The Dare County Board of Commissioners has made good on its promise to make it easier and more convenient for Hatteras islanders to speak to them about the issues on their minds.
Beginning Monday, May 2, islanders will be able to go to the Fessenden Center in Buxton and speak directly to the commissioners at their meetings during the public comment period or during public hearings that are often scheduled during the meetings.
The hookup between Buxton and Manteo via Skype has been set up by Dare County’s Information Technology Department, with the effort led by Matt Hester.
The equipment — which cost $5,900 and came from the county’s contingency fund — will be located in the Fessenden Center Activities Room and the meetings will be hosted on the Hatteras Island end by the center’s staff members, who will set it up, welcome the public, and sign up anyone who wants to comment.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” said Dorothy Hester, Dare County’s public information officer, “but the audio and video are both really quite good.”
During tests last week, she said the picture was clear and the audio was strong.
When we speak to the commissioners from Buxton, we will see a screen of them seated at the dais in their meeting room in Manteo. They will see the speaker at the microphone at the Fessenden Center.
The comments that we offer from Buxton will be part of the public record of the meeting and will be shown on the videotape of the meeting that can be seen on the Government Channel — Charter Cable Channel 20 on Hatteras — or on the Dare County website.
Currently, we can listen to a live audio of the meetings through the county website, but cannot see the commissioners. The video is usually not available until a day or so after the meeting.
There is public comment scheduled toward the beginning of every board meeting, and all are invited to show up and speak about whatever is on their minds. You can speak on topics on the board’s agenda — or other issues that are not on the agenda but you want to bring to the commissioners’ attention.
You can expect the commissioners to listen carefully to what you have to say and make note of it, but don’t expect them to take it up and solve your problems on the spot.
Ocracoke has a similar hookup to the Hyde County Board of Commissioners, which meets across the Pamlico Sound in Swan Quarter, a two-plus hour ferry ride from the island.
The Hyde board meets in the evening, and the meeting ends too late to catch the last ferry back to Ocracoke. Anyone who attends in person, including the Ocracoke commissioner, must either spend the night or make the long haul via highway and Hatteras Inlet ferry.
Some years ago, the board began its remote hookup between the commissioners’ meeting room and the Ocracoke School Commons area. On Ocracoke, not only can the public attend the meetings, but the Ocracoke commissioner can also attend the meeting remotely.
According to Dare County manager and attorney Bobby Outten, the General Assembly passed special legislation allowing the Hyde County commissioners to attend and vote from the remote location on Ocracoke.
The Hatteras Island commissioner will still have to go to Manteo — unless the board decides down the road to pursue legislation allowing the Hatteras commissioner to also attend and vote remotely.
According to Connie Leinbach, editor of the Ocracoke Observer, the audience for the commissioners’ meeting at the school varies from just a couple of folks to 25 or 30 when a hot topic, such as the island’s noise ordinance, is being discussed. Ocracokers come both to listen and to comment.
Leinbach said the Ocracoke commissioner — who is currently John Fletcher — sometimes attends at Ocracoke and sometimes travels to Swan Quarter. Also, she said, occasionally a commissioner who represents one of the mainland townships comes to Ocracoke for a meeting.
There’s something to be said for attending meetings in person. I listen to the audio of the board meetings or watch the video regularly, and it’s not quite the same as being in the room. Some small nuances in body language or facial expression don’t come across like they do in person.
However, it’s a long haul to Manteo. For those of us on Hatteras Island, the trip in the summer can easily take up to an hour and a half. And many of us have businesses to run or other obligations. Yes, we would like to be there, but squeezing out three hours plus meeting time is a challenge — at any time of year.
Now we will have the opportunity to participate in our local government with just a short trip to Buxton.
And I really hope that those of us who live on Hatteras will take advantage of this very important opportunity that has been given to us — to be heard.
When the commissioners came to Buxton in early February for a town-hall style meeting at the Fessenden Center, several hundred islanders attended and 28 of them came to the microphone to speak to the commissioners.
The board was impressed with both the packed house and the passion and involvement of Hatteras Island residents. Let’s show our county leaders that we are passionate and involved all year-round.
Dare’s employees in Information Technology and Public Relations have worked diligently to get this hook-up ready for the first of May. And the Fessenden Center staff has gracefully taken on one more duty by hosting the folks who come to the meetings.
Let’s show up at the meetings and let’s make comments when we have something to say. Do not tell yourself that it doesn’t matter what you think because it does. If nothing else, you can be cynical and remind yourself that all of our commissioners are elected by a county-wide vote, so they better care what each and every one of us thinks.
The board usually meets twice a month, though in some months, they meet only once and sometimes, they schedule special meetings, as they did last week on the issue of creating a special tax district to help pay for beach nourishment in Buxton.
Meetings are usually on the first and third Monday of the month. On the first Monday, the meeting begins at 9 a.m. and on the second Monday, the meeting begins at 5 p.m.
Before each meeting — usually late the week before — the agenda and other materials are available to the public.
You can check the scheduled meetings, view the agenda, and listen to the audio of live meetings or view past meetings on the county website, www.darenc.com. Scroll down on the home page and look under Board of Commissioners on the left.
By the way, the commissioners will have a public hearing on its latest proposal for who in Buxton should pay the “sand tax” at its meeting on Monday, May 16. For this hearing, the meeting will actually be in Buxton at the Fessenden Center. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. and the hearing is set for 5:30.
Meanwhile, the meeting on Monday, May 2, begins at 9 a.m., and public comment usually comes shortly after the meeting begins. After comment, you can stay and watch the meeting — or catch it later on video.
So, what’s on your mind?
