BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) – The Pender County Board of Commissioners will meet on Monday, May 16 to discuss a field airport expansion, law enforcement equipment and salary increases for first responders.
Detective B. Thompson requests that the board approve $75,000 in grant funding for the Pender County Sheriff’s Office to better investigate internet crimes against children (ICAC). Funding comes from the 2021 Appropriations Act signed by Gov. Cooper in 2021, which gave $3 million to the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association to distribute in grants. With the grant, the office would buy more advanced equipment for data analysis and pay for staff training.
Pender EMS and Fire Chief Everett Baysden placed a request to increase the budget allocation for the departments by $360,000. This funding would be used for the current implementation of requested 25% salary increases for operational personnel.
Years after Hurricane Florence, work continues on repairing the damage. The commissioners will consider approving $207,138 in Emergency Watershed Protection Program funding for bank stabilization near Lake Road in Willard and Shaw Highway in Rocky Point.
The Henderson Field Airport in Wallace is bringing the latest update on the project’s development. Installation and construction for an Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) is expected to be completed by July. In the future, the airport is looking to fund runway pavement improvements and construction of a parallel taxiway.
The Pender County Board of Commissioners will meet at 4 p.m. Anybody can watch by either attending the meeting in-person or watching online on YouTube. You can also view the full agenda online.
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