Name: Randy Thompson
Party affiliation: Republican
Career: Retired, Emergency Services Director for Brunswick County, Small Business Owner
Degree: Associate's in Fire Protection (Durham Technical Comm. College), Bachelor's in Public Administration (Shaw University), Certificate in Non-Profit Management (Duke University).
1. What qualifies you to serve on the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners?
As a lifelong learner, I have been in local government my entire career. I worked up through the ranks to become a Department Head of one of the most progressive agencies in the State of North Carolina. I have supervised a major department, ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations, ensuring a balanced budget each year, while addressing unpredictable situations. As a current County Commissioner who has completed 11 years in office, my skill set has led to a balanced budget each year with no tax increase occurring during my tenure. During this time, the 2016 school bond of $152 million was paid off. Again, without raising taxes. I have supported adding additional Senior Facilities, Park Improvements, and a Courthouse Expansion. These facilities, improvements and updates were all completed with NO TAX INCREASE!
2. Name one top priority policy change you want to see and how you will work to do so.
One of my top priorities is addressing the Overdevelopment going on within Brunswick County. Ordinances need to be adopted to ensure we can manage growth and provide leadership with a clear understanding residents needs come first.
3. What is your view of the current board’s leadership? What are they succeeding at and what needs to be improved?
The current board’s leadership needs to improve the communications for all the Commissioners. One example is during a recent School Board presentation, it was noted that the Chair and Vice Chair had been provided with information from school officials that never made it to the full board.
4. What is the biggest challenge facing Brunswick County?
One of the biggest challenges is surpassed Infrastructure! We have issues related to storm water management, water and sewer capacity, overcrowding schools, need for additional fire department funding, need for additional health care professionals and better state-maintained roadways. As many of these items are currently being addressed in various ways, continued focus will be required to ensure we are meeting the ever-changing demand.
5. Brunswick County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, and certainly in the state. Do you think the current method and rate of growth is sustainable? What would you like to see for future development?
I do not feel that the current rate of growth is sustainable. I would currently like to see a pause in the rate of development and a change in our county’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to address future development. Whereas, we can’t go back and change many of the development issues already ready allowed (permitted?), we can learn from past decisions and prevent them from occurring again.
6. Local leaders on the WMPO board are considering a tri-county transit tax to fund significant infrastructure projects, like the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. It will require buy-in from the state legislature as well as local leaders. Where do you stand on this proposal?
First, we need additional roadway improvements today as we are already witnessing areas in our county where a lack of infrastructure creates disastrous (specific to roadways) situations. To date, I haven’t been furnished with a document detailing a tri-county transit tax proposal. Until such time as I can review and discuss the proposal with my constituents I will hold my response.
7. Do you think the county should be taking any measures to mitigate or slow the pace of development? If so, what should be done?
I do think we should take a very aggressive approach to mitigate and slow the pace of development. Just as our Sewer facilities alone have operated for years under a capacity model, I feel that it should be under an allocation model (one where we count rooftops already approved). Our roadways are deteriorating, and, in my area, the focus has been on the Carolina Bays Parkway Extension (Hwy 31). With no state funding and under the NCDOT point system for approving roadways, no points could be rewarded even if the North Carolina section was tolled. My concern is that NCDOT doesn’t have a plan “B”. We need to expand and improve all existing roadways in this area while discussion continues on the future of the Carolina Bays Parkway Extension.
8. WUNC reports federal changes to SNAP funding may require county governments to cover additional costs associated with Medicaid – counties would have to ensure recipients (including veterans, people aged 55-65, and parents of kids over 14) meet work requirements, which would cost Brunswick County more money. How would you approach this funding issue? Would you support raising property tax in this instance?
Our County has been looking at the possible impacts associated with a reduction in SNAP funding for several months. This isn’t the first time that public assistance programs have been impacted. Brunswick County has always identified the best steps forward to serve the needs of our citizens. As we move forward with the budget process this year options will be discussed to address the funding need as identified by staff. We will examine the necessary options to ensure those in need are served. As for the use of a recommended property tax increase I can share that many situations have been addressed in the last 11 years I have been on the Board of Commissioners and NO TAX INCREASE has occurred.
9. The county is currently weighing a move from a square-footage "fire fee" to an ad-valorem "fire tax" to help fire departments keep up with rising call volumes and inflation. What is your philosophy on how fire services should be funded, and what ideas do you have for ensuring that any change in the funding model is equitable for all property owners?
I think it’s fair to say that the current funding model worked for many years, some years while being supplemented with ad-valorem funds. The fire service in Brunswick has changed as our county has grown. Once a primarily volunteer service has evolved into a career service agency. The community demands have changed as well as adopted standards for the fire service. I feel that the fire service across the county should operate with an adopted level of standards to include staffing. Staffing across the county differs greatly and every resident should be equally served regardless of the area they live. The rural areas of the county should have a standard for operational staffing and any municipal agency covering any part of the rural area of the county should be compensated, which also could be determined by a formula-using coverage area and the amount they could adapt for the rural areas, e.g., a uniformed service fee. This way municipalities are not carrying the cost for both municipal and rural coverage in their assigned districts.
10. As more land is cleared for new developments, issues regarding air quality and open burning of land clearing debris have become a major concern for residents. What is your stance on balancing the needs of developers to clear land with the rights of residents to have healthy air quality and a safe environment?
I have brought the item up numerous times during commissioner’s meetings. I am concerned about clear cutting and open burning in our county. I have been told that the county isn’t authorized to change the regulations associated with open burning, even those local municipal agencies have adopted stronger regulations. Recently, I tasked our legal department to determine if we could require the use of on-site air curtain burners on clear cutting operations. This would reduce the major impacts felt by the community greatly. Hopefully, I will receive the information shortly and request board action to adopt a change, until we are able to eliminate clear cutting open burns.