By Miles Layton

SWAN QUARTER — Hyde County commissioners opened Thursday’s meeting with a discussion about emerging aircraft technology and its potential to transform emergency response in the county.

During a video presentation from representatives of Pivotal, the company behind the aircraft, commissioners heard about the technology’s potential for point-to-point transportation.

“It is the first aircraft in this category that’s available to customers to buy, and that’s kind of a big deal,” a Pivotal representative said in the video. “We had the first steam-powered cars. We were kind of like the first people who bought those and changed the world quite a bit. The idea of point-to-point transportation that’s available to just regular people, that’s a game changer.”

Hyde County would be the first public-safety use case for an aircraft like this.

EMS Chief Brook Cox later outlined how the county plans to evaluate the aircraft through a short-term pilot program.

“So exciting times are ahead for Hyde County,” Cox said. “We wanted to be on the forefront. What we’ve done is we’re going to look at what we call a proof of concept. It’s a sixty-day proof of concept. It’s going to go from March fifteenth to May fifteenth, and this is going to help us determine if this tool provides any real operational benefit for Hyde County EMS and the sheriff’s office.”

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Cox said the trial would focus on improving response times in a geographically challenging county.

“Hyde County faces long distances, limited access points, and unavoidable response delays,” Cox said. “This proof of concept is intended to answer one question only: Will this asset help our response delays and save lives?”

Cox emphasized that no long-term commitment was being made.

“It’s a short-term, controlled evaluation, no long-term commitment, no increase in the budget, and no decision is being made at this stage,” Cox said.

According to Cox, the aircraft would be used only in limited circumstances.

“It is limited to high acuity incidents only,” Cox said. “It’s used selectively when it offers a clear time advantage. It’s designed to support, not to replace, existing EMS resources.”

Cox added that the program could also benefit other agencies.

“It’s inter-agency,” Cox said. “We can use it in storms. Rather than deploying people, we can put these assets over there. It’s safety-wise. It’s also a deployable asset, so other agencies could use that.”

Cox said trained paramedic pilots would operate the aircraft.

“These pilots have been pre-trained,” Cox said. “They’ve been combat paramedics in various critical incidents. It’s a very different mindset and different skill sets.”

Following the presentation, commissioners heard the county’s annual audit report from Tim Zhang of Thompson Price.

“February twelve is your audit deadline, and our audit was submitted last week,” Zhang said. “Happy to report that was on time. So two years in a row, on-time audit. Congratulations to the county. This has been a team effort.”

Zhang said Hyde County received only one Medicaid-related finding.

“You do see one Medicaid finding from DSS this year,” Zhang said. “Pretty much all counties in this state will receive some sort of Medicaid finding. Medicaid is a very complicated system.”

Zhang stressed that the finding was not a major concern.

“I don’t see it as a bad finding,” Zhang said.

Zhang also discussed the county’s water and sewer infrastructure.

“The only identified FPSC this year will be the same thing from last year, that your water and sewer capital asset condition ratio being less than fifty percent,” Zhang said. “You roughly have twenty million dollars worth of fixed asset, and accumulated depreciation is roughly ten million dollars.”

He said this could indicate future replacement needs.

“If the condition ratio is less than fifty percent, you may have a concern to replace some of those,” Zhang said. “The keyword is may.”

Overall, Zhang reported strong financial health.

“For this year, you only have one Medicaid finding and zero financial findings,” Zhang said. “Your fund balance for the general fund amounted to eight point five million dollars. That’s an increase of one point two million dollars from last year.”

He said Hyde County remained well above state thresholds.

“The all assigned fund balance as a percentage of general fund expenditure is twenty-one percent,” Zhang said. “The threshold is eight percent. We’re currently safe.”

Zhang also highlighted declining federal funding.

“In twenty twenty-two, intergovernmental revenues were three point two million dollars,” Zhang said. “This year, that was two point two million. Pandemic resources are over. CARES Act is over. ARPA money is over.”

He warned that federal funding may continue to decline.

“With the new administration in the federal government, we will continue to see federal appropriation decreasing,” Zhang said.

Zhang summarized his findings by praising county staff.

“There’s no financial finding, and the audit was on time for the second time in a row,” Zhang said. “Your fund balance and cash are still increasing. The county is in great shape.”

Next, commissioners reviewed the January tax collection report.

“Collections for January are down six hundred and forty-nine thousand for the current year,” Ryan Bishop said. “We are up thirteen hundred dollars for delinquent collections compared to last year.”

Bishop reported that the overall collection rate stood at 87.77 percent.

“We currently have around one point four million of twenty twenty-five levies still unpaid,” Bishop said. “Solid waste collections are at seventy-one percent.”

He said delinquent notices would soon be issued.

“We’re hoping to shoot for newspaper advertisements for delinquent taxes for April first,” Bishop said.

County Manager Kris Noble then introduced new leadership in the Department of Social Services.

“We’re very excited to have our new DSS leadership here,” Noble said. “We’ve all been struggling for a year or better now, and we finally have some resolution.”

Noble asked the board to approve a resolution creating a Consolidated Human Services Agency.

“This is the final resolution that we will need to move forward,” Noble said. “Now you all will be the governing board.”

She also recommended establishing a DSS advisory board.

“We wanted to keep those folks that we had on our original DSS board because of their breadth of knowledge and experience,” Noble said.

The board approved the measure.

Later in the meeting, Noble presented a proposed minor subdivision known as Scranton Lots.

“We’ve worked with the subdivider pretty intensively to get this to a place where we’re ready to be approved,” Noble said.

She outlined environmental challenges at the site.

“Some of these lots were marginal, with wetlands dispersed across the property,” Noble said. “The water table is less than twelve inches below the soil surface.”

The health department recommended grading, ditching, and specific septic system placement.

“The homes and the systems will need to be closer to the front of the lots,” Noble said.

Noble explained that the developer was requesting a variance.

“The subdivider has requested a variance due to severe topographical and other conditions,” Noble said.

Commissioners questioned how the variance would affect buyers.

“He would still have to make sure that land meets all qualifications individually?” one commissioner asked.

“That’s right,” Noble said. “It just gives the subdivider permission to go ahead and subdivide it.”

She said buyers would be warned.

“Plans for individual sewage disposal systems have not been approved for all lots,” Noble said, citing language on the plat.

After discussion, commissioners approved the subdivision.

Near the end of the meeting, Chairman Randal Matthews addressed ongoing concerns about taxes and county funding.

“Most counties derive their funding for services that the state requires by law from tax collection,” Matthews said. “We don’t have another source.”

He criticized political promises of tax relief.

“It sounds really good,” Matthews said. “In practical terms, it’s a non-starter.”

Matthews said mandatory services limit budget flexibility.

“EMS, solid waste disposal, school funding, law enforcement — we have to have those things,” Matthews said. “We don’t have options.”

He noted that 61 percent of the county’s budget goes to public safety.

“Services are not going to get cheaper,” Matthews said.

He said commissioners face difficult choices.

“We’re asking employees to do a little bit more, sometimes a job and a half,” Matthews said. “Which services would we cut? I can’t think of any.”

Matthews concluded by emphasizing fiscal responsibility.

“That is our fiduciary duty as commissioners,” Matthews said.

With no further business, the board prepared to move on to the county manager’s report, concluding a meeting that covered aviation innovation, strong financial performance, tax collections, social services leadership, and land development in Hyde County.