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; SumNS COUNTY UBRARY
14 S CHURCH ST
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This week in NC history, B3
"News from Next Door”
NEWS
Confederate statues fall — A2
NEWS
Sixth dies in Ahoskie facility — A3
THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020
I SPORTS
Steamers open 2020 season — Bl
$1.00
SCHOOLS
School honors longtime teacher — Bl
Council Discusses Park and Grants
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hertford Town Council’s Mon
day meeting nearly got pushed
forward to another date before the
fireworks began regarding King
Street Park and developing the wa
terfront.
Councilmen Quentin Jackson
and Frank Norman noted the ir
regularities with regard to proper
notice as it relates to providing the
Zoom phone number, so they sug-
County
Adopts
Budget
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Perquimans County Com
mission adopted the budget
fiscal year 2020/21 that has the
same property tax rate fiscal
as the present fiscal year - the
lowest tax rate in the region at
.59 cents per $100 of value.
During the June 15 meet
ing, commissioners approved
a General Fund budget of
$16,436,012 for 2020-2021, a de- i
crease of $61,805 from the cur
rent year’s amended budget of
$16,497,817.
Total taxable value in- j
creased from $1,329,941,994 to [
$1,351,508,515, or 1.6% - the
highest percentage growth in
ad valorem taxable value in 11
years.
An additional $197,743,755 in
value was added due to the Des
ert Wind project. After fourth
year depreciation and the grant
agreement with the Comity,
the net gain in value would be
$78,425,085, or five percent of
the County’s total tax value.
County Manager Frank •
Heath estimated an addition
al $462,708 in revenue for FY
20-21 as a result. However, the
negative effect of the COVID-19 ;
epidemic cannot be overstated ’
in relation to this year’s pro
posed revenue calculations.
While Heath’s financial fore
cast indicates some revenue
growth, these positive projec
tions are tempered by the eco- '
nomic effects of the COVID-19.
Ad valorem tax revenue will
be static despite a healthy in
crease in total taxable value, i
namely because the collection 1
percentage is expected to de
cline due to the unsteady econ
omy. Sales tax related revenues
are expected to decrease sig
nificantly. Inspections, Recre
ation and Register of 2 Deeds
fees are also expected to be
down.
Sales tax revenues are the
second largest source of the
county’s general fund revenues.
Based on expected declines due
to the poor economic condi
tions, Heath said, sales tax rev
enues are projected to decrease
by a total of $209,369 compared
to last year’s budgeted amount,
for a total of $1,525,000.
Also, forecast calls for I
$350,000 to be added to Perquim
ans’ sales tax allocation to reflect
the additional services taxed by i
the General Assembly in 2016.
See COUNTY, A3
gested rescheduling the meeting to
later in the week.
Not everyone, including the
Perquimans Weekly, had access to
Monday’s call-in information, so
unless the public was cued into
immediate access by contacting
X, Y or Z - the usual suspects who
watch council meetings as if they
are must see episodes of “Game of
Thrones” - then it would’ve been
difficult or impossible to connect
See COUNCIL, A2
89076 47144
2
Budget Seeks Tax, Utility Rate Hikes
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Hertford Town Council is
poised to adopt a budget for fis
cal year 2020/21 that calls for a
18 percent property tax hike and
a 36 percent water/sewer rate
increase.
Public hearing for the pro
posed budget was held Monday
with council meeting Tuesday
after press time to discuss and
potentially adopt the budget that
must be approved by June 30.
Budget offers a conservative
approach to spending with most
of the line items are drastically
lower than last year’s budget.
Property tax rate will change
from $0.47 to $0,555 of val
ue per $100 per value - 18
See BUDGET, A3
Peaceful Protest Seeks Change
PHOTOS BY MILES LAYTON
When marching through Hertford, Tony Riddick led protesters in chants of “Black Lives Matter.”
Hertford Denounces Racism
Hertford Mayor Earnell Brown offered a positive
message of unity while advocating for change
at Saturday’s peaceful protest that paid tribute
to Juneteenth. “Everyone working together in a
successful unified way to create intelligent change
that includes everybody and to be sensitive to
everybody’s needs, their fears and desires. Please
stay encouraged.”
Councilman Jackson
Challenges Status Quo
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A powerful advocate for the Black community,
Hertford Town Councilman Quentin Jackson of
fered his remarks at the end of the Protest and His
torical March on Saturday at King Street Park.
' Reflecting on Juneteenth, Jackson spoke about
what’s going on in Hertford and across the nation.
“We see Rayshard Brooks, we see George Floyd -
Vol. 86, No. 26
@2020 Perquimans Weekly
All Rights Reserved
PHOTO BY
MILES LAYTON
Hertford Town
Councilman
Quentin
Jackson asked
the crowd
gathered to
get active
in the
community,
seek change
to build
a better
Hertford.
See JACKSON, A6
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Nearly a hundred people attended the Pro
test and Historical March Saturday through
downtown Hertford.
Speeches were made by Mayor Earnell
Brown, Councilmen Frank Norman and
Quentin Jackson, along with local business
man Tony Riddick, who led the march that
passed places of historical importance to the
Black community.
Brown wore a black T-shirt that said in
white letters, “I am my ancestors’wildest
dreams” as she held up a bullhorn to speak
at the Perquimans County Courthouse about
honoring Juneteenth while “paving a way to
ward a future of unity, kindness and respect
for each other.”
The large crowd included Mayor Pro Tern
Ashley Hodges, Jerry Mimlitsch and mem
bers of the community from all sides of town.
See HERTFORD, A6
PHOTO BY
MILES LAYTON
Hertford Town
Councilman
Frank Norman
kneels during
a 8:46 minute
moment of
silence to
reflect and
remember the
tragic killing of
George Floyd.
Round-up
Of Lunch
Counters
& Tarheels
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A round-up of all things Per
quimans County-
Pirates’ alumnus Colton
Meads was recently elected as
vice president of the state’s Fu
ture Farmers of America. He’s the
first since 1954 to earn this from
Perquimans County. It’s a big deal
for the Pirates’ FFA Chapter that
puts Perquimans on the map.
If our readers remember,
J Meads, who is now a freshman
I at NCSU, was awarded champi
on senior showman as well as
champion senior showman for
the Carolina Swine Showmanship
Circuit during the 152nd NC State
Fair in October.
In other news, Wallace Nel
son celebrated another go around
the sun on June 20 - he’s chair
man of the Perquimans County
Commission.
Speaking of county commis
sioner, get a scoop or two of ice
cream at Charles Woodard’s
Pharmacy on North Church
I Street. During a recent outing
with my youngest son Joseph,
we stopped for a couple cones
| of the good stuff as a reward
j after acquiring some necessary
public records from the county’s
Clerk of Courts office where my
I boy learned about all sorts of
important papers that are filed
there.
Joseph had a butternut cone
I and I had a lemon cone.
There is a tribute wall to UNC
Chapel Hill that has a saying
that Joseph read aloud which
may resonate with fans, “God
j must be a Tar Heel because he
j made the sky Carolina Blue.”
United Methodist pastors
See LAYTON, A3
Councilman Norman:
‘Silence Is Compliance’
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A key organizer of Saturday’s march, Hert
ford Town Councilman Frank Norman led
the group gathered at King Street Park in an
8:46 minute moment of silence in memory of
George Floyd.
The minutes became heavier as time and
tragedy marched on.
Norman, an avid swimmer, particularly
in high school, said he was trained to hold
See NORMAN, A3
PHOTO BY MILES LAYTON
Public records requests and
ice cream go hand-in-hand for
this little boy spending quality
time with the editor and
enjoying a cone of butternut
at Woodard’s Pharmacy.