News Flash

The Beaufort County Public Health Department plans to begin spraying for mosquitoes this week as conditions warrant. Spraying will be scheduled for areas showing elevated mosquito populations. Spraying will be completed between dusk and dawn. If rainy or windy conditions are present, spraying will be postponed.

If you have any beehives or newly constructed fish ponds, please contact Environmental Health so that spraying can be avoided in those locations.

Please remember that many mosquito problems are the result of breeding sites around the home. Spraying is not effective in controlling these mosquitoes.

The following practices can help eliminate mosquito breeding sites around the home:

•    Empty or throw away containers in your yard that can collect water, such as tires, buckets, bottles, toys, etc.

•    Change water in pet bowls, bird baths and flowerpot saucers at least twice a week

•    Clean clogged rain gutters

•    Repair leaky outdoor faucets

•    Keep water from accumulating on tarps and boat covers

Protect yourself from mosquito bites by:

•    Covering exposed skin with long sleeves and long pants

•    Avoiding outdoor activity when mosquitoes are most active, such as dusk and dawn

•    Avoiding areas with heavy mosquito activity

•    Using repellents on exposed skin – Always read and follow the label instructions

•    Inspecting window and door screens and repairing any holes

Bio-friendly larvicides, commonly known as mosquito dunks, can be purchased at local garden and hardware stores. These will control larval growth in wet areas around the home for several weeks without harming other animals.

If you need additional information or have concerns about a mosquito problem in your area, please contact Beaufort County Environmental Health at 252-946-6048 or visit www.bchd.net

Head to our YouTube channel to watch a recap of the recent Community in Action event in Belhaven.

WASHINGTON, N.C. –– Riverfront Talks: Substance Matters, a podcast created by the Beaufort County Behavioral Health Task Force, was recently featured in Rural Health Models & Innovations, a national collection of successful rural health programs and interventions maintained by the Rural Health Information Hub.

 The Riverfront Talks: Substance Matters podcast aims to help reduce stigma by featuring guests with lived experiences of substance use or mental illness. It is hosted by Behavioral Health Task Force Coordinator Tiffany Moore and funded by ECU Health Beaufort Hospital and Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

“I’m honored that Rural Health Information Hub reached out about spotlighting the podcast,” Moore said. “Increasing awareness and communication, as well as decreasing stigma are areas that the Behavioral Health Taskforce continues to work on. RHIhub offering this opportunity to continue to expand our reach in order to bring awareness to substance misuse is an honor. We’re hopeful that this opportunity sparks additional conversation and support for those suffering from substance misuse and mental health disorders.”

As of December, the podcast consists of 10 episodes and has garnered 1,441 views. Two of the podcast guests have become state-certified Peer Support Specialists, and one is working with Moore on a re-entry program to assist people in the criminal justice system who have a history of substance abuse.

The podcast was selected by the Rural Health Information Hub because of its innovative services and impact on rural communities. Click here to read the full project summary. You can access the podcast on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Rural Health Information Hub is a national online information center on rural health issues, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Its website includes over 18,000 resources specific to rural health. The Rural Health Models & Innovations section features hundreds of successful programs that are serving rural residents across the nation.

Happy #WorldEnvironmentalHealthDay!

Beaufort County Environmental Health is a part of the Beaufort County Health Department. BCEH seeks to better the quality of life for Beaufort County residents through opportunities for improved health and welfare, and quality customer service.

Here are some of the things our Environmental Health team does: 

• Ensure food safety and sanitation in permitted establishments.
• Ensure drinking water is safe by making sure private drinking water wells are constructed properly.
• Works to eliminate sources of lead poisoning in the county. 
• Enforce state laws and rules addressing sanitation and safety in childcare establishments within Beaufort County.
• Surveillance and control of mosquito populations within Beaufort County.
• Responsible for activities associated with subsurface wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal

We are grateful for everything our Environmental Health team does to protect our health and safety!

Learn more at https://bchd.net/247/Environmental-Health

Resources such as free health screenings and information, syringes, Narcan, over-the-counter medicine, Liquid IV, clothing and other health-related items and services were available at the Community in Action event on Thursday, June 22 in Washington.

WASHINGTON, N.C – On Monday night, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners received the Manager’s Recommended Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

A copy of the Recommended Budget is available for public inspection online at www.BeaufortCountyNC.gov, and a physical copy can be viewed at the Beaufort County Administration Building located at 121 W. Third St. in Washington.

The Board of Commissioners and county staff will participate in a series of budget workshops over the next several weeks. These workshops and meetings are open to the public and will be held at 136 W. Second St. in Washington. Video recordings of the workshops will be posted on the Beaufort County website and YouTube page. The budget workshop schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, May 18, 5 p.m. –– General Fund review
• Thursday, May 25, 5 p.m. –– Remainder of General Fund and Enterprise funds
• Tuesday, May 30, 5 p.m. –– Service Expansions
• Wednesday, May 31, 5 p.m. –– Finalize budget
• Monday, June 5, 5:30 p.m. –– Public hearing on budget at regular Board Meeting. The Board may adopt the budget on this night.
• Monday, June 12, 5:30 p.m. –– This is a special called meeting to adopt the budget. It will happen only if the Board does not adopt the budget on June 5.

In preparing the Recommended Budget, County staff considered that the County’s sales tax revenues, which have shown strong growth with returns reaching record levels, could be slowed by rising inflation and the efforts by the Federal Reserve to cool it.

Here’s an overview of the Recommended Budget:

• Maintains the County ad valorem tax rate at $0.625 for each $100 of assessed valuation. The tax rate was cut in the FY 21-22 budget by $0.01 and remains at that level for the third straight year despite increased inflation pressures. At the assumed collection rate, this will generate approximately $39.9M in property tax revenue.
• Maintains all County services and programs provided in the prior year. This is done without a tax increase despite the impact of rising inflation rates and a continuing increase for services as the County moves further away from the pandemic.
• Recommends a general fund budget of $69,517,581, which is 0.8% greater than the original FY 22-23 budget.
• Increases the K-12 public school system funding level over the prior year by $1,470,463 or 8.7%. This includes a 6.2% CPI adjustment for operations and additional statutory sales tax capital funding. The Beaufort County Community College funding increase of $190,398 meets the funding request by BCCC.
• Continues to fund the Capital Improvements Fund with $0.01 of projected property tax revenue as established in the FY 19-20 budget.
• Maintains all districts' prior year fire and EMS tax rates.
• Increases the solid waste fee by $5 to offset the costs of increasing solid waste disposal and inflation.
• Does not increase water rates. Rates are equal across all districts.
• Maintains an administrative charge to enterprise funds to help offset the costs to the General Fund for providing services to the enterprise funds. The administrative charge is based on a per-unit fee specific to the services provided to the enterprise fund.
• Does not appropriate any General Fund fund balance.
• The continuation budget projects a surplus that is recommended to be used to fund an updated pay and classification plan and provide a minimum 5% base salary increase (5% cost of living adjustment or the increase recommended by the salary study, whichever is greater) so that efforts by the Board to modernize the pay and classification plan and reach market rates are not lost due to the current 12-month Consumer Price Index of 5.5% and the prior year 12-month CPI of 8.8% that was only able to be funded at 5%.