EMERALD ISLE — Emerald Isle commissioners caught some heat again Tuesday night, as residents continued last month’s parade to the podium to complain about town actions or inactions on several issues.
The board met for its regular monthly session in its meeting room beside the police department and online via the town’s Facebook page.
On the night that Town Manager Matt Zapp presented his proposed 2023-24 budget to town commissioners, businessman and former Mayor Ronnie Watson led the parade during the public comment section of the agenda, even before the budget presentation, saying he sees “a lot of waste” in the town’s government, including too much spent on salaries for too many employees, and too many vehicles.
Watson urged officials to carefully scrutinize proposed expenditures and make sure they are needed.
Paige Taylor Ward, who like Watson also spoke last month, decried a perceived lack of enforcement of the town’s environmental regulations, stating that the town staff doesn’t enforce the rules in the Unified Development Ordinance.
“We need new leadership,” she said.
Other speakers continued to talk about the town’s decision to remove many of the trash cans from the beach, with one calling it a decision led by “outside activists,” including the Bogue Banks chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a charge the foundation denied in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Although Town Manager Matt Zapp thanked Surfrider for guidance in developing the plan, Jennifer Welborn of the foundation chapter posted on the town’s Facebook page that, “We were not at all behind the removal of trashcans from our beach, nor did we know about it before the town publicly announced the decision. While we are a local chapter of a larger nonprofit organization, all of our chapter members are local.
“We live here, work here, own property here, and pay taxes here. We host beach cleanups on the 2nd Saturday of every month, 9:30 a.m. at Bogue Inlet Pier. Our primary focus is a clean and healthy beach for all to enjoy!”
The town’s new “Pack it in/Pack it out” policy has resulted in removal of beach trash cans from beach accesses and encourages beach-goers to use the cans on the street side of the accesses, which will remain in place, or take trash back to their homes or rental units.
Trash cans remain on the beach in heavily used areas.
Speaker Jeff Ward urged the town officials to support “brick and mortar” businesses as the town has been entertaining the idea of allowing food trucks in more locations and said Emerald Isle “used to be” a family beach.
“We don’t need more food trucks,” he said, but do need to ensure the survival of the brick and mortar business owned and operated by long term locals. Part of the problem, Ward said, is people want instant gratification.
Other speakers continued to push for improvements at the town recreation center, which they feel has been somewhat neglected as money is spent on things they feel aren’t necessary to preserve Emerald Isle as a “small beach town.”
Commissioners, as usual under policy, did not respond to the comments as they were made.
However, during the commissioners’ comments section of the agenda at the end of the meeting, Commissioner and Mayor Pro-Tem Floyd Messer thanked the speakers for their comments. “I thank most of you for being respectful,” he said.
Commissioner Mark Taylor said he and the other board members listened, and that he took notes.
“I love this town and love the people,” he said. “May phone number is on the (town) website.”
Contact Brad Rich at 252-864-1532; email [email protected]; or follow on Twitter @brichccnt.