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ugust’s monthly Town Board meeting was quick, comparatively speaking. It came in just under the hour mark. Commissioners discussed the cost of a search for a new manager, introduced a new Public Works employee, and appropriated funds to replace a 10-year old mower.

In attendance were Commissioners Paul Jordan, Lou Ostendorff, Dan McGuire, Iris Cooper and Chris Moffat. Also present were Town Manager Diane Miller, Finance Officer Lisa Millington, Police Chief Bill Wichrowski and Mayor Sally Belangia.

Meeting Recap:

• Motion approved to fund a search for a new Town Manager to replace retiring Town Manager Miller
• Resolution approved to recognize 75 years of Rotary on September 10
• Residents encouraged to attend the public listening on upcoming ferry tolls on September 2nd at the Delamar Center

Public Comments

Larry Summers raised concerns about the new ferry tolls slated to go into effect on January 1, 2027. He said although the proposed annual fee for locals is proposed to be $150, he reminded the Board that the last time ferry tolls were imposed, an additional $1 per passenger fee was added to each trip except for children under a certain age for anyone other than the driver.

“We all know charging tolls is another form of tax,” said Summers. The Cherry Point – Minnesott Beach ferry route has more total crossings than any ferry in North Carolina, Summers continued. He said the high volume of crossings is due to jobs connected to the base in Havelock and visits from over 2,000 veterans to the VA clinic.

Summers urged everyone to attend the Public Listening Session September 2 at the Delamar Center, Pamlico Community College from 6 to 8p. Summers said it took two years to rescind the previous institution of ferry fees instituted in 2011 and eliminated in 2013.

Motion Approved to Hire ECC to Search for New Town Manager

Commissioner Paul Jordan said he investigated methods the Town Board could pursue to find a replacement for Town Manager Miller, slated to retire at the end of 2026. A typical executive search through a recruiter would cost $30,000, he said.

Using the services of the Eastern Carolina Council of Government (ECC) to conduct the search for a new Town Manager would be significantly less, he said. ECC offers two levels of services: a “Tiered” search for $9,400 and a “Traditional” search for $5,800.

ECC Regional Planning Director Larry Faison who, in addition to his 35 year background in municipal government was the city manager of Monroe, would conduct the search. Faison served on numerous boards and had a 31 year career in the United States Army in Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations.

Commissioners approved up to $10,000 to conduct a Traditional search through ECC and pay for required travel and expenses associated with the selection process. Former Commissioners Charlie Overcash and David White offered to help with candidate review and selection.

Manager’s Report

New Public Works Employee Introduced Manager Miller introduced a new public works employee, Anthony Lopez. Miller said Public Works employee Joshua Gibson, who has been with Oriental Public Works for over 27 years, gave Lopez rare praise as a hard worker.

Motion Approved for New Mower Miller said only one of the Town’s two mowers is currently operable. The repair of the ten-year-old lawn mower, she said, would cost $3,000 versus a new mower cost of $8,500. The motion was approved to appropriate the funds to replace the broken mower rather than fixing it.

Hurricane Preparation Talk on August 17 at Town Hall Eric Heden, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist conducts a “Let’s Talk Hurricane Awareness” presentation Monday August 17, 6p at Town Hall.

Manager Miller encouraged new residents to attend. The session will share what you can do, can’t do, what hurricanes do and how storm surge works. Miller will explain what Oriental does differently.

Cyber Security of Oriental Water System
Manager Miller explained several municipalities across the US were recently in the news regarding suspected hacking of their water systems. She reported that Public Works Director Daniel Early participated in a web conference dedicated to safeguarding local water systems from cyber attacks. Miller said Oriental would be unlikely to be compromised because the system is password protected and not connected to the internet.

Miscellaneous
• Auditor will be in Oriental August 19-21
• Motion approved for Justin Jeffcoat to serve as a 1 year member of the Tourism Board
• A position is open on the Board of Adjustment. Anyone interested is welcome to fill out an application at Town Hall.

Separate Liability Insurance for Spirit of Christmas Not Needed

Commissioner Iris Cooper said David White had inquired about the discrepancy between the Spirit of Christmas and other town events such as Croaker Festival which requires separate liability insurance carried by the event organizers.

Cooper said she investigated the situation and found that the Fall Festival also did not require event organizers to carry separate liability insurance. She said that the insurance the town carries already covers events that occur in town. David White questioned whether the responsibility was determined by who is managing the event, if the town is setting the rules of the parade or if another organizing committee is setting the rules.

Cooper said she interpreted the language differently. She said although the Ol’ Front Porch music Festival, the Croaker Festival and the Oriental Boat Show have separate liability insurance, the Spirit of Christmas and the Fall Festival have never had separate insurance and there was no need to change the precedent already established.

Rotary Celebrates 75 Years on September 10

Mayor Belangia introduced a resolution saluting the good works of the Rotary and recognizing its 75 years of service in Oriental. Both Mayor Belangia, Commissioners Cooper and Moffat are Rotary members.

Golf Cart Incident Suspects Questioned; Case Closed

Last month, a golf cart was reported as stolen, and was then anonymously returned. Chief Bill Wichrowski said he and Officer DeStefano interviewed all the suspects and followed up on all the leads. While they believed they knew who ‘borrowed’ the golf cart, they declined to turn the case over to the district attorney.

Police Car “Possessed”?
The Chief said his police car had 33,000 miles on it and the engine had at least 4,000 more miles due to idling. He said he recently learned of alternate methods for small communities to purchase new police vehicles.

Manager Miller interjected, “The Chief’s police car is possessed.” Miller and the Chief described several examples of weird mechanical behavior related to the police car. Miller said during the Croaker Festival while the police car was parked on the bridge, the rear windshield wiper was shooting fluid in a 30 ft direction. Turning the car off did not stop the impromptu rain shower. Only after all fluid was depleted did it stop.

The Chief said the lights come on in the middle of the night, and the car often refuses to start, and will also start without the keys in it. He said he had Hardison’s (automotive) check the car out, however the car performed as it should in front of the mechanic.

Commissioner Jordan quipped, “You don’t need a mechanic, you need an exorcist.” Pastor Anne Sims, from the audience, jokingly offered to perform a public blessing on the vehicle. No decision was made on procuring a new police car or blessing the existing one.

Beware Scams when Selling Online
The Chief warned residents to not fall for online buyers who offer to send a check for more than the sales price and who indicate a representative will pick up the merchandise. Often the scam involves a request to pay the fee of the representative while the check for the merchandise “is in the mail.”

Oriental Police Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Work Proceeding
The Chief said work was proceeding on the state mandated SOPs the department was developing. He said the next step would involve a state sponsored SOP mentor to review the twenty SOPs he and Officer DeStefano had developed.

Commissioner Comments

“I want to thank the Harbor Waterfronts board for the hard work they did on the CAMA response to the Point Pride Seafood dock application,” said Commissioner Iris Cooper. Harbor Waterfronts opposed the application due to the impact to tourism and local businesses as well as detrimental impacts to the environment.

Copper also congratulated the Oriental Dragon Masters Dragon Boat team on their win in the community division at the race held at River Dunes August 8.

Dates to Know

The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday, September 8 at 6p.

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Story by Laurie Stahlmann

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Related Information

• August Meeting Agenda
• Consent Agenda
• Manager’s Report
• Auxiliary Board Reports
• Budget Amendment
• Manager Search Documents
• Board Appointments
• Police Report

Posted Tuesday August 18, 2026 by Allison DeWeese