| 482-441.8
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Center Hill/Crossroads
Fire Dept, turns 50 3B
Goodness grows in
Chowan County 6A/6B
County balances budget with heavy cuts, tax hike
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
After a six-hour marathon
meeting, Chowan’s county
commissioners have voted on
a balanced budget proposal
adopting heavy cuts to county
services and education while
it adopting a three and one half
cent tax increase on property
owners.
The cuts represent a $3.4
\ Area schools
j take big hit
r By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Dr. Allan Smith spent Tues
, day morning meeting with
senior staff in the wake of a
$1.2 million cut to the school
system’s budget enacted by
the county commissioners
1 Monday night.
Kerri Albertson, School/
Community Relations Direc
tor, said the school board
t would have a special meeting
Monday, June
8, at 6:30 p.m.
♦ Smith react
I ed to news of
4 the budget’s
adoption by
f saying he and
T his staff are
| “disappointed
t that the re
■ duction is so
much more -
drastic than we had asked the
| commissioners to consider.
£ “While we can use our re
T serve fund to (replace) some
of the loss this year, it leaves
f(f- -- us frighteningly vulnerable
| once that money is gone,” he
said.
1 “While we hope the econ
omy improves, this leaves
me deeply conceriied about
y our ability to serve students
and the community,” Smith
$ added.
, j “I worry that we’ll be in the
same situation in June 2010
and won’t have any reserves
left to draw from, and I hate to
think about what will happen
f to our schools then."
%
Smith
Lesser amount
( During a public hearing
held by the county commis
sioners last Wednesday eve
ning, Dr. Smith and Board
of Education Chair Ricky
B Browder asked that the
county budget limit cuts the
school system must absorb to
no more than $665,000.
“The proposed school re
ductions for the 2009-2010
* budget of $1.2 million is by
far the largest reduction of
any funded agency or county
department,” Smith • said,
“and represents a decrease of
■ 28.22% of local revenue from
; the current budget this year.”
He also pointed out that the
' school that the school system
was being asked to bear “a
, disproportionate share” of
proposed county budget cuts.
“The schools — which ac
count for approximately 24%
of the county’s budget — are
being asked to make up over
60% of the total reductions,”
Smith said.
“Even when expenditures
for new debt are factored, the
cuts to the schools (represent)
• half of the reductions in the
county’s - budget for next
year,” he added.
Commission Chairman
Eddy Goodwin questioned
the'size of the school board’s
reserve funds, saying the re
serves were higher than need
See SCHOOLS on Page 2A
U *
t
V -
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
million dollar cut from the
county’s' initial budget pro
posal, frequently referred
to as “option E,” that would
have required a 26.5 cent per
$100 property tax increase to
balance.
The new budget will allow
.$15.3 million in expenses and
will set the new county prop
erty tax rate at 68.5 cents per
$100.
Among the biggest budget
Colony Tire enlarges re-tread plant
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
After re-branding and
expanding its Edenton re
tread plant, Colony Tire
will be adding between
10 and 12 employees as
workers in the new Mi
chelin re-tread factory.
The refitting of the
22,000 square foot facil
ity cost $2.5 million and
required the complete
replacement of the com
pany’s manufacturing
equipment.
The move comes after
the company purchased
three former Michelin re
tail outlets in the Tidewa
ter area and signed a deal
to change its retread op
eration from the Bandag
brand to Michelin accord
ing to Charlie Creighton,
Cbtoriy's CEO.
The three new tire out
lets, which serve both
commercial and retail
customers, will expand
Colony’s market, allow
ing the expansion of the
plant from 50,000 tires
per year to a capacity
100,000.
Creighton said the
plant should eventually
double its workforce to 30
employees.
The move will also in
volve the closure of Col
ony Tire’s 24,000 square
foot retread facility in
Norfolk. That plant will
become a commercial
tire distribution center
for the company
J
Proposed town budget calls for no increases
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Edenton’s town council'
will consider its proposed
2009-2010 budget at a public
hearing June 9.
The budget calls for no tax
increase and keeps the cur
rent property tax rate of 29
cents per $100 for property
taxes, Town Manager Anne
Marie Knighton said.
“If the budget is approved
this will be the third year
in a row that the Town has
held the line on the tax rate,”
Knighton said in her budget
message.
“The budget (also) includes
no fee increases in any of the
•funds,” she added.
EMS office slated for elimination under new budget
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
After considering a pro
posal to eliminate the coun
ty’s Office of Public Safety,
saving $95,000, commission
ers restored $30,000 the de
partment’s budget allowing
a director to remain at a re*
duced salary.
Having someone in the
county responsible for those
functions is a prerequisite
for receiving federal and
state emergency assistance
in the event of a disaster.
>
casualties were the schools,
social services, recreation
and the sheriffs department,
jail and public safety depart
ment.
. County residents are likely
to notice changes the budget
cuts as they find increased
user fees for children’s sports
and reduced hours at the li
brary.
The county manager’s office
will be leaving its quarters in
Tire builder Allen White applies the tread to a tire at Colony Tire’s new Edenton plant.
Thats good for Edenton
and at the same time, it’s
good for Norfolk, putting in a
wholesale center,” Creighton
said. He said the Norfolk cen
ter would employ 12 workers,
about the same number cur
rently working in the plant.
Creighton said he is im
pressed with the Michelin
retread process, both for its
manufacturing efficiency
Knighton
said she asked
the -town’s
department
heads to sub
mit their bud
get requests
based on keep
ing core ser
vices intact Knighton
and avoiding
any undue hardship on citi
zens because of the reces
sion.
“Given the difficult and un
certain economic times fac
ing us, we are deeply cogni
zant of the personal financial
pressures that our taxpayers
are likely facirtg,” she said.
“So, we Worked to formulate
a budget that is in essence
The com
missioners
said they
hoped a state
grant would
be forthcom
ing for an
additional
$15,000 to
s boost the di- Belch
rector’s sal
ary and expense allowance.
That department, headed
by EM director Doug Belch,
is responsible for coordinat
ing the response to a county
emergency by its own fire,
the old jailer’s house behind
the county office' building
to save utility costs. County
Manager Peter Rascoe said he
has no idea where his depart
ment will go, but he said they
would be there on July 1.
The county’s Emergency
Management Department
will no longer operate the
way it has in past years.
Its director, Doug Belch an
nounced his retirement as
and the quality of its prod
uct.
Making the change in
volved gutting the old plant
and completely changing its
manufacturing process, cul
minating in the plant’s re
opening June 1.
The installation took two
weeks, completely re-making
factory 10 Michelin techni
cians, six trainers, two proj
a (continuation) of our cur
rent operating budget.”
Knighton acknowledged
she used a “very conserva
tive” approach in preparing
her budget last year, and
based her projections on
revenues the town received
during FY 2005/06. She said
she used the same formula in
preparing this budget.
Knighton said she project
ed sales tax revenue for the
budget based on a 10 percent
decrease over the previous
year.
The proposed budget also
projects a 20 percent decline
in land transfer taxes, an 8
percent decline in privilege
licenses, and no growth in
the tax base.
police and rescue services
as well as state and federal
agencies.
Also on the list of Belch’s
responsibilities is the card
and upkeep of Chowan’s
Emergency Operations Cen
ter.
Housed on the second sto
ry the county’s public safety
center is a complex.of offices,
conference rooms, sleeping
quarters and even kitchen
facilities for county officials
who might have to stay at the
center during a disaster.
The center comes with
funds were cut for his posi
tion, leaving no one in place
to write the documents re
quired by FEMA for many of
its disaster relief programs
and assistance.
The commissioners put
back $30,000 to cover the cost
of a part time or contracted
person to cover those respon
sibilities. They also expressed
the hope that an expected
grant for $15,000 will come
ect managers and five mar
keting executives worked on
the change over.
Colony Tire employs 500
people in 43 stores located
in northeastern North Caro
lina and southeastern Vir
ginia, including the cities of
Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk
and Newport News. A retail
store is also located in Eden
ton.
Knighton said projecting
land transfer tax revenues
was particularly difficult in
light of the recession.
She said she reviewed re
ceipts from the last 10 years
before coming up with a rec
ommendation.
Knighton’s new general
fund budget is actually 3.5
percent less than last year’s
figure, cutting $151,000.
It also reflects no new
spending initiatives, some
thing she said is unusual for
the town. The proposed bud
get also defers cost of living
increases for employees.
The budget hearing will
be held in the town’s council
chambers on Tuesday, June $
at 6 p.m.
state-of-the-art communica
tions equipment and plasma
television screens to keep
officials in touch with their
•state and federal counter
parts.
The department is also
responsible for planning the
county’s response to hurri
canes and any other natural
or other disasters.
As a temporary measure,
Belch also serves as head of
the county EMS service fol
lowing the resignation of its
See EMS on Page 2A
through from the state to aug
ment the county’s funds.
Monday’s meeting, which
started at 6 p.m., lasted until
past midnight with the com
missioners divided over bud
get cuts and the need to raise
taxes.
As they debated each line
item a pattern developed.
Jimmy Alligood proposed
See BUDGET on Page 2A
DSS adjusts
to budget
By Vernon Fueston
Staff Writer
Ben Rose is a man with a
problem. It wasn’t long ago
that Chowan County’s social
services department was ac
cepting a little over 50 appli
cations for food stamps each
month.
Now his department pro
cesses over 100. He said that’s
to be expected during a deep
recession like the one we’re
experiencing,
but that same
recession is
forcing him to
cut back on ex
Rose
penses.
Rose, whose
resignation as
director was
announced
June 1, said
he’s had a good relationship
with the county’s commis
sioners from the beginning of
the budget process.
Rose will be taking a posi
tion as DSS director in Cabar
rus, County and will work
through June 17. Malanie
Corprew will handle his du
ties for the next six months
while the county searches for
a new director.
With the second largest
budget of all the county’s de
partments, he said he’s tried
to be proactive in helping the
county through the crisis,"
trimming his original $3.8
million budget request down
to al little over $2.3 million.
Commissioners passed a
budget for that amount June
1.
<3
The commissioners must
still vote on the cuts proposed
so far.
Rose said reaching that
number was a challenge be
cause his department works
under restrictions that others
don’t have.
“Our services are man
dated. That’s the challenge,”
Rose said. “If we cut a staff
person, we don’t cut the ser
vices that-person was doing. >
If we cut a food stamp worker,
his services just go to another
worker.”
Without the ability to cut »
back on programs, Rose said
he only has just three places * *
to look for savings - payroll,
operations and foster care.
trr-the area of foster care,
Rose said the cuts made so
far are to the allowance he
budgets for taking care of
children, not in the numbers
of children the county will
care for. He said that one way
or another, any child in need
will be provided foster care.
As he explains, Rose sits
in his darkened second floor
office, a tiny fan blowing at
maximum speed on his desk.
Like all county offices, his
department is operating with
out cooling until June 30 and
is attempting to save electric
ity wherever possible.
Rose said his department
has frozen one unfilled posi
tion for a Medicaid worker, for
bidden any capital purchases
for things like computers and
copiers, and cut back on any
other operational expenses it
can, like staff travel.
See DSS on Page 2A