Thursday. February 18. 1982
Letter To Editor: Harrell Stand Unfair
'I. (Editor’s note: The
following letter was sub
mitted prior to Monday’s
I called meeting of 'Edenton
" Town Council.)
. !On Tuesday night
February 9th, 1982, the
Edenton Town Council and
ifayor voted 4:3 to split the
VEPCO Utilities Refund
three ways: (a) Keep one
third to improve the
sewage system, (b) Use one
third to purchase the
I SCAD A system to reduce
' peak-load demands, and (c)
Refund one-third to
residential customers only,
f ; Thus the mayor voted for
misrepresentation and for
discrimination because his
voted carried the issue. Mr.
. Harrell had the opportunity
to clarify and unite. Instead
he confused the public on
. some critical distinctions
t apparently thinking no one
was paying attention.
The mayor’s brand of
leadership cannot be con
doned or allowed to stand
unchallenged because it
violates our basic sense of
fair play.
Read on and you will see
why.
I The Mayor’s decision is
" discriminatory because
money from the VEPCO
refund is to be given to
residential customers only.
This means that no money
goes to the businesses,
hospitals or industries; none
t Skatpenlng
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to churches or fraternal
lodges or other non
residential groups.
The mayor and council
forget too easily that it was
money from these groups,
particularly industry, that
financed the work of
Operation Overcharge to
make the refund a reality in
\ the first {dace!
i A flat SSO refund per
residential user is unjust
because it ignores the track
record of each user of
eleittricity. Whether one
lives in an apartment or
subsidized housing or an all
electric home, whether one
heats at 67 or 77, a flat SSO
refund to each and all is not
just.
In summary since we pay
according to our usage we
should be refunded on the
same basis-if indeed a
refund is justifiable at all.
The SCADA system is a
method of reducing our
peak-load demands on the
utility company. This saves
all of us money. We have no
quarrel with this part of the
decision; it is a timely
move.
But we do quarrel with the
Mayor’s explanation of the
SCADA component in
relationship to other parts of
1 the package vote.
On radio this past Friday
(Feb. 12, on WCDJ) Mr.
Harrell said that the )50
> refund was for residences
and that SCADA was for ,
industry. He implies that
this treats both fairly, i
Actually he irisults
homeowners and
misrepresents business and :
industry to the public.
Simply put residences not
industries often create peak
loan situations or make
them much worse. In
dustrial demand is steady
throughout the day.
Residential demand is very
unsteady-up and down.
Consider what people do
when they return home in
the late afternoon. They
turn on the lights, turn on'
the heat in January or the
air-conditioning in July plus
start cooking, turn on the
T.V. or blow dryef, load the
washing machine, bath the
kids, etc.
Somehow the mayor
conveniently forgot that
these residential con
tributions to peak load
demand are at least as
important as any others.
To set the record straight,
SCADA benefits all. It is'
illogical to understand
SCADA as a payoff to in
dustry. And it is an insult to
everyone’s intelligence to
use SCADA to excuse or
justify the proposed SSO
payoff to residences.
Apparently the Mayor
does not know better. He
keeps on trying to divide us
' to the neglect of great needs
THE CHOWAN HERALD
and opportunities.
Next consider the nature
of the refund money.
What does the money in
the VEPCO refund actually
represent?
The increased rate
received from VEPCO was
in the WHOLESALE rate to
the Town, not the retail rate
to consumers.
During the time of the
Overcharge, the money to
pay those higher wholesale
bills came out of existing
funds possessed by the
Town. The money did not
come from new tariffs on
consumers. To say the same
thing another way, during
the time of the VEPCO
overcharge, the Town made
less than its usual profit
because it was paying a
higher wholesale rate.
Whatever extra money
may have come from
consumers amounted to less
than 10 percent of the total
refund.
Since more than 90 per
cent of the Refund
represents wholesale
money, not retail money,
there is logically little
reason to talk about con
sumer refunds because
practically nothing came
from the consumer in the
first- place.
In effect the VEPCO
refund simply restored the
Town Treasury to its normal
profit picture on utilities for
the time period involved.
The profit from our
utilities helps a lot to hold
down property taxes. Thus
for the Mayor to give away
monies to residences is to
reduce town profits un
necessarily and it is to in
crease pressures that may
result in a rise in the
property tax!
All of this could have been
avoided if Council and
Mayor had seen clearly this
distinction between
wholesale and retail rates -
and- if they had deliberately
tried to help the public
understand this.
But they did not. So by
saying that there would be a
refund (no matter what) is
to imply that the overcharge
involved retail monies and
so is to mislead the public.
Mr. Harrell has been
around long enough that he
. . . . ■mii6C
cannot plead ignorance on
this point. Therefore we
may reasonably assume
that he deliberately let the
distinction between
wholesale and retail get
confused and stay confused.
For he had promised the
little man money which was
not actually due him.
Roy, lead us and stop
patronizing us. We little
people may be poor but we
are honest. We don’t want
anything that is not ours no
matter how tough times are.
And we can sacrifice a
dollar today in order that
the common good will in
crease by ten dollars
tomorrow. We want jobs,
not handouts. Save the
residential money and fix
the sewers.
Finally as to the third
part of the Council Decision,
that is to keep some money
to improve the sewer
system, we offer the
following thoughts.
We appreciate that the
municipal sewage system
needs major improvements.
We know federal monies
coming down to local
governments are
decreasing. We know that
we must help ourselves if
we are to provide jobs,
secure more tax monies for
schools and encourage
others to migrate to our por
tion of the Sunbelt. We know
untreated sewage in the
Chowan River is
irresponsible.
Continued On Page 9-A
Windbreaks
Beneficial
Continued From Page 2-A
heating bills.
Establishing windbreaks
| on cropland can be cost
shared through the
Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation Service
(ASCS). For more in
formation on windbreaks
and other conservation
practices, contact the Soil
Conservation Service at 482-
4127.
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Reduced
y Mens Heavy Coats & Vests!
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Letter To The Editor: Eavesdropping Criticized
Mike Goodman, Editor
The Daily Advance
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Dear Mr. Goodman:
I was very disturbed to
learn of the “eavesdrop
ping” by a reporter of The
Daily Advance on an
executive session of the
AUCTION SALE
OF VALUABLE FARM EQUIPMENT
FRIDAY. February 19, 1982 - 10:00 A.M.
SALE LOCATED: ELTON BOSWELL FARM: 12 Miles North of Edenton, N.C. off HWY. 32, Turn at
Small X Roads on State Route 1222. FOLLOW AUCTION SIGNS
TRACTORS a IH C Planters - #295 - 4 Row - with 2 Sets Hoppers
* Ford Tractor - 9000 - Diesel Applicators, Disc, Opener, and Gauge Wheels
a Ford Tractor - 8600 - Diesel a Cole Planters • 4 Row - Double Applicator Disc Opener
* Ford Tractor - 8000 Diesel and Gauge Wheels
* Ford Tractor • 7600 • Diesel a IH C Bottom Plow 4 Bottom 16 Inch Flip-Type
* Ford Tractor • 6600 - Diesel * Hardee Rotary Cutter - Oft-Set (Ditch Trimmer)
* Ford Tractor - 4000 - Diesel a Johnson Sprayer 300 Gal Fiberglass Tank on Rubber
a Ford Tractor - 1600 - Diesel with Rotary Mower #930 Pull-Type
* John Deere • 6000 - Diesel - Hi-Boy Sprayer * Johnson Sprayer - 100 Gal Fiberglass Tank
14 Row Boom * 2-Johnson Fiberglass Saddle Tanks - 100 Gal
* John Deere Tractor - 3010 - Gas Each Boom and Pump
a Gram Auger - PTO on Rubber 6 Inch Approx 40 Ft
HARVESTING EQUIPMENT * Gandy Hoppers on Tool Bar 4 Row with Gauge Wheels
a IH C Gram Combine • #Bl5 - Diesel • Cab and Air a 2 Ferguson Peanut Diggers Invertor - 2 Row
4 Row Corn and Bean Header (Hydrostatic) a KMC Peanut Digger Invertor - 2 Row
* 2-Lilliston Peanut Combines • #ISOO a 2-Hobbs Peanut Shakers 2 Row
* Ulliston Peanut Combine - # 1580 a Ford Rotary Cutter -6 Ft
* 2-Roanoke Drying Units - 6 Trailers Each a Ford Tractor Blade BFt
* Long Drying Unit • 4 Trailers a Ditch Plow
a John Deere Cotton Picker - #22 - 1 Row * John Blue Nitrogen Applicator with Pump
* John Deere Cotton Picker - #22 -1 Row (Parts Only) a Ulliston Rolling Cultivator - 2 Row
★ McClenny Rotary Hoe 2 Row PTO
MACHINERY a Dram Plow
a 2-Burch Disc - 4 Row * Set Dual Wheels tor Ford Tractor
a IH C Disc - 4 Row * Long Disc 2 Row
* John Deere Bedders 4 Row with Hyd Row Markers a Pittsburgh Cultivator • 2 Row
and Gauge Wheels
* W A Bedders - 4 Row - with Chisel and Hyd Row TOBACCO EQUIPMENT
Markers and Gauge Wheels a Long Harvester with 3 Rack Trailers
* 2-Sets Ford Middlebusters - 4 Row - Double-Bar * 4 Roanoke Barns - 2 Tiers with Racks
with Gauge Wheels a Roanoke Barn - 3 Tiers with Racks
* 2-Ulliston Rolling Cultivators - 4 Row * New Holland Trans-Planter - 2 Row Trailer Type Hyd
a John Deere Cultivator - 4 Row a Vann Harvester Aid - Pull-Type (HandPic)
* Pittsburgh Cultivator 4 Row a Cultivator for 48 Inch Rows with Side Dressers
* Stalk Cutter - 4 Row a Row Shaper - 2 Row (48 Inch Row)
* McClenny Rotary Hoe 4 Row • PTO with a Plant Bed Irrigation System with Pump and Motor
Gandy Hoppers a Tobacco Trailers - (Old Type)
* Ferguson Rotary Hoe 4 Row PTO
a Ferguson Peanut Lifter - 6 Row • Hyd TRUCKS
* Noble Harro All 4 Row a 1977 Chev - 2 Ton C-60 8 Cylinder • with John.e
a Ferguson Row Shapers - 4 Row Gregory 15 Ft - Dump Body 2 Speed (19.076 Miles)
a Ford Chisel Plow - 12 Tongs a 1968 Chev - 2 Ton - 8 Cylinder with Johme Gregory
1 a Paulk Sower - 4 Row •16 Ft Body - 2 Speed - (40.112 Miles)
A MANY OTHER ITEMS TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION
TERMS: CASH OR GOOD CHECKS
NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ACCIDENTS
NOTE: ALL THIS EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN WELL KEPT AND IN GOOD CONDITION IF YOU ARE
LOOKING FOR GOOD EQUIPMENT DON'T MISS THIS SALE
Sale Authorized By Bonded License *9O
ELTON BOSWELL Auctioneer
Edenton N C HAROLD WINSLOW
Phone Home 221 4659 Hertford NC
Bus 221 8457 Phone 297 2658
Edenton Town Council. I
find such action to be totally
unprofessional, unethical
and a discredit to The Daily
Advance. The North
Carolina Open Meetings
Law clearly acknowledges
both the right and need for
public bodies to discuss
Page 7-A
certain issues in the privacy
of executive session. For a
public body to enter into
executive session and for a
reporter to then eavesdrop
on the meeting from an
adjoining room; and then
later report his “findings”
Continued On Page 10-A