home

T

o fill a vacant seat. Or not. Commissioners and the public took up the issue at September’s Town Board meeting.

Forty-eight residents attended. Present were Mayor Sally Belangia, Commissioners Allen Price, Breena Litzenberger, Charlie Overcash, Bonnie Crosser. Also in attendance were Town Manager Diane Miller, Finance Officer Lisa Millington, and Officer Bill Wichrowski.

Meeting Recap:

• Commissioners and the Mayor voted 3-2 for the motion then vote method to fill the empty seat left by Frank Roe. Commissioners Charlie Overcash and Breena Litzenberger voted for, Commissioners Allen Price and Bonnie Crosser voted against. Mayor Sally Belangia broke the tie vote.
• Former Commissioner Sandy Winfrey was voted in as interim Commissioner. Vote was 3-1, Price, Overcash and Litzenberger for, Crosser against.
• A holiday bonus for town staff, totaling $10,377.76, was approved by a 4-1 vote. Commissioners Price, Overcash, Litzenberger and Winfrey for, Crosser against.
• The Commissioner’s Quarterly Workshop has been cancelled. Commissioners will instead attend the Tree Board meeting September 30 at 9a to discuss their updated ordinance. Commissioners in attendance will be: Allen Price, Charlie Overcash, Bonnie Crosser.
• The County rescinded their Animal Control proposal until the next budget cycle in March 2026.

Public Comments

Seven residents signed up to speak. Gregory Bohmert, Bob Miller, Stanley Feigenbaum and Butch Rasmussen spoke against filling the empty Commissioner seat.

Dallas Spruill spoke against the Animal Control Ordinance. Darlene Marquardt and Barbara Acosta-Hong cautioned the sitting Board to not rush their decision and to do what is right for the community.

Barbara Acosta-Hong speaks during public comments.

Filling a vacant seat

Former Commissioner Frank Roe resigned his position effective September 1; he moved outside town limits. Filling that seat – the method and the person – has created conversation in the last month.

By state statute, Commissioners must hold one public meeting every month with a quorum – at least three of five Board members – present.

What Method to Use
In an email to Commissioners, town attorney Scott Davis had outlined two methods to fill the vacancy: motion then vote, or nomination then vote. He gave a third option to leave the seat vacant.

In the past, vacant seats were filled by the motion then vote method. A motion was made, Commissioners discussed the person named in the motion, and then voted yes or no. In case of a tie, the Mayor automatically cast the tie-breaking vote.

Commissioner Charlie Overcash explains why he wants to fill the vacancy.

Commissioner’s health pushes him to fill vacancy
Commissioner Overcash opened by making a motion to fill the seat using the motion then vote method. Overcash said his ill health had prompted him to fill the seat. He later stated he’d had a second TIA (transient ischemic attack) in the last week.

“My health has all of a sudden taken a dip. I’m trying to get through it, but I don’t know if I can be a functional member or not. I don’t want us to be understaffed on the Board because there’s only three people here and one’s absent.”

Overcash mentioned Commissioner Price would not be available for the November meeting. If Overcash were also absent, the Board could not meet quorum and fulfill state requirements.

Commissioner Bonnie Crosser objected, saying she preferred the nomination method outlined in the rules of procedure book adopted by the Board mid 2024. Commissioners would need to establish a method to break a tie vote prior to discussing any potential candidates. Then they would discuss candidates and then take a vote.

Commissioners deadlocked 2-2 on the method, Overcash and Litzenberger for the motion then vote method, Price and Crosser against.

Breaking the tie
Mayor Belangia indicated that she had been in favor of leaving the seat vacant. “It hurt me really bad when I felt like, why can’t the mayor break a tie for the next few months? I wanted to do it, but now since it looks like we have a problem with Charlie [Overcash] not doing good and … Commissioner Price is gonna be gone in November, it could be confusing.”

Belangia broke the tie in favor of the motion then vote method.

Sandy Winfrey, Commissioner for a third time
Commissioner Overcash nominated Sandy Winfrey as interim Commissioner. Winfrey served as Commissioner from 2013 – 2017, then as a member of the Planning Board, then was vote in as interim Commissioner from 2021 – 2023.

Commissioner Allen Price said Overcash had contacted him about Winfrey as a compromise in the motion then vote versus nomination discussion. “I said okay, and I’m going to keep my promise.”

Commissioners voted 3-1 for Sandy Winfrey. Overcash, Price, and Litzenberger voted for and Crosser voted against.

Town Manager Diane Miller swore in Sandy Winfrey and he took his seat next to Bonnie Crosser.

Winfrey will hold the seat until December 2025, when the new board is sworn in.

Town Manager Diane Miller swears in Sandy Winfrey for a third time.

Holiday Bonus for Staff

Town Staff receive a yearly holiday bonus. In 2023, it was 3% of their salaries. In 2024, it was a $250 holiday bonus.

At the 2025 budget meetings, the Board discussed not giving the holiday bonus because staff received a salary increase. Several Commissioners wanted to revisit that decision.

In years prior, even when receiving a salary increase, staff were still granted a bonus.

Commissioner Litzenberger proposed a 2% bonus, totaling $10,377.76. Commissioner Crosser objected citing the pay increase.

Litzenberger said it could be pulled from the line item budgeted for the second police officer (Officer Blayney resigned in July). Commissioner Allen Price added that they could also pull from the unfilled part-time Public Works position.

Commissioners voted for the bonus, 4-1. Commissioner Crosser voted against. The bonus will be distributed as the year-end holiday bonus.

County Animal Control proposal dropped for now

Pamlico County is struggling with animal services since their Animal Control Officer Berkley Hill was injured. He has been on medical leave for several months.

In August, the County proposed all incorporated areas pay $36 a person ($32,436 for Oriental) to hire more personnel and to help build an animal shelter. Part of the County’s budget, funded by property taxes, already goes to Animal Control.

Town Manager and some Commissioners were wary of the increase and reached out to the town’s attorney. All county residents already pay into Animal Control through property taxes. By contributing another $36 per person, Oriental would pay extra.

Commissioner Litzenberger explained, “it was like kind of a double dip situation and it would’ve come out to about $20 extra for us incorporated residents. So we would’ve really been paying like $56 a head as incorporated residents.”

Call data broke down the number of animal calls the County received showing Oriental having an outsized usage of Animal Control. However, Town Manager Miller said “a lot of us just call Berkley on his cell phone, and not so much of that is recorded.”

Litzenberger said the County was now aware of this and said they were going to better track and categorize animal calls until their next budget cycle in March. The issue would be addressed again at that time.

Overcash added that PAWS – the Pamlico Animal Welfare Society – “had an endowment somebody had left in their will, well over a million dollars.” PAWS is in the process of buying 12 acres of land to build a no-kill shelter. “We got money coming in to help with the situation,” he said, but that no one at the County wanted to hear it.

At the dais, left to right: Allen Price, Breena Litzenberger, Charlie Overcash, Sandy Winfrey, Bonnie Crosser.

Manager’s Report

• Money received from the state from FEMA ($72,000) and for PFAS litigation ($16,043.78). Both checks were expected.
• There’s an open position to be the town’s representative to the Bay River Metropolitan Sewer Board.
• Water bills: residents who want an e-bill should no longer be receiving printed bills. Going forward, printed bills will incur and extra charge of $1.25 a month
• Electric car charging: There is now a $5 flat fee to charge electric vehicles at each charging station.
• Duke Power Clearing vegetation: Duke Power is cleaning around the power lines. Town has asked them not to use chemicals as it kills everything around them.
• BrightSpeed Cable doing work on Broad Street: They’re running cable along Broad Street and will hang door knockers letting residents know when they’ll be in town.
• Staff Harassment: Town Manager says residents are coming in to yell at staff about the water rates. Miller said to address concerns to the Board as they set the rates, not the staff.
• Whittaker Creek Dredge project is out to bidders now.

Water Advisory Board projects update

Commissioner Bonnie Crosser gave an update on the current projects headed by the Water Advisory Board.

• Water Valve Project: this project installs new valves and replaces aging ones in Oriental’s water lines. Crosser said the documents are waiting on State approval. It will then go to bid.
• Booster Station Project: will help with the water pressure problem at Dolphin Point. Crosser said that 90% of the design is finished. When complete, it will go to bid.

The audience at September’s Town Board Meeting.

Police Report

Officer Bill Wichrowski delivered the report. Oriental’s second officer, Nic Blayney, resigned and Wichrowksi spent August taking up many of Blayney’s duties. He said he was realizing how much Officer Blayney had done – particularly when an entire street went on vacation at the same time and requested house checks. Overall, Wichrowski said, he thought the transition was going smoothly.

Three larcenies were reported: $51 in stolen beer, two bad checks cashed, and two boat motors stolen. The first two subjects were caught. The motor thief has not been found.

Quarterly Workshop moved to Tree Board Meeting

Commissioners hold a quarterly workshop to discuss upcoming town projects. This month’s workshop was scheduled for September 25.

Commissioners have decided they will take up the revision of the Tree Board ordinance. To do this, they will convene at the Tree Board Meeting Tuesday, September 30 at 9a. Commissioners Price, Overcash, and Crosser will be present. Commissioners Litzenberger and Winfrey will not be present. The public is welcome to attend.

Commissioner Comments

Commissioner Price referenced a letter from former Commissioner David White that appeared in Letters to the Editor in TownDock.net and the Pamlico News. Price read from the letter, saying it was wrong; the special meeting Price and Crosser tried to call was not about the police. He asked anyone there to dispute it.

Commissioner Overcash said the special meeting was called after the police meeting. Price responded that it was not about the police.

Commissioner Overcash said he had a benign letter coming out about cooperation and how the board should work together. He also thanked several townspeople for showing up when he was having his TIA ((transient ischemic attack).

Commissioner Litzenberger thanked the Town Manager and Officer Wichrowski for their help when Commissioner Overcash needed help.

Mayor Sally said she was happy to sit next to Sandy Winfrey again – for a third time.

Commissioner Crosser said Commissioner Roe had been hurt by a recently published letter that stated “Roe should not vote on anything regarding filling his own seat.” This appeared in an open letter to residents from Commissioner Litzenberger.

Crosser called the statement false, saying, “former Commissioner Roe had full rights of a commissioner until 9-1-2025, verified with our attorney” and that the statement has caused “a growing focus of negative energy of no benefit to our community.”

What the Attorney actually wrote

Here is what attorney Scott Davis wrote in his email to Commissioners dated August 19, 2025:

5. Next steps? There is nothing to do at the moment, or that can or should be done until there is a vacancy. The public officials constituting the governing body at the time of a vacancy determine how to move forward. “Out-going” public officials have no say in determining their replacement as there is no vacancy until the “out-going” member is actually gone. Likewise, until there is a vacancy, the governing body need not take up the issue. Again, the out-going member has nothing to do with the process as there is no process to determine until there is a vacancy.

Closed Session

At the end of the meeting, Commissioners went into closed session to discuss the vacant police position.

Dates to Know

Three Commissioners will attend the next Tree Board meeting Tuesday, September 30 at 9a. There will be a quorum of Commissioners at that meeting and the public is invited to attend. The next Town Board Meeting will be Tuesday, October 14 at 6p.

Related Information

• September Meeting Agenda
• Consent Agenda
• Animal Control update
• Manager’s Report
• Auxiliary Board Reports
• Chapter M – Tree Board Ordinance
• Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival Street Closings
• Police Report
• Town Attorney’s Notes on Procedures, Methods, and Voting

A correction was made Sept. 16, 2025: An earlier version of this article stated stated staff were given 3% bonuses in 2024. They were given those bonuses in 2023. In 2024, it was a $250 holiday bonus. It was also stated that the Board had voted not to give a holiday bonus during budget meetings. The word voted was changed to discussed; votes are not taken during budget meetings.

---

Story & photos by Allison DeWeese.

---

Posted Monday September 15, 2025 by Allison DeWeese