Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Dec. 29, 1994, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Will Your Life 'Really Matter' During 1995? As one year ends and another be gins, my mind has been rambling all over, picking at memories trig gered by sounds, smells and other associations. It would be easy to be come disheartened as I watch the news, listen to the sirens screaming late in the night and begin thinking that the world is becoming a mean er place than even I, a hard-bitten newswoman, can stand. Random violence occurs even in rural areas like our own, often pro pelled by enslavement to a powerful and evil addiction to drugs or alco hol. More and more criminals blame their antisocial and illegal behavior on the past, some missing element in their own less than perfect child hoods, and expect us to buy it. We can sympathize, but we should know better. There are too many inspiring stories of men and women of all races and nationalities who rose above the meanest of sur roundings, who rose above the ter rors of their pasts and became excit ing role models for the rest of us. A few criminals even expect us to buy the idea they shouldn't be Susan Usher punished for crimes committed while under the influence of drugs, that they couldn't help it. Give me a break. They chose to use the drug, a LETTERS TO THE EDITOR N.C. Intangibles, Properly Taxes Vex Transplanted Long Islander' To the editor: We have been residents of Fair way Villas at Carolina Shores. Cala bash (transplanted Long Islanders) for a little over three years. We like it very much and we have friends who moved here from Long Island and have made many more friends. However, there are two things that bother us very much ? the personal properly tax and the intangibles tax. Why are we charged (in 1994) $89.13 for owning a 1990 Olds mobile 98 with 66,000 miles on the odometer? We can't afford a new car without tailing out an equity loan, and I spent over $1,700 in 1994 to keep it running If you don't have a car. you must walk. How come there is no personal property tax on footwear'' Regarding the intangibles tax. it is onerous and taxes money or invest ments that have been saved for re tirement living. I know of no tax that assesses unrealized gains or losses What is more unfair is that you don't have to pay on investments that are with North Carolina domi ciled companies or less if a national company has offices or manufactur ing in this state. Slate Commerce Secretary Dave Phillips (recently said) "climate and tax structure is luring new business to the state, and not a lack of unions and low-paid work force." He said all this while, unveiling an advertis ing campaign to lure business to the state. If he has anvthing, in the cam paign about the intangibles tax, he won't succeed. We didn't know about the intangi bles tax and personal property tax when we moved here, and lots of others didn't either; however, the first thing we tell people interested in moving to the state is, "Beware the intangibles tax and personal property tax." It is totally unfair (even the court has upheld its legality), particularly on seniors who arc depending on the interest payments (which arc subject to state income tax) to stay afloat and, as I stated before, (is) a tax on the total investment and unrealized gain. Of course if there is an unreal ized loss, the state suffers and the taxpayers suffers twice. Michael T. Abbcne Calabash Likes Color Photos To the editor: We look forward to receiving The Brunswick Beacon every week. Since we are unable to spend all of our time at our beach cottage, wc appreciate your keeping us informed on happenings Lately wc have especially en joyed the pictures that are printed in color. Your photographers are quite good and should be congratulated. Our favorite column is by Bill Favcr. We look forward to his spe cial essays with personal pho tographs each week. We arc pleased to renew our sub scription for 1995 and send our thanks for the enjoyment you have given us in the past. Franda and Phil Pedlow Richmond. Va. No Answers, Just Taxes To the editor: Our commissioners who were voted in to represent all tho people equally changed the original capital improvement bond for the installa tion of the water lines for all resi dents at Shallotte Point and only gave it to a certain area. The Go Walcr Bond should have been desig nated to all. not just a certain area. This is an act of discrimination to the rest of us landowners, voters and taxpayers of Shallotte Point. Our county has always stood for democracy (which is a form of gov ernment in which the supreme pow er is vested in the people. I, for one, have a 70-foot lot which has been assessed at $736.03 plus $475 hook an fee equals $1,211.03. For that 4a mc section of 70-foot pipe, the man living on the other sick of the dirt road opposite of me has to pay 51,211.03, the total equal, for 70 Foot of pipe $2,422.06. It think that's high. There are 24 lots on my road; 24 times $736.03 equals $17,664.72, riot counting the hook -on fees. Are we paying for those who the com missioners gave the bond? The Utility Commission had the right of way to lay the lines whether people wanted it or not. Only certain resi dents arc being forced to pay. At the tax office, liens have al ready been placed upon the land owned by people who cannot afford these rates. This is discrimination in that some people pay and some don't. Who will pay the cost of the sew er system? The ones who didn't pay for the water? At the meeting it did no good to go; the ones asking questions got no answers and we've still got none ? only more taxes. Dorothy Shea Shallotte Point Write Us We welcome your Tenets to the editor. Letoin must have an origi nal signature and must include your address and telephone num ber. (This information is for veri fication purposes only; we will not publish your street/mailing address or phone number.) Letters must be typed or written legibly. Address letters to: TW Brunswick Beacon P.O. Box 2558 SksAotteNC 28459 Anonymous letters will not be published. Budget, Mining Proposal Among County's '94 Battles (Continued From Page 1-A) of County Manager Wyman Yclton (hiring his recovery from injuries suffered in a car accident. Interim Manager Charles McGinn is was the former county manager of Cabarrus, Catawba and Gaston counties. Brunswick county was invited to join three other area counties in a re gional high-tech garbage disposal system that would eliminate the need for a local landfill while recy cling much of the waste and burning roost of the rest for fuel. The county is still negotiating with officials of the "BCH Energy Project," who are building the waste-to-energy system outside Fayetteville. Libraries Built, Improved TVo new branches of the Bruns wick County Library system were opened in Leland and on Oak Island as work began on renovations to the Shall otic and Southport Branches. The friends of West Brunswick Library raised money, located a building and provided volunteers to keep a temporary library open while the Shallotte branch was closed. The newly expanded facility is scheduled to re-open Jan. 9. In June, a federal judge dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former county Clerk Regina Alexander, saying the commission ers enjoyed legislative immunity when they eliminated her paid posi tion from the budget. Later that month, Alexander re-filed her suit in state courts. Funding Fight Begins Opening shots were fired in a dis pute between the commissioners and the school board over school fund ing as ISO people turned out for a public hearing on the proposed county budget. The commissioners eventually approved a spending package that did not increase taxes, but gave the schools S4.5 million less than was requested in their bud get Commissioner Jerry Jones re signed from the county planning board after fellow commissioners called for a comprehensive study to identify "inconsistencies" in the zoning law that Jones helped create. He later agreed to retain his plan ning board seat following a vote of confidence from the other commis sioners. Unable to reach a compromise over the amount of money needed to run the schools, Brunswick commis sioners and board of education members faced off in court. A jury awarded the school board the full amount it requested in its budget. The commissioners have appealed the verdict, claiming it would re quire a 10-cent increase in local property taxes to fund the schools at that level. Central Permitting Begins In mid-September the long pro posed central permitting office was opened at the county complex in Bolivia. The facility provides a "one-stop shopping" place where residents can obtain all the neces sary approvals they need for build ing a new home or business. Martin-Marietta Sues Martin Marietta Aggregates fol lowed through with its promise to sue Brunswick County over the law enacted in January that prevented the company from opening its pro poses limestone quarry near South port. The lawsuit asks the court to either declare the mining law void or to make the county re imburse the company for some or all of the money it claims to have spent on the project. Republicans and Democrats, in cumbents and challengers were clcctcd to the county board of com missioners in November. Former one-term Chairman Don Warren and fellow Democrat Wayland Vereen were unseated by former Calabash Mayor Douglas Simmons and politi cal newcomer Leslie Collier, who became the first Republican woman ever named to the board. Veteran member Jerry Jones retained his seat to form a Republican majority, de spite the defeat of incumbent Donald Shaw by Democrat Bill Sue. Also returned to office was Democrat Tom Rabon. Last-Minute Spending The outgoing commissioners went on a last-meeting spending spree, appropriating $338,827 for various departments, projects, agen cies and volunteer fire and rescue squads. The new board appointed Commissioner Jerry Jones chairman and fellow Republican Leslie Collier vice chairman. At their first meet ing, the new board named a doctor to the county health board and creat ed a joint liaison committee to im prove relations with the new board of education. This newspaper is printed on recycled When y?m finish reading TH[ BRUNSWICK ftKACON crime in itself, didn't they? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to penalize them for both, and to throw in drug rehabilitation too? At 40-plus I still believe that government can help people and communities help themselves through programs like Head Start, WIC and VISTA. I believe even more strongly that individuals can and do make the most difference. None of us should write off the future as something we have no part in, because we would be wrong. Thank goodness there are lead ers, visionaries and heroes among us. Individuals who care so deeply that they have no choice but to act on their convictions. I'm thinking about Robert Quinn's push to protect a neighbor hood from mining, Lori Bates' fight for better care for preschoolers, Eugene Tomlinson's advocacy for better stewardship of our precious coastal environment, as well as the less visible fights, such as Katherine Shawver's drive to improve the lives of the downtrodden and de feated and give them hope, and a cousin's commitment to being a good parent and a good daughter. 1994 has come and is almost gone. It hasn't been a perfect year. However, it has carried forward for another time the seeds of hope, the examples of goodness, the possibili ties for change because there are those who aci in love and mercy out of their faith. As for you and me, we can sit back and complain, make excuses and criticize those who try. Or we can choose to try living, as writer Danny Morris suggests, "a life that really matters." Jan. 1 6 Deadline For Fishery Proposals Santa's work may be done, but the Jan. 16 deadline for the state's fishery resource grant applications is fast approaching. If you have an innovative idea, but haven't put pen to paper yet, it's not too late to submit a proposal. The N.C. General Assembly has made $1 million available for the fust year of the program, which pro vides money to people who want to do research to en hance the state's fishery resources ? either by testing new equipment, researching industry trends, perform ing environmental pilot studies or studying other fish eries issues. State officials say grant money will be distributed as evenly as possible among the northern, Pamlico, cen tral and southern coastal areas. N.C. Sea Grant, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission have held workshops and disseminated information to help applications understand the grant process and re fine their ideas and proposals. Applications are still available from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (919/726-7021). Com pleted applications must be postmarked by Jan 16 and mailed to DMF Director, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City NC 28557. The Marine Fisheries Commission will recommend projects to be funded. For technical advice or more information, call the regional directors of the division or Jim Murray, N.C Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service director, (919)515-2454. NOW YOUR AD CAN REACH ALL OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR ONLY $ 25 WORDS $6 each additional word N.C. STATEWIDE CLASSIFIEDS BLANKET NORTH CAROLINA OVER 120 NEWSPAPERS (For more information, call this newspaper or...) SIMPLY FILL OUT THIS FORM AND SEND WITH YOUR CHECK. (No Phone Orders. Larger order forms are available from this newspaper.) Name Address Zip Advertising Copy: 25 Words ? $6 each additional word over 25. Word count: Telephone numbers (including area code) equal one word. Post office box numbers as two words, box numbers and route numbers as two words. The name of the city, state and zip code each count as one word. Other customary words count as one. SEND TO: THE BRUNSWICIC#RACON CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING DEPT. P.O. BOX 2558, SHALLOTTE, NC 28459 (910)754-6890 ?
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 29, 1994, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75