Commission OKs
Budget W/fh
7 7 -Cent Tax Rate
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Beach Commissioners have approved a
$1-57 million budget for next fiscal year featuring a 4
cent reduction in the tax rate and a SI increase in the
minimum monthly water charge.
Funds to complete sidewalk construction on Ocean
Boulevard, $50,000 for town hall renovations and
$5,000 to study water pressure problems at the west end
of the island are among the items included in the 1994
95 spending plan.
Commissioners adopted the budget with little dis
cussion last Wednesday after only 12 people showed up
for the budget hearing.
"i can't beiieve y'aii are so quiet," Mayor Gay
Atkins remarked after hearing no public comments. The
new budget takes effect July 1.
Town Manager Gus Ulrich said the 27-percent tax
rate cut? from 15 cents to 11 cents per $100 of proper
ty ? was made possible by the recent revaluation in
Brunswick County.
The property revaluation added approximately $60
million lo Holden Beach's tax base, which is estimated
at $295 million. With the 1 1 -vent rate, town officials ex
pect to collect $318,010 in taxes next year.
The $1 million general fund includes $225,684 for
police. $195,767 for administration. $145,650 for public
works and $75,600 for sanitation.
With the $50,000 set aside for town hall renovations.
Ulrich said town officials are considering converting the
meeting room into office space and turning the old pub
lic works garage into a meeting room.
"It's obvious to everyone that we need space for our
personnel," the manager said last week.
Ulrich said the $45,600 budgeted for sidewalk con
struction will allow the town to complete work along
Ocean Boulevard by May 1995.
Town employees are doing the work instead of con
tractors. Ulrich said the town saved about $6,700 on the
stretch recently completed between Blockade Runner
and Jordan Boulevard.
Budgeted contributions include $10,000 for Coast
line Volunteer Rescue Squad. $2,000 for the South
Brunswick Islands Chamber of Commerce and $500
each for the Brunswick County Literacy Council, Hope
Harbor Home. Lower Cape Fear Hotpice and Bruns
wick County Volunteer and Information Center.
Holden Beach officials have increased the monthly
base charge for water from $12 to $13 because of an an
ticipated rate increase by Brunswick County, which sells
water to the town.
Starting in July, people who use more than 2,000
gallons of water per month will be charged an additional
$1.70 per 1,000 gallons over the base charge. The old
rate was $1.65 per 1,000 gallons.
"It's anticipated the county will raise its rate so
ptuicvung ourselves from that," Commissioner
Sid Swarts said.
A 23-percent pay raise for all town employees was
included in the budget, and town officials do not plan to
increase the number of employees in the coming year.
Appointments Coming
Commissioners will make four appointments to the
town's planning and zoning board and four aoooint
mcnts to the i/wrd of adjustme.it at their July S meeting.
Nominated for re -appointment to the planning beard
last week were regular members Roger Williams and
Johnny Craig and alternate members Myra Burke and
Leonard Froehlich. There were no other nominations.
On the board of adjustment. Commissioner David
Sandifer nominated Crawford Hart for re -appointment
as a regular member. Swarts nominated John Welter for
the seat now held by Hart.
Swarts also nominated Diane Clark and Dwight
Carroll nominated James Hart man for the regular seat
currently held by Allan Dam^'on. Dameron has served
two consecutive terms and is not eligible to serve anoth
er term.
Jack Vbmdran was nominated to fill the alternate
seat now held by Larry Boyte.
Dan H armor was nominated to serve the rest of the
unexpired term of Marlaine Thomas, who resigned her
alternate seat when she was appointed to the board of
commissioners.
Commissioners will make final nominations before
voting on appointments at the next meeting.
Holderi Building Inspector Resigns,
After Only Four Months On The Job
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holdcn Beach Commissioners put
$50,000 in the 1994-95 budget for
town hall renovations. Maybe they
should spend some of it on a revolv
ing door in the building inspections
office.
In the past 14 months, four build
ing inspectors have cither retired or
resigned. The latest, Claude Spell
man, stepped down June 14 after
four months on the job.
"I think he just didn't find what
he was looking for down here," said
Town Manager Gus Ulrich, who is
accepting applications for a new in
spector and hopes to start interview
ing candidates this week.
Mayor Gay Atkins said the three
resignations by building inspectors
in the past year were not related.
One resigned because he preferred a
different xxupation, and two otiiers
left because of personal or family
problems.
Dwight Carroll, now a town com
missioner, served more than nine
years as building inspector before
ret ring last April due to a back in
jury. Since his retirement, Holden
Beach has been through three in
spectors.
r7 think he just
didn't find what
me was looking
for down here. "
? Gus Ulrich,
Town Manager
Jim McSwain replaced Carroll
but left six months later to run his
own construction business. Bill
Goodman resigned after just five
weeks on the job for personal rea
sons.
Spell man, who previously worked
three years as chief building inspec
tor for the Pamlico County Inspec
tions Department, left Holden Beach
after serving just over four months.
Despite the high turnover rate,
Atkins said there are no problems in
the inspections department.
"There's no undercurrent of any
thing happening in the town." she
said last week. There have been no
personality conflicts or town con
flicts with any of the inspectors. It's
just the way it's worked out."
The mayor said Spellman decided
to leave mainly because his wife
started having health problems
short!" after he took the Hoidcn
Beacn job. She never did move to
the area from their home in
Arapahoe.
"Jim (McSwain) thought that's
what he wanted to do and when he
got into building inspections it end
ed up being more paperwork than he
thought... I think he wanted to get
back into building," Atkins said.
"With Bill (Goodman) there were
some personal problems that arose
and he went back to the town he had
been living in (Hickory)," she said.
Ulrich said Spellman had been
commuting between Holden Beach
and Arapahoe every weekend to vis
it his wife.
"Frankly, I think he was getting
tired of the inspection-type work,"
Ulrich said.
Commissioner Carroll said last
week he doesn't think there's more
pressure placed on building inspec
tors at Holden Beach than there is in
other places.
"I had a lot of pressure put on me
at times, but the job was not that im
51a? F?UST! ?f JUIff
ALL
Men's & Ladies'
Summer Clothing
& Shoes Are
Reduced!
purtant to mc as far as the money,"
Carroll said.
Asked lo explain the type of pres
sure he was under as inspector.
Carroll said, "People want to get by
without following the code. They
want to take shortcuts, and the
building code Ls the very Minimum."
Carroll pointed out that there's a
big difference between building
code enforcement inland and along
the coast.
"Between the mainland north of
the waterway is a completely differ
ent code than south of the water
way," he said.
While Ulrich searches for a new
inspector. Ocean Isle Beach building
inspector Dniied Roberson is work
ing part-time at Holden Beach.
Town commissioners voted last
week to pay Roberson S20 per hour
during his temporary stint. Roberson
comes to Holden Beach after his
work day at Ocean Isle Beach and
has been working some weekends.
Holden Beach's public works su
perintendent, Russell Hickman, has
a probationary building inspector's
certificate and has been doing some
minor inspections with Roberson,
Ulrich said.
I
I
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