Beaufort County commissioners voted Jan. 4 to approve card entry to the Beaufort County Courthouse for court employees and others with offices in the building.

The vote stemmed from a recommendation from County Manager Brian Alligood, who sits on the committee that has met over the last year to resolve security issues at the courthouse. The decision means that court employees, bailiffs and judges would be given access to the building by swiping an individualized card to unlock the back door. All others would have to go through security at the front of the building.

Alligood told commissioners that the courthouse security committee was not unanimous in the decision — some committee members wanted to allow the same access to lawyers who regularly work in the courthouse, after a vetting process by a subcommittee. Alligood, however, recommended to commissioners that attorneys who regularly work in the building be issued bar cards with photo ID, which would allow them to bypass security at the front door.

“The courthouse is porous as it is, even with security put in place, it’s porous,” Alligood said.

Commissioner Gary Brinn agreed with Alligood’s recommendation that cards giving back door access to attorneys would be too difficult to track.

“If we continue to give out pass cards, before long we’ll have more people coming in the back door than the front door,” Brinn said.

Commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of Alligood’s recommendation. Commissioner Hood Richardson was the lone dissenting vote.

For more information about coming changes to the Beaufort County Courthouse, see next weekend’s edition of the Washington Daily News.

 

OTHER BOARD VOTES

 

NEW FINANCE OFFICER

Anita Radcliffe was appointed by the Board of Commissioners to take over the position of County Finance Officer from outgoing CFO Mark Newsome. Vote: 7-0.

 

WRIGHT’S CREEK PROJECT

Commissioners voted to move forward with the Phase II of creating public access to the water at this Belhaven property. To be managed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the property will have boat ramps and fishing facilities. The county is providing $200,000 in matching funding from CAMA. Vote: 6-1; Commissioner Hood Richardson dissenting.

 

COPIER LEASE AGREEMENT

Commissioners voted to align contract end dates for all contract agreements with CopyPro in Greenville for maintenance and supplies of county copiers/printers. This extends the CopyPro contract to five years, at a savings of $8,000 to the county. Vote: 7-0.

 

NATURAL GAS SWITCH

Commissioners voted to switch the Skills Center over to natural gas at a cost of $5,000, after a previous commitment to do so when the gas company extended the line to the building. The county rents the Skills Center building from the Beaufort County Committee of 100, but the vote represents a utilities savings in the long term. Vote: 7-0.

 

HIRING POLICY

Moving forward, the Board of Commissioners will now publicly discuss in its regular meetings any county job that becomes vacant if there is any question as to whether the position needs to be filled with a new hire, rather than have the work absorbed by existing staff. Previously, the county has relied on polling commissioners. Vote: 7-0.