Columbus County Commissioners will have a full agenda when they meet Tuesday starting at 2:30 p.m.
Among the items being considered are a request to place 911 under the sheriff’s office, provide 15 new vehicles to the sheriff’s office, and reimbursement for destruction of beaver dams in Soules Swamp that could have led to major flooding in downtown Whiteville.
The meeting was initially shifted over to Tuesday due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but the pending winter storm meant the board decided to meet earlier than the usual 6:30 p.m. session. The board will also meet in a closed session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss economic development and legal matters.
The request by the sheriff’s office to take over 911 comes as the department has seen several personnel changes in recent weeks. David Ransom was demoted from county Emergency Management Director and put in charge of Communications and 911. Kay Stephens, the head of county Human Resources, is currently serving as interim EM director. Stephens previously led the EM department for the county.
In a memorandum to the commissioners, Sheriff W.A. “Bill” Rogers said that several area fire chiefs approached the sheriff’s office “about their concerns with the way the 911 is currently operated and the structure.” The fire chiefs, whose names were not included in the agenda packet released to the media, Rogers said, requested the sheriff’s office take over day to day operations of the 911 center. Robeson, Pender and other area counties have adopted similar plans.
Former Sheriff Jody Greene, who Rogers was appointed to replace, endorsed placing 911 under the sheriff’s office.
“As Sheriff of Columbus County,” Rogers said in a memo to the board, “I am willing to take on this responsibility as an extension of my duties to further protect and serve the citizens of Columbus County.” Representatives from fire departments, law enforcement agencies and EMS are expected to speak on the proposal at the meeting.
Rogers is also requesting the county purchase or lease 15 new vehicles. Leases on a number of the CCSO’s 43 vehicles expire this year, and Chief Deputy Jerome McMillian noted that the county has spent $160,000 on maintenance and repairs so far this budget year.
“We have two cars in Fayetteville that the bill is going to be around $10,000, and our budget can’t stand much more!” McMillian said in his request.
Currently the sheriff’s office has a lease budget of $650,000. When the current 43 vehicles come off, ten will still be under contract, reducing the county’s lease payment to $180,000 per year.
“We are looking for your guidance to figure out how to accomplish this,” McMillian wrote. “Again, I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that right now, we are throwing money down a hole with no way of getting any return. These vehicles are worn out and we need to fix the problem. I do realize that lease isn’t the way to go, so any guidance on your behalf would be greatly appreciated.”
The board will also discuss a development agreement with the Columbus Jobs Foundation on a 38-acre parcel of the county’s Southeast Industrial Park; transferring the county-owned portion of the Chadbourn park to the town; and reimbursing Greg Hewett $400 for beaver dam destruction.
Hewett and volunteers hired an explosives expert to open a large beaver dam on the edge of the city limits in Soules Swamp. The dams were destroyed just days before Hurricane Debby came across the area in August. Opening the dams dropped the water levels downtown by more than seven feet, reducing flooding in the downtown area.
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