BELHAVEN — Controversy erupted in Belhaven Monday night over the fate of a 2.5-acre piece of land.

Located at the corner of N.C. Highway 99 and West Main Street, the land is part of 33 acres donated to the county late last year, and as of July, a memorandum was signed and approved by the Board of Commissioners to allow the N.C. Wildlife Commission to build a boat ramp there.

Belhaven Mayor Adam O’Neal expressed his disapproval at Monday’s Board of Aldermen meeting regarding the boat ramp, saying it would cause the town to lose a substantial amount of tax money.

“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” O’Neal said, adding that Belhaven already has a boat ramp.

Seth Laughlin, Beaufort County planning director, said public-owned property is tax exempt, meaning the town would receive no tax money from its use once the boat ramp is installed.

The land supported a lumber mill from the early 1900s to the 1940s, and then was the location of a marina, feed mill and fertilizer plant starting in the 1970s.

However, Laughlin said the land has sat vacant for many years, largely because of the environmental concerns attached to it. The county has submitted an application to the state brownfields program, which would alleviate a potential developer’s liability in an area of contaminated land in need of cleanup.

O’Neal referenced a meeting last week of a small, local group, which met to discuss potential plans for the land, and accused the group of going behind the town’s back. He said the meeting was not announced, and no town officials were invited to attend. Upon learning about the meeting, however, town Manager Woody Jarvis felt he needed to sit in on it.

“People are trying to direct the town’s future that aren’t elected to anything and couldn’t get elected to anything,” O’Neal said, also attacking Commissioner Frankie Waters for what he sees as undercutting Belhaven. “This is another example of these folks that are working against the town and against your interests. … They don’t care about the tax value that could be there if it was developed.”

According to Laughlin, the county has been talking to the Resources Commission for more than a year about the boat ramp project, and the Board of Commissioners makes any decisions about moving forward.

“County staff works at the pleasure of the board. … The best timeline we have is that the state intends to move forward with development in the next calendar year,” Laughlin said. “The county’s hope is to partner with WRC to develop the boating access area and entertain options.”

He said there is a possibility for other private partners to invest in the land in conjunction with the boat ramp, whether bait and tackle shops or a campground.

The Belhaven Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to allow Jarvis to craft a resolution that includes the town’s opinion on the matter. Alderman Ricky Credle was absent.

“We don’t need to sit by and let these folks jam a boat ramp down our throats,” O’Neal said.