Town Expands Community Code Enforcement Team

Everyone wants to feel safe in the community where they live—not just from a law enforcement standpoint. We also want to experience safety from a quality-of-life perspective and through measures the Town Council puts in place to protect property, people, and the environment. Our community code enforcement program is key to helping us achieve a high level of public safety.

When we approved our 2023 fiscal year budget in June, we approved funding for a director of public safety and four more community code enforcement officers. The director of public safety position was assumed by Bob Bromage, who was a major with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and served as its public information officer and lead cold case investigator. Bob was no stranger to Town Hall as he was one of the sheriff’s deputies assigned to be present at Town Hall meetings. He is now overseeing our new public safety office, including our community code enforcement program.

Prior to this year, the town had two code enforcement officers: Wendy Conant, who joined the town staff in 2017, and Todd McNeil, who joined the staff in 2019. Last month, the town expanded its community code enforcement program with the addition of two new code enforcement officers: Mack Brown and Morgan Thompson. In the next year, we plan to add another two officers to the team. Together, this team of six will help the town sustain our community through education and compliance. Not only will they help uphold community public safety standards, but they will serve as ambassadors for our community.

Our code enforcement officers are responsible for enforcing the town’s Municipal Code and Land Management Ordinance relating to environmental, public safety, health, sanitation, and other general regulations. They respond to citizen complaints and reports from other agencies and departments on alleged violations of town zoning. They also inspect and patrol public and private properties to ensure compliance with town Municipal Code and the Land Management Ordinance, conduct field investigations, patrol our beaches, and answer questions and interpret town codes for citizens, staff, and outside agencies. They work along with Shore Beach Patrol, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department, and other partners to respond to concerns. Our expanded team of officers will play an important role as we implement our strategic action initiatives such as our short-term rental initiative and a parking master plan.

With a larger team, we will be in a position to better respond to our residents and visitors and protect our community. To contact our Code Enforcement Office, call the town at (843) 341-4600.