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Votes at a glance: Nov. 12 New Bern Board of Aldermen — property sales, street rename, MSD projects, bonds and other measures
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Summary
At the Nov. 12 meeting the board approved a batch of routine and bond-related items: sale of four tax-foreclosed parcels, renaming Trent Street to Luke Martin Drive, MSD infrastructure projects, certification of a bond referendum, capital project ordinances, a declaration to reimburse expenditures for bonds, several fund and budget amendments, and two appointments; all recorded votes carried.
In a series of mostly noncontroversial votes at its Nov. 12 meeting, the New Bern Board of Aldermen approved multiple resolutions and ordinances summarized below.
• Property sales (Items 15–18): The board approved the sale of four surplus/tax-foreclosed parcels (including the former Mary White Park site and three residential tracts) to the highest bidders. Staff reported bid amounts and the pro rata distribution of proceeds to city and county accounts. No upset bids were received and the sales were adopted by roll-call vote.
• Street rename (Item 19): The board voted to rename Trent Street in the Pembroke community to Luke Martin Drive at the request of Robert Martin Jr., citing Luke P. Martin Jr.’s long service to the community. The family was present for the vote.
• MSD advisory projects (Item 20): The board authorized three Municipal Service District projects recommended by the MSD advisory committee: Pollock Street sidewalk replacement (est. $100,000), Craven Street parking-lot renovation (est. $750,000), and a $10,000 contribution to support the North Carolina Main Street Conference to be held in New Bern in March 2026. Funding was identified from the MSD enterprise fund.
• Bond certification and project ordinances (Items 21–25): The board certified the Oct. 7, 2025 bond referendum results and adopted three capital project ordinances to establish project funds (street/sidewalk, parks & recreation, stormwater) including temporary advances to be reimbursed from bond proceeds. The board also adopted a declaration of official intent to reimburse prior expenditures for the $10M street/sidewalk, $8M parks & rec, and $6M stormwater bonds as required by IRS regulations.
• Fund and budget amendments (Items 26–27): The board adopted an amendment to the 2019 Electric Improvements Project Fund to recognize $66,548 for engineering related to NCDOT roadway conflicts and a FY2025–26 budget amendment recognizing a $1,000 donation from Martin Marietta and appropriating $860,000 from the MSD fund for a project.
• Appointments (Item 28): The board reappointed Molly Bales to the Historic Preservation Commission (Ward 1) and appointed George Oliver to the Board of Adjustment.
All motions recorded for the above items passed on roll-call or voice vote as noted in the meeting record. Where financial or timing details were presented in staff reports (bid amounts on parcel sales; estimated project costs; bond amounts), those numbers were repeated by staff during the meeting and are summarized above.
