Residents urge transparency on legal invoices and raise air-quality, districting and broadband concerns at Northampton County meeting

Multiple residents addressed the board during the citizens-comment period, raising concerns about legal billing transparency, open burning and district maps.

Invoices and internal controls: Resident Earl Daniels said he had requested three items from the county's finance office: a resolution delegating hiring and firing authority, copies of relevant policies, and all invoices paid to the county attorney from August 2024 through January 2025. Daniels said the county attorney responded that no such resolution had been located and that the board's personnel policy provides the manager's delegated authority. Daniels said he received copies of invoices showing the county paid the attorney $92,027.16 during the cited period, with $13,566 redacted; he said redactions prevented taxpayers from identifying services for those amounts. Daniels also said he filed a Freedom of Information Act request for unredacted invoices and for a list of county credit-card holders and internal controls around credit-card use.

Air quality and burning: Resident Richie Harding presented PurpleAir monitor printouts and said open burning near the Balltech/Cherry Tree Road area produced particulate readings the night prior that reached unhealthy levels. He read monitor values including a reading he cited as 154 at 5:52 p.m. and said that smoke and ash were entering homes; he asked the board to address burning practices and noted DEQ guidance stating material cannot be added to a burn pile after 6 p.m. Another participant, who identified himself as a builder, clarified that DEQ's restriction bars adding new material after 6 p.m. but does not prohibit a pile already burning from continuing to burn overnight.

Districting and broadband concerns: Harding also raised concerns about the county's electoral districts, saying they were drawn decades ago and alleging the current lines concentrate Black registered voters in a subset of districts. He asked the board to consider redrawing districts and noted demographic and property patterns around Lake Gaston. Another resident raised questions about the county's 2040 comprehensive plan and about potential federal funding clawbacks for certain broadband and pandemic-era programs, describing a perceived reduction in future federal support.

Board response and next steps: Commissioners briefly responded to clarify DEQ burning rules and said staff will respond to written FOIA requests and provide further information where available. The clerk announced that the public-comment period closed after the scheduled speakers.

Ending: Several commissioners thanked residents for attending and encouraged continued engagement.