04-07-2025 Meeting Minutes BOCApril 7, 2025
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PERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS April 7, 2025
MEMBERS PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT
Kyle Puryear Katherine M. Cathey, County Manager
Jason Thomas Michele Solomon, Clerk to the Board
Sherry Wilborn T.C. Morphis, Jr., County Attorney
Antoinetta Royster
Tracy Ellixson-ABSENT
The Board of Commissioners for the County of Person, North Carolina, met in
Regular session on Monday, April 7, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.in the Commissioners’ Boardroom
215 in the Person County Office Building located at 304 S. Morgan Street, Roxboro, NC.
Chairman Puryear called the meeting to order and recognized a quorum was present.
Vice-Chairman Thomas offered an invocation, and Commissioner Royster led the group in
the Pledge of Allegiance.
DISCUSSION/ADJUSTMENT/APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
A motion was made by Commissioner Royster and carried 4-0 to approve the
agenda with the removal of Closed Session #1 and the addition of Timberlake Volunteer
Fire and Rescue to the agenda prior to Item 5A.
TIMBERLAKE VOLUNTEER FIRE AND RESCUE
Timberlake Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief Jason Fletcher expressed thanks to the
Board for having his department here tonight to recognize them for their ISO improvement.
He stated that ISO stands for Insurance Services Office. He stated that the ISO is a fire score
rating that determines how well fire departments can protect their community and homes.
He stated that insurance companies use the score to help set insurance rates. He stated that
the lower the grade, the less insurance you would have to pay. He stated that in January
2025 Timberlake had their inspection, as every five years the State comes in and inspects.
He stated that prior to the inspection they were a 4, now they are a 3, which will be effective
July 1, 2025. He stated that the score rating goes from 1-10, with 1 being the best grade you
could possibly get. He stated that when they do the inspection, they are looking for the
following: big buildings/big occupancies in your district as they do a calculation on how
much water it would take in the event of a fire, emergency communications/emergency
reporting telecommunicators/911 center on how they dispatch calls, the fire department
itself to include staffing, training, equipment, operations, community risk reduction, water
supply and fire hydrants, and the Fire Marshal and Investigators are also looked at to see if
they are up to date on trainings, etcetera.
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Fletcher provided some statistics and stated that there are over 1,500 fire districts in
NC that have been graded and out of those, 189 have a class 3 rating. He stated that he is
very proud of his department, board members, family members, and all mutual aid
departments, as it takes all of them to make it work.
PUBLIC HEARING:
ADDITION OF SMITH TAYLOR TRAIL TO BE ADDED TO THE DATABASE OF
ROADWAY NAMES FOR E-911 DISPATCHING
A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 4-0 to open the duly
advertised public hearing for Addition of Smith Taylor Trail to be added to the database
for E-911 dispatching.
GIS Director Sallie Vaughan stated that there are two new proposed homes down
this private driveway which already services two existing homes. She stated that the
driveway crosses a piece of property, which does not have a home on it, for a total of five
pieces of land. She stated that the GIS Department sent out certified and non-certified mail
to owners of all five pieces of land. She stated that the GIS Department heard back from
two of the five landowners. She stated that the two owners that responded chose Smith
Taylor Trail to be the road name, which is in compliance with Person County’s Road
Naming Ordinance.
There were no individuals appearing before the Board to speak in favor of or in
opposition to the public hearing for Addition of Smith Taylor Trail to be added to the
database for E-911 dispatching.
A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 4-0 to close the public
hearing for Addition of Smith Taylor Trail to be added to the database for E-911
dispatching.
A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 4-0 to approve Smith
Taylor Trail to be added to the database for E-911 dispatching.
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INFORMAL COMMENTS:
The following individuals appeared before the Board to make informal comments:
Benita Purcell of 145 Rocky Ridge Drive, Roxboro stated that she is holding a
Town Hall meeting this Thursday at 10 a.m. at City Hall, focusing on mental health,
intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse. She stated that in the past, several County
Commissioners have attended, and she believes it would be beneficial for them to attend
as being up to date on the most current information would be very helpful.
Kim Wooten of 632 Whitt Town Road, Roxboro stated that she moved to Person
County nine years ago. She stated that a public pool would be good for families and
seniors. She asked the Board to set up a committee to investigate having a public pool in
Person County and that she would love to be a part of that discussion. She stated that a
public pool would be great for the County.
Anita Charnekar of 194 Moss Creek Drive, Roxboro stated that Person County
needed a pool. She stated that the County needs some kind of social structure for the
children to go to be with their friends. She stated that the County needed somewhere for
the community to go to get exercise and to keep families together.
Sam Lias of 943 Morreene Road, Durham stated that she is the Community
Organizer for Person County with Down Home NC. She stated that Down Home NC is a
non-partisan organization that works in rural communities to make sure housing,
education, health care, economic opportunity, and access to clean air and water are a
guarantee. She stated that she is a resident of Durham County, not Person County;
however, she has knocked on hundreds of doors and has had hundreds of conversations
with folks across this County. She stated that one thing that she has heard multiple times,
is that there is nothing to do here in Person County. She stated that she has asked people
what would make things better, and a pool is always in the top five. She stated that Person
County deserves a public pool where kids can learn to swim, teens can have a summer job,
elders can have a space to exercise, and all can have a place to cool off in the summer. She
stated that a public pool is not a luxury, it is an investment in the people of Person County,
to include their health, safety, and their future. She stated that there is currently a federal
grant opportunity called the Thriving Communities Grant, which would offer a grant from
$75K-$350K for projects such as a public pool. She stated the first deadline is April 30,
2025, with a second deadline in July.
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DISCUSSION/ADJUSTMENT/APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA:
A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 4-0 to approve the
Consent Agenda with the following items:
A. March 17, 2025 Minutes
B. Budget Amendment #18
C. Person Industries Record Destruction
D. Piedmont Electric Request for Right-of-Way Agreement
NEW BUSINESS:
PERSON COUNTY STATE OF THE COUNTY HEALTH REPORT 2024
Health Director Janet Clayton introduced Dr. Richard Johnson who is part of the
Health Department’s Health Education Team. Dr. Johnson stated that local health
departments are required to complete a Community Health Assessment (CHA)
every three to four years. He stated that this assessment assesses the health of our County.
He stated that the most recent Person County CHA was conducted in 2022 and was
submitted to the State in March/April 2023. He provided the report as follows and advised
that the report may also be found on the Person County Health Department website.
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There were no questions presented by the Board in reference to the 2024 Person
County SOTCH Report.
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CHILD FATALITY PREVENTION TEAM ANNUAL REPORT
Health Director Janet Clayton stated that North Carolina General Statutes require
each county to have a Child Fatality Prevention Team (CFPT) which reviews the records
of all cases of child fatalities that are not a result of suspected abuse or neglect. She stated
that each year, the CFPT provides an annual report of the case review findings and
recommendations. She provided the report as follows:
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There were no questions presented by the Board in reference to the 2024 Child
Fatality Prevention Report.
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FY 2026-2030 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP)
County Manager Katherine Cathey presented the following:
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There were no questions presented by the Board. Chairman Puryear recommended
that each Board member schedule a time to meet one-on-one with the County Manager to
discuss the CIP before the next meeting on April 21, 2025.
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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Chairman Puryear stated that he attended the Civics Academy this past week,
which was held at Person Industries (PI) and was very impressed with the turnout of
participants. He stated that he has heard good things about the Civics Academy. He stated
that while he was there, he toured the renovated building. He stated that everything looks
to be on schedule as planned. He stated that PI is doing a great job. He encouraged all to
tour the building once renovations are completed and attend the grand opening, which
could possibly be sometime in September.
MANAGER’S REPORT
County Manager Katherine Cathey had no report.
COMMISSIONER REPORTS/COMMENTS
Vice-Chairman Thomas and Commissioner Wilborn both had no report.
Commissioner Royster stated that earlier today she joined the Board of Education
along with State Superintendent Mo Green for a tour of Northern Middle School. She
stated also in attendance for the tour were Senator Meyer, Representative Jeffers, and a
representative from Congressman Knott’s office. She stated that this was a great and
exciting experience.
A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Thomas and carried 4-0 to enter into
Closed Session at 6:51 p.m.
CLOSED SESSION
A motion to enter into Closed Session per General Statute 143-318.11(a)(3) for attorney-
client privilege to discuss matters related to the lawsuit Person County v. Reaves,
Person County v. Yarboro, pending opioid litigation and other legal matters with
the following individuals permitted to attend: County Manager Katherine Cathey,
Clerk to the Board Michele Solomon, County Attorney T.C. Morphis, Jr., and
Health Director Janet Clayton.
Chairman Puryear called the closed session to order at 6:52 p.m.
A motion was made by Commissioner Royster and carried 4-0 to return to open
session at 7:18 p.m.
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A motion was made by Commissioner Wilborn and carried 4-0 to submit a letter
of support on behalf of Person County for Duke Energy’s application for a Certificate of
Convenience and Public Necessity and have Person County participate as an intervenor
with Duke Energy’s application to the NC Utilities Commission.
ADJOURNMENT:
A motion was made by Vice-Chairman Thomas and carried 4-0 to adjourn the
meeting at 7:20 p.m.
____________________________ ______________________________
Michele Solomon Kyle Puryear
Clerk to the Board Chairman