By Miles Layton

COLUMBIA — Tyrrell County commissioners on Tuesday heard a proposal to sell the closed Tyrrell House assisted living facility to a nonprofit, then recessed without acting, saying they want written answers on lost property tax revenue and the strain on emergency services.

The board closed the public hearing on the proposed tax-exempt bond financing by unanimous vote and will recess to Monday, Nov. 23, the Monday before Thanksgiving. Commissioners said they expect to take up the issue then, along with a separate matter involving the sheriff’s office that must be settled before the board’s regular December meeting.

As we all know, Tyrrell House closed in September — its future remains uncertain.

Sandra Korzeniewski, chief development officer for AOG Senior, which operated the facility, spoke for the Piedmont Affordable Senior Housing Foundation. The foundation’s leader, Dr. Lindsey Dutch, was absent because of a medical issue, Korzeniewski said.

She said the plan would sell the building to the foundation, which could issue federally tax-exempt bonds at lower interest rates. The county would not be responsible for repaying the bonds, she said, and its role would be limited to holding the hearing and the oversight it already provides through the Department of Social Services and state licensing.

“We want to make sure that we can bring senior housing back,” she said, adding that many residents who left the county when the building closed could return.

Commissioner Nathan Everett questioned her at length about the county’s finances. He said the property is valued at just under $4 million and produced $34,769.99 in county property tax revenue for 2026. A nonprofit owner would likely pay none of that, he said. He put the loss at about 63 percent of one penny on the tax rate.

“We have a serious budget issue, and this is going to be a big hole in our budget,” Everett said.

He also cited the cost of calls to the facility. Ambulances, the fire department and the sheriff’s office were all called there frequently, he said, and county employees would again be pulled in to help move residents if a hurricane forced an evacuation. The county’s emergency manager raised that concern first when evacuations were ordered, Everett said.

Korzeniewski said she did not speak for the foundation but would take every concern back to it. She said any operator must have an emergency plan signed off by the county’s emergency management office. She said she handled evacuations during the 2021 hurricane and that AOG Senior has a transportation contract she would ask the foundation to match.

Everett reminded her that the board sold the property to its current owners at what he called a very good price, and took criticism for it.

“We did what we did because we had a room full of people who were telling us we need to have that assisted living,” he said. “And now we’re being asked to cut another finger off.”

Korzeniewski said she did not think the board made a bad decision. She said circumstances changed, including stagnant Medicaid and State-County Special Assistance rates and rising interest rates. Everett pointed out that she doesn’t vote or pay taxes in Tyrrell County. She asked if she needed to buy property. “Yes, ma’am,” Everett said.

Everett warned that if the board gives up the tax revenue, residents should understand the consequences when commissioners later propose a tax increase.

“They need to understand that we had to sacrifice to do that,” he said, referring to a possible two-cent increase next year. He said he was not opposed to the project. “I’m not saying that I’m against this,” he said. “I’m saying that’s an issue that we’ve got to cover.”

Chairman Jordan Davis said he agreed with much of Everett’s reasoning and asked whether the lack of employees that led to the closing would be fixed. Korzeniewski said a nonprofit could pay more. She put the likely wage for medication aides at about $18 an hour, up from about $12.50. She said the nonprofit could also train new hires at AOG Senior facilities ahead of a reopening.

Everett noted that a similar training effort took place through a community college when the facility first opened. Korzeniewski said the facility could employ up to 60 people. About 35 worked there when it closed, she said, with a census a little under 40 percent of capacity.

Davis raised false fire alarms, which he said can lead responders to dismiss a real emergency. Korzeniewski said AOG Senior assigned her to handle safety after a recent call. She said a nonprofit owner would be required to keep a trained maintenance technician on site rather than relying on a regional employee.

She said staff are in the building around the clock and the utilities are on. Income limits, she said, leave many seniors in a gap. A person can earn no more than $1,497 a month to qualify for assisted living, or $1,862 for memory care.

One member of the public spoke at the hearing. Melba Lily of Columbia said she wanted a place for loved ones nearby but that the nonprofit would have to help carry the tax burden. She said any commitment should be “in writing.” She also questioned how quickly residents could be moved in a storm when, she said, decisions are sometimes made three counties away.

Davis agreed with the call for written assurances. Korzeniewski said she was already working on the request and would return to the board before the 23rd.

Public comment

Earlier in the meeting, Barbara Spencer asked the board to help with trash collection on Railroad Street. Sewer line work near the elementary school has left one lane open for residents, emergency vehicles and traffic, and collection trucks have not been able to get through for two weeks, she said.

“It’s beginning to smell,” Spencer said. “The trash cans are running over.”

Residents are allowed only one county container, she said, and she pays the trash fee on two residences. Five neighbors are also without service. A town official told her the contractor had said its large truck could not reach the street, Spencer said, but she said the county, not the town, collects the fee.

Everett confirmed that residents pay county tax, which funds trash pickup. Commissioners discussed whether extra containers or a smaller vehicle could solve the problem. Davis asked Spencer to leave her phone number with the clerk.

“We’re gonna make something happen here,” he said.

Katerina Ramos, who works with area wildlife refuges through a non-profit North Carolina Wildlife Federation, invited the public to “Coffee and Conservation” on Nov. 21 from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Black Dirt Coffeehouse. Residents can meet refuge staff, she said. She said she had not expected such a large crowd and ran out of flyers.

Davis closed public comment after no one else came forward.

In other business

The board voted unanimously to support efforts to change the state’s supplemental pension fund for registers of deeds, after Register of Deeds Jean Boger and assistant Eric Routh asked for support of Senate Bill 193. They said the current formula penalizes registers with long service and lower salaries. The bill would replace it with a flat monthly benefit.

The board’s motion asked that the bill be amended if it comes up in the lame-duck session, or that new sponsors be sought in the 2027 long session. Boger said the fund is 144 percent funded.

Commissioners approved several budget amendments, including one to accept transit funding and another for donations and supplies for the senior prom. They also approved vehicle tax refunds and a release for a demolished house.

Janita Jones, the county’s aging services administrator, said 41 people attended the first senior prom on Oct. 17 despite bad weather, and 30 seniors went to the N.C. State Fair on Oct. 22. A planned Savannah trip was canceled for low enrollment.