Gates County approves one-time $6,920.99 payment to keep four-county reentry council operating

The Gates County Board of Commissioners voted to provide a one-time payment of $6,920.99 to help sustain a four-county local reentry council serving Gates, Hertford, Bertie and Chowan counties.

The funding request followed a presentation by Greg Singleton of OIC of Rocky Mount and reentry staff, who said a $225,000 state reimbursement contract for the council was not renewed and had been extended only through Sept. 30. Singleton asked the board to divide $27,683.94 among the four counties to keep two case managers employed while the group pursues other funding sources.

“The clock is ticking, and September 30 is right around the corner,” Greg Singleton told the board, and he described the request as “to buy time” while the group seeks foundation and private funding. Shanethia Mabry, director of the program, and John Outlaw, one of the case managers, described outreach and enrollment work the staff had done since being hired.

Commissioners discussed the regional rationale for equal shares: the state’s selection of a four-county “quadrant” and the desire to preserve a unified service area and shared resources. Several commissioners said the program’s potential to reduce recidivism and fill local workforce needs outweighed the modest one-time expense.

Chair Emily Truman moved the motion to provide the county’s share; a second was recorded and the board approved the payment by voice/hand vote.

The county’s contribution is intended to keep the two new case managers employed through the end of the calendar year while OIC of Rocky Mount and the reentry council pursue additional funding from foundations and private donors.