Holden Beach Property Owners Association

July 19, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on GenX Drinking Water Forum

GenX Drinking Water Forum

GenX Drinking Water Forum – Tonight at 7:00 PM

H2GO is partnering with WHQR Public Radio, WWAY NEWS, and the Star News to hold a forum about the safety of drinking water in Brunswick County with regards to GenX. This forum will be open to the public with free admission. It’s at the Odell Williams Auditorium on the Bolivia campus of Brunswick Community College at 7:00 PM tonight, Wednesday, July 19^th. More information is available on the WHQR website.

HBPOA has received numerous inquiries about GenX and we will be adding it to the Hot Topics list on our website in the next few days.

July 14, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on July Commissioners’ Meeting and Special Meetings

July Commissioners’ Meeting and Special Meetings

Click here for the agenda for the July Board of Commissioners’ Meeting. Highlights include a presentation on Age-Friendly Communities, an update from the Fire Department, changing Commissioners’ terms of office to staggered four-year terms, and right-of-way parking. Click here for the meeting packet.

HBPOA Members voted at the Memorial Day meeting to send a letter to the Commissioners asking that parking in the right-of-way of developed lots be restricted and that notices to property owners be communicated in writing. Parking in the right-of-way is being addressed with the proposal to allow owners to erect post and chain barriers to protect their property. (Agenda Item #16, page 24 of the meeting packet).

In addition, at 6:30pm there is a Special Meeting to interview candidates for Town Boards, and at 6:45pm a Public Hearing on changing the Town Charter to have BOC members serve 4-year staggered terms.

June 24, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on Flood Map Delays

Flood Map Delays

HBPOA Board Member Mike Sullivan continues to pursue the delayed flood map issue. Implementation of the new maps should save property owners thousands each year. He has been in contact with Rep. David Rouzer’s office and received the following response back to his inquiry:

Hi Michael,

The last time I checked they had pushed the Effective Date back again until May of 2018. I am sure this will be disappointing news – it is a cause of distress for me as well, as my parents who live in District 7 will also be affected by the delay.

I have since contacted the Government Affairs team at FEMA to determine which counties are affected by this change (at this time I understand it to be Brunswick and New Hanover) and why FEMA won’t split the county and release the final maps for localities and townships that are not involved in the appeals process.

The Congressman and I also spoke with Representative Sean Duffy, who serves as Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Finance. Congressman Duffy assured us he and his team would also press FEMA on this matter, which may yield better results, since he chairs the committee of jurisdiction for this issue.

This is a problem that has negatively impacted many of our constituents, and it is something we will continue to pursue. The Congressman is aware of the issue and working to get this resolved. I understand that for the most part, many people have been left in the dark on when past changes to the plan were made – I would be happy to keep y’all informed with any new updates we receive. Please feel free to contact me here in the DC office or by email with further questions.

Miss Perry Chappell

Legislative Assistant

Rep. David Rouzer, NC-7

424 Cannon HOB

(202) 225-2731

How to Help

Our Congressmen need to hear from you!

HBPOA encourages everyone to contact their Federal, State and County elected officials. We have drafted sample letters which you can edit and use, but individual calls and letters are sometimes more effective than form letters. The letters are for the Congressmen representing Holden Beach. If you are not a full-time resident you can find your elected representatives here.

Click below for the letters:

Congressman David Rouzer

Senator Thom Tillis

Senator Richard Burr

Check Your Property’s Flood Map Changes

You can check to see what the new flood maps for your property will be by clicking here. Zoom in to your property and you can determine what your current designation is. Click on your home and get all the details on the right side of your screen. Use the drop-down menu in the top right corner to change from Effective to Preliminary. This is what your new flood rating will be. Again, click your home to see the changes. Many properties go from a VE designation to AE – which will significantly lower insurance premiums. Most properties also have a lower Base Flood Elevation (BFE) which will also lower premiums.

June 24, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on June Commissioners’ Meeting and Special Meeting

June Commissioners’ Meeting and Special Meeting

Click here for a short summary of the results of Tuesday night’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting. Audio of the meeting is usually available to listen to but has not yet been posted. The audio will be posted at a later date on this page.

In addition, a Special Meeting was called for Friday morning regarding parking issues on Elizabeth St. and to set up a Community Advisory Committee to address parking on the island. Click here for the agenda. At the meeting, the Commissioners withdrew the proposed changes to Elizabeth St. parking and established the Community Advisory Committee.

June 19, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on June Board of Commissioners’ Meeting Agenda

June Board of Commissioners’ Meeting Agenda

Here is the agenda for the June Board of Commissioners’ Meeting. Highlights include 2017-2018 Budget approval, changing Commissioners’ terms of office to staggered four-year terms, and parking issues. You can review the whole meeting packet here. The packet contains the agenda and background information on each agenda item.

HBPOA Members voted at the last HBPOA meeting to send a letter to the Commissioners asking that parking in the right-of-way of developed lots be restricted and that notices to property owners be communicated in writing. This letter will be read at the meeting and emailed in advance to Commissioners.

As always, you can drop us an email at [email protected] if you would like for us to ask a question or speak on your behalf at the meeting.

June 5, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on It’s Hurricane Season, Do You Know Where Your Stickers Are?

It’s Hurricane Season, Do You Know Where Your Stickers Are?

One of the major problems and lessons learned from Hurricane Matthew was that many property owners did not have their hurricane stickers, and were therefore not allowed onto the island to check on their property. In response to this problem, the Town Manager decided to reduce the number of stickers mailed from four to two. The reason stated was that this would force property owners to be more careful with the stickers they receive in the mail.

This year, the stickers were mailed with your March water bill, which you would have received in April. If you do not receive the water bills for your property, or if you have automatic payment and threw your bill away without opening it, you might not currently have your stickers. In this case, now is the time to request stickers from the Town so that you will be allowed back on the island following an evacuation. Please visit the Emergency Info tab on the Town’s website, www.hbtownhall.com for more information.

If you need more than two stickers: Currently, the first two stickers are free and the next two are $10 each. The Commissioners voted at the May meeting to make all four stickers free. They will have to vote at this month’s meeting (June 20th) to amend the Fee Schedule for that to take effect. You will still need to request the second two this year.

May 19, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on May Commissioners’ Meeting Update

May Commissioners’ Meeting Update

Click here for a short summary of the results of Tuesday night’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting.

You can now listen to an audio recording of the meeting. Click here to listen.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the Memorial Day Weekend meeting, Saturday, May 27 at 10:00am at Town Hall.

As always, feel free to email us at [email protected] with comments and questions and we will get back to you.

May 12, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on May Board of Commissioners’ Meeting Agenda

May Board of Commissioners’ Meeting Agenda

Here is the agenda for the May Board of Commissioners’ Meeting. Highlights include changing Commissioners’ terms of office to staggered four-year terms and funding for dredging the inlet and fence/vegetation for the east end.

You can review the whole meeting packet here. The packet contains the agenda and background information on each agenda item.

The contact information for the Commissioners is shown below. As always, you can drop us an email at [email protected] if you would like for us to ask a question or speak on your behalf at the meeting.

April 22, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on April Commissioners’ Meeting Update

April Commissioners’ Meeting Update

Click here for a short summary of the results of Tuesday night’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting.

You can now listen to an audio recording of the meeting. Click here to listen.

As discussed at the Easter HBPOA meeting, we have posted draft letters about the pending flood maps. Click here to read about it and download the drafts.

As always, feel free to email us at [email protected] with comments and questions and we will get back to you.

April 20, 2017
by HBPOA
Comments Off on Town Manager’s Raise

Town Manager’s Raise

HBPOA has received many questions and comments about the Town Manager’s new employment contract. The Board of Commissioners approved the contract after an executive session after the end of the March meeting.

To read the new contract, which is public record, click here. Total compensation for this year is $136,500 including a 5% merit raise – a 38.6% increase over last year’s compensation of $98,472.

Key terms are as follows:

Five-year duration with automatic extension
Base salary of $130,000 (plus additional 5% merit raise approved by the Commissioners)
Paid health, vision, dental and short term disability insurance – including family members
Paid life insurance in the amount of three times base salary
Transfer in of 470.5 hours of sick leave from the previous place of employment
Has accrued 805.15 hours of sick leave, 112 personal hours, and 450 hours of vacation
Will receive 21 vacation days, 12 sick days and 2 personal days per year
Severance equal to one month’s salary per year of service from 2008 hire date, up to 12 months, plus one year’s insurance for manager and family members and life insurance.

For more information, click here for an article from the Wilmington Star News comparing the Town Manager’s contract with other area managers.