SBI Investigating Transfer of Pender Playground Equipment
PENDER COUNTY (WWAY) — The State Bureau of Investigation confirmed to WWAY-TV3 News that it is looking into a possible violation involving the transfer of county-owned property in Pender County.
The investigation centers on playground equipment removed from Kiwanis Park in Hampstead and relocated to the Eagles Watch neighborhood.
Last month, community leader Beth Butler publicly thanked Commissioner Randy Burton for the used playground equipment at a County Commissioners meeting. She later told WWAY that she and other volunteers helped dismantle and dispose of playground equipment that had been deemed unsafe. Butler claimed the county approved her request to take the playground equipment. But other leaders say they didn’t know it happened and thought it was an inappropriate way to get rid of county property.North Carolina General Statute 153A-176 governs the disposition of property by North Carolina counties. It authorizes a county to sell, lease, or transfer real or personal property it owns by following the procedures outlined in Article 12 of Chapter 160A (municipal property disposal), which requires competitive methods like sealed bids, public auction, or negotiated offers to ensure fair value.
