mayor's notes
Pine Knoll Shores Mayor John Brodman
A Look at Current Issues
B
ogue Banks Library: I wish to thank the volunteers who worked hard to help re-establish the hours of the Bogue Banks Library. For those not aware, PKS formed a committee which worked for months to help the leaders of the county library system understand how important the library is to our community. I would like to thank the Carteret County Library Director Lesley Mason, the County Manager Tommy Burns, Chairman Bo Wheatly, Commissioner Farrington, and Commissioner Mansfield of the Carteret County Board for their assistance. So, our library is now open for the hours listed below. Come and enjoy this great resource. Library Hours: • Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat 9am-5:30pm • Thursday - 10:30am-7pm • Sunday- Closed Covid: I’m writing this just after getting a Covid booster shot and a flu shot at the same time. I love one-stop shopping. The daily number of new Covid cases in North Carolina has been trending downward in the last few weeks. Let’s hope the trend continues, but it’s by no means guaranteed. “Breakthrough” cases among the fully- vaccinated are not uncommon. PKS Town Hall remains closed to the public for the time being, but we are continuously monitoring the situation. More and more vaccine mandates are taking affect, resistance against vaccinations seems to be gradually fading and, hopefully, vaccinations against Covid will become as accepted as wearing a seatbelt in a car. The Challenge of Change: Last month I wrote about the challenges a small town faces from growth and change. I also wrote about the valuable services and viewpoints our citizen volunteers contribute to the operation of the town, and our ability to meet these challenges. There is never a dull moment. For example, an excavator on a barge, working on a canal front property’s bulkhead and dock, recently got wedged under the bridge over the canal on Oakleaf Drive. We were alerted to the incident by a nearby resident and we were able to quickly get our police, fire, and service department personnel on the scene. Fortunately, the tide was going out at the time and, as the water level dropped, the roof of the excavator gradually gained enough clearance to proceed under the bridge. Nevertheless, we had to close the bridge to vehicular traffic until the NC Department of Transportation could do a complete structural, safety inspection. We try to do our best to deal with all kinds of everyday surprises. What’s more difficult and frustrating are the challenges we face that are beyond our control. One such challenge that we are all facing is the erosion of our purchasing power as a result of inflation, which
has been creeping up at an alarming rate. Part of this is due to the pandemic disruptions to supply chains, but it’s also due to the expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, and deficit spending being pursued in our nation’s Capital. Inflation is the cruelest tax of all and it affects everyone’s purchasing power and erodes the value of our savings. It puts upward pressure on wages to counter the rising cost of living which, in turn, raises the costs and prices of the goods and services we buy, risking the creation of a wage/ price spiral. Consumer price inflation so far this year is running slightly above 7 percent at an annual rate, and it could go higher in the coming months. This creates challenges for our small town’s budgeting and expenditure processes, especially in the area of recruitment and retention of key staff resources. The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office recently won approval from the County Commissioners for a 10 percent, across-the-board salary increase for all its employees, out of necessity to recruit and retain personnel. Other county departments and most towns in the county are facing the same issue. We are likely to have to raise wages to cover the rising cost of living, and while we will do our best to hold the line on our tax rates, eventually there is only one place that the money can come from. Let’s hope policy-makers regain their principles before inflation really gets out of hand. By the time you read this, our local elections will probably be over. I want to thank everyone who voted for their support of our system of representative government. There is no doubt in my mind that our small town government will be needing your continued support in the months to come. Thank you. ISLAND REVIEW • November 2021
39