In this issue:
- Highlights of the January Village Council regular meeting.
- The latest on this weekend’s winter storm.
- Wilmington Harbor Project, synopsis, where to find more info.
- Golf cart registration renewal system update.
- Deer management operations have concluded.
- Tree maintenance continues along Village roads; expect detours.
Reminders & Events:
- The Public Service Auxiliary & Project Longevity organizations will be conducting their annual meetings at the Department of Public Safety on Friday, January 30.
- The 2026 Trash & Yard Debris Schedule is now available. A few reminders.
- The next regular Village Council meeting is on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, immediately following the conclusion of the Village Council’s annual retreat, which will start on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
Village Council Regular Meeting
The Village Council conducted its last regular meeting on Friday, January 16, 2026.
Below are a few of the actions taken:
- Council recontinued the public hearing on a proposed amendment to the budget ordinance fee schedule, ICE fees. The Village Council has continued the hearing since it was introduced in October to provide time for the working group (Council Thomas, Rex Cowdry, and Village staff) to propose a fee schedule that incentivizes users to operate smaller and/or electric commercial vehicles. At this month’s meeting, Councilor Thomas presented a list of guiding principles and asked for feedback. There was consensus to continue discussion at the annual retreat and to solicit feedback. The hearing was continued until the March 20, 2026, regular meeting.
- Council unanimously adopted another resolution concerning the Wilmington Harbor Deepening Project; this one was to join a regional statement regarding the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project. More details on this project are below.
- Council unanimously adopted an ordinance making amendments to the Village’s residential yard debris removal program. The changes to the ordinance can be viewed HERE. We have also provided this information below with the 2026 Trash & Yard Debris Schedule.
A full recap with additional details is posted monthly on our website HERE. You can also listen to a podcast episode recapping the meeting HERE.
A full account of these meetings can be found in the minutes, which are posted HERE. Typically, minutes are posted with the agenda of next month’s meeting (e.g., if you want to read the December meeting minutes, they can be found under the January regular meeting agenda).
Severe Winter Weather
Key messages from the National Weather Service Wilmington Office’s latest briefing:
- Forecast confidence is higher along and west of the I-95 corridor, given the uncertainty with the location of the wintry weather transition along the coast.
- Some light rain on Friday will transition to a wintry mix on Saturday. It is too early to determine where exactly the transition zone will be located.
- Specific details regarding ice accumulations remain uncertain. However, the primary wintry weather type is expected to be freezing rain for northeast SC and southeast NC.
- The main window of concern is late Saturday and Sunday.
- Dangerous cold will follow into early next week, with single-digit wind chills possible Monday night.
Guidance for Islanders
- Islanders should take measures to protect pipes, as they are at risk of freezing any time temperatures drop below 32°F or 0°C. View some tips HERE.
- Islanders should safely heat their homes. Housefires and carbon monoxide are two of the greatest risks for personal injury and even death. View some tips HERE.
- Be prepared for possible power outages. Report any power outages to Duke Energy. View our power outage webpage HERE for more information.
- Check Bald Head Island Transportation, Inc.’s app or website for updates on ferry service should this weather have an impact on ferry operations.
BHIT’s latest message: Bald Head Island Transportation is currently monitoring the potential for winter weather this weekend. At this time, we do not anticipate any impacts to normal operations. However, weather conditions and forecasts can change rapidly. Please continue to monitor our app and website for the latest updates. Posted on 1/22 at 11:53 AM
This event is expected to significantly impact NC and Governor Stein declared a State of Emergency yesterday (1/21). The Village has activated its Severe Weather Event webpage where any updates will be posted.
Wilmington Harbor Project
The N.C. State Ports Authority has proposed a project to deepen the Cape Fear River shipping channel by five feet to an average depth of at least 47 feet and widen portions of the existing federal navigation channel within the lower Cape Fear River and harbor entrance. The Port Authority indicated that the existing channel conditions cannot accommodate newer, larger container ships.
The Village of Bald Head Island has submitted comments regarding the proposed project several times, going back as far as 2019. For those who have been involved with Bald Head Island for a long time, the Village was one of the few entities that spoke out with concerns when the navigation channel to the Port of Wilmington was modified (deepened and relocated) in 2000. Back then, one of the main concerns was increased shoreline erosion, and this remains a concern with this proposed project.
This project, however, has prompted many local municipalities, individuals, and groups to voice concerns over the project from the channel entrance nearest BHI on up to the City of Wilmington including Southport and Orton Plantation. In October 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that the proposed project aligns with the state’s coastal policies and rules and asked the N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM) to concur as required by the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). Although the state can reject the Corps’ determination. In November 2025, DCM hosted a public hearing in Wilmington with strong public engagement and accepted public comments until December 2025.
On January 20, 2026, DCM released a statement announcing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the NC State Ports Authority, had asked DCM to pause its review of the Corps’ Consistency Determination, and DCM indicated it had granted the request. In the statement, DCM said that once the review process resumes, “DCM will decide whether to concur or object to the Corps’ determination for the proposed project. If DCM objects, it can offer alternatives or conditions that, if agreed to by the Corps, would allow the project to proceed.”
The Village will continue to monitor the status of this project and has created this webpage to post updates as more information becomes available. The Village has been working with its governmental affairs consultants, who could at some point recommend a “call to action” for Islanders to submit additional comments in support of the Village’s concerns.
Golf Cart Registration Renewal System Update
The new golf cart registration renewal system has been up and running smoothly for most cart owners for the last two weeks. The total number of registered carts as of Wednesday (1/14) was 2,172 carts. This is out of roughly 3,500 carts.
A few key items golf cart owners should know:
- The Village will not be enforcing registrations until it is certain that all have had an opportunity to register carts. This will be NO EARLIER THAN MARCH, most likely later. An announcement will be made when enforcement begins.
- If you did not receive your invitation letter via USPS mail, you can request your PIN via email at golfcart@villagebhi.org. You must provide the following information: Name, BHI Address, identifying information on a cart you own (Insurance/Serial Number/Make/Color).
- If you have never registered a golf cart before, your information is not in the system, and even though your cart(s) may have been previously registered on BHI, this would not be considered a registration renewal. You can request a new registration PIN by emailing golfcart@villagebhi.org.
- Golf cart owners are being charged the full $30 for 2027 and then a prorated amount for 2026 based on each cart’s original registration date. If your golf carts were registered at different times, the charges will vary. (See table in the explanation letter for rates).
- If you are adding a property manager’s mailing address to the registration information so your stickers can be sent there, please make sure you are entering your current property manager. Some property managers have reported receiving stickers for properties they no longer manage.
Updates and additional Q&As are being added to the website as needed and via the Village’s Voice announcements and social media. Golf cart owners are asked to please email any issues/questions to golfcart@villagebhi.org. Village staff have received several emails and are still working their way through them all. Thank you for your patience.
Deer Management Operations Have Concluded
Village Manager, Chris McCall, reported at last week’s Village Council meeting that the Village had completed deer management operations in meeting the BHI Conservancy’s recommended and NC Wildlife Resources Commission permitted take number of 100 deer, with 61 does and 39 bucks taken to reduce the herd size. Based on the Conservancy winter deer census count, the does were reduced from 117 to 5,6 and the bucks were reduced from 62 to 23. Staff should have all the costs associated with the project assessed for further discussion on the cost/benefit analysis at the annual retreat next month (February 3 & 4), as the Village considers future use of immunocontraception. During Council discussion, it was noted that there is a misperception that immunocontraception is sterilization, and it is not. It is birth control. The deer were delivered to Dixie’s Deer Processing for donation to those in need. Islanders can find details about the Village’s deer management program on the Village website HERE.
Tree Maintenance on Village Roads
Public Works and its contractor (Fitness Tree) will continue to perform routine tree maintenance along the Village’s main roads through mid-to-late February. Islanders should expect lane closures during this period of time. Overhead cutting by Fitness Tree will resume next week. Any updates will be posted on the Village’s “Road Closures” webpage HERE and on social media. Here is some additional info on the Village’s routine Tree Maintenance.
REMINDERS & EVENTS:
PSA & Project Longevity Meetings
The Public Service Auxiliary & Project Longevity organizations will be conducting their annual meetings at the Department of Public Safety on Friday, January 30.
- The PSA’s meeting starts at 11:00 a.m., where updates on the volunteer organization will be discussed, and attendees will hear from Deputy Chiefs Buddy Brooks and Philip Horne.
- Registration for Project Longevity’s 3rd Annual Meeting starts at 1:00 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. Presenters include: Gail Sanders (Project Longevity), Philip Horne, Buddy Brooks (VBHI Public Safety) and Sheriff Brian Chism and DC Erica Evans (Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office), Bion Stewart (BHI Transportation), Bob Nixon (BHI Clubs), Ken Chester (Village Chapel), Misty York (We Help at Home), Sam Saunders CPA and Matt Thompson, Atty (Estate Planning).
Trash & Yard Debris Reminders & Schedule
The Public Works Department has updated its Trash and Yard Debris Pick Up Schedule for 2026. You can view it HERE.
A few reminders:
- Please make sure you use your YES/NO sign for trash pickup.
- Yard debris pick-ups are not “on-demand” and are only completed on the scheduled dates. You will still need to submit your pick-up request via our online service request portal (HERE) or by calling customer service at 910-457-9700 ext. 1000.
- Yard debris requests must be made no later than 2:00 p.m. on the day before the scheduled pick-up.
- Piles should be left on the roadside. Please make sure not to cover up your water meter or any other utility infrastructure.
- This service is for property owners who do their own yard work. If you have a contractor/landscaper, they are responsible for the debris removal. The UPDATED ORDINANCE has established that one pile per property shall be left per pick up, and it must not exceed 8 feet by 4 feet by 3 feet in height and must be 5-6 feet away from utility infrastructure and any trees/vegetation. If you use one lot on your street to collect debris from multiple properties, please note this when making your request.
Next Village Council Meeting
The next regular Village Council Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 4, 2026, following the conclusion of the Council Retreat on February 3-4, 2026. The retreat and regular meeting will be held in the multi-purpose room in the Department of Public Safety (273 Edward Teach Ext.). The agenda for the retreat and regular meeting will be posted HERE. Zoom information for listening remotely can be found HERE.
If you are unable to attend, we will be publishing a written recap HERE, uploading the presentations on our YouTube channel, and there will likely be several podcast episodes generated from the topics discussed.
Bald Head Association events can be found HERE.
Old Baldy Foundation events can be found HERE.
BHI Conservancy events can be found HERE.
Village Chapel events can be found HERE.
Project Longevity event info HERE.
The Village calendar can be found HERE.
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