It's Thursday February 13, 2025
December 28, 2024
December’s monthly Town Board Meeting was rescheduled for Tuesday, December 12. Going forward, all monthly meetings will occur on the second Tuesday of the month.Present at the meeting were Mayor Sally Belangia, Commissioners Allen Price, Charlie Overcash, Frank Roe, Breena Litzenberger, and Bonnie Crosser. Also in attendance: Town Manager Diane Miller, Finance Officer Lisa Millington, and Officer Nic Blayney.
Recap:
• Election cycle changes approved. Board elections in 2025 will be a one year term. Future elections will follow the general elections schedule
• Announcement of Lisa Millington as the new Finance Officer. Sworn in November 19th, 2024.
• Audit is finished, submitted, and approved. Auditor’s report complimented the town compared to the other 14 municipalities she has audited. Commissioner Overcash noted that a big plus is that Oriental has no debt.
• Daniel Early, BFCC ORC has been approved for all three licenses for the Water Advisory Board
• Consultant analysis has identified the top three priorities for the Water Advisory Board grant: 1. Replace the emergency generator, 2. Valve replacement, 3. New booster stationMotions passed:
• Special Use Permits (SUP)s will now place burden of evidence for approval of the SUP on the applicant
• Auditor to return for an update in six months
• Approval given for Town Manager to pay the contract to create graphics for the Parks and Recs Pavillion and Pickle Ball courts to use in messaging (contract was approved previously)
• To eliminate the Agenda meetings (meant to set the agenda for each monthly meeting)
• To move board elections to the general election cycle
• To continue to schedule the Town Board meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.Public Comments:Only one public comment was expressed in the December meeting. It was from David White, who requested the changing of the SUP to put the burden of proof back on the applicant (a motion which the board approved).
Town Board Election Cycle Changes:The resolution to move the Town Board election cycle from odd years to the general election cycle was passed with one nay vote from Commissioner Litzenberger. For the upcoming election cycle in 2025, Commissioners will serve one year instead of two. Manager Miller noted that “the [legal] work has already been done and that the state has pushed the big cities to make the change to the general election cycle.”The change will allow Oriental to resume participation in early voting and mail-in voting. Commissioner Litzenberger’s objection is based on the perception that moving to the general election cycle will result in partisan politicizing of Oriental’s local elections. Commissioner Roe complemented Commissioner Overcash in reaching a compromise solution.
Auditor’s Report:Current property tax collection is 96.47% and the state target is 97%. Oriental is “right on target” according to Town Auditor C. Randolph. Commissioner Overcash commented “Oriental has no debt” and the auditor agreed it was a very good thing. Randolph said the staff “do a great job with auditing.” Commissioner Roe asked about “the $268k” that had been carried on the books since a switch was made in software systems several years ago. The auditor indicated that the accounting of the $268k is “all cleaned up.”Oriental is now using one bank account instead of two, and has one statement to reconcile beginning with the November 2024 statement.
Monthly bank reconciliations are now being done by the 15th of each month. Previously, they were not being done in a timely manner which the auditor indicated is a “big no-no.”
Randolph suggested keeping an eye on the Water & Sewer capital assets ratio, which needs to be at least 50%; Oriental is currently at 37%. Town Manager Diane Miller said they are already tackling the issue.
There is a decrease in the General Fund this year. The unassigned fund balance for 2024 is $527,167. Total revenues in 2024 are at $1,273.345 – a decrease from 2023 due to fewer grants, said Manager Miller. Grants totaled $188k in 2023, and are less than a thousand dollars in 2024.
Total expenditures in 2024 are $1,307, 978. The net decrease in the General Fund is due to the purchase of a new police truck costing $34,643. The Enterprise Fund (water fund) has total revenues of $412,320 in 2024, an increase over 2023 of $57k.
Motion was passed to have the auditor return in six months.
Water Advisory Board ReportCommissioner Crosser reported on the status of the Water Advisory Board. The consulting firm retained by the Board has completed the second version of an analysis to prioritize the use of Oriental’s $5.5 million grant. There are three identified priorities:
• The top priority is replacing the emergency generator at the Water Plant. If the generator goes out, Oriental would have to switch over to the Pamlico County water system. The generator is 54 years old.
• Valve replacement. Oriental has 36 valves and water pipes that are either 2, 4, or 6 inches – of which Commissioner Crosser says “ some work and some do not and some only partially work.” Valves and pipes need to be replaced and standardized. Oriental also has many vacation homes that build up stale water when they sit empty. The goal is to start work on standardizing the water pipes in January or February.
• A new booster station to address the poor water pressure on White Farm road and at Dolphin Point. The consultants estimate that the gain will be 10 to 20 PSI on those lines. Commissioner Crosser has asked for an estimate on what it will take to maintain and operate the new station.Commissioner Litzenberger asked about using the grant for road repairs as water repairs are conducted. Manager Miller indicated when the valves in the street are replaced (as many are), sections of the road will be repaired as well.
Planning Board ReportThe Planning Board has been working to switch the burden of proof for Special Use Permits (SUPs) from neighbors to applicants.The Board has also spent effort combing through the existing Table of Permissible Uses to determine if there are areas where Land Use Permits could be used in place of Special Use Permits. For example, horse stables and golf courses which had not been allowed in primary residential areas (R1) will be allowed in future R1 developments because, as Manager Miller noted, these types of businesses are typically embedded in residential communities.
Other changes noted: Schools and daycares would not be permitted in R1 areas, in part because of the need for parking which would not be available in an R1 setting. Laundromats and Dry Cleaners are not allowed in any residential area including mixed use areas that have more than 50% residential. Manager Miller commented that these types of businesses “are a nightmare” because of the chemicals and groundwater penetration issues involved, referencing an Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Study for laundromats she participated in in the past.
Commissioner Roe was “very happy with the progress the board made on SUPs” however, he asked not to include the changes to the Permissible Use Table until it could be reviewed again.
Pickleball Court and Pavilion Graphics Contract ApprovedManager Miller requested formal approval to move forward with an already approved contract to create graphics for a new pavilion and PickleBall court at the Recreation Park on Straight Road. In discussion, Commissioner Crosser said the contract has been budgeted at $2,500. The graphics, she said, will be used for messaging. Local Pickleball players are helping with funds and work, per Commissioner Crosser.Commissioner Overcash asked if there was a formal study that would show that more people would come out to use the new courts. Commissioner Crosser said no formal study was done, however, she referred to two previous community surveys; one in 2010 and the other in 2017-18. Manager Miller said a 2020 survey indicated that more outside recreational activities were desired. Commissioner Crosser said that four courts are needed in order to have tournaments. The motion was approved for Manager Miller to pay for the contract.
Police ReportOfficer Blayney reported that the company that sold the current police body cameras has discontinued the software and the product. He is researching replacement cameras and has found an alternative which would cost $10, 156 for two cameras and the software. He is checking on whether the footage the department has can be moved to the new system. Officer Blayney asked the Board to plan the purchase for around mid-year of 2025. Commissioner Roe asked if grants were available. Officer Blayney said the sales person indicated that there were grants available and that he would continue to do more research.
Town Board Meetings moved to the second TuesdayThe Town Board meeting will remain on the second Tuesday of the month.In January of 2025, the board will discuss police overtime and review in detail the Parks and Recreation General Ordinance to add language required by most fund-granting agencies.
Town Manager ReportManager Miller said additional monies from the General Fund were moved into an investment account (at the direction of the Board), increasing the balance from $259k to $460k. The Harbor and Waterfronts Board and the Tourism Board have also agreed to move monies into the investment account: $112k and $30k respectively.Manager Miller said Oriental has been approved for a reimbursement from FEMA for $106k. Property tax payments from the State are two months behind. Federal gas receipts being filed on a monthly basis instead of quarterly. Manager Miller and Finance Officer Millington attended the Finance North Capital Management Trust Symposium in New Bern in December.
A Holiday Message of Gratitude from Commissioner LitzenbergerCommissioner Litzenberger thanked each Town staff member by name, adding specific contributions they had made in 2024. She also cited the achievements of each Commissioner and Contributions from local businesses throughout the year “that make Oriental the amazing community it is.”Mayor Sally Belangia closed the meeting by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Dates to KnowThe next meeting is Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Related Information• December Meeting Agenda
• Consent Agenda
• Auditor’s report
• Auxiliary Board Reports
• Proposed GMO Changes to SUPs and TPUs
• Budget Amendment
• Manager’s Report
• Resolution: Election Changes
• Town Board 2025 Meeting Schedule
• Police Report
• Parks & Recreation Graphics Contract
Posted Saturday December 28, 2024 by Allison DeWeese

















