Board of Commissioners

Town of Swansboro Board of Commissioners November 8, 2021 Regular Meeting In attendance: Mayor John Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Tursi, Commissioner Pat Turner, Commissioner Larry Philpott, Commissioner Harry PJ Pugliese, and Commissioner Laurent Meilleur. It was noted that the Board had returned to remote meetings through the ZOOM platform as allowed by NCGS 166A-19 due to increased COVID19 cases county-wide. Governor Cooper had declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020 and it remained in effect. ********************************** Call to Order/Opening Prayer The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm and roll call taken. Mayor Davis gave the invocation. Public Comment Citizens were offered an opportunity to address the Board regarding items listed on the agenda. No comments were given. Adoption of Agenda Mayor Pro Tem Tursi moved to adopt those Consent Items, amend the agenda to remove discussion on Food Trucks until a later date, remove discussion on the Town Manager and enter closed session under NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel. Commissioner Pugliese seconded the motion, which received a unanimous vote. Consent Items: Meeting Minutes • September 21, 2021, Joint Meeting w/ Historic Preservation Commission • October 25, 2021, Regular Meeting Minutes • September 27, 2021, Regular Meeting Minutes Records Retention Schedule Updates Pursuant to a motion duly made in closed session, the Board returned to open session. Mayor Davis announced that Alissa Fender had been selected as the new Town Clerk/Admin Services Director beginning November 9, 2021, and Paula Webb selected as the next Town Manager. An official contract would be signed in 2 weeks. The vote for both was unanimous. Mayor Pro Tem Tursi shared that he was excited about the choices made and moving forward it was critically important to have a strong manager who understands and honors the type of government in Swansboro and the traditions. Paula is certainly the right person for the job. Page 1 of 2 Commissioner Meilleur shared that he was ecstatic about the promotions, stating that both Paula and Alissa have proven skills, emotional intelligence for the jobs, believed in the towns form of government, and could stand tall against challenges they may face. Commissioner Pugliese shared that he was excited as well for both promotions. The Board made a good choice, because both were huge assets to the town and work really hard. He looked forward to seeing where they take the town and how they work with the board. Commissioner Philpott congratulated both Paula and Alissa. Paula has a tremendous amount of experience and the Board made really good choices on both promotions. Commissioner Turner shared that she had worked with Paula and Alissa for many years and could not be happier and agreed this was one of the best decisions for Swansboro. Public Comments Citizens were offered an opportunity to address the Board regarding items not listed on the agenda. Cynthia LaCorte of Elm Street congratulated those appointed tonight adding that she thought the meeting was to be in-person tonight. The Board needed to fully understand that it worked for the people. She encouraged the Board to return to full in-person meetings, all other jurisdictions have done so. Mayor Davis apologized for the confusion and explained that the Board had agreed to return to in-person meetings on November 22, 2021. Scott Chadwick of Oyster Bay Road shared excitement for Paula and Alissa. Both were extremely capable for performing the positions appointed to. Manager’s Report Manager Webb was appreciative of the Board’s support and looked forward to the challenge ahead. Town Clerk Alissa Fender also thanked the Board and looked forward to her new role with the Town. Board Comments Board members shared that they were looking forward to returning to in-person meetings. Adjournment On a motion by Commissioner Meilleur, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Tursi, the meeting adjourned at 6:10pm. Page 2 of 2  Regular Meeting November 8, 2021 1 1. Please turn cell phones to “off” or “vibrate”. 2. The Board offers the public three opportunities to speak during the meeting: A comment period is offered at the beginning and end of the meeting. Please note that a separate opportunity is provided for those items requiring a public hearing. Public Hearing(s) – There are no public hearings scheduled for this meeting. 3. Under the ZOOM Meeting Platform, individuals wishing to make comments should “raise their hand” from their computer. At the appropriate time, Major Davis will acknowledge those with comments. 2 1  PUBLIC COMMENT Citizen opportunity to address the Board for items listed on the agenda. 3 AGENDA AND CONSENT ITEMS Action Needed: Motion to Adopt the Agenda as prepared (or amended) and approval of the Consent Items 4 2  NEW BUSINESS/NON-CONSENT Food Truck Discussion The Board of Commissioners approved Ordinance 2021-O7 at the July 26, 2021, meeting which permitted food trucks and push carts on properties within the B-1, B- 2, B-3, and M-I zoning districts, however, the eligible properties also had to be within either the Traditional Town Center, Suburban Town Center, or Employment/Light Industrial land use designation as identified on the Future Land Use Map in the 2019 CAMA Land Use Plan. Following the approval, the Board requested that the Planning Board consider a recommendation to exempt the outparcel located at 1411 W. Corbett Ave (parcel #050965) from the requirement that it be in one of the three land use designations. The Commissioners also expressed a desire to do so without amending the Land Use Plan. The property at 1411 W. Corbett Ave is within the B-1 zoning district but is designated as Low-Density Suburban Neighborhood on the Future Land Use Map. Presenter: Jennifer Ansell - Planner 5 NEW BUSINESS/NON-CONSENT Food Truck Discussion (continued) The Planning Board reviewed the request at their October 5, 2021, regular meeting and unanimously recommended denial of the proposal due to its inconsistency with Section 5, Future Land Use, of the 2019 CAMA Land Use Plan. Action Needed: Discuss and provide further guidance. Presenter: Jennifer Ansell - Planner 6 3  NEW BUSINESS/NON-CONSENT Manager Discussion Following the exit of former Manager Chris Seaberg, the Board will review/discuss the hiring process for its next Manager. Please note it may be necessary to enter Closed Session pursuant to the NCGS 143-318.11 (a)(6) depending on the content of discussion. Presenter: Paula Webb – Assistant Manager/Clerk 7 PUBLIC COMMENT Citizen opportunity to address the Board. 8 4  MANAGER’S COMMENTS Paula Webb – Assistant Manager 9 BOARD COMMENTS Mayor John Davis Mayor Pro Tem Frank Tursi Commissioner Pat Turner Commissioner Harry “PJ” Pugliese Commissioner Larry Philpott Commissioner Laurent Meilleur 10 5  CLOSED SESSION Motion to enter break out room for Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) if needed for manager dicussion. 11 ADJOURN 12 6