Police Chief has said exist largely because of the lack of affordable housing available, he replied that the Dare County Sheriff’s Department had recruited trainees, but he did not comment on nearby towns’ efforts.
A search of the Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and Manteo websites reveals that Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head each have one vacancy for a police officer, and Manteo is seeking a police chief. Duck has no openings.
Chief Kole told the Town Council that he has identified a qualified candidate who “was born and raised in Currituck County” and has ridden along with other officers on their patrols. If hired, the candidate would begin his police training in January.
In light of the lengthy vacancy time of the three police officer positions, it seems logical for the Town Council to ask whether the Town actually needs to hire more officers. The Police Department seems to have operated well without the additional personnel.
The Town Council did not discuss a timetable for renovation and occupancy of the Skyline Road flat top or settle upon a lease term and monthly rent for the residence.
New Duck Road Sidewalk and Friday Night Power Outage: ALSO LAST MONTH, Town Manager Cliff Ogburn advised that the new east-side Duck Road (N.C. Hwy. 12) sidewalk will be finished by the end of March 2024 and confirmed that the three-hour power outage on Friday, Nov. 3, was caused by fiber cable installer Ripple knocking out three major power lines. More than 2200 houses were in the dark, Mr. Ogburn said.
By Ann G. Sjoerdsma
The Southern Shores Beacon 