The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners on Monday turned back a proposal that would have penalized the budget for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office if Sheriff Alan Jordan did not agree to mark at least 10 additional vehicles.

The panel rejected by a 5-2 vote a resolution presented by Commissioner Hood Richardson that would have “embargoed” from the sheriff’s office budget $10,000 per car if a minimum of 10 additional cars were not marked for identification “in the same manner as all other patrol cars.”

Generally, the sheriff’s office identifies its patrol cars with markings, but it maintains unmarked cars for use by its narcotics officers. It has other cars used by office personnel that are not marked.

“We need to get these cars marked so the public can see them … so we will know when the sheriff is working,” Richardson said.

Richardson and Commissioner Stan Deatherage voted in favor of the motion. Commissioners Ed Booth, Robert Cayton, Al Klemm, Jay McRoy and board Chairman Jerry Langley opposed it.

Richardson’s proposal continued the heated debate that began at a budget workshop held by the commissioners earlier this month when tensions flared between Richardson and Harry Meredith, Beaufort County’s chief deputy, over vehicles used by the sheriff’s office.

Richardson maintains the use of more cars that identify law-enforcement officers helps lower the county’s crime rate.

“It helps a criminal know the sheriff’s department is on patrol,” Richardson said Monday.

Other county leaders said there are times when an unmarked car is needed to respond to calls.

Meredith has continued to criticize Richardson for trying to micro-manage the sheriff’s office, and he maintains that Richardson’s concern about marking the cars is a ploy to advance the political careers of Jordan’s opponents.

In an interview after the vote, Meredith said some of the figures Richardson cited in his remarks were inaccurate, and he said Richardson’s proposal is nothing more than a “personal vendetta” against Jordan.

“He’s doing this for political gain and his personal dislike for the sheriff,” Meredith said.

Jordan is a Democrat. Richardson is a Republican.

In other business, the board:

• Unanimously approved a resolution presented by Commissioner Robert Cayton regarding proposed new charges and rate changes for riders on the state’s ferries. Citing extensive ferry use by employees at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and PotashCorp-Aurora, the resolution asks the N.C. General Assembly to grant “certain exemptions or one-time reasonable fees” for North Carolina residents who use the state ferries to commute to work.
• Heard a report on property-tax collections from Bobby Parker, Beaufort County tax administrator. Parker reported the rate of property-tax collections is greater than anticipated. County Manager Paul Spruill’s recommended budget for 2011-2012 was based on a 95.01 percent collection rate of real and personal property taxes. The actual collection rate as of June 13 was 95.49 percent, and since that date, that figure has risen to 95.62 percent, Parker said. “That’s good news,” said Spruill.
• Voted 5-2 to approve $8,229.50 in travel expenses, with Deatherage and Richardson casting dissenting votes.
• Unanimously approved a list of 10 budget amendments and project ordinances for the 2010-2011 budget, including changes to a project to buy property for a boat launch at Crisp Landing on the south side of the Pamlico River and changes to a project to provide sewer services for Carver Machine Works.
• Unanimously approved the following five appointments to the Beaufort County Board of Health: Dr. Stan Cohen of Chocowinity, Carol Preston of Bath and Jenni Williams, Bill Sprenkle and Dr. Dennis O’Neal, all of Washington. The commissioners delayed appointments to the Beaufort Regional Health System Board of Commissioners.

The commissioners met in a closed-door session Wednesday as they continue their search for a replacement for Spruill, whose last day as county manager is Friday.

They are also scheduled to discuss an economic-development project in a subsequent closed-door session today. They are scheduled to convene in an open session at 7 p.m. today to discuss U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-issued permits for the county’s industrial park near Chocowinity.