THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY ^ Volume 36, No. U USPS 42KH0 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, September 4, 20 CENTS Town continues to struggle with money problems The Hertford Town Council announced to ? packed bouse its intention* of cutting Isome $1?, 000 out of the 1*0-81 budget in an effort to boost a depleted cask flow and recover a deficit of some $36,000 left over from last fiscal year. Hertford Mayor and Town Manager Bill Cox told a room full of town and county residents at the regular monthly meeting Monday night that budget cuts were pending on incomplete audit figures. "We need the complete report to rework our 'KKJl budget," he said. Representatives of the Local Govern ment Commission are expected to study the recently approved '80- '11 budget, in addition to the pending audit figures from the 'Tft-'M fiscal year, and make Hogs observed in Bethel Creek Bethel residents fight 'to herd hogs from creek Despite several years of efforts, two Bethel residents say they are having little success in ridding Bethel Creek of the hogs that wallow in its dark brown waters. Henry Carney said that he has been ^trying to get something done about the problem for eight years, and has carried his fight as far a$ the governor's office, but that the hogs continue to foul the creek. This is despite the fact that the law appears to be on Carney's side. "We are mrjilng?youas a last resort. We have contacted every means in North Carolina except you," reads a letter to Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., signed by kCarney and Harold Gensiey. Hunt's answer promised prompt at tention and referred the matter to the state Department of Natural Resources and Community Development. "We've talked to the clean water people many times and each time someone from the Washington, N.C. office comes out to inspect the problem and takes water samples," Carney said. .He said that the two men are led to Relieve something will be done but that's about as far as it gets. "The state authorities give you a lot of gobbeldy gock. When they get through what they're trying to tell you is they can't do anything," Gensely said. - Carney has sent photographs to the governor, depicting dead hogs floating in the water and buzzards picking at them. Both men say that dead hogs are discovered in the creek from time to time !>and are left there to rot. "We've looked out there and seen 'em floating," said Gensiey. "They've got a flock of buzzards that hang out there waiting for (the hogs) to die." The water that blows up into a cove on Carney's property is muddy brown in color and last week had a layer of foamy scum on its surface. The air was heavy with essence of hog but the two men say it isn't the smell that bothers them. Hogs smell as bad out of the water as in, they say, and profess that their real concern is the quality of the water in the creek. Jim Mulligan, regional supervisor of the state division of environmental management, confirmed that he has had complaints about the hogs in Bethel Creek, including dead hogs. He said, however, that one teg producer along the creek has taken steps to correct his problem, and another has been instructed to keep his hogs out of the creek or apply for a concentrated feeding operation permit. Mulligan said that allowing hogs into streams is against state regulations, but those regulations are extremely difficult and time consuming to implement. "It doesn't mean I can go up and crack the guy for having hogs in the creek," Mulligan said. "It can be corrected today and become a problem again tom morrow." "All it takes is IS minutes with a backhoe to either create or eliminate a problem," he said. Though Mulligan wasn't sure how much of a role animal wastes play in area water quality problems, he said they are a factor. "It definitely plays a part," hHlML "There's no fooling about that." But Gensley and Carney feel that the hog problem has almost killed Bethel Creek. They say the fishing has deteriorated, and the creek's recreational values are virtually nil. "I wouldn't swim in it. If I fell in it I'd go home and take a bath," said Gensley. "If I were doing it they'd put me in jail," he added. recommendations sometime next week. In addition to the budget trimming. Cox said the council expected to increase town ice prices by 20 percent, a move which would generate about $4,000 and put the plant back on "a break-even basis." The ice plant has been operating in the red. The town is in the process of applying for an emergency loan of $39,000 from the Government Commission. Wallace Harding, a representative of the com mission, told the council two weeks ago that the most effective method of securing such a loan was to show that steps were being taken to eliminate financial problems. The council recently instituted a 30 percent increase in water rates, and raised sewer charges 15 cents per thousand gallons of water, the increases are expected to generate approximately $26,984 in additional revenue for the current fiscal year. Citizens speak out Much of Monday's three hour meeting was given over to hearing questions, comments, criticisms and suggestions from the residents in attendance. The town-supported recreation department was a sore spot with the group, with many favoring its dissolvement. "How does the town support a ( Continued on page 2) Hertford budget is dissected The 1980-81 Hertford town budget will probably fall subject to some trimming next week, as the council makes every effort to eradicate a deficit of some $56,000 detected in last year's budget and boost a depleted cash flow. Representatives of the Local Govern ment Commission, of Raleigh, looked at the recently approved budget to project future cash flow and found some mistakes that could possibly add to the town's shortfall, including an excess of some $100,000 budgeted into the electric fund, a possible deficit of $20,000-$40,000 in the general fund, and a water-sewer fund that is not supporting itself, despite a projected surplus in revenue. Although the PERQUIMANS WEEKLY did a complete budget sum mary following the council's approval in June, several of our readers have in dicated a desire to see a town budget break-down. The town's revenue is divided up between a number of agencies, depart ments, and funds, with the largest por tion going to electric expenditures. The $979,770 budgeted for the '80-'81 fiscal year is a $191,970 increase over last year's $787,800. Wallace Harding of the Government Commission said the projected electrical fund revenue is excessive by some $100,000, a problem he predicted could further add to the town's budget woes. Hertford Mayor and Town Manager Bill Cox said the fund's excess occured because 1979-80 audit figures were not available at the time the budget was drawn up. Cox later indicated that electrical fund corrections were pending. The 1980-81 electric fund is comprised of interest ? $2,000; miscellaneous revenue of $939,770, (which Cox said is accrued from electric charges and usage); reconnection fees of $3,000; and electric revenue from Wynne Fork housing of $35,000, all totaling $979,770. Electric fund expenditures include $39,000 in salaries and wages; $17,846 of which goes to the head electrician, $12,251.20 goes toward paying a linesman, and $8,590 goes toward a groundsman. The $313 left over goes toward paying the town manager's yearly salary of $20,525. Cox explained that his salary was pro-rated on the amount of work he is expected to do in the various depart ments, thus his total income is paid out of several funds. Other electric fund expenditures in clude: $6,000 operating costs; $500 utilities; $4,000 for the repair and maintenance of equipment and vehicle expense; $25,000 for departmental materials and supplies, $689,000 for electrical resale; $3,000 for capital outlay equipment; a $181,300 contribution to the general fund; and a $31,970 contribution to the debt service fund (water & sewer bonds). The largest expenditure included in the electric fund is the $689,000 budgeted for electricity for resale. Cox wcpWlned the amount as the actual cost of purchasing electricity from Vepco for resale through March 31, 1980, in addition to the estimation of the cost of usage for the months of April, May, and June. The second largest department in the town's '80-'81 budget is the $527,500 budgeted for the general fund, an in crease of $22,000 over last year's $500,500. Revenues anticipated for the fund are; Taxes; ad- valorem ?$75,400 (at a rate of 65 cents per $100 at full valuation, based on a true valuation of ap proximately $12.1 million and an estimated 91 percent rate of collection); animal taxes ? $50; tax penalties & interest ? $600; motor vehicle licenses ? $850; privilege license ? $2,500; interest on investments ? $1,000; utilities franchise tax ? $27,000; intangible personal property tax ? $2,500; beer & wine tax ? $6,900. Also, Powell Bill Street Allocation ? $27,000; local option sales tax ? $27,000; ABC net revenues ? $19,000; mosquito control ? $500; housing authority $2,800; law enforcement manpower grant ? $20,000; county fire protection ? (6,500. Also, building permits $1,500; arrest fees ? $700; sales & service ? $9,000; cemetery revenues $10,000; sales tax refund ? $3,000; gasoline tax refund ? $2,500; sale of ice ? $25,000; cold storage ? $200; contribution from electric fund ? $181,300; contribution from water sewer fund ? $20,000; contribution from revenue sharing fund ? $20,000; con tribution from Perquimans County ? $20,000; fees & charges recreation department ? $11,000; and contribution from county inspection ?$3,700. The general fund supports nine departments within the town's operationg structure, and foots the bill for most of the town employees' salaries. The administrative department, which receives a $76,000 chunk, pays $36,000 in salaries and wages including $16,473.60 to the position of town clerk-tax collector finance officer; $600 to the mayor; $20 to each councilman for each meeting; and two full-time secretaries ? one at $8,923.23 and the other at $8,580. A portion also goes toward the town manager's salary of $20,525. The general fund also Supports the police department with $84,000. Of that, $56,000 goes toward salaries; $13,156 to the police chief, and salaries ranging ( Continued on page 2 ) County delays softball project, seeks shift to school site The Perquimans County Board of Commissioners opted to withold its application for a recreational grant to develop a park site near Winfall in a Tuesday morning meeting. Instead, the commissioners will work with school officials to come up with a plan for (MUoping land adjacent to the county high school for joint recreational school use. The change of plans means that the county will miss a September deadline for getting its grant application in, and will now shoot for a' Dec. 1 application deadline that could mean funding in mid spring, according to Mac Sligh, the recently hired county recreation director. A land and water conservation fund grant application had been prepared for the county based on a decision in fall of 197V to cootritM 14 acres of property towards the construction of twin softball fields. The commissioners had originally been told that the land could be used as a match for grant monies but later learned that it could not. Sligh said, however, that if the county wanted to venture into a joint project with the schools, perhaps it should consider applying for another type grant, as the LWCF grant would give scheduling priority to the recreation department. Sligh also said he had been told that the LWCF program frowns on funding projects on school property. The move to attempt development of school property was made despite strong recommendations against it by con sultants who favored the county owned site. Stephen Moeller, a consultant with the department of natural resources and community development, met with town and county officials on the matter recently, and prepared a list of com ments on the question of switching sites. Because of tree removal and grading, Moeller said that switching sites would cost the county more money in matching funds. In addition, Moeller pointed out that the school property is close to a residential neighborhood, and that softball games and other activities might be going on as often as six nights per week. Moeller also said that once funded, the project must remain forever, and this would rule out expansion into the park area by the school. Finally, Moeller mention the possibility of scheduling conflicts. "The school site has too many drawbacks to justify moving from the county