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Duplin County public comments: DSS employee urges pay review; teen vendor urges return of Muscadine Festival
Summary
During public comment, Stacy Gardner (DSS employee) urged removing 'other duties as assigned' and sought pay adjustments to reflect expanded duties; Madison Carnegie, a local teen vendor, urged the board to reinstate the Duplin County Fair and Muscadine Festival and better use the Duplin Event Center for small businesses.
Two public commenters addressed separate concerns during Duplin County’s Jan. 5 meeting.
Stacy Gardner, who said she is employed by the Duplin County Department of Social Services, told commissioners that her job duties have expanded over time and now include program integrity work, acting as a hearing officer, onboarding training and quality-control responsibilities. She urged the board to remove the phrase "other duties as assigned" from job descriptions or otherwise ensure that employees whose workloads materially increase receive appropriate compensation.
"When an employee's workload increases, their compensation should reflect the change," Gardner told the board, framing the ask as one of fairness, motivation and respect for employees’ work.
Madison Carnegie, a 17-year-old small business owner, asked the board to consider reinstating the Duplin County Fair and the Muscadine Festival and to better position the Duplin Event Center as a community resource for families and small businesses. Carnegie said losing the Muscadine Festival has reduced vendor opportunities and weakened the county’s identity beyond its borders.
"As a lifelong resident in Duplin County, I shared my concerns about the economic and community impact of losing these events," she said, and asked whether steps have been taken to plan future events or reinstate the fair.
What happened next: The speakers’ comments were acknowledged by the board; no formal votes or staff directives addressing pay policy or an event-reinstatement plan were recorded during this meeting.
