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482-4418 Wednesday, May 18, 2011 50* Schools’ request may require tax hike Superintendent defends . budget, fund balance By RITCHIE E. STARNES Editor Chowan County Manager Paul Parker said Monday night that the county cannot afford the schools 2011-12 budget request of an addi tional $730,000 than was allocated without rais ing property taxes. “If we do fund you at full level, I’d have to raise taxes 7.25 cents. This (Board of Commis sioners) needs to know there is not $730,000,” said Parker, addressing schools’ Superinten dent Allan Smith at a special meeting. At the special meeting called for the county’s proposed 2011-12 fiscal budget public hearing, Parker reminded Smith that the county’s reve nues remain down. Funding Smith’s request to return to 2008-09 allocations, the county would be forced to raise property taxes, dip into its re serves, or a combination of both, Parker said. Although no one spoke during the public hearing in a sparsely attended meeting, Smith addressed the commissioners in sometimes a contentious tone. He admonished those that See BUDGET, 6A By the Numbers ENROLLMENT PreK-12 2007- 2008: 2,448 2008- 2009: 2,424 2009- 2010: 2,379 (enrollment date changed.for kindergarten students) 2010- 2011:2,382 2011- 2012: 2,387 (DPI projection) EMPLOYEES: 2007- 2008:410 2008- 2009:384 2009- 2010:367 2010- 2011:367 2011- 2012: 327 (projected) . t 4 UNRESERVED FUND BALANCE (as of June 30 of each year): 2007- 2008: $2,174,117 ' i 2008- 2009: $1,262,899 2009- 2010: $1,320,956 2010- 2011: $950,000 (projected) ' 2011- 2012: - SOURCE: Edenton-Chowan Schools f W AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY REIAY f0« i££ RELAY FOR LIFE Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back STAFF PHOTOS BY REBECCA BUNCH Residents of Chowan and Perquimans counties join to walk the survivors’ lap at the opening of Relay for Life 2011 in Edenton, Friday. Walkers brave smoke, stormy forecast By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The threat of stormy weather and smoke from a Dare County wildfire may have kept some folks at home during Chowan-Perquimans Relay for Life this weekend, but neither stopped the an nual fundraiser from fetching more than $101,000. . Organizers say they were pleased with the turnout and the amount of money raised so far. Twenty-five teams took part in the tvyo-day walk-a-thon, according to Meghan Shoaf, event spokeswoman and community manager for the South Atlantic Division of the American Cancer Society headquartered in Greenville. “Sixteen of them were teams that relayed last year,” Shoaf said, “and nine were new teams.” Shoaf said 17 of the teams were from Chowan County and eight from Perqui mans. And while this year’s Relay has not yet met its fundraising goal, Shoaf emphasized that it has a while longer to do so. “Our goal is $144,960 and we have raised $101,000 so far,” Shoaf said. “But we have until August 15 to get to our fundraising goal.” Shoaf said that 455 area residents regis tered to attend Relay. She noted that some See RELAY, 3A Family members of all ages showed their sup port for Chowan Perquimans Relay for Life 2011. The par ticipants, who came despite the smokey conditions from a wildfire and the threat of a storm, were able to raise $101Kso far. Break-in suspects linked to crimes here By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer Neighbors looking out for each other helped area law enforcement foil a suspected burglary in progress last Wednesday Perquimans County Sher iff Eric Tilley said four Eden ton residents were arrested following a suspected break in at a home on Cottonwood Drive near Winfall. A neigh bor called 911 after seeing four people and an unfamil iar white Dodge Intrepid in the neighborhood. A neigh bor saw the car back up to the garage of one house where three people exited the ve hicle, Tilley said. The neigh bor confronted the female who remained in the car. She then drove away, but then re turned. The three others fled on foot, officers said. “Apparently, they were communicating on cell phones,” Tilley said. “We be lieve the female was trying to pick them in the car in the area.” Deputies arrived and de tained the driver of the ve hicle, and then found guns, computers, and coins stacked at the door to the garage. Tilley said three of the suspects ran from the home while the fourth stayed in the car. Another neighbor saw at least one suspect in the swamp area. Deputies and other law enforcement offi cers surrounded the wooded area and a Chowan County sheriff s canine unit led law Boston C. Twine K. Twine T. Twine enforcement officers to the suspects hiding in the swamp area. Those arrested include: Thomas Ray See BREAK-IN, 6A t Main Street to make first visit to Edenton By REBECCA BUNCH stuff Writer The North Carolina l Main Street managers group will be in Edenton May 25-27, marking their first stop here. ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved Jennifer Harriss, ,• di rector of Destination Downtown Edenton, the local Main Street pro gram, said the majority of those attending are from the western part of the state. “We’re very excited. We will have about 30 Main Street managers visiting us,” Harris said. A welcoming reception will be held at the Barker House Wednesday evening (May 25), Harriss said. The group will also be treated to boat rides and a trolley tour. Harriss said that a man agers’ meeting to be held during the visit would focus on plans for the group’s annual meeting in January as well as the im pact of local Main Street programs, and recruit ing small businesses for downtown areas. Councilman Bob Quinn, See MAM STREET, 6A County balks at DSS move By RITCHIE E. STARNES Editor An architect informed commissioners Monday night that relocating the Department of Social Ser vices into the Chowan Life Center building will cost the county about $850,000. Architect Terrance Mc Cabe of BJAC delivered the news during Monday night’s Board of Commis sioners meeting, which was met with shock among board members. "We could build a new building for this,” said Commissioner Keith Nix on. “We’d be better off to stay where we’re at than pay this.” McCabe said roughly $750,000 would cover the construction and demo lition of the building’s renovation with another $100,000 for design and contingency The renova tion would include trans forming the building into a collectiqn of 34 offices. The commission seemed unanimously at odds with the estimate. “It appears to be about three times more than we estimated. I don’t quite understand,” said Com missioner Emmett Win borne. County Manager Paul Parker was equally stunned by the projection. “This is a little more than we expected - a lot more,” Parker said. McCabe defended the estimate. “We’re confident in these numbers,” he said. Plans call for the Health Department to move out of the building* relocat ing to the county’s vacant former Mental Health building. The move would make way for the DSS re location. Jerry Paries, Health . See DSS, 6A i -
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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May 18, 2011, edition 1
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