Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / June 8, 2011, edition 1 / Page 1
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482-4418 Wednesday, June 8, 2011 Schools blindside county for $458K Cuts made to get $1.9 million By RITCHIE E. STARNES Editor On Monday the Edenton Chowan Board of Educa tion blindsided the Board of Commissioners with a state ultimatum - pay or the . schools lose nearly $1.9 mil lion. During a joint meeting, school leaders explained to the commissioners that because of Chowan’s fiscal hardship in recent years, the county and school sys tem had unknowingly be come out of compliance for receipt of Low Wealth Supplemental Funding and Small County Supplemen tal Funding. If the county fails to compensate the amount in arrears as well as pay next year’s alloca tion, or a total of $458,000, the school system would lose funding. News and the timing of the state Department of Public In struction's finding stunned county officials. Although DPI typi cally pro vides. data earlier in Goodwin the year, school officials explained that DPI was late with its data because of the state’s budget wrangling. DPI’s letter to the schools was dated June 3. There was no expla nation, however, as to why the previous years’ data had not been made public sooner “It’s troubling to me that I’ve never seen anything from DPI before and when we’re talking about a viola tion,” said Eddy Goodwin, commission chairman. The county’s current expense appropriation per student must be at least 95 percent of the average of the local current expense appropriations per stu dent for the three prior fis cal years, Superintendent Allan Smith explained. Based on the state formu la, Chowan County’s ap propriation per student for the June 30,2009 needed to be $1,423.18. Chowan’s pre pupil appropriation fell short by $3.14. DPI concludes that.be cause of the shortfall, the supplement has in effect been supplanting, a viola tion, the county’s required appropriation to qualify for the funding. DPI requires the county to pay the fiscal deficiency See SCHOOLS, 2A Budget calls for no tax hike Revenue remains down By REBECCA BUNCH Stqff Writer I Edenton taxpayers will I not endure a property tax If hike, if the proposed 2011 12 budget is approved, f In addition to a proposed | budget that contains no property tax increase for the next fiscal year, the budget calls for no fee in creases in the town’s water, sewer and electric rates. Under the proposed $4.5 million budget the proper ty tax rate would remain at 29 cents per $100 valuation. Town Manager Anne-Ma 1 rie Knighton noted that if the “extremely conserva tive” budget is approved it would mark the fifth con secutive year the town has | not raised property taxes. I A public hearing on the town’s proposed budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tues day in the Town Council’s ti chambers. Finance committee chairman Sambo Dixon [I said that in preparing the budget town officihls were l mindful of the financial difficulties many in the community were facing, and had tried to hold the line on increasing the cost of services. “The people of Edenton are suffering from the cur rent economic downturn and I feel that it is impor tant that we do not further burden our citizens,” Dix on said. Mayor Roland Vaughan echoed that sentiment. Vaughan said the town was doing everything pos sible to avoid having to in stitute a tax hike at a time when residents are strug gling and the town’s reve nue stream had been weak ened by the poor economy. "Hopefully that (less rev enue) will change in the fu ture, but right now things are very tight,” Vaughan said. “We will continue to do the best we can to ease the burden on our citizens See BUDGET, 3A 6“89076 813 02009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved A VISIT FROM BUTTERFIELD STAFF PHOTOS BY REBECCA BUNCH U.S. Rep. 6.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., talks with Keith Stevens, left, operations manager, and Rebecca Wooley, lamination manager, during a tour of Regulator Marine in Edenton on Tuesday morning. Congressman tours local businesses By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer Congressman G.K. Butter field, D-NC, urged workers at Regulator Marine on Tuesday to pay close attention to proposed federal budget changes. During a visit to an Edenton boat manufacturer Butterfield told company officials and em ployees as well as local officials that the country’s soaring debt could result in changes to cur rent services such as Medicare and Medicaid that would impact them and their families. “The government is not able to continue funding (services) as it has in past,” Butterfield said. “We just cannot do it.” While the economy has begun to recover, Butterfield said, it still has a long way to go. “It’s going to be a difficult road that we will have to travel,” he added. “But we have to set priori ties, we have to help each other.” See BUTTERFIELD, 3A Hal Burns of Jimbo’s Jumbo’s talks about peanut manufacturing with Congress man Butterfield as County Commissioner John Mitchener listen. CPO hired at B&G Club By REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer Stephenie A. McLean is the new chief professional officer (CPO) of the Boys & Girls Club in Edenton. McLean, of Durham, be gan her new position May 31. McLean said she was no stranger to the local club. “I was here (in Edenton) about two and a half years ago when they’d just moved into the build ing,” McLean said. She has been a board member of the Goodwill Community Foundation in Durham since 2006 and McLean said it was in that capacity that she first met Jerome Levisy, who was then CPO. of the Edenton club, and made the visit here. > Since accepting the job in Edenton, McLean said, she has reached out to Le visy and he has responded with good advice and en couragement. Levisy said Thursday that he didn’t hesitate to endorse McLean for the job in Edenton when he found out she was interested. Levisy praised her en thusiasm and people skills, and predicted she would do well with the Edenton club. “Stephenie is the con summate professional,” Levisy said. “I’m looking forward to hearing great things about her work in Edenton.” Scotty Harrell, board chairman of the Edenton •.]% Boys & Girls Club, said he was impressed with the solid organizational and 4? communications skills See CPO, 2A Four-laning rural road money is at stake Counties protest proposed changes By CINDY BEAMON Staff Writer A move to cut state funds for rural roads may fall victim to the General Assembly’s efforts this week to move toward ad journment. Even so, lo cal officials fear the effort could rear its head again later. House Bill 635 would cut funds aimed at four-laning a network of intrastate roadways, including U.S. Highways 64,158 and 17 in northeastern North Caro lina. Most of the roads are four-laned, except in rural areas where the widening remains unfinished. If the bill passes, the funds for completing the intrastate system would shift mostly to urban areas. Camden commission ers joined other officials in the region in passing a resolution protesting the change in the state’s “eq uity formula.” “Eastern North Caro lina lags behind in trans portation resources and continues to have signifi cant unmet transporta tion needs,” the resolution reads. The 14-county Division 1 stands to lose 51 percent of its intrastate road funds over the next seven years if the formula is changed, said Jerry Jennings, divi-. sion engineer for the N.C. Department of Transpor tation. .f In contrast, funds for the five-county Division 10, which includes Meek- ’ lenburg, would increase 31 percent over the next seven years. See ROAD, 2A Cedi Friday, July 15th 6 pm - 8 pm Chance to win an unmounted (approx. Carat) diamond (valued at $3k)l Diamond displayed at Vaughan's Jewelers. Limited number of tickets available ($50 each) so purchase early. • 'M ■M /•/J0 ^ V -t- ^ .at ^ y- V ^ ^ ^ ^
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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June 8, 2011, edition 1
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