At the Dec. 15 Burke County Board of Commissioners meeting the body handled routine governance matters, voting unanimously on leadership, appointments, consent items and budget and tax reports.

Elections and leadership: Commissioners elected Jeff Britton as chair and Phil Smith as vice chair for 2026. Nominations were made from the floor and both elections were approved by voice/hand vote.

Appointments: The board accepted several appointments and reappointments: James Wakeford was appointed to Board of Adjustment (Seat 3) to fill a vacancy; Betty Greer was reappointed to the Board of Equalization and Review for a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2028; Dr. Anthony Frank and Dr. Joel Welch were reappointed to the Public Health Advisory Board and Gwen Stevens was reappointed to fill an at-large seat. The board also agreed to reconstitute the Dangerous Dog Appeal Board and approved a slate of applicants while staff continues to seek a veterinarian for the body.

Consent agenda and budget items: The consent agenda — which included the proposed 2026 rules of procedure, meeting schedule, commission appointments, a resolution accepting donated desk cubicles and two budget amendments (one for approximately $136,000 combining a $20,000 Department of Veterans Affairs grant and $116,000 social-services assistance allocation; another for $205,400 to address vehicle repairs) — passed 5-0.

Finance and tax items: Tax-collection reporting for the period ending Nov. 30, 2025, showed year-to-date collections of $41,398,388 against a budget of $60,495,871 (about 69.7% collected); the board accepted the tax-collection and a tax-release/refund report by motion.

Other business: The board adopted a resolution recognizing Burke County’s role in the U.S. semiquincentennial (America 250) and closed the meeting after routine comments and vacancy announcements. Public comment included a resident’s complaint about congestion and safety at the Ikerd convenience site and an animal-welfare advocate’s call for stronger enforcement and ID requirements for pets.

Votes at a glance: Leadership elections, consent agenda approval, acceptance of presentations and reports, appointments and ordinance adoption were recorded as unanimous (5-0) votes where noted.