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Beaufort County committee delays waterways ordinance action after island operators push for carve-outs and permit talks
Summary
After robust public comment from island barge and charter operators, the Beaufort County Public Facilities Committee moved an ordinance on waterways from action to discussion and directed staff to reopen the public portal and pursue a stakeholder workshop to consider carve-outs for islands and a permit approach.
Chairman Cunningham on Feb. 17 moved a proposed Beaufort County ordinance amending Chapter 102 (waterways) from an action item to a discussion item and invited additional stakeholder work before any vote. County staff and multiple local operators told the committee the draft ordinance, as written, risked restricting essential commercial barge and charter activity at several public landings.
Dylan Kidd, a county staff member who presented the draft, said the revisions reflect months of work and added definitions and clarifications, including language addressing different charter types. Kidd told the committee the draft targets commercial passenger operations and does not prohibit private vessel owners from transporting their own noncommercial passengers, but he acknowledged the parking and landing language needs clearer wording to avoid confusion.
Several public commenters urged narrow…
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