Board of Aldermen approve funding for a feasibility study for developers, election bill, termination of a sewer easement at the Craven County Industrial Park, CLG grant application, a request to use $50,000 of MSD Funds as a grant match, request to begin expedited annexation request, motion to draft a social district ordinance, and more during April 28, 2026 meeting at City Hall in New Bern, NC.
The aldermen congratulated graduates of New Bern 101.
Consent agenda
The New Bern Board of Aldermen approved the consent agenda that included the sale of 606 White Street and 1428 Lincoln Street; closing the 900 Block of Cypress Street, 800 Blocks of Main and West streets, 1000 Block of Pollock Street for events; rezoning of PID: 8-052-088 on Neuse Boulevard and 2501, 2503, 2507 and 2511 Neuse Boulevard from C-3 Commercial and R-15 Residential to C-3 Commercial; and rezoning a portion of PID: 8-208-143 from I-1 Industrial to C-3 Commercial; adopting a resolution to encourages NCDOT to expedite the repaving of Simmons Street.
Annual budget
A public hearing was held on the proposed annual budget, but no one spoke.
Alcohol sales during downtown events
Katie Triplet, the chairman of the Downtown Business Council, presented information about alcohol sales during downtown events and said social districts have been created in about 70 municipalities across the state. She said, “We need to drive more foot traffic into our town, and one of the best ways to do it is by creating a social district.” She said they had a good turnout for the New Year’s Eve and Mardi Gras events and felt there wasn’t any negativity. She pitched an idea for an event-based family-friendly social district by creating a “sip and stroll.” She said “more foot traffic could mean more business, more revenue for the businesses” and more revenue could mean more taxes for the city. She said they have plenty of restrooms and added trash receptacles. She said they are self-policing, so they don’t have to increase the police.
Alderman Trey Ferguson has said beer vendors who obtain an ABC permit for an event are allowed to sell alcohol, but bars and restaurants who don’t have event permits can only sell alcohol to customers but can’t sell to-go cups.
The chairman said if a social district was allowed, signs would be put in shop windows nothing whether or not people could enter with alcohol.
Ferguson thought they should allow businesses to have a special event-based permit for sip and strolls downtown and the Pollock Street corridor near Five Points.
He asked if the aldermen would like to give the city attorney direction to put together a draft ordinance to tie a social district to a permit system that allows the aldermen to say yes or no.
Alderman Barbara Best asked if the downtown merchants had been polled.
“We did a survey at the beginning of the year and over half of the merchants asked for the social district and for implementing more foot traffic,” Triplet said.
Alderman Lainy White said she is supportive of having a limited one associated with special events than having a year-round social district and reexamine it after a year.
City Attorney M. Scott Davis said there would be a draft resolution.
Historic Preservation Commission
Development Services Director Jessica Rhue said the HPC has been meeting in small groups to review their “progress, brainstorm, draft, and research with leadership staff, HPC staff, chairman Morrison, and two other commissioners.” She also said they met with a group from the Historic Downtown Residents Association. She believed the draft of the policies and would be ready for the HPC to review in a few weeks.
Funding for a feasibility study for developers
At the end of the April 14 meeting, under new business Mayor Jeffrey Odham asked the aldermen to consider funding a feasibility study.
On April 28, Foster Hughes said the $17,500 “study would evaluate the market demand and financial viability for family-oriented entertainment uses in New Bern and it would identify the types and scale of amenities the community can realistically support based on population tourism and regional trends.”
“And the goal would be to provide clear data-driven guidance that can be shared with prospective developers helping position new for successful and sustainable family entertainment investments,” he said.
Trey Ferguson said, “Anything we can do to show that commitment to a family-friendly environment is a good commitment” and made a motion to approve the study. Aldermen Ferguson (Ward 1) Sharon Bryant (Ward 2), Bobby Aster (Ward 3), Lainy White (Ward 4), Barbara Best (Ward 5) and Dana Outlaw (Ward 6) voted yes. Jeffrey Odham (of Ward 6) also voted yes.
Strategic Plan
The board talked about a timeline for developing a strategic plan.
Termination of Sewer Easement
The Board of Aldermen approved a resolution authorizing the execution of a release and termination of sewer easement in Craven County Industrial Park. The mayor also voted for the motion.
City Engineer Jordan Hughes said they’ve abandoned the old treatment facility at the site and the wastewater gets transported directly to the main treatment plant on Glenburnie Drive where it gets treated. He said they completed a pump station rehabilitation project last summer that allows them “to directly connect one of the pump stations on the northern side directly to a force main on Clark’s Road that didn’t exist in 1979.” He said they don’t have any use for the easement through those portions of the Industrial Park and asked the board to terminate that existing easement and relinquish their rights to it.
Alderman Ferguson wondered how much the county offered them for the easement, and the city engineer said the termination requests come from the property owners.
“We basically got the easement as a donation for the infrastructure as it said at the time and much like you would abandon a right of a street right of way and you relinquish those rights back to the adjoining property owners at no cost. Really doing the same thing here with the easement,” Jordan Hughes said.
The board authorized the execution of a release and termination of the sewer easement in the Craven County Industrial Park.
Alderman Best asked if it was going to may be an environmental hazard.
J. Hughes said they disconnected the sewer force main on both ends, flushed everything out, and capped both ends of the pipe.
GLC grant application
Jessica Rhue said staff was asking for authorization “to apply for a grant to update the historic inventory information in the Riverside Historic District and to commit up to $16,000 in matching funds in the event the project is awarded.” She said there are currently 213 structures on the list, but they believe there should be 300 structures on the list. It was said that about 70-80 structures would be open to the tax credits if they were able to have them listed on the inventory.
The board unanimously voted to authorize the request. The mayor also voted for the motion.
Internal control, procurement and conflict of interest policies
The mayor lumped items 21, 22 and 23 into one and the board approved the motion without discussion. Odham also voted for the motion. The items are described below, according to the meeting packet.
“Federal regulations require non-federal entities to establish and maintain internal controls to provide reasonable assurance that federal awards are managed in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and grant conditions. The adoption of this policy will formalize the framework for the city’s financial management, oversight and accountability.”
“The city must adopt a procurement policy to ensure full compliance with all federal award requirements, including American Rescue Plan and Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund awards. The proposed policy aligns with mandated regulations and incorporates provisions consistent with federal standards for administration of grant awards and subawards.”
“In February of 2022, the Board adopted a Conflict of Interest Policy. To ensure continued compliance with ARP/CSLFRF and other federal regulations, the policy has been revised to provide greater specificity, designate a point of contact for conflicts of interest, and establish standards for identifying and addressing potential conflicts.”
Budget amendment for Water Fund and Employees Benefit Insurance Fund
The aldermen approved a motion to appropriate $450,000 from Water Fund Balance for scatter system upgrades and $40,000 from the Employees Benefit Insurance Fund Balance for increases in retiree insurance premium costs due to growth in the number of retirees participating in the plan, according to Finance Officer Kimberly Ostrom.
Appointments
Dana Outlaw said he thought the Board of Aldermen could have an ad hoc committee to work with the Redevelopment Commission comprised of aldermen White, Bryant and Ferguson. Then he said he should have done it under new business.
Alderman Aster asked him if he was recommending that they hold off on making appointments to the RDC.
Ferguson said three of the aldermen are ex-officio members on the Redevelopment Commission. He said he wanted to give members of the RDC a year and “have a group of aldermen sit with them and guide them through a process of redevelopment using their funds as leverage to be able to partner with builders, partner with potential Habitat for Humanity to help with the affordable housing in these areas. And so, I’m open to that.”
“The proposed budget cuts the executive director position and so we’re going to have to have we have Assistant Manager Williams and someone in Development Services who’s committed to the redevelopment work for affordability and this as long as we have that dedication, you know that’s where the mission can get done,” he said. He said he could support an ad hoc group to “guide that effort” and would volunteer to do that.
Barbara Best thought they should give the commission a year and thought Development Services were better qualified that the aldermen to work with them.
Outlaw said he didn’t want to terminate the commission but wanted the aldermen to be able to provide better correspondence and help them conduct their business.
Lainy White said, “We would be doing a disservice to the community to not have a commission that includes people that live in in that community but there is a lot of shake up on the board.”
Foster Hughes said Marvin Williams would be working with the Redevelopment Commission.
White thought an ad hoc committee would be valuable.
Sharon Bryant said she was on the RDC in the past and said she “wanted the aldermen who are assigned to that board at least we can support them by attending their meeting and see where they need so that we can give it direct staff as Marvin as to what they will need for that board.”
Jeffrey Odham said he wants the full board to meet with the RDC.
Best noted that ex-officio members don’t have voting power and said she could spend two to three hours watching a meeting and she can’t vote.
City Attorney M. Scott Davis said the ex-officio position is a liaison. He said when he drafted the ordinance 8 years ago, he thought his concern was something in the statutes that caused him concern with an elected official wearing both hats.
He said they could dissolve the commission and become the Redevelopment Commission.
After a lengthy discussion, Outlaw said the RDC didn’t have a chairman and he wanted to have an ad hoc committee, so the commissioners knows where the aldermen stand.
Best thought they should appoint members to the commission because there is still daily work that needed to be done.
Aster made a motion to postpone making appointments.
White said she thought that everyone was feeling better about having an entire board meeting between the entire RDC.
Without restating the motion, Odham called a voice vote and then he said, “It’s unanimous.”
Ferguson asked the city manager if he had enough direction to schedule that meeting and Hughes said he did.
City Attorney’s report
Scott Davis said he shared the board’s desire to have a “clean (election) bill” that didn’t address the vacancy issue and Senator Bob Brinson said he felt strongly about the issue and invited the attorney to offer suggestions to the language. The vacancy issue was previously reported here.
The aldermen approved a made a motion to give staff direction to draft a resolution asking “that that portion not be included in the election bill.”
New Business
Ferguson said the Municipal Service District Advisory Committee talked about creating a downtown development plan last year and asked the aldermen to appropriate up to $50,000 of MSD tax dollars to go towards a match for a grant. The board voted yes.
Aster said he received complaints about speeding on Waterscape Way and asked the aldermen to allocate $6,700 from his “ARP funds” to pay for two electronic signs. The board said yes.
Editor’s note: Some New Bern elected officials have asked the aldermen to allocate their “ARP funds” for miscellaneous projects during the New Business portion of the meeting. The so-called monies have been marketed as “ARP funds” and “ARP Enabled Funds” as they are federal grant funds. It is not, according to the director of Finance and city manager. In reality, the money is coming from the city’s General Fund, as reported here.
He also asked for a public hearing be put on the May 12 agenda for the annexation of the properties at 4095 Highway 70 East. Davis said they the applicant has some pressing buyers for that parcel and needs an expedited annexation agreement, which comes with water and sewer commitments. He said the city prefers to bundle them so that we have an annexation hearing and a zoning hearing at the same time. He said, “Planning and zoning will then make a recommendation for zoning at their meeting in May and then in June you will have the initial zoning hearing for that parcel.”
White said she wants to have at least one work session in the summer and have a full board discussion.
Hughes said they can do that in June or July.
Odham recommended a two-day work session and directed the city clerk to poll the board.
Outlaw said he would keep the board apprised of the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency’s meetings.
The board went into a closed session to maintain attorney-client privilege and discuss economic development.
Related news
The Board of Aldermen will consider 44 agenda items during their regular meeting on May 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the second-floor courtroom at City Hall. The meeting agenda and packet can be found here.
Meeting videos can be found on City 3 TV or on the city’s Facebook page and/or YouTube channel.
By Wendy Card, editor. Send an email with questions or comments.