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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
106 W WATER ST
EDENTON NC 27932-1854
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Pitching to lead Steamers' run cr\<t
in Petitt Cup playoffs — 7A ^ ■
School board cuts four teacher assistant jobs
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
The school board voted
unanimously Monday night
to eliminate four teacher
assistant positions for the
2013-2014 school year.
Board member Jean Bunch
was absent
The school system nar
Edenton
considers
1 percent
pay raises
BY REBECCA BUNCH "
Staff Writer
The town council could
consider job reclassifica
tions and a 1 percent salary
increase for town employ
ees as soon as it’s monthly
meeting on Aug. 13.
The council at its July 22
work session heard a report
from Town Manager Anne-’
Marie Knighton based on a
recently, completed salary
study.
Councilman Steve Biggs,
who chairs the administra
tive committee, had request
ed in the spring of 2012 that
the study be done. Biggs at
the time expressed concern
about the low pay being
received by some longtime
town employees. _ ,
He also questioned
whetheV those on the higher
end of the salary scale were
receiving salaries that were
out of line with what their
counterparts in other com
munities of comparable size
were receiving. That ques
tion was not addressed at
the work session.
Knighton said that should
the council adopt the rec
ommendations arising from
the study, about 26 positions
would be affected.
“You may also want to es
tablish a performance-based
merit increase of 1 percent,”
Knighton suggested to the
council.
Knighton explained that
town staff prepared the
salary classification and
salaries study by reviewing
salary survey data collected
and published by the N.C.
League of Municipalities.
They then compiled salary
ranges for positions similar
to those of Town of Edenton
employees in communities
with a population range of
2,500-4,999 and for the pop
ulation range of 5,000-9,999.
The survey averaged the
minimum starting salary and
the maximum salary, and
averaged the current salary
earned, Knighton said.
In addition to the league’s
survey, town staff also ac
quired position classifica
tion schedules from the
towns of Ayden, Farmville
and Ahoskie, as well as fig
ures from a salary study pre
pared for Chowan County
last year. Knighton noted
that the county commission
ers have not yet adopted the
stuffy.
Knighton said that most
of the salary schedules the
town evaluated followed a
pattern.
“The minimum salary is
generally increased by 50
percent to determine the
See RAISES, 2A
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
i?- $ *
rowly avoided hav
ing to eliminate a
teaching position.
That job was saved
when one teacher
transferred out of
the Edenton-Chow
an school system,
Supt. Allan Smith
said.
School officials had said
Tax-free Weekend Shopping
STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER
Devonne Gold takes advantage of the tax holiday, as she shops for clothes Saturday at Peebles in Edenton.
Local shoppers, retailers lament
sunset on the state’s tax holiday
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
Edenton shoppers and
retailers alike will miss the
opportunity that the state’s
tax-free weekend repre
sented.
This past weekend was
the final tax-free week
end for back-to-school
shoppers in North Caro
lina Gov. Pat McCrory has
signed a law ending the
tax-free shopping days af
ter this year.
Jadelle Wagner, man
ager of Peebles in down
town Edenton, said local
stores likely will lose some
back-to-schopl business to
Virginia retailers as a result
of the change.
First building torn down under new law
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Demolition of a building
on East Church Street on
July 29 marked the first in
stance where the Town of
Edenton has enforced the
tearing down of a structure
in violation of its Demoli
tion by Neglect ordinance.
Town Planner Sam Bar
row, who has responsibil
ity for identifying such
structures, said that the
demolition that started at
10 am. went smoothly.
Demolition was han
dled by Waff Contracting
of Edenton. Traffic was
directed by the police de
partment and DOT staff
were also on the scene,
Barrow said.
“There were no inci
dents,” Barrow said. “Ev
erything was handled as
SMITH
last week they
thought as many as
six teacher assis
tant positions might
be lost.
“If there’s any
bright spot, that’s
it,” Smith said in an
nouncing that fewer
jobs than anticipated would
be lost.
“I think a lot of people
will go to Virginia because
Virginia is so close,” Wag
ner said. “They’ll go to Vir
ginia instead of shopping
here.”
Elizabeth Lassiter, an as
sistant manager at Roses
in Edenton, said she had
heard a lot of customers
expressing concern that
there would be no tax holi
day next year.
“There’s definitely a
buzz going around with the
customers,” Lassiter said.
“They’re talking about it
and buzzing about it — dis
appointment.”
Lassiter said sales dur
ing this year’s tax-free
weekend were similar to
the same weekend in 2012.
professionally as I could
have ever wished it to be.”
Among those observing
was Edenton Town Coun
cilman Bob Quinn.
In early 2011 when the
town council addressed
modifying Edenton’s Mini
mum Housing Standards
and — within the town’s
historic district, ordinanc
«es to prevent Demolition
by Neglect of historic struc
tures — it was Quinn who
led the effort to strengthen
such standards to address
neighborhood blight and
help curb criminal activity. •
Quinn said his actions
were intended to give lo
cal building inspectors and
the town planner the tools
necessary to achieve ex
actly what occurred at the
East Church Street site on
, See DEMOLITION, 2A
Michelle Maddox, hu
man resources director for
the school system, noted
in a July 31 news release
that the school system had
worked to prepare for job
cuts necessitated by the
just-passed North Carolina
General Assembly budget
by not filling open positions
in anticipation of the “dras
Clothes and school sup
plies have been doing es
pecially well, Lassiter said.
Wagner said she was
pleased with sales at Pee
bles during this final tax
free period.
The Friday of this years
tax-free weekend was bus
ier than the same Friday
last year, Wagner said. Sat
urday was steady, and the
store was looking for a big
finish to the weekend on
Sunday.
Wagner said the store
has more children’s shoes
right now than it has had in
previous years. That shoe
selection is paying off, she
said.
The children’s shoes are
selling very well, according
tic cuts” to the state’s educa
tion budget.
Because the school board
had not filled 7.5 of the
8.5 .teaching positions af
fected by the cuts, Maddox
said, only one position for
the 2013-2014 school year
would have been lost.
According to the news re
lease, the Edenton-Chowan
to Wagner.
“Shoes are very good,”
Wagner said. “I think that’s
going to help our year a
lot.” , ,
Wagner said the store’s
sales for this past week
were up 9 percent com
pared with the same week
in 2012.
Peebles stayed open
extended hours during
the tax-free weekend. The
store was open from 9 am.
to 9 p.m. on Friday, 8 am.
to 9 p.m. on Saturday and
11 am. to 7 p.m. on Sun
day.
Edenton is different
from most other places in
terms of when the store is
See HOLIDAY, 2A
Schools received cuts to
taling $831,385 for funding
of classroom teacher and
teacher assistant positions,
classroom materials, text
books and ESL/Limited
English Proficient services.
The school system was
able to louver the number of
See SCHOOL, 3A
County
to spend
from fund
balance ^
■ $100,000 to be used
for priority capital projects
From staff reports
The Chowan County
Board of Commissioners
Monday night voted to use
$100,000 from the county’s
fund balance for high-prior
ity capital projects. Some
contracts were also award
ed at the
Commis
sion Chair
Keith Nix
on said that
the proj
ects iden
tified rep
resented
“immediate NIXON
needs.” He said the county
had been unable to address
such heeds during its fiscal
crisis that dated back to
2008. Since then, he said,
the county’s priority has
been rebuilding its fund bal
ance.
“We had to get our fiscal
house in order first,” Nixon
said.
County Manager Zee
Lamb explained that the
county had been able to add
about $800,000 to its fund
balance, which gave county
officials the leeway to look
at using the money to take
care of some much-needed
work on county buildings. •
Commissioners awarded
a contract to Edenton Con
struction Company for work
to resolve sewer issues at
the local Department of
Social Services offices. Es
timated cost of that project
is $20,000.
Also, Tim Phelps & Com
pany of Edenton received
a contract for work on the
new Chowan Courthouse.
That work will include mak
ing the front doors handi
capped accessible.
See FUND BALANCE, 2A
SAM BARROW PHOTO/TOWN OF EDENTON
Employees of Waff Contracting watch as a crane prepares to tear Into a building
located 301 East Churcji Street on the morning of July 29.
■ 'V