Morehead City meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Morehead City Council offers Randy Martin 3-year city manager contract

The Morehead City Town Council, meeting in closed session on Aug. 11, unanimously agreed to offer Randy Martin a three-year full-time city manager contract at $240,000 per year plus a $14,000 annual allowance for phone, internet, and local travel, according to official minutes. The council also rejected a counter offer from Matthew Zapp and withdrew all prior offers to him.

City manager search

The council's offer to Martin, approved 5-0, includes benefits, tenure credit, and a nine-month severance clause. The decision was made to avoid hiring an outside search firm and to retain Martin, who had received an offer from Havelock. The council also approved the $14,000 annual allowance.

In a separate closed session, the council unanimously declined Matthew Zapp's counter offer for the city manager position, deeming the terms unacceptable, and withdrew all prior offers. The council will meet with Springsted/Waters to continue the search.

The council also evaluated City Manager Chris Turner. All members expressed satisfaction and agreed he deserved a 5% pay increase, but Turner declined the raise, citing budget cuts, and recommended changing the evaluation cycle. He also announced a new business venture and discussed succession planning.

In another closed session, the council approved a 7.5% salary increase for City Manager R. Randy Martin, setting his salary at $87,800 per year, effective on his employment anniversary date.

Other council actions

The council approved closed session minutes from several earlier meetings, including those from 2013, 2014, and 2015, and discussed potential litigation involving the Martin lawsuit and Jack's Waterfront Bar. No formal decisions were made on those matters.

The council also directed the city manager and mayor to meet with a representative of the Morehead Marlins to resolve contract issues at O'Neal Field, including unpaid fines and scheduling.

In a separate closed session, the council discussed the weigh station at 709 Shepard Street, where the city has a right of first refusal to purchase, though a sale is considered unlikely.

Coming up

The City Council will hold public hearings on the annexation and rezoning of properties on Radio Island and Gloria Dawn Road, and will consider rezonings for Morgan Street and Pensacola Avenue. These items are scheduled for the September 8, 2026, meeting.

The Board of Adjustment will meet on August 27, 2026, to hear two special-use permit requests for nonconforming uses at 2501 Avery Street and 1409 Shepard Street, and to consider granting variances for an accessory building at 310 South 19th Street.

Morehead City boards weigh contract authority, 310-unit housing rezoning, and setback variances

Morehead City's advisory and governing bodies turned to contract authority, land use, and zoning relief in a series of late-July meetings. Minutes have not yet been published for any of the sessions, so outcomes listed on the agendas — including any votes — cannot be confirmed from the available records.

City Council — July 21 (Special Meeting)

The Council scheduled a special meeting to take up Resolution 2026-R-46, which would clarify and amend the City Manager's delegated contract authority. The agenda also included a land identification amendment tied to the July 2026 water and sewer capital project, along with Budget Ordinance Amendment 2026-16 and Water and Sewer Capital Project Ordinance 2026-16, both intended to align the budget with the contract authority resolution.

The meeting summary states that the council adopted the amended water and sewer capital project budget ordinance, but because minutes have not been published, that outcome is not independently confirmed in the available record.

Planning Board — July 21

The Planning Board's agenda centered on several rezoning requests, headlined by a proposal to rezone 101 and 105 Gloria Dawn Road for a 310-unit multifamily development.

Additional rezoning items on the agenda:

• 202 Pensacola Avenue — proposed rezoning to a Commercial Marina Conditional Zoning District.
• 191 and 195 Morgan Street and 201 Marine Drive — proposed rezoning to a Commercial Marina District.
• Twenty Four Storage at 770 Highway 24 — review of an alternate landscape plan.

No recommendations or votes are confirmed, as minutes are not yet available.

Board of Adjustment — July 23

The Board of Adjustment was scheduled to hear three property-specific requests and elect a chairperson.

Agenda items:

• A variance request for 310 South 19th Street to reduce the front setback from 15 feet to 5 feet and the north side setback from 7 feet to 2 feet.
• An order for a rear setback reduction from 15 feet to 5 feet for a dwelling and porch at 1102 Bay Street.
• A special-use permit order for a private school at 5448 Highway 70.
• Election of a chairperson.

As with the other meetings, minutes have not been published, so no outcomes are confirmed.

What this means for residents

The 310-unit multifamily proposal on Gloria Dawn Road, if advanced, would represent a significant addition to the city's housing stock. The marina-related rezonings on Pensacola Avenue and Morgan Street/Marine Drive could affect waterfront land use. The Board of Adjustment's variance and permit requests address specific property owners' ability to build or operate under standard setback and use rules. Residents interested in any of these items should watch for published minutes, which will confirm what was decided.

Coming up

No public meetings are listed on the available calendar for the next 14 days. Residents should check the City of Morehead City's official website for any newly scheduled or rescheduled sessions.

Morehead City Council advances annexations and budget amendments; Planning Board to weigh 310-unit development

Council acts on annexations and budget

The Morehead City Council's July 14 meeting covered the most consequential business of the past two weeks. According to the meeting summary, the Council adopted multiple budget ordinance amendments — numbered 2026-13.3, 2026-14, 2026-15, and 2026-16 — and accepted June 2026 monthly financial results for the General Fund and Water and Sewer Fund.

The Council also adopted Ordinance 2026-O-11 for the annexation of 3108 Bridges Street, which had been the subject of a public hearing on the same agenda. Two related resolutions advanced further annexation work: Resolution 2026-R-38 directs staff to investigate an annexation petition, and Resolution 2026-R-39 sets a date for a public hearing. Both pertain to properties at 191 and 195 Morgan Street and 201 Marine Drive.

The July 14 agenda also listed a resolution (2026-R-41) to apply for the 2025 AFG Grant for an ambulance, a proposed amendment to the City Fee Schedule, and discussion of a new Parks and Recreation residency policy. Minutes for this meeting have not yet been published, so final action on items beyond those noted in the summary cannot be confirmed.

Marlins baseball license agreement discussed

The Council held a special meeting on July 9 focused on the Morehead City Marlins Baseball license agreement. One agenda item concerned a license agreement with the Marlins baseball organization; a second special-meeting agenda the same day addressed an amendment to the license agreement for Riverfront Sports and Entertainment regarding the Marlins. No other business or public hearings were scheduled. Minutes are not yet published.

Coming up: Planning Board, Council, Board of Adjustment

Planning Board — July 21: The board will review several land-use changes. The largest is a rezoning request for 101 and 105 Gloria Dawn Road to allow a 310-unit multifamily development. Also on the agenda: rezoning 202 Pensacola Avenue to a Commercial Marina Conditional Zoning District; rezoning 191 and 195 Morgan Street and 201 Marine Drive to a Commercial Marina District; and review of an alternate landscape plan for Twenty Four Storage at 770 Highway 24.

City Council — July 21: The Council will consider Resolution 2026-R-46, which clarifies and amends the delegated contract authority of the City Manager. The agenda also includes a land identification amendment for the July 2026 Water and Sewer Capital Project, Budget Ordinance Amendment 2026-116 to align with the resolution, and Water and Sewer Capital Project Ordinance 2026-116.

Board of Adjustment — July 23: The board will hear a variance request for 310 South 19th Street to reduce the front setback from 15 to 5 feet and the north side setback from 7 to 2 feet. Also scheduled: an order for a rear setback reduction from 15 to 5 feet for a dwelling and porch at 1102 Bay Street; a special-use permit order for a private school at 5448 Highway 70; and election of a chairperson.

All upcoming items are from published agendas; final outcomes will depend on board and council action at the meetings.