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Home My WebLink About06-01-2026 Meeting Minutes BOCJune 1, 2026 1 PERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS June 1, 2026 MEMBERS PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT Kyle Puryear Katherine M. Cathey, County Manager Sherry Wilborn Michele Solomon, Clerk to the Board Jason Thomas T.C. Morphis, Jr., County Attorney Antoinetta Royster Donald Long The Board of Commissioners for the County of Person, North Carolina, met in Regular session on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of 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. Commissioner Thomas offered the invocation, and Commissioner Royster led the Pledge of Allegiance. DISCUSSION/ADJUSTMENT/APPROVAL OF AGENDA: A motion was made by Commissioner Long and carried 5-0 to approve the agenda with the addition of a Proclamation Recognizing the Roxboro Community School (RCS) Girls’ Softball Team on their state championship. PROCLAMATION Chairman Puryear read a Proclamation honoring the Roxboro Community School Girls’ Softball Team for winning the 2026 NCHSAA State Championship. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Wilborn and carried 5-0 to approve the Proclamation honoring the RCS Girls’ Softball Team. Chairman Puryear presented the Proclamation to RCS Managing Executive Director Darkarai Bryant. June 1, 2026 2 Proclamations were then presented to each member of the team:  Meredith Adams  Karlie Barringer  Allary Bradsher  Kylie Bowers  Leah Cook  Karsyn Dodson  Leah Griffin  Presley Leonard  Katie Mann  Roxy Nelson  Karrie Obie  Kaylyn Pope  Lexi Powell  Lainey Stutts  Victoria West Proclamations were also presented to the coaching staff:  Michael Clark, Head Coach  Maci Clark, Assistant Coach  Anthony Lee, Assistant Coach  Ronnie Leonard, Assistant Coach  Zoe Russell, Assistant Coach June 1, 2026 3 June 1, 2026 4 June 1, 2026 5 Chairman Puryear called a recess at 6:12 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 6:17 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING: TEXT AMENDMENT TA-02-26, PLANNING ORDINANCE TO AMEND ARTICLE XIV SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS AND ARTICLE XV – DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REVIEW PROCEDURES A motion was made Vice-Chair Wilborn and carried 5-0 to open the duly advertised public hearing for Text Amendment 2-26 – Planning Ordinance to Amend Article XIV Subdivision Regulations and Article XV – Development Application Review Procedures. Planning Director Nish Trivedi presented the following: June 1, 2026 6 June 1, 2026 7 There were no questions by the Board for Trivedi. June 1, 2026 8 There were no individuals that appeared before the Board to speak in favor of or in opposition of Text Amendment 2-26 – Planning Ordinance to Amend Article XIV Subdivision Regulations and Article XV – Development Application Review Procedures. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Wilborn and carried 5-0 to close the duly advertised public hearing for Text Amendment 2-26 – Planning Ordinance to Amend Article XIV Subdivision Regulations and Article XV – Development Application Review Procedures. CONSIDERATION TO GRANT OR DENY TEXT AMENDMENT TA-02-26, PLANNING ORDINANCE TO AMEND ARTICLE XIV SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS AND ARTICLE XV – DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REVIEW PROCEDURES A motion was made by Vice-Chair Wilborn and carried 5-0 to approve Text Amendment 2-26 – Planning Ordinance to Amend Article XIV Subdivision Regulations and Article XV – Development Application Review Procedures and find it consistent with the adopted Person County & City of Roxboro Joint Comprehensive Land Use Plan. PUBLIC HEARING: FY2026-2027 BUDGET A motion was made Commissioner Thomas and carried 5-0 to open the duly advertised public hearing for comments related to the County Manager’s FY 2026-2027 Recommended Budget. There were no individuals that appeared before the Board to speak in favor of or in opposition of the County Manager’s FY2026-2027 Recommended Budget. A motion was made by Commissioner Thomas and carried 5-0 to close the public hearing for comments related to the County Manager’s FY2026-2027 Recommended Budget. June 1, 2026 9 INFORMAL COMMENTS: There were no individuals that appeared before the Board to make informal comments. DISCUSSION/ADJUSTMENT/APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA: A motion was made by Vice-Chair Wilborn and carried 5-0 to approve the Consent Agenda with the following items: A. May 18, 2026, Minutes B. Budget Amendment # 20 C. Resolution Authorizing Trail Naming Rights at Roxboro Rotary Centennial Park D. Resolution Naming a Mayo Lake Park Camping Cabin in Honor of Mark Ashley NEW BUSINESS: STRATEGIC PLAN QUARTERLY UPDATE County Manager Katherine Cathey provided highlights from the Strategic Plan quarterly update: •Broadband expansion: only 316 unserved/underserved locations remain; 111 pending BEAD funding(Broadband Equity, Access, and Development) •New county employee performance assessment system implemented •FAA approval of Runway Extension Environmental Assessment •Low cost spay/neuter program launched •New P-Card system implemented •911 Communications Center renovation completed •EMS System Plan audited with no findings • IT developed and implemented cybersecurity program charter • GIS enhancements and mapping work underway •Library continues technology and literacy programming • Recreation, Arts and Parks completed Mayo Lake cabin project; new ballfield lighting installed; youth football revived •Register of Deeds can now issue adopted birth records locally • Sheriff’s Office implemented inmate roadside cleanup • DSS continues zero error rate in FNS •Soil & Water and TDA launched quilt trail initiative There were no questions from the Board for Cathey. June 1, 2026 10 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Chairman Puryear congratulated the Roxboro Community School Girls’ Softball Team on winning the state championship and thanked the Clerk for preparing all proclamations quickly and accurately. He commented that the Board wanted to honor the team at a night meeting so families could attend, and the next regular night meeting would not be until August, making it important to add it to this meeting’s agenda. He reminded the Board that the budget work session will be held on June 4 at 6:00 p.m. upstairs and encouraged Commissioners to reach out to the County Manager with any questions beforehand. He also announced that on Friday at 11:00 a.m. the Thomas Family Farms recognition would take place for an award they are receiving. COMMISSIONER REPORTS/COMMENTS Vice-Chair Wilborn congratulated the RCS softball team and expressed appreciation to the Chairman, the Clerk, and all involved for putting the recognition together on short notice. She said everyone “did an excellent job all the way around” to get the team, families, and proclamations organized in time. She congratulated all graduates across the county. She reported attending several meetings since the last Board meeting, including: • The Upper Neuse River Basin Association (UNRBA) Board meeting in Butner •The EDC Board meeting, during which extended meeting time was devoted to the initial product development efforts tied to the leadership summit outcome and the result of the mega site being sold •The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting at the Kerr-Tar offices in Henderson, focused on project scoring and funding opportunities for rural counties and voted to approve CMAQ funding from NCDOT that will allow the City of Roxboro to complete a sidewalk project near South Elementary School •The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) full Board meeting in Raleigh She also attended the Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the Person Veterans Council and noted how well-attended it was despite cloudy skies and passing showers. Commissioner Thomas stated that he also attended the Memorial Day celebration and agreed it was very well-attended, especially considering the dreary weather. He congratulated the RCS Girls’ Softball Team for their state championship win. June 1, 2026 11 Commissioner Royster stated she attended the Memorial Day observance organized by the Person County Veterans Council and commented on how meaningful the ceremony was. She congratulated the RCS Girls’ Softball Team and noted that she and Commissioner Long were both early board members when Roxboro Community School first opened. She shared that, in those early days, they were “the janitors and the cafeteria people” and handled whatever needed to be done. She remarked on how gratifying it is to see how far the school has come. She congratulated all county graduates and wished them success. She stated she had received numerous calls and messages—through phone, social media, and personal contact—from families expressing concern about the lack of public swimming and recreation facilities in the county. She said residents, especially newer families, are traveling to Orange, Wake, and Granville counties to access pools and splash pads. She emphasized that residents want to live here and want their children to have safe recreational options locally. She stated that she intends to continue advocating for improved recreation options, citing the recent water-related death in the community as another reminder of the need for safe spaces. Commissioner Long shared that he attended the Memorial Day observance and agreed it was very well attended. He expressed thanks to Vice-Chair Wilborn for her remarks at the ceremony. He congratulated the RCS softball team and noted that he, like Commissioner Royster, served on the founding board of Roxboro Community School. He recalled how close the school came to missing its opening date, receiving its certificate of occupancy the day before school began. He reflected that board members signed a $3 million loan “with our names on it” and truly operated “by the seat of our pants,” which makes the school’s success today especially meaningful. He recognized former RCS board leaders present at the meeting, including Janet Clayton and former Chair, Lin Cates, and acknowledged the dedication of families whose support made the success possible. He also attended the First Responder Memorial groundbreaking and spent most of Saturday at the event, thanking those who organized it. A motion was made by Commissioner Thomas and carried 5-0 to enter into Closed Session at 6:32 p.m. Chairman Puryear called the closed session to order at 6:33 p.m. CLOSED SESSION #1 A motion to enter into Closed Session #1 per General Statute 143-318.11(a)(3) for the purpose to consult with the county attorney in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege with the following individuals permitted to attend: County Attorney T.C. Morphis, Jr., County Manager Katherine Cathey, Clerk to the Board Michele Solomon, Health Director Janet Clayton, and Environmental Health Supervisor Bonnie Holt. June 1, 2026 12 A motion was made by Vice-Chair Wilborn and carried 5-0 to return to open session at 6:54 p.m. RECESS A motion was made by Commissioner Long and carried 5-0 to recess the meeting at 6:55 p.m. until Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Boardroom 215 in the Person County Office Building located at 304 S. Morgan Street, Roxboro, NC. ____________________________ ______________________________ Michele Solomon Kyle Puryear Clerk to the Board Chairman