Four county commissioners were sworn in at the December 2 meeting: returning commissioner Selina Jarvis, along with Janet Rose, Tony Angell, and Paul O’Neal.
O’Neal returns to the board after serving as a commissioner from 1994 to 2006 and from 2008 to 2016, and serving on the NC House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023. Commissioners appointed him chairman and appointed Jarvis vice chairman.
In his opening statement to the board, O’Neal shared some goals for the county to increase community accessibility, and he also asked for grace as the board works through these changes.
“We want to get back to the point where we have a relationship with our constituents; where they trust us and we can trust they are going to support us when we have to make tough decisions,” O’Neal said.
The new board got right to work, holding a public hearing to consider a request from Morris Farm Market owners about food truck regulations. Due to multiple-day events hosted at the farm market, the owners asked for a change to the UDO to allow food trucks to remain on the property overnight.