The Dare County Board of Commissioners will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 9 a.m. The meeting will take place in the commissioners meeting room, which is adjacent to the Dare County Administration Building located at 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo.

Notable Items:

View the agenda packet for the October 6, 2025 meeting.

Dare Community Housing Task Force Update (ITEM 7)
The Dare Community Housing Task Force will provide a presentation outlining outreach activities, recommendations from the 2024 Housing Task Force Report, and the establishment of the Dare Housing Foundation (DHF), which would be a non-profit organization. The Housing Task Force is requesting the Dare County Board of Commissioners to approve an annual budget of $200,000 for two years to support DHF operations.

Clinical Services Overview Presentation (ITEM 8)
This presentation will include an overview of the clinical services provided by the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services at their locations in Manteo, Nags Head and Frisco.

For more information about the Dare County Board of Commissioners, visit DareNC.gov/BOC or click the button below.

Saturday, October 25, 2025

Looking for a fun way to get into the fall spirit while also achieving your fitness goals? Don’t forget to register to participate in the upcoming annual Dare to Scare 5K & Sweet Treat Fun Run event, which will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center in Manteo!

The Dare to Scare 5K is a unique race that leads runners and walkers along a scenic trail throughout parts of Skyco and Manteo. Participants are encouraged to dress in their Halloween best at the race for a chance to win a prize. Prizes will also be awarded to the top three male and top three female race finishers, as well as individuals who participate in the costume contest. Pre-race activities will be held at the Coastal Studies Institute for runners and walkers to participate in prior to enjoying the course. 

The starting line for the Dare to Scare 5K will be at the Coastal Studies Institute (850 N.C. Highway 345 in Wanchese), and the finish line will be at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center (950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo). The Fun Run will take place at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center. The Dare to Scare 5K will begin at 8 a.m., and the Fun Run will begin at 9 a.m. All 5K participants are encouraged to park at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center; transportation from the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center to the starting line will be provided until 7:15 a.m. Please note that no return trips will be provided after the race.

This Dare to Scare 5K and Sweet Treat Fun Run event—which benefits the annual Virginia S. Tillett Community Center Toy Drive that takes place each December—is being held in collaboration with the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center, Coastal Studies Institute, OBX Go Far and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Registration will remain open until the day of the race (Saturday, October 25, 2025). For more information or to register for the event, please click the button below or call the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center at 252-475-9270.

Early voting for Dare County’s 2025 Municipal Election—which will be held for the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo on Tuesday, November 4, 2025—begins on Thursday, October 16, 2025 and continues through Saturday, November 1, 2025. 

Unlike on Election Day—when registered voters must vote at their assigned precinct—early voting allows registered voters to cast their ballot at one of two early voting sites in Dare County*, giving you the opportunity to vote at the location that’s most convenient for you. Early voting for the 2025 Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 will be held as follows.

2025 Municipal Election Early Voting Schedule

Early Voting Locations:
Manteo: Dare County Administration Building (954 Marshall C. Collins Drive)
Kill Devil Hills: Kill Devil Hills Town Hall (102 Town Hall Drive)

*Please note that the Fessenden Center Annex in Buxton does not operate as a voting location during a Municipal Election.     

Early Voting Dates & Times:
Thursday, October 16, 2025 and Friday, October 17, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday to Friday from Monday, October 20, 2025 to Friday, October 31, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, November 1, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Voter Registration Deadline:
If you aren’t already registered, be sure to do so before the voter registration deadline, which is Friday, October 10, 2025 at 5 p.m. Not sure if you are registered to vote in Dare County? Check your voter registration status using the North Carolina State Board of Elections Voter Search tool and filling out the required fields. For more detailed information about registering to vote in Dare County, please visit DareNC.gov/Elections.  

NOTE: If you miss the voter registration deadline, you may be eligible to register and vote or make changes to your voter registration—with the exception of changing your party affiliation—during the early voting period that begins on Thursday, October 16, 2025. 

For more information about the upcoming 2025 Municipal Election—including candidate information, sample ballots, current photo I.D. requirements and how to find your polling location—visit DareNC.gov/Elections or contact the Dare County Board of Elections office at 252-475-5630 or Elections@DareNC.gov.

November 4, 2025 to November 11, 2025

Dare County is pleased to announce our upcoming participation in Operation Green Light 2025! For the third consecutive year, Dare County will honor local veterans by participating in Operation Green Light, a National Association of Counties initiative that encourages residents and businesses to show their support to veterans in their community by shining green lights in their homes and businesses to let local veterans know they are seen—and appreciated—for their service and sacrifice. 

From November 4-11, 2025, an array of Dare County government buildings and facilities will be illuminated with green lights to show gratitude and support to the many veterans who reside in our community. Residents and business owners are strongly encouraged to join in the effort and recognize the importance of honoring all who made immeasurable sacrifices to preserve our freedom by displaying green lights throughout the week leading up to Veterans Day—or longer!

For more information about Dare County’s participation in the upcoming Operation Green Light initiative, please visit DareNC.gov/GreenLight or click the button below. For more information about the wide array of veterans services and resources that are available in Dare County, please visit DareNC.gov/Veterans.

The Dare County Library will host a series of free, Halloween-themed events for children of all ages at each of its three branches this month to help residents and visitors celebrate the spooky season! Don’t miss out on these must-attend festivities, which will be held at the Manteo Library, Kill Devil Hills Library and Hatteras Library as follows.

Manteo Library’s “Alice in Wonderland Haunted Library”

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Manteo Library (700 U.S. Highway 64/264, Manteo, NC)
Questions? Contact Dare County Children’s Librarian Tammy Batschelet at 252-473-2372 or Tammy.Batschelet@DareNC.gov. 

Kill Devil Hills Library’s “Family Halloween Party”

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Kill Devil Hills Library (400 Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills, NC)
Questions? Contact Dare County Children’s Librarian Donna Roark at the Kill Devil Hills Library at 252-441-4331, ext. 17 or Donna.Roark@DareNC.gov.

Hatteras Library’s “Area 51-Themed Hatteras Haunted Library Trick or Treat”

Date: Friday, October 31, 2025 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Hatteras Library (57689 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras, NC)
Questions? Contact Dare County Children’s Librarian Tammy Batschelet at 252-473-2372 or Tammy.Batschelet@DareNC.gov. 

Current TV is pleased to announce the release of its third installment in a recently launched video series designed to showcase the assortment of unique species of wildlife that call Dare County home: “Outer Banks Wildlife - Atlantic Ghost Crabs.”

Frequently seen on area beaches from Duck to Nags Head to Hatteras Village, Atlantic ghost crabs live inside burrows they’ve dug deep into the sand along the shoreline—some of which reach depths of up to 4 feet! In addition to providing details about their diet, as well as a few ways to distinguish younger crabs from their more mature counterparts, the video released by Current TV also highlights various ways these nocturnal creatures avoid predators and survive in such a dynamic environment as the beaches of the Outer Banks.  

To view the video about Atlantic ghost crabs in Dare County—which also provides a few tips for successfully spotting them on Outer Banks beaches—please click the button below or visit CurrentTV.org. Be sure to also follow Current TV on social media at Facebook.com/CurrentTVOBX and Instagram.com/CurrentTVOBX. 

On Tuesday, August 5, 2025, officials representing North Carolina’s coastal counties gathered for the first time in Morehead City, N.C., for the organizational meeting of the North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition—an alliance created to unify the voice of coastal communities in support of the state’s commercial fishing industry, working watermen and women, and the long-standing heritage tied to North Carolina’s coastal economy.

During the North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition's second meeting, which was held on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 in Morehead City, N.C., two guest speakers—Cornell Purvis, former director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and Jess Hawkins, former chief of Fisheries Management with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries—provided presentations.

The coalition also prioritized the key issues impacting fisheries that they plan to address:

1. Education: Educating the other N.C. counties and members of the General Assembly about fisheries issues. Consumer marketing/education.
2. Limits & Water Quality: Water quality decline. Crabbing limits and rules. Shrimp and flounder limits and rules. Trip limits.
3. Legislative Items: Transparency from the MFC and sharing of data. Consideration of moving the director of Marine Fisheries to the Department of Agriculture. Testing for restaurants to back up local seafood claims.
4. Predation Management.

Subcommittees will be formed to address these four priorities. For more information about the Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition, please click the buttons below. 

Meet Nimbus!

Meet Nimbus, our Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week! Nimbus is a handsome boy with a big personality! He is as sweet as they come and never shy about letting you know when he’s ready for some love and attention. Nimbus loves people and will happily “chat” with you while following you around. With plenty of charm and affection to share, Nimbus is ready to be the shining star of his forever home—could that be with you?

Ready to meet Nimbus or other adoptable pets? Stop by the Dare County Animal Shelter, (located at 378 Airport Road in Manteo) for a meet and greet, and click here to watch a video produced by Current TV. For more information, please visit OBXSPCA.org or contact the Outer Banks SPCA at 252-475-5620!

Outer Banks SPCA Adoption Hours:

Monday to Friday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for naptime)
Saturday & Sunday: By appointment only