Proposed county budget message: 'Hold your own' time
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Ed/for
(Editor's Note: A public hear
ing on the 2002-2003 county
budget is scheduled for 6 p.m.
on Monday, June 17 in the Com
missioners Room, at the
Chowan County Courthouse on
Broad Street. A copy of the pro
posed budget is available for
inspection at the County
Manager's office.)
County Manager Cliff Cope
land told Commissioners that
the proposed budget for 2002
2003 is of the "hold your own"
variety. He noted that the pro
cess of preparing it "proved to
be very difficult," even as he
commended department heads
in county government for "the
manner in which they have
responded to identify possible
cost-cutting measures".
Copeland noted that factors
particularly impacting the pro
posed budget were no secret to
commissioners. "You are fa
miliar with the process," he
told them in his budget mes
sage for 2003, "declining inter
est rates that affect interest
earned, the State budget crisis
that impacts our reimburse
ments, and the declining
economy, which impacts sales
tax receipts."
Highlights of the proposed
budget, as outlined by
Copeland in his budget mes
sage, are:
- Revenues: A tax base of
$786,617,150 was utilized for
this year's budget, Copeland
noted, an increase of about
$14,000,000 over last year. The
county tax rate remains at $.69.
"All of this year's tax base in
crease occurred with automo
biles and projected increases
in our corporate excess tax
base," he said. "For the first
time in memory, there was an
actual decline in the value of
machinery listed by our indus
tries and businesses, which has
long been a stable component
of our tax base. This reduction
in equipment listings offset the
increase that we received from
new construction."
Copeland said other revenue
items that were decreased in
the proposed budget included
a four percent reduction in pro
jected sales tax revenues, a 33
percent reduction in interest
earned, and a 33 percent reduc
tion in the revenues that the
county receives from the sale
of foreclosed property. He said
the proposed budget antici
pates additional revenues from
the ambulance fees due to an
increase in Medicaid and Medi
care reimbursements, and that
the 2003 proposed budget re
flects a jump in jail fees from
$40 to $45. He noted that a $ 2
increase in the monthly user
fee for sanitation services also
appears in the budget. The in
crease, he explained," is in line
with the county's philosophy
of trying to implement user fee
increases versus increases in
the tax rate because of a closer
correlation between user fees
and services received than oth
erwise is the case with many
general fund services. Even
with this increase, Chowan
County's rates remain compa
rable with surrounding coun
ties."
Copeland said that proposed
expenditures for 2003 con
tained in the budget reflect
"small increases in funding
levels for nine departments and
actual decreases in eleven de
partments. For the first time,
also included in the budget is a
cost savings goal for each de
partment. In tough times, it is
imperative that the county
tighten its belt as much as pos
sible..."
A continuing rise in Medic
aid costs is also reflected in the
proposed county budget for
200202003, Copeland said. The
budget contains a five percent
funding increase for those ser
vices. And, he said, another
budget feature is a one percent
increase in current expense
funding for the school system
(see related story on the school
budget on this page).
"Despite what might be de
picted in the media," Copeland
said, "school systems are expe
riencing cutbacks in their State
funding. While the Board of
Education's original request
was for an eight percent in
crease in current expense fund
or $259,352, it was the position
of the Finance Committee that,
See BUDGET On Page 8 A
School system
may lose some
staff positions
BY S. BRADY CALHOUN
Cox NC PuMicafions
Even though the Edenton
W Chowan Schools budget will be
i' increasing next year, it may
not be enough to prevent per
sonnel layoffs, according to
school officials.
The Chowan County Board
ofCommissionershaveagreed
to raise the $2.9 million school
budget by nearly $30,000 next
year. However, the one percent
increase is far less than the
nine percent the Edenton
Chowan Board of Education
had requested, and may force
the schools to cut personnel,
Supt. Allan Smith said.
"It (the county's allocation)
would require us to go back,
and revisit pur budget and
make cuts," he said. "The cuts
would have to be made in per
sonnel."
Smith said the schools, be
cause of the state's budget cri
sis, have already been pinch
ing pennies.
"I've already asked the prin
cipals to see where they can
cut," Smith said. "We've al
ready frozen travel, staff de
velopment, hiring and replac
ing vacant positions."
Smith said he couldn't deter
mine yet where the cuts will
come from. More than likely
the personnel cuts will be
through attrition, he said, add
ing that no teacher positions
will be cut.
"We do have some folks that
have either resigned or re
tired," he said. "1 feel confi
dent that any type of adjust
ments we have to make will be
made through attrition."
Smith said all school dis
See SCHOOLS On Page 8 A
Day, 2002
BY GLENDA JAKUBOWSM
Special CorrexpoHdewt
Before 144 graduating John
A. Hohnes High School se
niors assembled for com
mencement, before specta
tors overflowed stadium seats
and lined up three-deep along
a fence bordering the field
where graduates would
march, before Pomp and Cir
cumstance, before the turn
ing of the tassels and before
mortarboards were tossed
joyfully into the air, Holmes
principal John Williams hapl
grass to cut..
A Dumpster had been
moved earlier in the day to
allow additional parking for
the Friday evening cer
emony. When Williams ar
rived at the school two hours
before the 7 p.m. commence
ment, he noticed high grass
in the area where the
Dumpster had been.
When teachers arrived a
short time later, they noticed
their principal, manning a
lawn mower, making things
J
I
Ashtey Runyon
Vatedktorian
right.
And when parents and stu
dents began arriving around 6
p.m.. no one would ever had
known that any thing about the
grounds had ever been less
than perfect.
The Holmes seniors proved
themselves followers of Will
iams' example of rolling up his
sleeves and bending to the task
to get the job done. More than
80 percent of the graduates plan
to pursue higher education,
Karen Perry
Satutatorian
and the Class of 2002 has re
ceived more than half a mil
lion dollars in scholarships and
awards - more than any class
in the school's history.
"Two years ago, when 1 came
to this school. I asked the stu
dents how we could make it
better," Williams said. "Many
of the students we have gradu
ating here tonight stepped up
to the plate and not only talked
about what could be done bet
ter, but volunteered their time
before and aft&r school to
make it better."
Reflecting on their time at
the school before the com
mencement. students echoed
Williams' mention of the
strong work ethic that lead
to their diplomas.
"I played football in grades
nine through eleven,
wrestled in grade ten, and
worked hard my senior
year." said Terrance
Stallings. He plans to go into
landscaping after gradua
tion.
Marketing teacher Bruce
Dudley had nothing but
praise for the students, also
citing their hard work.
"They've beengreat,"Dudley
said.
Student Noel Basnight, af
ter giving Dudley "one last
hug," said she was going to
miss the school. "I've been
through so much here these
lastfouryears,"shesaid.But
Basnight doesn't plan to be
See GRADS On Page 8 A
Mary Anne Karriker
Principal
is leaving
D.F. Walker School princi
pal Mary Anne Karriker will
be leaving the system at the
end of the 2001-2002 school year.
She and her husband will be
returning to the Iredell/Rowan
area of the state to care for ail
ing family members.
"Mrs. Karriker has been a
tremendous asset to our sys
tem," said Superintendent
Allan Smith. "While we cer
tainly understand her reasons
for leaving, her D.F. Walker
family and her Edenton
See PRINCIPAL On Page 8 A
OLF Committee
to hire lobbyists
BY HELEN K. OUTLAND
Sfc# Writer
With the Navy's Environ
mental Impact Study due for
release in July, the OLF Steer
ing Committee met this week
to finalize its plans for hiring a
lobbying group. They also dis
cussed a recent meeting that
Chowan County Manager Cliff
Copeland and City Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton had
with Assistant Secretary of the
Navy, Duncan Hoiaday.
With the exception of Wash
ington County and their non
committal, the other counties
that would be impacted by the
proposed OLF were on hand
make a commitment to hiring
a iobby ing firm to dissuade the
Navy's attempt to locate a
touch and go fieid in North
eastern North Carolina.
Fpr the members of the com
mittee getting the public to
understand what a community
faces, should a landing strip
become a reality, is important.
Edenton Chamber Director
Richard Bunch informed the
comm ittee of a v ideo made on a
recent trip to Fentress Air Field
in Virginia and the magnitude
of the noise from incoming jets
to the field. "Most people have
no idea when we say 'OLF' just
what we are talking about,"
began Bunch. "They think we
mean some little landing strip,
but that is not the case." For
those watching the video, the
level of noise put a very differ
ent light on the issue of an OLF.
Another concern is the low al
titude that jets would be main
taining when flying to either a
Belvidere or Bertie site. As the
crow flies it is only 27 miles
from Oceanna. With the close
proximity to Oceanna, the jets
would not have time to gain
high altitude before reaching
the practice field. Bunch goes
on to say that when the squad
rons were coming in from off
shore to Oceanna "they were
doing some screaming".
These and other issues were
addressed by Eden ton City Man
ager Anne-Marie Knighton and
Chowan County Manager Cliff
Copeland during a recent meet
ing with Assistant Secretary of
the Navy, Duncan Holaday.
The Edenton Mate Chorus entertains the crowd at the annua) Commumty Mate
Chorus, in this Chowan Heratd fite photo. The poputar event witt take ptace
Saturday, June 15, from 4-7:30 p.m. at the Edenton waterfront park.
Community Music Festival nears
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
The Chowan Arts Council
will present its Community
Music Festival on Saturday,
June 15, at the Eden ton water
front park, from 4-7:30 p.m.
Featured performers are
scheduled to include:
- Holly Winslow - Classic
Rock/Western
* RJ Gospel Singers - A
Capella Gospel
- Chaniblee Simonsen - Origi
nal Music, Singer/Songwriter
- Andy Faircloth Pop/Folk
- Edenton Men's Chorus -
Gospei
See FESTIVAL On Page 8 A
Where WMF YOU Spend ffernf#y? * Ffnd Ou# June P^ - T If