EDENTON — Alton Lane is expected to take the oath of office Monday as the newest member of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners, pending a vote by the board to appoint him to fill the seat vacated by Chris Evans.
Evans resigned from the board effective Nov. 1. Under North Carolina General Statute 153A-27, the board received a nomination from the Republican Party Executive Committee that Lane be appointed to serve the remainder of Evans’ term. If commissioners vote to approve the appointment, the clerk will administer the oath to Lane.
The board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Chowan County Public Safety Center, 305 West Freemason Street, to consider the appointment. The special meeting will adjourn before the board’s regular meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the same location.
Once the regular meeting is underway, Commissioners will also revisit the schedule of values for the 2026 property tax reappraisal. Representatives of Vicent Valuations presented the proposed schedule to the board on Sept. 15, 2025, and commissioners adopted it on Oct. 20, 2025. Two pieces of state legislation, SB 474 and SB 889, then placed all counties scheduled for a 2026 revaluation under a one-year moratorium on using the new values and schedule. That moratorium is set to expire, and Chowan County will be able to use the schedule effective Jan. 1, 2027.
The board is expected to set a public hearing on the proposed schedules, standards and rules for its Dec. 7 meeting. The schedule has not changed since it was adopted before the moratorium, and it is posted at the Tax Administrator’s Office and on the Tax Department website. Tax Administrator Chris Hill will be on hand to answer commissioners’ questions.
In other business, commissioners will hear from students at John A. Holmes High School, who will present what they have learned about the importance of tobacco-free policies. The board will then review a resolution from Edenton-Chowan Schools supporting tobacco-free county properties and public spaces.
Wow, how times have changed when it comes to smoking in schools in a state known for growing tobacco. Back in the day, students may have worried about getting caught smoking but smoked anyway in the bathrooms, certainly smoked outside; not anymore.
During an English class I had at ECU, the professor smoked during the lecture — don’t see that anymore.
And I remember, as an elected member of ECU Student Government, pushing a resolution to prohibit smoking in classroom buildings — the bill failed in committee at the time, but the idea never died. Years later, campus policy prohibits smoking in all campus buildings.
Of course, kids these days are all about the vaping — nothing good can come from that.
In other business, the Sheriff’s Office is asking the board to renew its contract with Axon. The office is in a five-year contract that expires at the end of the fiscal year, and Sheriff’s Office officials would like to negotiate a new 10-year agreement. Chief Deputy John McArthur will brief commissioners on the proposed terms.
Commissioners will also consider a petition to the N.C. Department of Transportation to add Mill Creek Road, a private road designated 0324, to the state’s secondary road system. The request comes from the road’s owner, Waldo Winslow. A copy of the petition and resolution is included in the agenda packet.
In other news, Bobbie Lowe, northern regional vice president of Trillium Health Resources, will give the board the organization’s annual update. If you ever saw the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, then this scene with Ben Stein comes to mind — anyone, anyone, anyone.
Finally, the board will consider an amendment to the county personnel policy. Effective Oct. 1, a change to the State Human Resources Act lengthened the probationary period for employees under the N.C. Office of State Human Resources from nine months to one year. The county’s Department of Social Services falls under those regulations. Staff is asking the board to add language to the county policy stating that departments under the office shall follow the probationary period set out in the State Human Resources Act.
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