482-4418
Wednesday, March 3,
2010
Happy ,
100th
Birthday,
the Rev.
E.C.
Alexander
— 5B
Voters to get sales tax referendum
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Voters will decide in a Novem
ber referendum if a sales tax
increase is the best way to pad
the county’s coffers.
Chowan County commis
sioners unanimously voted
Monday night to add the ref
erendum to this year’s ballot.
fr -
. ' , ; 4 \ l STAFF PHOTOS BY BRETT A CLARK
Diane Daniels catches her breath after jumping in with County Manager Peter Rascoe during Saturday's Polar Plunge.
Chowan hosts third Polar Plunge
Event raised $7.5K
for Special Olympics
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
E DENTON — The waters
of Edenton Bay were
pounded by a barrage
of cannonballs Saturday but
there wasn’t a Civil War re
enactor in sight.
Instead, 60 jumpers, most
of them stripped down to
bare skin and swimsuits,
were doing the damage'
— one leap into the cold,
frigid water at a time.
The event was the 3rd an
nual Polar Plunge, Chowan
County’s fundraiser for
Special Olympics.
Bundled in jackets and
Leaders working to hold tax rate
Reduced services
are expected
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
County commissioners
adopted three budget rec
ommendations aimed at
keeping the same tax rate
with adjusted services,
returning full time em
ployees to a 40-hour work
week, and designating
land transfer tax proceeds
for the schools.
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved V *
: .. . , . r ,
The move calls for increasing
the local sales tax from 7.75
cents to 8 cents, which could
generate an additional $150,000
annually.
“This is something that the
people need to decide,” said
Commissioner Keith Nixon. “I
don’t even know if it’ll pass.”
Nearly a year and a half ago,
voters then rejected a similar
Jean Bunch jumps in the water dressed as a pirate, Saturday during
the Polar Plunge at the waterfront in Edenton.
warmed by coffee and hot
chocolate, hundreds of
spectators looked on as the
plungers took turns leaping
into the bay
As County Manager
Peter Rascoe prepares to
draft a budget for the next
fiscal year, the Chowan
County Board of Commis
sioners unanimously ap
proved three finance com
mittee recommendations
as a guide. Although the
first approved recommen
dation includes staying at
the current property tax
rate of 68 and Vt cents per
$100 valuation, the goal
might not be possible.
“It’s clear to me what
revenues that I have to
work with,” said Rascoe
at Thursday morning’s
board meeting. “There are
some substantial changes
that will have to be made
to balance revenue to ex
penses.”
There was confusion
. • <
sales tax increase.
One businessman told the
board an increase would hurt
local businesses that have to
compete with nearby Virginia
where the sales tax is lower.
“I understand the county
needs revenue,” Henry White
said. “I don’t believe this is the
way. You may lose business
owners if you raise taxes.”
“I know it’s cold, but it
wouldn’t be the Polar Plunge
if it wasn’t,” said Linda
Hobbs, event co-chairwoman.
The water temperature
among some commission
ers that the vote meant
there could be no tax in
crease.
“I just want to make
sure that we’re not shoot
ing ourselves in the foot
by cutting something out
that might mean a 3 cents
tax increase,” said Com
missioner Jimmy Alli
good.
Commissioner Keith
Nixon suggested that
*he preferred any tax in
crease be deferred at least
another year, since the
county continues to be
saddled with high unem
ployment and a lingering
recession.
But, a final decision on
whether a tax increase is
necessary will come later
when Rascoe returns with
.iKS;• .’V , '■ >..V
White added that the loss
of business could offset any
increase the tax generated.
He also said business owners
in surrounding counties that
have raised the sales tax have
discovered loss business.
But, commissioners said
it’s a matter for the voters and
a way to ease the tax revenue
burden from property owners.
was 43 degrees—just a
couple of degrees colder than
the temperature onshore.
Even so, some plungers pre
ferred not to know how cold
the water was.
“After the first year of
the event, jumpers said
they didn’t need to know
that,” said Robbie Laughton,
Edenton-Chowan Parks and
Recreation director.
This year’s Polar Plunge
raised $7,514 for Special
Olympics, slightly down from
last year’s $10,000 total when
the weather was milder and
the economy still hopeful.
“Even more important
than the money is the aware
ness,” Hobbs said. “We want
people to know that we have
See PLUNGE, 2A
his budget draft that will
likely include a reduced
level of services.
Commissioners ' de
cided, however, that the
next fiscal year would
not include a continua
tion of county employee
furloughs. The board
approved returning em
ployees to a 40-hour work
week. All non-public safe
ty employees have been
working at 37 and 1/2
hour work weeks since
the last fiscal year.
Despite the county’s
continued financial woes,
there have been signs of
improvement. Revenue
from sales tax has been
better than forecast; al
beit still down overall due
See TAX RATE, 2A
The sales tax would impact
everyone that conducts busi
ness in the county, including
visitors.
“My personal opinion is
that a sales tax is the most
fair tax,” Commissioner Em
mett Winborne first said in a
board meeting last week. He
reiterated that opinion Mon
day night.
County
ignores
DSS pleas
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
County leaders pared down the
size of Chowan’s Department of
Social Services after a narrow deci
sion to privatize its Child Support
Enforcement despite calls that the
move would be
more costly
In a 4-3 vote and
against the pleas
of DSS Director
Cliff Hardison,
the Board of Com
missioners opted
to contract with
Young Williams,
Child Support Ser- Hardison
vices.
“My personal
opinion is that
privatization is
more efficient,”
Commissioner Ken
ny Goodwin said.
But, Hardison
said privatization
would cost the
county more annu- K. Goodwin
ally
“We have determined that to take
child support out of the county bud
get would cost the county $34,255
more,” Hardison said.
He also told the commissioners
if given another year, he could im
prove the department’s efficiency
and further reduce costs while in
creasing child support collections.
He went as far as to guarantee re
sults.
“Our director is saying he could
do it cheaper and all he’s asking
for is a year; that’s worth thinking
about,” Commissioner Jimmy Al
ligood said.
But, the board majority preferred
less government and an opportuni
ty to create economic development.
“Anytime I can reduce the size of
See DSS, 2A
Shooting won’t
deter candidacy
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
A Chowan County depu
ty said Monday his self-in
flicted hand shooting will
not deter
his candi
dacy for
sheriff.
Days
after dep
uty Tim
Brabble
acciden
tally shot
himself in Brabble
the hand
while cleaning a .357-cali
ber Glock handgun, the
candidate for sheriff vows
to resume his campaign.
"I don’t think it’s going
to affect me at all,” Brab
ble said. “I’m not making
any excuses.”
Brabble, 45, filed to chal
lenge his boss Feb. 19. Five
days later the Republican
accidentally shot himself
in the hand while cleaning
a personal weapon in his
home. Brabble called the
Feb. 24 shooting “human
error” on his part.
“For whatever reason,
I didn’t take the (bullet)
out of the chamber before
breaking the gun down,”
Brabble said. “It wasn’t
the gun’s fault. I simply
skipped that step.”
See BRABBLE, 2A
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