Holden Beach
Commissioners Hash Out New Budget
BY DOUG RUTTER
Twelve hours and counting.
That's how long Holden Bcach Commissioners have
spent in the town hall meeting room since May 28 re
viewing Town Manager Gary Parker's proposed budget
for the upcoming fiscal year.
Officials have held four workshops in the past two
weeks and had another one planned Wednesday morn
ing. Will it be the last?
"I think it's a possibility," Parker said Tuesday. "You
never know. It depends on how far we get and how long
they want to go."
Following the latest workshop Monday moming,
commissioners still had general fund revenues, water
fund revenues and expenses and certain items in the po
lice department budget to discuss.
As part of their review of the water fund, commis
sioners must decide if they want to increase rates.
Holden Bcach buys its water from the county, which is
looking at a 10-ccnt rate hike next fiscal year.
Parker's proposed budget calls for a 1-cent increase
in the tax rate, from 15 cents to 16 cents per S100 of
property. That would add S15 to the tax bill for a
SI 50,000 home.
So far, town officials haven't discussed cutting the
tax rate. "They haven't gotten to the revenue yet or even
finished the general fund yet," Parker said, "it's kind of
early."
The SI.3 million budget includes about $230,000 foi
police and 5180,000 for streets. The town expects to col
lect S231,000 in occupancy tax and use 546,000 for po
lice salaries and 540,000 for sidewalks.
Commissioner Jim Foumicr has been out of town foi
the past two weeks and missed the budget workshops. A
public hearing on the proposed budget will be held June
23 at 7 p.m. in town hall.
Fire And Water Rescue
Tri-Beach Volunteer Fire Department won't get as
much as it requested or as much as the town manager
proposed for fire and water rescue service.
Commissioners last week cut the fire contract pro
posal from $25,000 to S20.000. Tri-Beach is expectcd to
get an additional $5,000 for water rcscuc.
Board members cut the fire contract by 55,000 after
reviewing Figures from other area towns including
Ocean Isle Beach and Yaupon Beach. All of them give
less to their fire department than Holdcn Beach.
Mayor Pro Tcm Gil Bass said the town gives more
to Tri-Beach than the county, and a small percentage of
the calls arc on the island.
"A lot of this doesn't seem right to me," Bass said.
"I just feel we should stay in line with the rest of the
towns and their donations."
Tri-Beach requested 546,000 from the town, and
Pailccr proposed 531,700. The figure now stands at
$26,700.
Streets
Noteworthy in the proposed streets budget is
570,800 for paving and 540,000 for sidewalks.
Paving is planned at Sandpiper, Sandspur, Sand
Dune, Lumbcrton and Marlin streets. Parker said
Fayettcville Street has been targeted for resurfacing
since it's in the worst shape of the roads already payed.
The 540,000 would pay for approximately one mile
of sidewalk. Officials haven't decided where the new
walkway will go. They're hoping for suggestions at the
budget hearing.
Sid Swarts and Gay Atkins suggested last week the
additional walkway start at the west-end guard shack
and run east toward the Heritage Harbor neighborhood.
David Sandifer said he'd like to see the sidewalk ex
tended from Rothschild Street east to Blockade Runner.
"We've pretty much ignored the cast end long enough,"
he said.
Public Buildings
After recent renovations of the town hall and police
headquarters and construction of a new public works
garage, Holdcn Beach has no building projects planned
next year.
However, commissioners arc considering expanding
the town hall meeting room in the upcoming year. The
town has S10.000 in a reserve fund for town hall im
provements and plans to add another 55,000 next year.
Mayor Wally Auslcy said there arc many times
when the town could use another 30 seats in the meeting
room.
"It's not unusual during one of our lively meetings to
have people sitting on the floor," Sandifer added.
Library Friends' Book
Sale Set June 28-July 2
The 13th annual used book sale benefiting the
Southport Library wili be June 28 through July 2 from 9
a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Friends of the Library arc holding the sale at the
Southport campus of Brunswick Community College at
Lord and Owens streets.
Hardback books will cost 25 cents and papcrbacks, 10
cents. Sets will be priced appropriately.
Books to be sold includc fiction, nonfiction, educa
tional, children's and others.
INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT
Holder1 Board Nixes Staff Addition
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Bcach officials last week
rejected a plan to expand the staff in
the building inspections depart
ment?the only personnel change
included in the proposed budget for
1993-94.
At a budget meeting last Friday,
commissioners voted 3-1 against a
recommendation to change the part
time secretary's position in inspec
tions to a full-time post effective
July 1.
Town Manager Gary Parker and
Building Inspector Jim McSwain
recommended the staff change, but
most town board members said last
week they don't think it's needed at
this lime.
Commissioners David Sandifer,
Gil Bass and Gay Atkins opposed
the idea. Sid Swarts voted for the
change. Jim Foamier was on vaca
tion and missed the meeting.
Parker proposed hiring a secretary
for 40 hours per week to assist the
building inspector. McSwain cur
rently has a secretary working 2 1/2
hours per day, and he said that's not
enough to run the department.
Parker said making the position
full-time would cost the town an ex
tra S 10,000 per year. He said ex
panding the staff would allow the
department to better serve the pub
lic.
"I think we can justify it We have
15 people working for the town of
Holdcn Beach and I don't think 16
is an inordinate amount..." Parker
said. "I think we need to provide the
services belter than they arc."
Besides inspecting new buildings,
McSwain is responsible for making
sure the town complies with federal
flood regulations and state coastal
development rules. He also is
charged with enforcing certain town
ordinances.
"There's a lot of work going on in
the inspections department," Parker
said. "There seems to be more and
more things taking up the time of
the person in that position and his
assistant."
Sandifcr opposed the staff
change, citing a drop in new con
struction over the last five years,
McSwain's lack of time on the job
and the circumstances he faced
when he first arrived.
McSwain started working as in
spector April 26 while the town was
still recovering from a March 13
storm that damaged 90 percent of
the homes on the island. The state
also enacted a new building code in
April.
Sandifer said he doesn't think the
town needs two full-time people in
the department with only 60 homes
being built per year. A pan-lime in
spector used to handle 100 homes
per year.
"Until Jim has his feet more wet
I'm not going to support it," he said.
Atkins, a real estate agent, said
the March storm crcated a lot of
work for the inspections department
"I understand your stress and your
workload. My workload has proba
bly doubled in the last two months."
Despite his limited experience as
inspector, McSwain said he doesn't
want to wait until next year to ex
pand the department. "1 don't know
if 1 want to wait a whole year. 1
think 1 got better eyesight than that."
Commissioner Swarts said ex
panding the staff would give the in
spector more time to enforce town
ordinances that currently aren't be
ing enforced such as ones dealing
with house numbers and garbage
racks.
"The little items are being com
pletely neglected," he said. "We've
got all sorts of things that need to be
done that arc slipping."
Parker agreed the town could do a
better job with code enforcement
with the extra staff.
"Things slip through the cracks.
Some things are not getting done,"
he said. "Those things could be done
better, a lot better, if we had this
time freed up."
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New Sign Proposed
Steve Randone, Brunswick County's geographic information systems manager, shows commissioners a
new sign he has designed for the county complex in Bolivia. If authorized for installation, the colorful
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