A series of public commenters told the Board of Commissioners they oppose removing members of the Randolph County Library Board of Trustees and urged the board to protect the library’s mission as a public institution.

Speakers who identified themselves included Carl Hicks (public commenter), Susan Scott, Harriet Mulder and Clyde Faust. Susan Scott told commissioners the county is home to more than 95,000 people and urged officials to maintain trustees who support professional librarians and the library’s public mission. Harriet Mulder and others emphasized that public libraries should be open to all residents and that trustees should stand above partisan disputes.

Several speakers said a separate hearing specifically on the library board will be held Monday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Randolph County Historic Courthouse meeting room; the board earlier published rules for that hearing (sign-in required, three-minute limits, names drawn at random if needed). Speakers asked commissioners to conduct the hearing fairly and transparently and to consider long-term community stability.

During public comments, Susan Scott also raised an unrelated allegation that 1,4-dioxane has been detected in Asheboro wastewater at levels she described as nearly 30 times the EPA-safe level and asked what action 'Waste Industries' is taking to contain contamination. That specific environmental claim was recorded in public comment and not resolved in the meeting; it requires independent testing and agency response.