Columbus County Board of Commissioners: the NCDMVA grant, the Vietnam Veterans Day proclamation and the veteran-priced transportation

The board. The board meets at the Columbus County Commissioners Chamber, 127 West Webster Street, Whiteville; the January 20, 2026 regular session's roll lists "Brent Watts, Chairman; Scott Floyd, Vice Chairman; Lavern Coleman, Giles E. Byrd, Barbara Featherson, Ricky Bullard, Chris Smith", with "Edwin H. Madden, Jr., County Manager" and "Jana Nealey, Clerk to the Board". The county's Agendas and Minutes pages post the 2026 agendas and minutes as PDF; the minutes index carries only January 2026 on, so the 2025 minutes could not be read and the year rests on the 2026 record. The veteran items, in order: the February 16, 2026 minutes, "Agenda Item # 15: FINANCE - APPROVAL of the BUDGET AMENDMENTS ...: a. Budget Amendment - Veterans Office NCDMVA Grant - $20,000.00 ... Finance Director Heather Woody - Veteran Service Budget Amendment: The Veteran Services department has applied for and been approved for a North Carolina Department of Military and Veteran Affairs grant. This grant will provide $20,000 to cover advertising, public relations, office supplies, and training and education, with funds available for use through August 2026"; the March 16, 2026 minutes, "Agenda Item # 7: PROCLAMATION - ADOPTION of the PROCLAMATION for NATIONAL VIETNAM VETERANS DAY: Veteran Anita Adams requested adoption of the Proclamation for National Vietnam Veterans Day which is March 29th, 2026. Mike Creen was present to accept the proclamation and stated that on the 27th and 28th, a North Carolina Vietnam Wall will be on display. On that wall will be the names of all North Carolina veterans who were killed in Vietnam", with the adopted text proclaiming "March 29, 2026, as National Vietnam War Veterans Day in Columbus County", and the same meeting's finance report naming Veteran Services among the three departments "that are very low at this time ... as they receive the majority of their revenue at the end of the year"; and the June 1, 2026 minutes, the transportation grant's narrative answer: "Currently Columbus County only does the out-of-town trips if we have a Medicaid client or Veteran going and only on certain days of the week. We go to Pembroke on Mondays, Lumberton on Wednesday, Wilmington on Wednesday & Thursday, and Fayetteville on Tuesday and Thursday. The general public can go if we have a Medicaid client or Veteran going that day and they have to pay $25.00 for the round trip." The county's own observances. The site's notices and calendar carry the Veterans Celebration Parade - "Sat, Nov 7 2026, 10am to 2pm, Downtown Whiteville", with the entry-form flyer (veterans-parade-flyer-2026.png) and the sign-up link - and the Veterans Day Ceremony, "Wed, Nov 11 2026, 11am to 12pm, Columbus County Historical Courthouse 2nd Floor"; the notices index posts both ("Veterans Day Ceremony - November 11 2026", "Veterans Day Parade - November 7 2026 (Click Flyer for Entry Form)").