Steamers
I Kick Off
2003 Season
Page 2-B
Summer
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Program
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i New Hospital
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Town to ask for 4.5 cent tax hike
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton’s proposed budget
for FY 2003/04 calls for a 4.5
cent tax rate increase. The cur
rent rate is 39.5 cents. If
adopted as recommended, the
tax rate would rise to 44 cents.
“It is not a recommendation
I make lightly,” said Knighton.
“After many rounds of budget
cuts, after careful review and
revision of revenue projec
tions, there were still needs to
be met.
“The last few years we have
held the line, made operational
cuts when the Governor with
held our reimbursements,
when the General Assembly
did not fully fund ou reim
bursements. The only thing
left to cut is personnel, and we
seriously looked at that option.
Over the last four or five years,
we have eliminated positions.
Personnel cuts now would
have direct impact on services
to the public.”
Knighton noted that the
town utilizes seven to nine in
mates on a daily basis, to assist
Public Works. “The program
has helped us tremendously,
we have improved quality of
our street and sanitation ser
vices while not having to hire
more people,” she said. She
added that the town’s auditor
has recommended for the last
several years that the town
start funding a capital im
provements reserve fund to
help build up revenue to pay
for future capital outlay expen
ditures; two cents from the tax
increase is earmarked for this
purpose.
The General fund budget in
cludes funds to lease purchase
a replacement garbage truck
with the first year’s debt ser
vice payment fully funded.
Also included is approxi
mately $30,000 worth of equip
ment, hoses and supplies for
the Edenton Fire Department.
A new fire truck, estimated to
cost $200,000 is also in the pro
posed budget. The delivery
date for the tru'ck will push the
first year’s debt service pay
ment into FY 2004/05. Also in
cluded in the proposed budget
are two replacement police
cars. The town was forced to
defer purchase of the cars for
two years in a row when the
state withheld local reim
bursements, Knighton said.
Property owners with prop
erty valued at $50,000 will see
their tax increase from $197.50
to $220, a net increase of $22.50.
Property assessed at $100,000
would see a $45 increase. Prop
erty assessed aty$200,000 would
result in a $90'increase in the
owner’s tax bill.
Knighton reported that the
budget also recommends an
increase in water and sewer
rates. “Our water rates do not
generate enough revenue to
cover our costs. We have relied
on grants- and on reserves in
the past to carry us through,”
she said. “We have to repaint
the Park Avenue Water Tower,
that is projected to cost
$100,000, and we need $60,000
worth of repairs and preven
tive maintenance done to the
tower.”
The budget calls for the basic
water charge to increase from
$3.35 to $5.35. A dollar increase
in the basic charge for sewer
customers is also proposed, tak
ing the minimum from $5 to $6.
Water rate would rise from $1.05
per 1,000 gallons of water pur
chased to $1.50 per thousand
gallons. Knighton recommends
the sewer rate increase of 40
cents per thousand gallons,
from $2.16 to $2.56.
The Town Council will con
duct a public hearing on the
proposed budget on Tuesday,
June 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Council
chambers. A copy of the budget
is available for inspection at
Town Hall or citizens can go on
line at www.townofeden-ton.com
to review a summary of the
budget.
Marker dedicated
Commission members Dorothy Blount, Norman Brinkley
Jr.,Lois Jordan Cooper, Frances Inglis, Rosalie Miller and John
Morehead, Jerald I. Perry and Civil Rights Leader Golden
Frinks stand beside the Historical Marker dedicated in honor
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Chowan County in
December, 1962. The ceremony took place Tuesday at noon
at the old National Guard Armory. Look for more on the
dedication in next week's Chowan Herald. (Staff photo by
Bud Weagly)
Commissioners
review budget
BY TAMIKA SPRUILL
Staff Writer
The highlight of Monday
night’s Chowan County Com
missioners meeting was the
2004 Budget presentation by
County Manager Cliff Cope
land.
According to Copeland, the
county had to deal with many
issues in preparing this
year’s proposed budget was
still able to present a “budget
meant to ensure we provide
good and secure services for
the citizens of Chowan
County.” Those issues in
cluded continued stagnation
of revenues, a decrease of
$85,000 in COPS fast revenue
and an $88,000 increase in
Workman’s Comp coupled
with an 18 percent increase
totaling $78,624 in health in
surance. There was also a de
crease of $30,000 in the Town
of Edenton’s Recreation con
tribution.
However, Copeland said
that despite these challenges,
the county tax rate will re
main unchanged. He ex
pressed appreciation to his
department heads for imple
menting cost savings totaling
over $300,000 in last year’s
budget and for presenting fru
gal budget requests for the
upcoming year. Copeland
added that Chowan County
has continued to address the
slowdown in the local eco
nomy through Cost-cutting
measures and the strengthen
ing of the user fee schedule.
The county plans to hold a
public hearing on the pro
posed budget on June 16 at 6
p.m. in the commisioners
meeting room at the new
Chowan County Courthouse.
Holmes grads receive diplomas
BY TAMIKA SPRUILL
Staff Writer
The graduating class of 2003
exemplified John A. Holmes
High School’s tradition of
higher standards. Of the 144
graduates that assembled for
the commencement services at
John A. Holmes High School
Athletic Complex on May 30,
over fifty percent graduated y
with honors and ninety-two(
percent plan to further their
education beyond high school.
The class also accumulated a
total of $ 450,000 in scholar
ships. A feat Assistant princi
pal David A. Lewis was proud
of.
“This is the largest group of
seniors in my years at Holmes
to receive honors and awards,”
Lewis stated at commence
ment.
Valedictorian Domonique
Downing was one of the stu
dents that embodied the tradi-.
tion. She received over $30,000
in scholarships to attend UNC
Chapel Hill. During her re
marks to the senior class she
John A. Holmes High School valedictorian Domonique Downing addresses those at
tending the 2003 graduation ceremony Friday evening. (Staff photo by Bud Weagly)
emphasized five traits to have
that would ensure future suc
cess and happiness. One of
which was confidence and
pride in your community.
“If you don’t believe in your
roots, your dreams will
whither and die,” Downing
stated. She also told classmates
to stand strong. “If you don't
believe in yourself no one
will,” she added.
Salutatorian for the class of
See HOLMES On Page 3-A
Suspects
charged in
shootings
BY TAMIKA SPRUILL
Staff Writer
Tyrone Mooring, 24, of 336
Wildcat Road, Edenton was
shot twice while standing in
front of 123 West Cartaret
Street on Saturday night when
a four-door purple Cadillac
rode by and started shooting at
According to Mooring and
witness accounts the driver
and passenger side rider in the
Cadillac fired an undeter
mined amount of shots at him.
A1993 Ford Taurus was parked
in front of the residence and
received damage to its wind-'
shield and bumper.
I The driver and passenger of
ihe purple Cadillac were later
identified as 22- year -old Jan
Maurice Bonner of 129 Thick
Neck Road, and 2t-year-old
Deshannon Kenta Stepney of
J101 Lenny Lane, both of
fldenton. Bonner and Stepney
'ere both charged with commu
nicating threats and assault
'with a deadly weapon armed to
the terror of the people. They
Are both still at large.
; An unidentified juvenile
I See SUSPECTS On Page 3-A
Edenton man killed
According to the NC Highway Patrol, a head-on collision
on Highway 17 just north of Windsor Sunday at around
9:50 p.m. resulted in one fatality. Edenton contactor Oras
"Toot" Blount, 53, died as a result of injuries sustained in a
head-on collision with a 1993 International tractor trailer
driven by William Cradle of Portsmouth, VA. According to
the accident report, Blount, driving a 2001 Ford Explorer,
was traveling north in the southbound lane of Highway 17
when his vehicle collided with the tractor trailer. The acci
dent is still under investigation. (Helen Kerr Outland photo)
Service honors officers
On Thursday May 15 2003,
the family of Deputy Sheriff
Richard Ashley Sr. and several
members of the Chowan
County Sheriff’s Office were
present at the services honor
ing the officers who made the
supreme sacrifice in the ser
vice of the citizens of our
country.President George W.
Bush spoke at the event honor
ing the 148 law enforcement
officers across the United
States killed while performing
their duties. Thousands of
other officers were injured and
assaulted. Deputy Ashley, Sgt.
Scott Futrell of the Charlotte
Mecklenburg Police Depart
ment and Major Robert
Kennedy of the Boone Police
Department died July 17, 2002
when their airplane crashed in
a cotton field off of Happy
Home Road in rural Chowan
County while participating in
See OFFICERS On Page 3-A
President Bush comforts (l-r) Steven, May and Rick Ashley
Jr. After speaking at the National Peace officer Memorial
Service, Bush spent several minutes speaking to the Ashley
family who lost their father and husband, Chowan County
Deputy Richard Ashley Sr. July 17,2002. (Photo courtesy of
Chowan County Sheriff Fred Spruill)
DFI owner issues apology to Partnership
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Managing Editor
William Horton, head of the
Raleigh, NC-based DFI Group,
has issued a written apology to
the Northeast Partnership on
behalf of his company. In the
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letter, dated May 30, Horton
thanked Watson, his staff and
the Partnership for its past
support of DFI’s ethanol
projects in Martin and Beau
fort counties.
He also wrote that he wanted
to “clear up some previous
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matters" including the basis
upon which his company ear
lier this year filed a lawsuit
against the Partnership. “This
civil action and request (to
Sen. Jesse Helms) for a crimi
nal investigation concerned
interactions that had occurred
previous to that lawsuit and
request, while ray company
and I were considering locat
ing two ethanol manufactur
ing plants in your region.
“This lawsuit and request
for investigation came about
because of my good faith be
lief at that time that inappro
priate activities had occurred.
Upon receiving further infor
mation I reached the conclu
sion that the concerns in this
matter were incorrect. Unfor
See APOLOGY On Page 3-A