Posted below are the Tangier Town Council Minutes from February’s meeting that were approved during the Town Council meeting that was held Thursday, March 13 at Tangier Combined School Auditorium. Minutes were prepared by Barb Baechtel — very thorough!
Council Members Present:
Mayor James Eskridge
• Beth Thomas, Vice Mayor
• Tommy Eskridge
• Sharon Haynie
• Anna Parks
• Kelly Wheatley
Council Members Absent:
• Tracy Pruitt
Approximately Fifty-two adult members of the community were in attendance.
Call To Order:
Vice Mayor Beth Thomas called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. She stated that the meeting was being recorded and that Ms. Barb Baechtel would be taking minutes
Motion: To adopt the agenda of February 13, 2025, by Beth Thomas and seconded by Council Member Tommy Eskridge. Vote: Unanimous. Motion Passed
Opening Statement:
Mayor James Eskridge underlined the Mayor and Council’s commitment to continued transparency. He clarified, answering Ms. Nina Pruitt’s question at the January 28th meeting, that he would still be accepting his Mayoral salary. He asked for and received a show of hands (unanimous), indicating the Council’s approval of him continuing to take a salary.
He went on to explain that the Town’s current financial straits had mostly developed over the last year, since the Town purchased the fuel dock, to keep it from being shut down. He stressed his belief that the dock should be leased and run by an individual, rather than by the Town.
He outlined the efforts that he and Council Member Sharon Haynie have made over the last year or more, to get budget and financial information, without success. While acknowledging that they faced belligerence and ridicule, trying to gain access to that crucial information – he still took some responsibility, for failing to be more forceful. He pointed out that they had still not been given access to the Town’s computers or email.
Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
The opening invocation was given by Mr. Denny Crockett and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Anna Parks.
Reading of Minutes:
Beth Thomas read the minutes from the meeting on January 28, 2025.
Motion: To approve the minutes of January 28, 2025 made by Council Member Anna Parks and Seconded by Council Member Sharon Haynie. Vote: Unanimous Motion Passed
Financial Reports:
Council Member Kelly Wheatley discussed the state of the Town’s General Fund.
General Fund: Approximately $7,000.00 with bills still coming in.
General Fund accounts will be separated from the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
She said that she spoke to Chris Isell, a VA State representative who is involved with roads on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. After discussing the poor state of the Town’s roads, he indicated that he would send people over to evaluate the state of the roads and work out a solution.
Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP):
Sharon Haynie began by stating that the Town would no longer accept a single check for monies owed to the Town. A separate payment will need to be made for each of the separate entities under the Town’s purview. One for General Fund items (Taxes, Licenses, fines, etc…), the Wastewater Treatment Plant (Water, Sewer, Trash), and the Tangier Gas Dock (Gas, Oil). All checks will be made payable to the Town of Tangier, with a note on the memo line, indicating which entity you are paying.
The WTP Permit is up for renewal, and is open for public comments, before being renewed.
Any comments should be directed to Sharon Haynie.
The current balance in the WTP is $10,000.00. However, by April 1st, a $42,059.00 payment is due towards the Town’s insurance policy, plus an $8,000.00 loan payment.
Tangier Gas:
Council Member Tommy Eskridge stated that on January 31, Tangier Gas received a certified letter stating that their license was cancelled, due to mandatory reports not being filed since September. The letter indicated that they had been trying to contact the Town via email, with no response.
Rob Bloxom stepped in and managed to get the license reinstated, averting disaster. Tommy went on to underline that the Town council still does not have passwords to access email and computer files, after requesting them numerous times.
Pep-Up has agreed to suspend all finance charges for the time being, while their debt is paid down.
On January 2nd, a letter was received from Leo, who is administering the grant money for the gas dock, informing the Town that the engineering firm that did work on the tank farm had not been paid, even though the funds were allocated, and that the Town owes them $57,000.00 for work they did back in September.
As a result of this issue, DEQ has frozen grant funding, until the issue is resolved, to their satisfaction. With grant funds frozen, the bulkhead contractor, Jamie Taylor, cannot be paid, until the funding issue is resolved.
Tommy doesn’t expect to have any new contracting debt until at least March, which leaves some time to resolve the issue with DEQ, so as not to cause any further delay with the dock project. One step that the Council is taking towards that goal is for the Town to open a dedicated account, strictly for grant funds, which Leo has been stressing as critical for 15 months.
Tommy indicated that the Gas Dock has made two orders for fuel, and has been able to pay for them. He is concerned that the upcoming tax bill will make it difficult to pay bills.
He acknowledged his appreciation for Mike Elliott, who has replaced floors at the Gas dock, and has been contracted to do work on the new Town Office in the old health center.
A discussion ensued regarding a question about where the allocated payment to the engineering firm went. Tommy and Sharon spoke about the issues with tracing the money and indicated that all they’ve been able to determine is that the money was deposited into the General Fund, and that it wasn’t paid back out to the engineering firm, as required.
Sharon stated that the Town’s current issues were far beyond what any of the current council was expecting, and that they understood that they were now the face of the Town, and that, as such, they needed to look forward to solving the problems.
Discussion on Auditor:
Beth Thomas explained that the Auditor, Connie Barnes, is due Monday, February 17th and is scheduled to stay until Friday. If she finds anything that needs further investigation, she will turn it over to the State. She reiterated that the Municipal League had recommended her, and that she comes with an impressive resume’.
Public Comments:
Nina Pruitt thanked the Council for their hard work and dedication. She thanked the Mayor for answering her previous question about whether he would take a salary, and made a point to mention that his salary was not much, only $300, which hasn’t risen very much, over the decades since she was on the council.
She asked if the $42,000.00 insurance payment for the WTP was for the entire year.
Sharon Haynie answered that it was only 75% of the annual payment.
She commented that she was at the meeting in September, where Leo insisted that everything about the dock grant was to be transparent and above board, and as the administrator of the grant, he should be asked why that $57,000.00 bill was not paid appropriately.
Tommy Eskridge and Anna Parks interjected that there has been some miscommunication, and that, like the debt owed to Pep-Up, sometimes the contractors are not immediately forthcoming with their outstanding bills.
Nina went on to say that she is concerned that, while we obviously need some fundraising efforts, that in identifying the Town’s financial needs, we will telegraph to the outside world just what a mess we are in.
Mr. Rudy Shores stood up and thanked the Council for their hard work and acknowledged the fact that the current situation was far more than they were originally prepared to deal with when they took on the job. He said that he has heard nothing but good about the current Council, on or off the Island. He further expressed the hope that any wrongdoing uncovered by any responsible parties would be handled in an appropriate manner, and with appropriate consequences.
Rudy then questioned the rental of the excavator, which he understood had been contracted in the name of an individual, rather than the Town, and his feeling that the individual that rented the excavator should be responsible for the excessive debt for that rental.
A discussion ensued between Rudy and Mayor Eskridge about the appropriateness of the rental of the excavator, its minimal use, and the large debt caused when the excavator sat for a lengthy period, without use. Mayor Eskridge stated that the auditor would be looking into who is responsible for that bill. Sharon Haynie said that the original reason that was given for renting the excavator was that the Town would be ultimately saving money, thanks to free labor for a flood gate.
Mayor Eskridge added that the Town could have saved most of that money, by renting an excavator that was already on the Island and available.
Rudy went on to add that he felt that a flood gate on the West Ridge ditch would only benefit a small portion of the Island’s residents, and that he believed that money would be better spent, on more important projects, that would benefit the whole Island.
Tommy Eskridge explained that the flood gate project was part of a grant disbursement that could only use on that particular project.
Anna Parks added that, because of the issues Tangier was facing, that the Island was under a broad-reaching microscope. The Commonwealth’s Attorney, the State Attorney General and the Virginia State Police have all been contacted, and that the Island’s finances would be closely scrutinized to determine exactly what went wrong.
Mr. Duane Crockett read a prepared statement offering encouragement to the Council in their difficult task. In his statement, he told encouraging stories, and quoted supportive scripture, to illustrate his positive point. He believes that God still has a plan for this Island. (to be attached at a later date)
Beth Thomas thanked all the speakers for their input and their encouragement. She said that input is imperative for the Island’s growth, and uplifting during these difficult times.
Grants Report:
Anna Parks said that the Town received an email from the Virginia Department of Accounts, with an attached letter from the United States Treasury after the last Town meeting. That letter stated that the Town was granted $360,000.00 in covid relief funds, under a relief grant. $180,000.00 in 2021, and $180,000.00 in 2022.
The U.S. Treasury stated that several requests for mandatory reporting documentation on how those monies had been spent went completely unanswered. The Virginia Department of Accounts was asking for a meeting with Tangier officials, because the U.S. Treasury is holding the Town responsible for repaying the $360,000.00. A Zoom meeting was held with the VA Department of Accounts, and the financial documentation has been located. The auditor will review the information, so that a report can be generated to send to the U.S. Treasury, to fulfill our requirement for documentation.
The Bayland Grant is stalled until the audit report is filed. Since the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust have covered the Town’s matching share requirement for that grant, Jen Merritt has been pursuing an Eastern Shore Community Grant, with hopes of building public bathrooms on Tangier, building a Museum website, and developing tourist marketing.
The Steering Committee that will be assisting the Town with a 5-Year Vision Plan will also be instrumental in helping the Council with an energy grant, that the Town is in the beginning of talks on. A 2-day workshop meeting with the energy company is scheduled for late March.
The town was contacted by the people responsible for getting us the Bayland Grant about 15 acre-feet of dredge material out of Nassawadox Creek, possibly coming to Tangier. The Army Corps has 4 open permits for possible sites on Tangier where that dredge material may be useful.
The Town has a $56, 000.00 Virginia Port Authority grant, for work on the County dock bulkhead that has been extended two times, due to the unavailability of a contractor to do the work. There are no extensions left, so the grant will be expiring this year. If the grant expires, the Town will reapply at a later date.
The results of the previous survey have been found but are largely stale. An updated survey is likely to come out in the Town water bill, in the near future.
Report on Office Relocation Project:
Beth Thomas said that the office relocation project is coming along well, and work is continuing. She underlined that the previous Town Office was in very bad shape, precipitating the move to the new location.
Mayor Eskridge thanked Jenny for all her hard work, and acknowledged Rob & Barb Baechtel for their help. He stressed that pursuing and supporting grants, even small ones, is still important, because it helps the Town build credibility, so that larger grants could be pursued. Community participation and support are critical, to show the people giving us money that we can be trusted to participate in the improvement of our community.
Adjournment:
Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned by Beth Thomas at 7:25 p.m.
Tangier Island, Virginia 