The public comment period at the Harnett County Board of Commissioners meeting on Nov. 3 included multiple residents raising issues the board did not take formal action on at that meeting.

Glenn Maughan urged the county to more prominently recognize Cornelius Harnett and Alexander Lillington with plaques, a liberty tree and additional displays; he also repeated an earlier public request to secure broader recognition of Cornelius Harnett’s service. Another speaker, Alan Longman, urged the board to shift meetings to 6 p.m. to increase participation and warned that proposed or existing water treatment approaches could leave dangerous contaminants such as cadmium in the water supply, particularly harming pregnant women and children; he asked the county to pursue newer treatment technologies used in Europe.

Kate Ryker raised concerns about a proposed early‑voting site that appeared to be at the business of a local Republican precinct chair (identified in the transcript as Ricky Lane Temples / RLT). Ryker said state statute allows use of a private site only when public sites are unavailable and requires that the site not display signage or affiliations that could indicate partisan preference. She asked how many alternative sites were considered and noted the Board of Elections is funded by the county and that new sites may require additional budget resources.

Larry Mitchell used his time to highlight veterans’ services and events, including hazardous‑waste collection efforts, Operation Greenlight and the Veterans Treatment Court, and asked the board to consider support in the FY26 budget for services to veterans.

No formal board action on these public comments was recorded at the meeting; commissioners heard the concerns and in some cases pointed to appropriate staff or boards (for example, noting the Board of Elections administers voting sites). The transcript shows these items occurred during the public comment period and were not subject to immediate motions or votes.

Provenance: Public comment items appear between 00:20:50 and 00:33:27 in the transcript; individual speakers and topics are cited in the provenance below.