Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / March 13, 1980, edition 1 / Page 1
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PERQUIMANS WEEKLY Volume 36, No. 11 USPS 428 060 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, Mar. 13, 1980 20 CENTS Spring singles Old man winter may yet have a little more grumbling left to do, but recent spring-like weather brought out the sun worshipers to full force, like go cart enthusiast David Cullipher, pictured in a field off Grubb Street ( Extended. Jimmy Byrum was among the many who crowded the town tennis courts for a little warm weather fun. (Photos by NOEL TODD MCLAUGHLIN) School fuel cost to skyrocket The Perquimans County Sebool System expects to pay {?nn $1.35 to $1.45 per gallon for fuel op to keep classrooms warm next winter. A The estimate was released at a school board meeting on Tiipsday afternoon, scheduled after snow forced cancellation of the regular Monday njieting. -Schools superintendent Pat >Barrell said that in the past 12 months, the price the school 3$sfem must pay for fuel oil h|t? risen from 46 cents to 90 A$ats per gallon, and there is ^Mttelief in sight. "-The board took no action on revising the school calendar to account for the three ad ditional snow days missed last week, because last Tuesday board members were un certain when school would be reconvened. It will be up to school administrators to adjust the calendar, Harrell said, adding that he did not foresee Saturday school at tendance. The school board also ac cepted an audit covering financial affairs for the 1978-79 fiscal year, and decided to schedule a series of meetings to discuss budget-making for the 1980-81 fiscal year. Other special meetings were scheduled March 26 to meet with Dr. William Self and Dr. Julio George of UNC-Cbapel Hill on the Rockefeller Project, and April 28 to meet with the principals of Perquimans County Schools. Board chairman Clifford Winslow announced that the legislative committee of which he is a member has decided to recommend a school facilities need bond referendum of a minimum of $600 million to a full legislative commission. The commission will have the option to recommend the referendum to the N.C. General Assembly for placement on the 1980 ballot. The committee's recom mendation included a need stipend of $750,000 to each local school district in the state with the remainder of the money being distributed on an average daily mem bership basis (larger districts receiving larger shares). Elizabeth City State University's newly formed graduate program was another subject of discussion at the meeting. The program offers sequential courses in three areas of education: ez ceptional children, vocational education, and early and in termmediate education. Courses are taught by faculty members of UNC Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, and N.C. State. Within three years, ECSU is expected to have its own gradute school completed, and students may apply their courses towards a degree at the local university. The board also approved the appointment of Eva Ward as finance officer for the school system, and discussed the initiation of tornado safety drills in the schools. Hnnual student testing begins Perquimans County students will participate in the gate's Annual Testing program during a two-week period beginning March 17. The 1900 annual testing marks the third year the state's program has been in operation lathe county. The test, administered to students in the first, second, third, sixth, and ninth grades, is achievemnet oriented and ^Kigned to gavge progress is ?nath and reading skills. Students in the fourth, fifth, *> seventh, eighth, and tenth grades will also be taking the test at the same time on the local level. Tbe test is administered on both the state and local levels in grades ode through ten in order tc measure progress. "We decided we needed a system of continual progress," said Paul Ward, Perquimans County Testing Coordinator. ?? According to state education officials, test results have jrked improvement over the pait two years on the state level. And according to Ward, Perquimans County's results have also shown im provement. "In two year's time, we are certainly making progress," he said. Educators (eel that in formation gleaned from the test results helps teachers improve instruction by providing tangible objectives for which they can plan their yearly instruction around. "Hie whole testing program furnishes us with a direction for the educational program of our children," said Ward. Reading and mathematics scores improved at all grade levels and in all areas of the state from ?78-7?. First and second graders scored above the national average in all eight of the state's education districts in 1971. Math scores increased from a grade level equivalent of LI to 13 amoag first graders and from L3 to 3.4 amoong second t graders between 1978 and 1979. "Statewide, I think people are really pleased with this program," said Ward, who added that parents, too, benefited from the testing results. "Parents get an individual report with the objective* printed out on the back and it might give them some idea of things they can do at home to help," said Ward. U tility bills explained by NOEL TODD Mclaughlin A recent DAILY ADVANCE news article that reported the price Elizabeth City residents pay to Vepco for each kilowatt hour of energy used has brought on a deluge of questions as to why Hertford's rates are seemingly higher. But according to Hertford mayor and town manager, Bill Cox, Hertford's rates are not higher at all. Elizabeth City pays $0,017 for every kilowatt hour of energy consumed. That ap pears to be almost one cent less than the $0.01967 Hertford residents pay for that same kilowatt hour. Needless to say, every time Vepco gets a price increase, they pass it on to the customer. And instead of changing the machine used to compute utility bills, each time Vepco increases rates, the town of Hertford takes the difference between their base rate and Vepco's base rate and adds it to the fossil fuel charge. "It would cost us $300 to change the machine every time Vepco raises their rates," said Cox, "if we had made every change, it would have cost the town $1,200." Vepco's base rate is $5.27, anH thp tmvn rinse nnt a HH nr ?????? ???* ?v I'M www >IVV UUW v> subtract from that figure. Vepco's rate for the first 800 kwh is $5,739, as compared to the town's $4,802. Vepco's rate for power used over 800 kwh is $4,216 in comparison with the town's $3,279. The difference betweefn Vepco's rate and the town's rate is added to the fossil fuel charge, in addition to 6 line loss factor, which is defined as what is lost between the receiving point and the distribution point. "The line loss factor is a minor thing," said Cox. Cox did, however, concede that the town of Hertford's rates were higher than Albemarle Electric Mem bership Corporation. "EMC is cheaper than the town of Hertford," said Cox, "I can't argue with that." But according to Cox, Hertford's higher rate yields a utility profit necessary to pay for the general operation of the town. "EMC provides no other services to its customers. There is no denying there is not a profit (off of utility rates), but every penny and nickel goes back to the people of Hertford in services," said Cox. The utility profit generated between July 1, 1978, and June 30, 1979, was $161,390. This was part of the (440,655 budgeted for general expenditures in the town of Hertford. "The town actually spent $470,144," said Cox. Among services provided, in part, by the utility profit are police protection, fire protection, street main tenance, sanitation, recreation, and inspection. "When you say the town made it, they turned around and used it," said Cox who maintains that utilizing a utility profit is the only fair way to provide such services. "We could implement a special tax for property owners but then only property owners would pay for the , services enjoyed by i everybody," said Cox, "this way everybody pays for i services equally." But the way in which we pay for these services can sometimes be confusing and Vepco's billing process remaius somewhat of a mystery. Hertford customers pay Vepco a $5.27 base charge regardless of consumption. Even if no energy is used in a home during the billing period, the customer is required to pay the $5.27. The residential user may compute his bill by ( Continued on page 2) ITEMIZED STATEMENT OF SERVICE - DETER READ CAYS PRES CONS NUMBER DATE READ TANT USAGE AMOUNT S5M1SM3M 13180 18810 2813tn3 31 1701 3?00 DEMAND RKVA IbMMflOO 31b? N80 *25,301.23 *23,148-33 *21-7t SUBTOTAL - ELECTRIC SCHEDULE RS FUEL COST ADJUSTMENT AT ??017 DB PER KUH CURRENT BILL AMOUNT *41,287-32 *27 , Ibl ? UO *77, EMS-IS PAY THIS AMOUNT *77,248-12 A LATE PAYMENT CHARGE AT FERC DEFINED RATE (JILL BE ADDED IF NOT PAID BY FEB 22 1980 Vspco Mail DATE fgg 7 1980 vmomu iucthic and rowm coupim Whopper of a bill If you think your January electric bill was a doozy, just look at the one the town of Hertford had to foot. Total due: $77,248.92. Gun law Proposed change argued Hertford resident George Bullock made a second at tempt to stop the discharging of firearms within the town limits at the Hertford Town Council meeting Monday night. Although he had requested the change at the council's last regular meeting because of two shooting incidents that occured on his property, the council's decision was to retain the present ordinancd. Bullock said he believed the shootings to be unintentional, but that the second offense had lodged a bullet in the wall of his home and that if he or his wife had been standing there, they would have been "killed or seriously injured." The present ordinance allows the shooting of firearms only within a licensed shooting gallery or for the protection of one's personal property against obnoxious animals. The council ruled at their last meeting that to limit the individual's right to protect his or her own property would be an infringement of the constitution, to which Bullock responded, "My rights are being infringed upon. I'm being deprived of my peaceful existence." Bullock added that the town could be libel in case of an injury. "It's been demon strated this is a dangerous thing to have and it should be taken off the books," he said. Town attorney William Bentley said that the town couldn't be libel because any projectile that crosses one's boundaries into another's property is not in compliance with the ordinance and would thus libel the offender, not the town. "There is nothing in that ordinance that allows anyone to shoot a firearm into anyone else's property," he said. "That might be okay in the county," said Bullock, "but it's impossible to discharge a firearm in town without it going into someone else's yard." Hertford Police Chief Marshall Merritt was in compliance with Bullock. "You never know where a bullet is going to go in a crowded municipality," he said. After further discussion, it was decided that Cox would seek interpretation of the present firearm ordinance from the attorney general and would present his findings at a public hearing designed to get the public's reaction on whether or not the ordinance should be changed. (Continued on page 2) Winfall okays alcohol Newly appointed Winfall Town Councilman Lloyd Ray Morgan was welcomed to his first meeting with the council last Wednesday evening. "We'll break you down or in, one or the other," joked one of his fellow councilmen. The meeting was held on Wednesday, in lieu of the regular first Monday of the month meeting, due to snow conditions. New business coucerned obtaining an emergency electric generator for the town's water system. It was pointed out that while the town hasn't experienced any recent power outages due to storms, a stand-by generator is needed for possible future outages in order to keep residents con tinuously supplied with water. Councilmen Jake Chesson and Richard Bryant will ob tain estimates for the proposed generator. Concerning Ned Nixon's bid to produce alcohol (for use in gasohol) in the town limits. Jack Symons noted that "He's got the nod from the town to go ahead." The council has not heard yet from Town Attorney James Singletary concerning the proposed annexation by the town of a tract of land bordering U.S. 17. Singletary is researching the legal aspects of the annexation. Precinct meeting scheduled Democrats from Perquimans County will emeus at their precinct polling places on Thursday. March 13, at 7:90 p.m., an nounced Archie T. Lane, Sr., chairman of the county Democratic party. Any registered Democrat is eligible to attend. "These precinct meetings represeat grass-roots democracy ia action," said Lane. "Democrats all over . North Carolina will be gathering to elect delegates to the county Democratic con t ventions and to discuss and pass resolutions on issues that concern them." Lane stressed that the Democratic Party is seeking broad participation in its meetings at both the precinct and county level. "We seek to be an inclusive party," he said, "and urge all active Democratgs to attend these meetings and make their voices heard." Road hearing coming North Carolina Board of Transportation member Mare Basaight and division staff members will meet with the Perquimans County Board of Commissioner! in the Com missioner's Room in the courthouse on Tuesday, * March 25, at 10 a.m. The purpose of the meeting is to establish the coonty'i 1980-81 Secondary Roads Improvement Program. Any intrested persons are invited to attend. * 1
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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March 13, 1980, edition 1
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