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 ^ ^ ^ ^