Greene County Commissioners meeting: Community events, infrastructure, and broadband clarification
On Monday, May 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM, the Greene County Board of Commissioners convened at the Greene County Operations Center in Snow Hill, North Carolina, to address community initiatives, infrastructure projects, and a public correction regarding broadband services. The meeting included discussions on a new festival, proclamations for seniors and treatment courts, a waterline relocation, emergency management funding, opioid settlement fund allocations, and a heated exchange over broadband misinformation.
Ram Fest: Launching a Countywide Event
The board highlighted the inaugural Ram Fest, scheduled for Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Greene County Recreation Complex. This free event will feature over 35 vendors, food trucks, a truck and tractor show, more than 13 inflatables for children, live performances, a rabbit show at the Elaney Wood Heritage Farmers Market, and a Public Safety Wiffle Ball Tournament from 10:15 AM to 4:00 PM, concluding with a championship game.
An Elder Abuse Awareness Walk will open the event at 10:00 AM. Chairman Bennie Heath emphasized its significance, stating, “This coming Saturday is a pretty big day in Greene County, as far as the Ram fest. We’ve had county-wide events before, but it’s been a little while. It’d be very nice to have a good opportunity out there for some of our children to have a little plaything to play on and vendors out there.”
He added, “We’ll have some folks that are going to enjoy the opportunity, I’m sure, to execute their skills at wiffle ball. So we’ve got wiffle ball starting about 10:15 in the morning and it will go on to about four o’clock with the championship game.”
According to the documents provided in the agenda packet, a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued in summer 2025 to transition future festivals to a nonprofit.
Older Americans Month Proclamation
The board approved a proclamation designating May 2025 as Older Americans Month, themed “Flip the Script on Aging.” Chairman Heath read the proclamation, stating, “Be it known that whereas Older Americans Month is observed nationally as a time to recognize the contributions of older Americans, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm our commitment to serving older adults, and whereas the 2025 theme for Older Americans Month is “Flip the Script on Aging” focuses on transforming how society perceives, talks about and approaches agin. Greene County’s growing population of older adults enriches our community with their strength, wisdom, and diverse life experiences.” The proclamation passed unanimously with full board support.
Consent Agenda: Tensions Over Excluded Comments
Tensions over the accuracy of meeting minutes were evident from the meeting’s start. When commissioners arrived, they found a revised copy of the prior meeting minutes on their desks, but Commissioner Derek Burress’ comment was excluded. Earlier during the weekend, Burress had sent an email to the Deputy Clerk of the Board, noting that his comments from the previous meeting were not included in the minutes.
The consent agenda, which included these minutes and other routine items, passed 4-1, with Burress voting against it.
Chairman Heath inquired, “Okay. Do you have a reason? I’m just curious.” Burress responded, “I sent out an email earlier this weekend to the appropriate individuals, and I would like to leave my reasons for that.”
US 13 Waterline Relocation: Infrastructure Project
Rich Moore from McDavid Associates presented a resolution adopting a Capital Project Budget Ordinance for relocating an 8-inch waterline along US 13, necessitated by the NC Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) project to widen the road from the Highway 70 bypass in Wayne County to Rodell Barrow Road in Greene County.
The $30,974.50 budget, fully funded by NCDOT through a Utility Preliminary Engineering Agreement, includes $29,074.50 for planning and design, $400 for permit fees, and $1,500 for advertisement costs.
Moore explained, “This is on the US-13, the Department of Transportation is widening 13 from the highway 70 bypass in Wayne County all the way into Greene County. There is a portion of the construction that’s going to impact the existing eight-inch water line. About 2400, 2700 feet of eight-inch water line, and the Department of Transportation has asked that it be relocated, and certainly they will cover those costs.”
He detailed the two-step process: “The first thing they do is that they allocate funds through a utility preliminary engineering agreement, where they approve the funds to do the design and bidding of the construction. Once we receive prices on the construction, they will approve a utility relocation agreement. So what I’ve got for your consideration today is to establish a capital project budget ordinance.”
Moore confirmed the waterline affects three water services and noted, “Final plans and specifications have been prepared and approved by NCDOT. Construction bids have been advertised with a receipt of bids date of May 15, 2025. We’ll probably come back at your June meeting, and hopefully amend the budget to add the construction funds.”
Commissioner Jerry Jones asked, “Is that coming down the north side or the south side of 13?” Moore replied, “The water line is going to come down the south side, and there’s an existing fire hydrant that’s on the north side, and that’s what we’re gonna tie into, It’s all eight inches and so there a little bit of six from where we got that fire hydrant. It’s gonna be relocated.” The resolution passed unanimously with full board support.
National Treatment Court Month Proclamation
The board approved a proclamation declaring May 2025 as National Treatment Court Month. County Manager Kyle DeHaven presented the item, stating, “The first being a proclamation declaring the month of May, National Treatment Court month, it is attached, I can read it for you, or just take a simple approval, if that be the wish of the board.”
The proclamation recognizes treatment courts’ role in addressing substance use and mental health disorders, saving over $6,000 per individual and referring 150,000 people annually to treatment, fostering public safety and health partnerships. The proclamation passed unanimously with full board support.
Emergency Management Drone Program: New Equipment
The board approved a budget amendment for the Greene County Drone Program, funded by a $7,500 Duke Energy Foundation grant and $1,200 from the county’s fund balance to cover the $8,700 cost of a drone. DeHaven explained, “The Emergency Management Department was awarded a grant from Duke Energy in the amount of $7,500 for our drone program. A drone was found and selected at a cost of $8,700. We’re going to offset that $8,700 expense with $7,500 from the grant and $1,200 from the fund.”
The drone, managed by Emergency Management Director Brock Kearney, will provide aerial data for emergencies like fires, floods, or structural assessments. DeHaven noted, “It’s going to be used for things. If there’s a fire, they can look down on the house. If there’s a flood, they can look and see water elevation, damage, stuff of that nature.”
Commissioner Jerry Jones asked, “Question, yeah, where the heat sensors are, where they could pick up a child that’s lost or somebody run away from the law or whatever?” DeHaven responded, “I don’t know those details, but I’m sure Brock would be glad to answer that. That would be a big help to you. Sometimes I feel sure.” The amendment passed unanimously with full board support.
Opioid Settlement Funds: Partnership with Lenoir County
The board approved a $96,022 allocation from Greene County’s $1,488,873 share of opioid settlement funds (part of an estimated $8,784,873 combined with Lenoir County through 2038) to support a Community Recovery Division. DeHaven detailed, “Director Joy Brock gave me a nice presentation last week on the opioid settlement funds use. This is just a resolution that identifies the areas where the money will be spent. The budget amendment is very simple because we are working with Lenoir County. It’s a simple appropriation of funds from the opioid funds, and the expenditure is a straight shot to them, since they’re the ones that will work the different account codes and line items for the various programs.”
From May 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, the funds, sourced entirely from opioid settlement proceeds, will support: $40,655 for a director for collaborative strategic planning; $38,333 for a clinical social worker for evidence-based addiction treatment; $14,892 for recovery support services, including equipment and partnerships for housing, food, and re-entry programs; and $2,142 for early intervention through education.
DeHaven noted, “Lenoir County, they want to do the administrative part of utilizing the funding.” The resolution and amendment were passed unanimously with full board support.
Commissioner Comments: Addressing Broadband Misinformation
During the commissioner's comments, Chairman Bennie Heath addressed inaccuracies in an electronic media article written by Commissioner Derek Burress about Greene County’s relationship with InfinityLink Communications, a local broadband provider. Heath expressed frustration, stating, “Recently, there was a document on electronic media that talked about the CAB grant community access to broadband grant. And I’m very disappointed in the content of that media. Content said that the county had a problem, that we had a bad relationship with InfinityLink, which I totally and absolutely disagree with.”
He clarified that past litigation with InfinityLink was resolved, noting, “We did have litigation with InfinityLink that’s in the past. We have supported InfintyLink in a grant application process for a GREAT grant to provide broadband services to additional citizens in our county. Twice we supported that since then, twice, InfinityLink was successful in the grant application, and twice we have provided a match for the grant for our citizens, some of our citizens, because, you know, how it is. It’s by geographic locations, by the grant.”
Heath emphasized that the state, not the county, selects Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) grant recipients, adding, “It was stated in the document that the county bypassed InfinityLnk on allowing them to be the provider for the CAB grant program, which was a mistake. We didn’t even make the selection as to who the provider would be. The state made that selection. InfinityLink did not apply for the CAB grant. They could not have been selected.”
He concluded, “I wanted to dispel any thoughts about the county having any problems with a local business, specifically InfinityLink. We don’t harbor any ill will. We’ve moved professionally into the future. Infinity Link has as well, and there’s not a rift between the county and Infinity.”
Burress responded, defending his article and prior discussions: “I encourage you to read it again. Read it again, because a lot of what you are saying is in the article.” Heath responded, “I have read it. You said that we had a problem with the InfinityLink, and that’s not true.”
Burress resounded, “We discussed this twice already, and we disagree. We discussed it in Farmville the other day, and we also discussed it at the Walstonburg American Legion building while we were having lunch. But for some reason, you felt the need to bring it up a third time,”
Heath countered, “We haven’t talked about it in a public forum. You sent that out in a public forum for the people. They read what you wrote, and it was inaccurate, and that’s all I got to say about it.”
Before the discussion could get further out of hand, a motion to adjourn was quickly made and seconded. Without delay, Heath called for a vote. “All in favor of the motion to adjourn, signify by saying aye.” A chorus of ayes followed. “The ayes have it. The motion is carried,” he declared—then, with an uncharacteristic bang of the gavel, abruptly ended the meeting.
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