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ovember’s town meeting will be on Wednesday Nov 6, 6p at Town Hall (moved from Tuesday die to the election).

An issue may be re-surfacing that had appeared to be shelved. Commissioner Breena Litzenberger writes in:

Hello, Oriental. Commissioner Breena here, and I’d like to share some background on a few topics coming up at the next town board meeting.

In September, one of your commissioners proposed extending our terms by one year to align our elections with state elections in even years, which would save approximately $750 by shifting election costs to the state. While cost-saving is a priority, many of us – myself included – had concerns about the appearance of extending our own terms and the potential to make a nonpartisan election appear partisan.

Many residents came to speak on this topic at the September meeting. Before the meeting, three commissioners agreed to remove it from the agenda by unanimous vote. Commissioner Roe even said, “I didn’t expect people to be this upset, so we can table it forever.” Unfortunately, after residents left or chose not to speak, this item is now back on the November agenda, along with other topics we’d agreed to discuss first in a workshop.

I reached out to the commissioner who re-added it to November’s agenda, asking if something had changed since our agreement to table it or workshop it first. The response I received was simply, “We can vote on the agenda at the meeting,” without further explanation or dialogue.

This approach concerns me, as it risks disregarding residents who took the time to share their views. Tabling items with opposing voices present, only to revisit them later, feels disrespectful to our community. If a change warranted its reintroduction, sharing that context would have been helpful for board collaboration and transparency.

This highlights why I believe extending this board’s term would be a mistake.

At the upcoming meeting, we’ll also address agenda items that would benefit from workshopping first, such as adopting Trey Allen’s procedures and appointing a Finance Liaison to review bank reconciliations. The agenda already includes critical topics, like the SUP process and a potential shift in the burden of proof, which deserve careful board consideration.

I encourage everyone to stay engaged. Please attend Wednesday’s (November 6th) meeting or write to your commissioners with your views. Thank you for your involvement in these important decisions.

Thank you,
Breena Litzenberger
Oriental, NC
Nov 1, 2024