The
October 2006 • Vol. 3, No. 4 A Shoreline Community, Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.
Town Hall 247-4353
Mayor Urges Vote Nov. 7
On Council / Manager System
By Mayor Joan Lamson
November is just around the corrier and
election day is near, once again. There are
no municipal offices due for election this
year, but Pine Knoll Shores does have one
issue on the ballot for your consideration.
This issue requires a change to our charter
and could be accomplished either through
an ordinance passed by your board of
commissioners or through approval on the
ballot. Your commissioners felt strongly that
it should be placed on the ballot to allow the
voters of Pine Knoll Shores an opportunity
to "have their say."
The issue is shall we change our form
of government from mayor/council to
council/manager? The question itself
may leave you wondering just what the
difference might be. The town was begun
with a mayor/council form, and at that
time the voters selected six commissioners
who agreed among themselves as to who
would be mayor. In 2002, the citizens of
Pine BCnoll Shores voted overwhelmingly
to change the town charter to allow a direct
election of the mayor by the citizens instead
of the commissioner selection, so this is not
the first time a charter change has been
considered.
In the mayor/council form the board of
commissioners is responsible for hiring all
department heads and for oversight of all
town business. The board of commissioners,
however, made another "adjustment" a few
years ago by establishing the position of
town administrator. This was done as an
interim step toward the probability that
we would be ready for a town manager
in the future. The town administrator was
given the responsibility for all day-to-day
supervision of town business, but the
commissioners were still responsible for
the hiring and oversight functions.
In the council/manager form, the board
of commissioners hires a town manager
who is then responsible for all hiring,
firing, supervision and management of
townbusiness, leaving the "council" (board
of commissioners) responsible for setting
(Mayor Urges) Continued on Page 4
Welcome Back - It's smiles all around as members of The Country Club of the Crystal
Coast welcome back Golf Pro and General Manager Reggie Colomb, who returned
to the club Sept. 23 for the first time since being badly hurt in an auto accident five
months ago. Colomb was discharged from a rehabilitation center in Wilmington the
day before and will continue rehabilitation treatments locally. Flanking him (from
left) are Phil Panzarella, club president; Steve Robinson, Doug Clark, Dale Bernhardt
and Bill Franze.
Ernesto Calling Card: Hurricane (or was it a tropical storm?) Ernesto didn't pack
anywhere near the punch of some of its predecessors, but it did huff and puff enough
and deposit more than sufficient rain to bring down this 150-year-old hickory tree in
front of the home of Linda and Richard Seale on Oak Leaf Drive. The Seales gratefully
noted that the tree missed the shrubbery, the driveway and driveway lighHng, other
trees and, most of all, the house.
Yard Waste Citations Produce
Results Where Warnings Failed
Repeated warnings over a long period
about yard waste placed at the curb without
being properly prepared for pickup have
been frequently ignored. Not so the 41
citations mailed out in August for violation
of collection requirements. The citations,
which carry a fine of $100, have captured
the attention of those cited for infractions
and produced a flood of phone calls to
town hall.
Chris Jones, director of inspections and
code enforcement officer, said 41 violations
in the period of a month, in this case July,
were not unusual. In the past warning
letters and a copy of collection guidelines,
as established by ordinance, were sent out to
the owners of homes in the hope infractions
would not be repeated. The results of this
process were disappointing.
Jones said a crackdown was initiated in an
effort to curb yard waste collection problems
which produce unsightly conditions.
When yard waste is properly prepared,
the collection process runs smoothly and
consumes far less time.
Garbage and yard waste collection
problems were exacerbated this summer
on two occasions when out-of-the-ordinary
conditions skewed the collection system.
One such occasion was over the July 4
holiday when the tall ships extravaganza
flooded the area with traffic and people.
An unusual amount of yard waste that
weekend, much of it improperly put out,
contributed to the collection woes.
Jones also said that summertime presents
special problems when vacationers put
(Yard Waste) Continued on Page 4
Standard
Pre-Sort
William & Barbara White
Permit #35
PO Box 1644
I, NC 28512
Atlantic Beach, NC 28512
Deadline for Nov. issue is Monday, Oct 16th. Deadline for Dec. issue is Monday, Nov. 20th Articles always welcome!