The Southern Shores Town Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday at 11 a.m. for a Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) community workshop and discussion.
The meeting will follow the Town Council’s regular 10 a.m. monthly meeting. Both public meetings will be held in the Pitts Center.
Agenda and Meeting Packet for RCCP Workshop: https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/soshoresnc-pubu/MEET-Packet-3059c0076cc94903955b1036e0245e3e.pdf
Agenda and Meeting Packet for Town Council Meeting: https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/soshoresnc-pubu/MEET-Packet-5367f0dd25aa4bdbaca5dea99f5a3f42.pdf
The Town has partnered with the RCCP to plan and implement projects that will strengthen the town’s resilience to coastal hazards, such as the flooding caused by major storm events. Tuesday’s meeting will focus on the prioritization of projects that have been proposed.
The RCCP is an initiative administered by the Division of Coastal Management of the N.C. Dept. of Environmental Quality.
During the past five months, the RCCP team has surveyed the Southern Shores community to ascertain locals’ opinions about the risks and vulnerabilities the town has relative to coastal hazards. As a result of this assessment, it has identified nine projects that would address these risks and seek to solve or minimize them.
Among the nine projects are an N.C. Hwy. 12 side-street stormwater diversion program; a neighborhood stormwater management study; an oceanside beach/dune nourishment program, which would continue beach nourishment every five to seven years; an evaluation of the feasibility of burying overhead utilities along the coast; and an oceanside beach monitoring program that would cost $100,000 annually.
Participants of Tuesday’s workshop will be able to prioritize the projects according to their perceived benefits to, and needs of, the community. Their rankings will be used when the RCCP team considers project implementation.
We encourage you to review the meeting packet for the RCCP workshop, prior to attending the meeting. It explains each project.
You also may read about the projects and vote for your priorities online at https://www.inspire-engagement.com/southern-shores-rccp.
The RCCP provides financial support for planning, engineering, and implementation of projects, as well as technical assistance during what is a four-phase process. The workshop marks the conclusion of Phases One and Two.
Town officials have described their partnership with RCCP and their participation in implementing projects, such as improving the town’s stormwater system and strengthening its infrastructure, as taking important proactive steps toward protecting the future of Southern Shores.
You may watch a four-minute video on Current TV about the RCCP program featuring Mayor Elizabeth Morey, Town Councilwoman Paula Sherlock, and volunteer town leaders at https://currenttv.org/show/southern-shores-resilient-coastal-communities-program/.
TOWN MANAGER’S EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT EXTENDED THREE YEARS
The agenda for the Town Council’s regular meeting is light, with Town Manager Cliff Ogburn’s request for the Council’s approval of an application for an Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Tourism Impact Grant and a presentation about the “Trash/Recycling Cart Repair Program” being the only new business items.
Mr. Ogburn seeks approval for an application for a grant to pay for construction of a 5-foot-wide concrete path on the west side of Duck Road (N.C. Hwy. 12) from Hickory Trail to Hillcrest Drive.
The preliminary cost of this construction is $531,484.00, according to his agenda report. The Town must match any grant money received from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau by 50 percent.
The Town has previously received Visitors Bureau impact grants to pay for the construction of sidewalks and paths in Southern Shores.
(An item about trash and recycling can repairs ran in the Aug. 21, 2026 Town newsletter. You also can find information about can repairs and replacements on the Town website at https://www.southernshores-nc.gov/community/page/trash-and-recycling.)
The meeting’s consent agenda contains the most interesting item on the Town Council’s regular meeting agenda. It is an extension of Mr. Ogburn’s employment contract for another three years, from July 1, 2026 until June 30, 2029.
Mr. Ogburn, who formerly served as Town Manager of Nags Head, was initially hired on May 19, 2020, at a base salary of $132,643.00, according to an employment document included in the meeting packet.
According to other documents, Mr. Ogburn’s contract was extended in 2023 for three years, until June 30, 2026, at a base salary of $161,403.00. His latest contract extension raises his base salary to $200,097.00.
Mr. Ogburn is probably the highest paid town manager in Dare County.
The duties and responsibilities of the Town Manager have increased considerably, however, since Mr. Ogburn’s hiring, in part because of his competence and leadership, and he has managed all tasks with great skill, courtesy, and good humor.
Nags Head’s loss was decidedly Southern Shores’ gain.
By Ann G. Sjoerdsma, The Southern Shores Beacon, Aug. 30, 2026
The Southern Shores Beacon 