Manager updates parks survey and elections deadlines; board confirms multiple appointments

During the Jan. 12 meeting the county manager reported several routine but time‑sensitive items: most county offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day; the Parks and Recreation Master Plan public survey remains open and has received about 1,000 responses so far; and sample ballots and absentee voting are available online with mail‑in ballot requests due by Feb. 17.

The manager clarified the master plan covers county parks only and encouraged residents who have not yet responded to complete the online survey. On elections, the manager pointed attendees to the County Board of Elections website and the North Carolina voter lookup tool to confirm registration and sample ballots.

The board also moved through several board appointments during the meeting by voice vote: Don Hardy was reappointed as the Indian Beach representative to the Beach Commission; Kyle Lagos (identified in the transcript as the Emerald Isle mayor) was reappointed as the Emerald Isle representative for a three‑year term; Pat Joyce was appointed to the Beaufort Airport Authority to fill an unexpired term through Aug. 31, 2026, replacing a member who resigned for health reasons. Several other appointments and reappointments (child fatality prevention team, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council) were confirmed by the board during the session.

All appointments were approved by voice vote; the county did not record roll‑call tallies in the meeting transcript.