On Jan. 21, 2020, the Dare County Board of Commissioners made a series of financial moves, directed the county manager to sign an agreement with the UNC Chapel Hill School of Government about essential housing and heard from four public speakers.

Earlier, the commissioners enlarged the square footage of the first College of The Albemarle building to 36,500 square feet. At this meeting, the commissioners approved a contract amendment with the project’s architects, moving the fee to $937,969.

A capital project ordinance was approved to reflect the additional fee as well as $45,000 in construction testing and $39,500 in owner costs.

In another financial action, David Clawson, the county’s finance director, provided information on the Series 2020 Limited Obligation Bonds, which include the following projects: the college building, the county’s Health and Human Services Department consolidation of Manteo buildings, the new animal shelter and a Buxton property purchase. The bond series will also include refunding existing debt for land and building purchased on N. Hwy. 64/264, Manteo and EMS equipment.

The refunding move saves the county $1 million in interest payments.

The board also approved a service agreement with the Development Finance Initiative at the UNC School of Government in Chapel Hill. The agency with provide “pre-development and opportunity site identification, and site specific pre-development and solicitation of private development partners on selected opportunity sites for essential housing.”

In regard to essential housing, George Carver with the Dare County Minority Coalition spoke during public comment. He briefed the commissioners on the coalition’s effort to find property and developers for essential housing. The coalition has identified three parcels, two of which do not meet standards.

Carver proposed a Memorandum of Understanding between the coalition and Dare County. He handed up a three page draft of such a document.

The Dare County Minority Coalition meets at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. at the Dare County Arts Council on Queen Elizabeth St. in Manteo. The agenda includes appointing an accessible housing board and approving partnerships with East Point Home LLC and Halcon Development LLC, among other items.

Also during public comment, Rob Rollason, from Kill Devil Hills and a Republican candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives, presented a Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolution.

The resolution as presented reads:

“NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Dare County Board of Commissioners That the Dare County Board of Commissioners intends to uphold the Second Amendment of the citizens of Dare County and that public funds, resources, employees, buildings, offices, or other property not be used to restrict Second Amendment rights or to aid or assist in the enforcement of the unnecessary and unconstitutional restriction of the rights under the Second Amendment of the Citizens of Dare County to keep and bear arms; and

“That the Board of Commissioners hereby declares Dare County, North Carolina, as a Second Amendment Sanctuary.”

In making the request for consideration, Rollason said “there’s a concerted effort to weaken Second Amendment rights . . . I think what we have is more a people problem than a gun problem. Criminal misuse of firearms should not erode the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

Some 20 North Carolina counties have passed Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions. According to Gun Rights Watch, as of Jan. 20, the following counties have passed some form of the resolution: Beaufort, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Ashe, Davidson, Rowan, Lincoln, Cleveland, Rutherford, McDowell, Cherokee, Clay, Union, Wayne, Stanly, Currituck, Cabarrus and Catawba. Pitt County has also taken action, but was not shown on the Gun Rights Watch site.

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