BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON

EDENTON – The Edenton Town Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, in Council Chambers, 504 S. Broad St., to address several key agenda items, including a board appointment and infrastructure support.

Bridge Replacement Support

Council will consider a letter of support for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Bridge Replacement Project (BR-0183) on West Queen Street over Pembroke Creek. Town Manager Corey Gooden has recommended the council endorse Alternative Two – the “staged construction” option that would maintain traffic flow during the $12.1 million bridge replacement project.

The staged construction approach involves phased building of the new bridge, allowing continued access along this vital east-west corridor that serves as a primary transportation route and economic lifeline for residents, businesses, and visitors. The alternative would minimize disruption to daily life, local commerce, emergency services, and school transportation during construction, which is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2028.

Preservation Commission Appointment

Mayor Hackney High will present an appointment recommendation for the Edenton Preservation Commission, marking a key decision for the town’s historic preservation oversight body.

The two candidates are Hal Murray, of West Queen Street, and Brian Towers, of West Eden Street.

High recently responded to Murray’s critique of town council’s transparency when it comes to policies and procedures.

Both candidates are retired. Towers served in several government roles and a broadband communications engineer. Murray worked in research and development for Exxon. Murray has attended various EPC and town council meetings and is a member of the Edenton Yacht Club. Towers is currently chairman of the Deacons of Edenton Baptist Church and a volunteer at the Edenton-Chowan Food Pantry.

Their applications were not in this meeting’s agenda packet, be can be found in a previous meeting packet by clicking here.

Emergency Preparedness Grant

Fire Chief Billy Bass will present an intent to apply for a 2025 North Carolina Division of Emergency Management (NCEM) Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) award. The application, submitted by Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management, seeks $23,000 for water rescue equipment, including a personal watercraft (jet ski) to enhance emergency response capabilities in the region’s 133 square miles of water areas, particularly around the Albemarle Sound.

The application says that the jet ski will provide fast water access and are efficient for quick-grab rescues. It noted that the US Coast Guard base in Elizabeth City’s average response time to an incident is 30-45 minutes. While Pasquotank and Camden counties will host the water craft, it will be available for all counties in the Albemarle Sound. People will be trained to use the equipment properly.

In 2019, the Chowan County Sheriff’s Office received a Regular 23 to be used in rescue efforts in Edenton Bay, Chowan River and the Albemarle Sound. The agency has an Emergency Response Dive Team that provides dive rescue/recovery services to Chowan and surrounding counties. The boat was recently seen in Edenton harbor by Albemarle Observer staff.

EPD and EFD Stats

The July 2025 statistics for Edenton Police and Fire Departments were also included in the agenda.

According to the Edenton Police Department report, for July 2025 the agency:

• Received 64 warrants/subpoenas
• Served 73 warrants/supoenas
• Issued 3 town tickets
• Received $50 in ticket revenue
• Issues 132 warning tickets
• Made 13 arrests
• Issued 63 traffic citations
• Assigned 20 cases
• Cleared 25 cases
• Have 17 still open cases

In July 2025, the Edenton Fire Department:

• Responded to 24 calls in town
• Responded to 29 calls in Chowan County
• Of those calls, eight were for commercial buildings
• Of those calls, 10 were for residential buildings
• 4 were structure fires
• 4 were automobile accidents
• 6 were public service calls

Other Town of Edenton departments’ end-of-the-month data are also in the agenda packet, which is included at the end of this article.

Budget Amendments and Financial Matters

The council will review several budget amendments presented by Finance Officer Virginia Smith:

• ARP Funds Reallocation: A proposal to redirect $47,531 from housing rehabilitation to neighborhood parks projects, including $20,208 for accessible parks improvements and $27,323 for recreation facilities.
• Coastal Restoration Grant: Recording a $115,000 NC Department of Environmental Quality Resilient Coastal Communities Program Phase 3 award for Filbert’s Creek restoration.
• Budget Ordinance Correction: Addressing clerical errors in departmental labeling within the Electric Fund and Water/Sewer Fund sections of the FY 2025-26 budget ordinance.
• Internal Controls Policy: Implementation of new ARP/CSLFRF (American Rescue Plan/Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund) internal controls policy.

Annexation Proceedings

The council will address annexation procedures for property at 316 Old Hertford Road, including:

• Review of the Certificate of Sufficiency for the 4-acre WP Trio Properties tract
• Setting September 9, 2025, as the public hearing date for the annexation request

Meeting Access

The meeting will be held in Council Chambers at 504 S. Broad Street, with remote access available via Zoom (Meeting ID: 252 482 2155, Passcode: 458434). Public comments are limited to three minutes per speaker.

The session will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation by Councilman Elton Bond Jr., followed by approval of minutes from the July 8 regular meeting and July 28 special meeting.