Commissioners review jail design contract, wastewater grant steps, solar ordinance work and several local requests

The Northampton County Board of Commissioners covered a range of agenda items in a single meeting: a proposed architectural contract for a new jail, a resolution and capital project ordinance required to draw down state funds for a Gaston wastewater line project, ongoing work on solar‑farm regulation and public education, a presentation from Conway Volunteer Fire Department seeking a fire tax district, health department contract rate increases, and a town request to acquire a vacant downtown building.

Architectural contract for proposed jail: Citizen Alan Tashima raised concerns about a draft architectural agreement for a proposed 90‑bed jail facility, saying the document had "a lot of holes" and lacked specifications for food service, laundry, roofing, landscaping and fire protection. Derek Bennett, presenting for the county's economic development office, said the county published a request for qualifications, had been awarded approximately $2 million by the General Assembly to complete a due‑diligence phase and recommended awarding the contract to Mosley Architects for design, development and construction‑phase work. Bennett characterized the agreement as a standard AIA contract and said County Attorney and staff have reviewed it. No vote was taken; the item will be considered at the next meeting per the county's adopted process for tonight's agenda items.

Gaston wastewater line funding steps: County Manager Phillips briefed commissioners on the Session Law 2023 award of funds for the Gaston wastewater line and the need to adopt a resolution and capital project ordinance before staff can draw down approximately $14 million. Phillips said the county has already expended some allowable pre‑development costs and cannot be reimbursed until the resolution and ordinance are in place; he noted an engineering report milestone due in early February and said staff have been trained to process the paperwork for drawdowns.

Solar farms and ordinance revision: Several public commenters raised concerns about large solar installations. Sylvia Vincent said residents in the Volta community were harmed by the scale of panels installed by "Sun Energy" and urged commissioners to revise the ordinance and inspect existing fields. Derek Bennett described ongoing county work: training for public officials with the Center for Energy Education (a training session was rescheduled to Feb. 15), a planned public information session for residents after officials are briefed, and creation of a master spreadsheet to inventory solar fields, decommissioning plans and buffers. Bennett said the county's records were incomplete and that staff are conducting field inspections to create an accurate file.

Conway Volunteer Fire Department tax request: Representatives of the Conway Volunteer Fire Department explained public outreach completed for their proposed 7‑cent fire tax and presented operating and equipment needs, including vehicle ages, certification and replacement costs. The department reported 138 calls last year, training and personnel hours, and equipment costs; they described plans to purchase a medium‑duty rescue vehicle using grant funds. County staff explained that, if the board chooses to proceed, the county would mail statutory notices to affected property owners and hold a public hearing before establishing a fire tax district and setting rates.

Health department contractual increases: Health Director Miss Vick presented two contract adjustments. Sharps Biomedical Waste Service requested an increase from $42.26 to $76.67 per box (plus the existing 17.97% fuel/enviro fee). Access East, which provides after‑hours nurse triage needed for the health department's medical home tier‑3 designation, requested rate increases including a $60→$75 monthly subscriber fee and small per‑call increases. Vick said the health department can cover the Sharps increase in its current budget and will explore other vendor options for waste disposal.

ABC Board distribution waiver and Seaboard building transfer: County staff read a letter from the Northampton County ABC Board requesting a one‑time waiver of the county distribution for fiscal year 2024 because the ABC Board invested approximately $200,000 renovating a leased building; the board said it expects to resume distributions in FY2025. Separately, Seaboard town officials asked the county to transfer ownership of the former Southern Bank and Trust building at 200 S. Main St. to the town (donation, not sale) so the town can assume maintenance and repurpose the building for community use. Commissioners asked clarifying questions; no votes were taken on either item at the meeting.

Other business and next steps: The finance director presented several budget amendments and a November financial report; staff announced the draft audit has been completed and auditors will present the draft at the next meeting. Several consent items and the agenda changes were approved earlier in the meeting; the board later voted to move into closed session for personnel matters.