Highlights from the March 2025 Dare County Board of Commissioners Meeting
The following is a summary of the March 3 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting and does not include all items that were discussed. To view the full video of the meeting on Dare County’s YouTube channel, click here. Official minutes for the meeting are posted once approved by the board, typically at the board’s next meeting that is usually held on the first Monday of the following month. To access minutes for meetings dating back to 2017, click here.
Dare County Assessor Hosea Wilson delivered a presentation on the results of the 2025 countywide property revaluation that became effective on January 1, 2025. Revaluation is the process of updating property values for all real estate in Dare County—including residential and commercial improved properties, as well as vacant land—to reflect their current market value, which is the most probable price a particular property would bring at sale in an open and competitive market.
During his presentation of the 2025 revaluation results, Wilson reported that the overall value of Dare County’s property tax base has increased by 67% to a total of $27.4 billion.
It is important to note that the 67% overall increase in the value of Dare County’s property tax base is not a property tax increase, as the appraised value and tax rate are two separate components. The tax rate for the unincorporated areas of Dare County is determined by the Dare County Board of Commissioners during the budget process that is currently underway. The appraised value is established before the tax rate is set and is completely independent of the tax rate, which is established no later than June 30 of each year when the commissioners adopt the next year’s operating budget in an open meeting with an opportunity for public comment.
Tax rates for the six incorporated towns within Dare County—Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo—are determined by each town’s respective governing body. Once the new assessed values are finalized, they will be used to calculate Dare County tax bills from 2025 until the new revaluation occurs, which is currently scheduled for 2030.
To view the video of the 2025 revaluation presentation from the meeting, please visit Dare County’s YouTube page at YouTube.com/DareCounty or click the button below. To view the slideshow presentation that was delivered by Wilson during the meeting, click here.
Dare County Manager Bobby Outten reported that engineers working on behalf of the county have determined that at least 50 percent of the Buxton terminal groin on Hatteras Island remains intact, including portions currently covered by sand, which means the structure meets the threshold required for a permit to be issued for repairs.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the county manager to move forward with hiring Coastal Science and Engineering to begin work securing the required permits from CAMA (State of North Carolina) as well as the National Park Service.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners approved a proposal and contract with McGill Associates—the firm tasked with developing and implementing plans to improve Dare County Parks and Recreation facilities throughout the county—for the second phase of the recently completed Dare County Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Plan.
Utilizing the information collected during Phase 1, Phase 2 will focus on developing recommendations for Dare County Parks and Recreation field and facility improvements, and it will also include exploring various funding options, including the potential for the county to apply for and receive grants to support these projects.
Dare County Department of Health & Human Services Social Services Director Chuck Lycett presented recent legislative changes affecting child fatality review teams in North Carolina. As the state transitions from separate Community Child Protection Teams and Child Fatality Prevention Teams to Local Fatality Teams, he outlined Dare County’s options and requested that the Dare County Board of Commissioners decide whether to operate a single-county team or join a regional partnership, effective July 1, 2025.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners approved the transition to a single-county Local Fatality Team, ensuring child fatality reviews and prevention efforts remain focused on Dare County’s specific needs. The board also appointed Dare County EMS Captain Stephen Burritt and Beth Storie to serve on the team. Local Fatality Teams review specific child deaths, identify systemic deficiencies and recommend policies to reduce preventable fatalities.
To view the presentation that was delivered by Lycett during the meeting, please click here.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners adopted the following resolutions to highlight and address various issues of concern in Dare County.
- Resolution Honoring Wilbur Wright on His Birth Date and the Vital Cultural and Economic Contributions of the Wright Brothers to the Enduring “First in Flight” Legacy of Dare County and North Carolina
- Resolutions Approving Financing Terms: $2,216,438 for 36 Months at 3.9459% for General Equipment, $1,453,541 for 59 Months at 3.9632% for Public Works Equipment
These newly adopted resolutions will be published on the Dare County website once they have been signed. To access all published Dare County Board of Commissioners resolutions, click here.
Pea Island Presentation Society Inc. (PIPSI) Director Joan Collins presented a special viewing of “A Checkered Past: The Story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers,” a video that includes interviews of descendants of the Pea Island Lifesavers. The primary mission of PIPSI is to promote awareness of the story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the men who served at the historic U.S. Life-Saving Service (and later U.S. Coast Guard) station at Pea Island.
Commanded by Richard Etheridge, who grew up enslaved on Roanoke Island, the Pea Island Life-Saving Station was the only in U.S. Life-Saving Service history with an all-Black crew. Collins, whose father Herbert M. Collins served at Pea Island for the duration of World War II, co-produced the short video.
To learn more about the Pea Island Presentation Society Inc., please click here.
After a discussion about potential uses for the former Dare County Youth Center on Roanoke Island, the Dare County Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with minor renovations to the facility and to allow Coats for Kids, a program dedicated to providing warm coats to children in need, to operate within the space. With the recent completion and opening of Dare County’s brand-new Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island, the former youth center facility is now vacant, requiring only minor improvements to be repurposed for community use.
Coats for Kids currently stores its donated coats in a section of a neighboring warehouse that is not accessible to the public. By relocating their operations to the former youth center building, which is located at 711 U.S. Highway 64/264 in Manteo, Coats for Kids will be able to operate from a safe and welcoming space where local parents and caregivers can come inside and select coats for Dare County children in need.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners welcomes citizen participation on advisory boards and committees. This type of grassroots public involvement is the foundation of democracy and a vital part of maintaining Dare County as a quality place to live. Following is a list of Dare County advisory boards and committees with terms expiring during the next three months:
April 2025
- Manns Harbor Marina Commission
May 2025
- Juvenile Crime Prevention Council
- Dare County Veterans Advisory Council
- Zoning Board of Adjustment – Dare County
June 2025
- College of The Albemarle Board of Trustees
- Hatteras Community Center Board
- Juvenile Crime Prevention Council
- Land Transfer Tax Appeals Board
- Dare County Library Board
- Manns Harbor Community Center Board
- Roanoke Island Community Center Board
- Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center Board
- Dare County Waterways Commission
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, and once an application is submitted to the Clerk to the Dare County Board of Commissioners, it will remain on file for three years. For a full listing of current vacancies, and to access the online application, please click here. For more information, please contact Clerk to the Dare County Board of Commissioners Skyler Foley at Skyler.Foley@DareNC.gov or 252-475-5700.
