Pitt County commissioners dismantle Leroy James Farmers Market advisory board after vendor complaints

Pitt County commissioners voted Jan. 13 to dismantle the advisory board that oversees the Leroy James Farmers Market and directed the market manager and county staff to return with recommendations based on vendor and community input.

The action followed a public comment from Malcolm Heath, a former vendor and advisory-committee member, who alleged vendors were retaliated against for expressing disagreement with county officials, that farm inspections promised by early January had not been completed, and that some applications had been rejected without inspection. Heath said documentation was available to support his claims.

County Manager Gallagher, reporting on the market, told the board she had met with vendors and observed the advisory committee and expressed concern about volatility among committee members, vendors and staff. Gallagher said 2025 vendors had been selected using “objective criteria,” described the market schedule the board approved in December—Saturdays and Tuesdays in season with monthly market days in January, February, November and December—and said staff may consider additional November–December dates later in the year depending on data. She also described a proposal for regular vendors plus rotating “PRN” vendors to fill booths when regular vendors cannot attend.

Commissioner White argued the farmers market is a community, not a private business, said the advisory committee was not functioning effectively and moved to dismantle it, asking county staff and the market manager to present alternatives and hold quarterly vendor listening sessions. The motion passed; a second was recorded but the transcript does not identify the seconder by name.

Gallagher described the advisory committee’s three formal duties as adopted by the board: recommending operating procedures, recommending an annual budget, and receiving and acting on reports from the public, vendors or manager. She said the advisory committee consists of seven members (four vendor seats, two at-large seats) and that market rules and a code of conduct govern vendor obligations.

In discussion, commissioners and staff cited vendor attendance data as a key factor in scheduling. Gallagher said when the market previously operated multiple days, turnout on some weekdays was low (for example, 1–2 vendors present on a Thursday market), producing public disappointment. She said in December of the prior year, of 26 vendors, 19 indicated they would not attend. Gallagher said vendor contracts require vendors to follow market rules and to be present during the market’s posted hours; last year vendors paid roughly $5 per week for a full season.

The board’s direction ends the advisory-board structure and places responsibility on the market manager and county staff to produce recommended operating procedures, vendor-selection details and proposed meeting formats for the commissioners to review. The board did not set a further deadline in the meeting transcript.

The public comment and the manager’s report remain part of the meeting record; Heath offered to provide documentation to commissioners after the meeting.