Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

JACKSON – Several items that were previously discussed and tabled at prior meetings were finally approved during the Northampton County Board of Commissioners meeting held on Jan. 27.

Among those items were an architect contract for a new county jail, a new policy for naming county buildings, and a resolution for the Gaston Wastewater Line project.

The architect contract was first presented to the commissioners for consideration in December 2024, but they ultimately chose to table the decision then because the two new commissioners wanted more time to familiarize themselves with the information.

Economic Development Director Derrick Bennett presented the contract again at the Jan. 6 meeting, which was a non-voting meeting for the board.

“We’ve had several discussions with the sheriff’s office,” Bennett explained, noting that they agreed the county was in need of a new facility.

“This is a standard AIA contract for the design, engineering, and construction of this new facility,” he continued.

The contract is with Moseley Architects. According to the contract, the proposed facility will be a 90-bed detention center located on the former Odom prison property.

Bennett also noted that the state had given the county $2 million to complete the due diligence phase of the project.

The commissioners didn’t have any questions for Bennett after he presented it again on Jan. 6.

The building naming policy was first presented to the commissioners at their Nov. 4, 2024 meeting, following a request from a citizen to rename the Sheriff’s Office building after a former Northampton County Sheriff. Previously, Northampton County did not have any sort of policy for naming county-owned buildings, facilities, or lands.

At the time, the commissioners didn’t take any action on the new policy.

It was presented again at the December meeting, but was also tabled to give new commissioners the chance to learn more about the proposal.

According to the policy, proposed names should have a strong positive image; commemorate places, people, or events that are of continued importance to the area; have broad public support; and recognize outstanding accomplishments for the good of the community.

The policy states that naming shall be done only by the Board of Commissioners by resolution adopted by majority vote. It also included guidelines on naming properties after living or deceased individuals.

A person wishing to propose a name for a facility must submit an application (including a demonstration of support, description of facility, description of how request meets policy criteria, and background of existing facility name) and a $200 fee.

County Manager Julian Phillips stated that the fee would be used to cover the costs of new signage for renamed facilities.

The commissioners did not have further questions when it was presented again on Jan. 6.

The resolution for the Gaston Sewer Line Extension project was first presented to the commissioners in December 2024, but – like the other items – was tabled in order to give the new commissioners time to familiarize themselves with the project.

At that meeting, Phillips explained that the state had given them a $14 million appropriation for the project, and the funds were coming from the Division of Water Infrastructure. The state required that the resolution be approved before they can move forward with the project.

There was little discussion about the project during the Jan. 6 meeting except for Commissioner Melvetta Broadnax Taylor asking which department was handling the project. Phillips answered that it was Economic Development and Finance.

At the Jan. 27 meeting, these items were included in the consent agenda, and there was no further discussion on them. Broadnax Taylor motioned to approve the items in the consent agenda, and Commissioner Keith Edwards seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor.

Other items on the consent agenda included candidate appointments to the Home and Community Block Grant Advisory Council, a contract renewal for biomedical waste removal from the Health Department, tax appeals, and budget amendments.