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Dare County commissioners made several financial moves at the April 7, 2025 board meeting.

Amendments to Capital Project Ordinances for Interest Income and Projects Savings from Phase 1 Capital Projects: Interest income on Capital Projects Phase 1 was over budget by $14,050 and under construction budget by $52,266 for this budget amendment. The funds were transferred to Phase III projects. Overall, interest income totaled $270,820 and cost savings amounted $442,309, which will be used to reduce the bond package for Phase III.

Disaster Debris Monitoring Contract: The employee-owned Thompson Consulting Services LLC, Maitland, Fla., won the five-year contract over three other firms responding to a request for proposals issued by the county. Monitoring services are required by FEMA for reimbursement if Dare is included in an eligible federally declared storm event. Hourly rates range from $32 to $55 per hour, inclusive of “overhead, profit, travel costs, lodging, per diem, and all other operational expenses.” The firm’s estimate is a total to 600 hours for $36,990.

Consent agenda items include:

Tax liens advertised: The total unpaid ad valorem taxes as of March 25, 2025 are $1,240,002.59. The tax collector will advertise unpaid taxes on real estate in the April 27, 2025 edition of The Coastland Times.

Telephone contract renewal for inmate use: A 36-month contract renewal with Securus Technologies was approved. The contract calls for the Securus to record and store call recordings for a year. The contract calls for inmates to be charged $0.09 cents per minute. Securus will receive $1,436 per year for recording and storing inmate calls.

Shallow draft cost share resolutions: The Shallow Draft Navigation Channel Dredging Fund provides a 75% state match for dredging activities. Dare County budgets $3 million each fiscal year for dredging activities in Oregon Inlet and $250,000 for Hatteras Inlet. With the state match, Oregon Inlet will have $12 million and Hatteras Inlet, $1 million.

Oregon Inlet resolutions request from the state fund $731,250 to work on the Connector Channel and Ocean Bar; for Walter Slough and the Crack, $1,546,500; Old House 2, $394,500; extension of Wanchese and Range 4, $771,000; and Oregon Inlet, $6,431,250.

The Hatteras Inlet resolution asks for $96,000 to work on Rollinson Channel.

Audit contract: The audit contract and the engagement letter from Potter & Company N.A., of Concord, N.C., for the county’s fiscal year 2025 audit was approved. This is the third year of a four-year renewal with Potter & Company. The fee is $76,500, a 3% increase from the prior year. The board chairman and the chairman of the Audit Committee are authorized to execute the contract and the chairman to execute the engagement letter.

Official depositories update. The resolution updated the list of official depositories and mostly is needed due to bank name changes and mergers, and to add First Citizens for the investments clearing account. Banks requested to be designated for specific purposes are PNC Bank, banking services contract; First Citizens, Investments clearing and safekeeping; First Bank, S2021 IF contract debt account; and Bank of New York Mellon, bond trustee. The above banks and the following banks may be used for certificates of deposits, capitalized lease escrow accounts, and/or money market accounts: Wells Fargo, Southern Bank, TowneBank, Bank of America, Regions Bank, Truist Financial and Chase Bank.

Four budget amendments were adopted:

– C&D Landfill: $100,000 transferred from tipping fees to maintenance and repair heavy equipment to purchase and install a Cummins engine for landfill compactor.

– New Emergency Management grant: A reimbursable grant from N.C. Emergency Management to purchase Thermal Runaway Battery Containment devices for fire departments that participate in the Regional Local Emergency Planning Committee. This $16,848 grant allows purchase of the equipment.

– Correct Capital Investment Fund: The agenda book states: “The BOC adopted the budget and capital budget for the 2025 CIP on 6/24/2024. The budget amendment for the Capital Investment Fund (#11) mistakenly included a budget for debt proceeds of $270,173 for Public Works equipment that was properly budgeted in the Capital Projects Fund (#61). This budget amendment corrects the error in the Capital Investment Fund (#11).”

– Public Health: The Dare County Public Health Division has received $10,996 from the N.C. Division of Public Health titled “Investment in Performance Management.” The funding period is Feb. 1, 2025 through May 31, 2025. This funding will be used for continued support of the current staff working on re-accreditation, quality improvement and efforts to address identified gaps or areas for improvement.

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