During the public-comment portion of the Dec. 1 Rockingham County meeting, a local resident, Doug Easley, told commissioners his public-records requests show that a county commissioner ‘‘had done a project for Shiloh Airport totaling $3,000,000’’ and that the commissioner had no vendor information on file with the county, which Easley said suggested a conflict of interest. Easley cited "North Carolina general 14 2 34" as the legal basis for his concern and asked the board to adopt a policy preventing elected officials or their businesses from doing county work.

Easley said the allegation was rooted in public records he had reviewed and framed it as a public-trust issue: "When elected officials profit from county contracts, it erodes public trust," he said. The allegation was specific to contracting tied to the airport and the public-comment record includes his request for a permanent policy prohibiting elected officials from profiting from county contracts.

Commissioner Hall responded at the podium, disputing the claim and saying the airport and the school board operate independently from the county commission and do not report to this board. "Nothing improper has happened," Hall said, and he criticized the public allegation as creating "the illusion of misdeeds."

The allegation was not resolved in open session. Commissioners said they had requested records and that some records related to a separate item (an off-the-books sheriff account) remained outstanding; after a closed session later in the meeting the board approved hiring outside counsel (Ed Powell of Melvin & Powell) "to service the sheriff due to conflicts and potential conflicts that have arisen." That decision passed by recorded voice vote ("Aye," motion carries), and the board said it expected to follow up on outstanding documents.

What the transcript shows and does not show: The complaint and the statutory citation were advanced from the public podium; the commissioner denied wrongdoing in public remarks. The board did not adjudicate or investigate the allegation during the meeting. The transcript records public-records requests and commissioners’ references to outstanding documents; it does not include a formal investigation finding, an internal audit, or a roll-call vote related to Easley’s allegations.

Status and next steps: The board asked for records and indicated staff would continue to pursue documentation. The hiring of outside counsel after closed session was recorded in open session as a separate, unanimous action to provide external legal support in matters involving the sheriff; the transcript includes the motion and that the motion carried but does not include detailed contract terms in the public remarks.

Quoted evidence appears in the public transcript; the county has not reached a determination of wrongdoing on the record.