j Farmers rally to save FSA office jf State director: | Money not a factor By ritchie Starnes I Editor Chowan County stands | to lose its Farm Service | Agency because it has | only two employees and | sits within 20 miles of an | other FSA office. Those are the two deter H mining factors, not money, as to why Chowan could lose its primary tenant in the agriculture building in favor of relocating servic 1 es to Perquimans County, | according to Aaron Mar | tin, FSA’s state executive I director. Martin delivered PHOTO BY RITCHIE STARNES State Farm Service Agency representatives field questions about a proposed office closure in Edenton-Chowan. Seated (l-r) are Pat Mabry, district director, Aaron Martin, state executive direc tor, and Mike Eaves, administrative officer. the news during a public “The secretary (U.S. Ag meeting Monday night. • ricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack) did not want to do this. I didn’t want to this. The budget is driving it,” Martin told an audience of about 30 that attended the forum held at the agri culture building. As a result of the 2008 Farm Bill, the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture has identified those offices with two or fewer employ ees and within 20 miles of a neighboring FSA as targets of consolidation. It has also prevented the hiring of replacement personnel when FSA of fices lose employees to at trition, Martin said. Chowan is one of six counties listed as tier 1, SeeFSA,4A FARM SERVICE AGENCY Chowan County Perquimans County Salary and Benefits $146,704.30 $504,202.69 Annual Rent $16,848 $22,165.50 Total Admin Cost $167,829.58 $545,565.60 Number of Farms 578 523 Number of Operators 272 240 Number of FP Payments 2,460 2,890 Number of FLP Borrowers 18 33 Number of FLP Loans 24 62 Total Program Benefits $7 million $7.3 million Admin Costs/Benefits Ratio .02 .08 GRAPHIC: THE DAILY ADVANCE/SOURCE: USDA STATE INPUT SEPT. 30,2011 j Judge I rules r ■ • . tape public Order sides with Bertie By RITCHIE E. STARNES Editor A N.C. Superior Court judge ruled Monday that Bertie County does not have to release an au dio recording of a closed session commissioners’ meeting whereby its then county manager was given a 42 percent annual pay in crease. He also ruled, how ever, that the audiotape is a public record and or dered it sealed, pending a possible appellate review. During a civil court trial in Windsor, Judge Richard L. Doughton issued a sum mary judgment in favor of Bertie County’s refusal to release the audiotape from the Aug. 17, 2009 closed session meeting. A grass roots group - Friends of Bertie - filed suit in April 2011 against Bertie in hopes of learning how the commissioners reached their unanimous decision to give Lamb a pay raise from $101,725 to $144,000 and a travel allotment hike from $6,000 "to $9,000. [ Details^ of the raise did not become public until 18 I months later. After hearing argu ments from lawyers rep | resenting both sides and before rendering a final decision, Doughton opted to listen to the recording outside of the courtroom. “It does contain person nel information and the county shouldn’t have to release it,” Doughton said | afterward. Because the recording contained confidential in formation, Doughton said See BERTIE, 2A ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved Edenton Campus Opens SUBMITTED PHOTO The ribbon was cut at the Edenton-Chowan Campus, which was attended by (from l-r) Elouise White, member, Foundation Board of Directors’ Roger Lambertson, chairman, Board ofTrustees; Edward Goodwin, chairman, Chowan County Commissioners; Kandi Deitemeyer, president, COA; Keith Nixon, vice-chairman,