Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / April 21, 1994, edition 1 / Page 12
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OTHER NEEDS AT STAKE. TOO Boards Agree Leland School Needed But Disagree On How To Pay For It BY SUSAN USHER Brunswick County Commis sioners and Board of Education members are both committed to im mediate construction of a new Ixland Elementary School, but haven't settled on how to fund that project or other school capital needs. An hour-long joint meeting at Brunswick Community College was called by Commissioners Chairman Don Warren after school board members said they had concerns about the Leland school plan. It was the first joint meeting of the two boards since they took office near ly 1-1/2 years ago. As a result of the meeting. County Finance Director Lithia Hahn will seek proposals for shorter-term (5-, 7- and 10-year) certificates of partic ipation that should reduce interest costs, with early repayment and refi nancing options. She hopes to have alternative proposals available in ap proximately two weeks. Commis sioners also held open the possibility of contributing some property tax revenues to the project from a re serve fund. Both boards want to move on the Leland project quickly to avoid ris ing costs and to relieve overcrowd ing. The school board, which ex pected to complete its purchase of a 32-acre site on River Road this week, had planned to award bids for construction this month. Commissioners initially proposed financing the Leland project over 15 to 20 years through certificates of participation that would lie repaid solely with state half-cent sales tax revenues. School hoard members ques tioned extended interest payments on the one Leland project when the system has other pressing construc tion needs, commissioners' commit ment of no county tax dollars to the project, and whether school facilities are being given adequate priority. Response was cool Thursday when Warren suggested the school board consider a bond referendum to meet the schools' long-term capital needs. School board members pro posed instead that commissioners recognize the county's obligation to provide adequate facilities and set the property tax rate at a level to cover capital outlay needs, making school facilities a high priority. "All those plans (for financing Leland Elementary School) un predicated on instructions not to use ad valorem (property) tax money." said school board member Bill lairley. "That s a fundamental prob lem. I am satisfied we will not be able to meet the long-term needs of the schools without the county putting money in it. "It appears to me we have put ourselves in a mode of thinking that we build schools on the basis of how much half-cent sales tax is avail able...I think we need to look at our needs, then decide how we're goine to do it." Otherwise, said Fairley, his chil dren will "literally be paying for their educations" after they enter the workforce. School board member Yvonne Bright urged that any available funds be applied to the Leland pro ject to limit the amount that must be financed and the length of financing. "I feel like they are committed to building the school, but are afraid of the t-a-x word," school board Chairman Donna Baxter said after ward. The county's fund balance has dropped from $18 million at the end of the last fiscal year to a projected $10 million this year, Hahn said, so there isn't enough money available to "advance" the cost of the new school and aliow the school board to repay it over several years?one of the pro posals advanced last week by Baxter. Commissioners set aside $2 mil lion this year in a new water and sewer/schools capital reserve fund it expects to continue. Of the available money, Warren said $700,000 is committed next year for water trans mission projects. He proposes using TRADE IN YOUR TRAILER FOR A CUSTOM BUILT HOME WE BUILD & FINANCE Your Plan or Ours 100% FINANCING (ON YOUR LOT) NO DOWN PAYMENT NO CLOSING COST Paul Grant 1-800-331-7053 EASTERN BUILDERS, INC. some of the balance to cover school maintenance and repair needs, not construction. "You can't spend it twice," he said. "There arc two things we feel strongly about," said Warren, who did almost all the talking for com missioners. "One. that we use the half-cent sales tax for school con struction and that we continue this reserve fund we've begun. Second, nobody likes to mention this word 'bond referendum," but let the peo ple of this county vote on these schools. You and I have got to sell them on these schools." Earlier Superintendent Ralph Johnston asked commissioners to look beyond the Leland School, to consider folding the schools' long term capital needs into any strategy to fund the county's overall five year capital outlay needs, and to provide for the system's long-range maintenance needs. The schools' $18.3 million five year plan includes an elementary school in the southwestern section of the county, pre-kindergarten facil ities and a new central office. "We're trying to get into a long range planning mode," he said, ref erencing County Manager Wyman Yelton's similar goals for other county agencies. However, commissioners haven't begun looking at cither the county's 1994-95 budget or departments' five-year needs, said Warren, and are reluctant to commit to any one department's financial requests until they have. "There have been no capital needs addressed for any other depart ments," said Warren. "Until we look at what we're going to face as a county it would be premature to say what we will do." "1 think the commissioners are willing to listen to your five-year plan," he added later. "Nothing is cast in stone." Added Commissioner Tom Ra bon, "I'm not prepared to tell you we won't provide some ad valorem money." "These are nol 'our' needs, these are your needs too," said Russ. "Granted you have to look at other needs, but somewhere it has to be prioritized. If we don't put education as our number-one priority, where will we be?" "We've got to get beyond 'we keep giving money and don't see re sults,"' she said. "You won't (see re sults) if we don't have the buildings and equipment we need. We're just going to have to bite the bullet and do it." I tllJL_ a Its time to promote Ronald Hewett Ronald I lewett has served with distinction weaknesses of the Sheriff s Department and for 11 years as a Deputy Sheriff. knows what needs to be done to improve the He is in the prime of his law operation of the Sheriff s office: enforcement career not one of those ?Form a county-wide Drug Task Force to candidates winding down from another coordinate efforts of all agencies to career. He is ready to be the kind of active, combat drug trafficking. Your vote for progressive Sheriff that Brunswick County Ronald Hewett will send a warning to drug needs and deserves. dealers to get out and stay He has been preparing ^ out of Brunswick County, himself for this job ever since ?Expand the D.A.R.E. he was sworn in at Holden mJEp' \ program into the junior Beach in 1983 as North 1 and senior high schools. Carolina's youngest police J SHB wv ?, He knows how important officer He has the training, 1 1 this program is and wants the experience, the to make it available to more temperament, and the young people. leadership ability for the job. f ?Make homes and streets As Brunswick County safer. You have a right to D.A.R.E. Program feel safe in your home and Coordinator and Narcotics 4^3^ \ \ 1 on ^ie stree^s* R?nald Investigator, Ronald Hewett , v J \ Hewett, a professional, put this county's D.A.R.E. hgjJP%i|l ^ experienced law program on the map and wm. .. 1 i enforcement officer, is also a made a name for himself as \ ? jQ family man who is national and state D.A.R.E. T/\ dedicated to making Officer of the Year for his V ^KtiQT \ M Brunswick County a safe outstanding work in trying to place for his children and protect our young people yours. Keeping the door of from drugs by making them sheriff's department aware of its danger. open 24-hours a day is just one of the many I Ronald Hewett is ready, willing and able plans he has for making the Sheriff's office now to apply the same kind of dedication to more responsive to county citizens. the task of boing Sheriff. No doubt he will You have a very important weapon make a name for himself as Sheriff, just as he with which to fight crime. It is your has as a deputy. Because of his experience as vote-make it count. Cast it for Ronald a deputy, he knows the strengths and Hewett FISH FRY Saturday, April 23 4:30 PM Waccamaw Park Behind Waccamaw School, Ash All Are Welcome To This Rally ?sheriff FISH FRY Sunday, April 24 4:30 P.M. Calabash Fire Department All Are Welcome To This Rally PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT RONALD E. HEWETT SHERIFF. ALBERT PARKER. TREASURER ci<m the Brunswick beacon
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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April 21, 1994, edition 1
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