TOWN TO TIGHTEN UP ON WATER BILLING
Ocean Isle Board Reviews Fee
Adjustments And Procedures
On Privilege Licenses, Late Fees
BY SUSAN USHER
D(n-s it cover the cost of provid
ing the service and is it fair to cus
tomers?
Those were the two overriding
concerns expressed Tuesday during
a three-hour workshop as Ocean Isle
Beach Commissioners reviewed
town fees and procedures for every
thing from privilege licenses to han
dling $10,000 in overdue water bill
payments and late fees.
While formal action cannot be
taken except in a regular business
meeting, commissioners reached a
consensus the town should change
its water billing schedule to shorten
the time period before water service
is shut off due to nonpayment and to
look at increasing water rates for
1994-95 to meet capital reserve
needs in the water system.
As of Jan. 25, the town had
$1(),(KK) outstanding in outstanding
water bills and late fees, according
to Cheryl Harrison, water and sewer
billing clerk.
Under the proposed change bills
would be payable on the 15th, a sec
ond notice mailed on the 16th, late
fee imposed on the 20th (based on
postmark of payment) and service
cut off sometime after the mail is
opened on the 23rd. The late fee
would remain $5.
But bccausc Ocean Isle Beach is a
resort community, commissioners
agreed an extra courtesy is in order.
The town staff will share a list of
past-due water customers with the
town's property rental firms so they
can either pay bills, acting as their
propertyowners' agent, to ensure
service is not cut off while a rental
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the property owner.
The town is encouraging property
owners who plan to be away for ex
tended time to either put down a de
posit in advance or use bank drafts
to insure timely payment.
While most water customers do
pay their bills. Utilities Super
intendent Odcll Williamson said the
water department's still not making
any money.
"We're barely paying our bills,"
Williamson told commissioners. "It
shouldn't operate that way. We
should have a reserve."
Commissioners agreed that before
preparing the 1994-95 budget they
need to look at increasing water
rates to cover capital reserve needs,
such as the overdue construction of
a second elevated water storage fa
cility at a projected cost of $4(X),0(X)
to $5(K),(MX).
Williamson also suggested using
some accommodations tax revenue
to boost the capital reserve fund to
cover future replacement or repair
costs.
For fire suppression and other
needs, the state requires maintaining
a 24-hour supply of water at all
times. Ocean Isle's 200,000-gallon
tank provides that reserve much of
the year, but hasn't during the peak
summer season for several years,
said town engineer Finley Boney.
Commissioners also plan to set a
public hearing on and to apply be
fore March 31 for a state grant to
help cover the cost of building a sec
ond water tank.
Commissioners are also expected
to act at a future meeting on these
items on which they generally con
curred Tuesday:
?to follow the state schedule for
issuing privilege licenses, as recom
mended by Town Clerk Daisy ivy.
?to follow the county standard
and charge $15 to disconnect and
$25 to reconnect a water service for
outstanding bills (not for winteriza
tion).
?to survey water users to deter
mine the number of meters in each
size range from three-fourths inch to
six inches, with the idea of estab
lishing a minimum monthly water
rate based on meter size rather than
the number of kitchens in a struc
ture. The fee basis came into ques
tion after a property owner, when
paying a sewer tap-on fee, volun
teered to the town that his structure
was a duplex served by a single wa
ter meter, not a single-family struc
ture as indicated in town records,
and his billings were subsequently
changed.
?increase the water deposit for
commercial accounts from $50 to
SI(M);
?increase from SI2.50 to $25 the
town charge for mowing vacant lots
and billing the cost to the property
owner, to better reflect the cost to the
town, including labor and use of the
tractor and bushhog. If the bill isn't
paid, the town ordinance calls for
placing a lien against the property.
?charge $5 for town dccals all
year long. Because the town has
been reducing the cost to $25.0 after
July 1, most property owners wait
until then to buy one. The dccals are
needed for property owners to return
onto to the island in the wake of a
hurricane or other disaster.
While no action is required, com
missioners agreed the town hall
should continue to provide photo
copying and FAX service as a con
venience for town customers, with
rates to be posted.
"We're a small town and we're all
n...Ii S fiiCC lO litiVC tiiC SCf
vice available as long as it's not
abused," said Commissioner Ken
dall Suh.
STAFF PHOTO BY SUSAN USHER
Top Essayists Honored
Four Shallotte Middle School eighth grade students received US. Savings Bond awards from Cala
bash Elks Lodge No. 2679 for having the winning entries in an essay contest on "What the American
Flag Means to Me." From the left are Kippy Sellers and Tonia Jackson, who each received $100 bonds
and will advance to district and state competition; Jaime Atwell and Pete Testa, who received $50
bonds; Elks Exalted Ruler Dick Owens and Patriotism Chairman John Martocci, who coordinated the
project. All four winners are students of English teacher Janice Gore.
OIB Ends Home Inspections
Ocean Isle Beach is out of the home inspection was asked to do only about four inspections a year, but
business. over the past few years the number has risen to "up
For more than 10 years, since sometime before wards of 40," most of them very old homes.
Druied Roberson became building inspector. Ocean Isle Each inspection cost S35. which Roberson said
Beach had provided inspections of houses mainly as a didn't cover the average cost of providing the service?
courtesy for absentee home buyers?until Tuesday. $75 would have come closer.
n ,, . . , . . . Responding to a question from Commissioner
Following a commissioners workshop on town ? . J? . ? . . . .. ..
u o .. urn* _ . . j o u i. Kendall Suh, Roberson said such inspections could ear
fees, Mayor Betty Williamson instructed Roberson he . .. , .. ..... f .. . , ...
? .,. . -j. ,. ,. . . ry potential liability tor the town. He has consistently
could stop providing the service immediately. . . j . . ? i* u . j J
r ' ? 3 not opted to do inspections in his off-hours outside the
To Roberson's knowledge. Ocean Isle was the only town limits because of insurance and liability issues.
area town providing .such a service. An inspection in- Instead of increasing the inspection fee. Ocean Isle
volves ascertaining and documenting the current condi- Beach Commissioners reached a consensus during the
tion of a house. workshop that the town didn't need to be in the home
After first joining the town staff Roberson said he inspection business at all.
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