Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / May 6, 2015, edition 1 / Page 1
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. ‘Wings over Edenton’ ready to take flight — IB 50c Budgets face mounting pressure County mulls property tax hike with wary eye f£| BY REGGIE PONDER Editor Early indications show Chowan County officials might be willing to raise the prop erty tax rate to fund pressing school needs - but not enough to pay for all the high-pri ority items the schools are requesting. Although County Manager Kevin How has not yet submitted his recommend budget to the county commissioners, preliminary working document com missioners have begun reviewing would call for a tax rate of 91.5 cents per $100 valuation - a 21.5-cent increase over the tax rate in the current budget. , One cent on the county’s tax rate gener ates about $132,000. Much of the pressure on the budget this year comes from the local school system, which is seeking to replace worn-out heat ing and cooling systems and take care of See COUNTY, 4A Town facing $62K revenue deficit in 2015-16 budget BY REGGIE PONDER AND REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writers The Town of Edenton is facing a project ed $62,000 revenue shortfall in the 2015 2016 budget from loss of privilege license fees - a shortfall that Town Manager Anne Marie Knighton told the town council she didn’t see any way to make up without a tax increase. The shortfall was discussed during the Finance Committee report at the council’s April 27 work session. Town officials are hoping the General Assembly will adopt some kind of mecha nism to replace the lost revenue. “That’s really probably our only hope ex cept for a tax increase,” Knighton said. Knighton said Monday that it would take a property tax increase of about 1.5 cents per $100 valuation to make up for the See TOWN, 4A STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH Smart Start Director Susan Nixon sports a big smile, while Laura Wilkins helps her granddaughter Angel pick a good book or two during May Play Day. Saturday morning. See more photos from May Play Day on page IB and online at DallyAdvance.com. Air Methods drops airport base BY REGGIE PONDER AND PETER WILLIAMS Staff Writers Air Methods is no longer operating a medical emergency helicopter from a bast* at the Northeastern Regional Airport. “The airport commission is very disap pointed,” Edenton Town Manager Anne Marie Knighton said Monday. Junius A. Frederick, regioital business development manager for Air Methods, confirmed the local closure Monday, but referred other questions to the corporate communications staff. The Chowan Her ald was unable to speak with the corporate communications staff before presstime. The 24-hour emergency medical heli copter had been based at the Northeastern Regional Airport since March 2014. An EC 135 twin-engine helicopter was housed in a hangar at the airport . 'Hie helicopter provider! the potentially lifesaving service of enabling a patient to get to a high-level treatment center within the one-hour critical period for emergency response. Air Methods is headquartered in Engle wood, Colorado. According to the company’s website, it has operations from Alaska to Key West, Fla The company has more than 300 bas es of operations in 48 states. Perquimans officials say the decision See AIRPORT, 4A Chief seeks to reassure residents BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer During an April 28 North Edenton Com munity Watch meeting Police Chief Jay Fortenbery urged citizens to serve as extra sets of eyes and ears for law enforcement in their neighborhood. 6 0 ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved “We want to work with everybody to have a bet ter quality for life for all our citizeas,” he said. “Working with our young people is one of the tilings I strive to do, teaching them to be good and stay out ui uuuuit*. But LoriAnn Curtin FORTENBERY said she continues to be troubled by the presence of drug dealing and prostitution in her neighborhood. She said that she sees cars — the same ones sometimes See REASSURE, 3A Morris takes reins at Extension BY REGGIE PONDER Editor Mary Morris is Chowan County’s new director of Cooperative Extension. Morris, who became di rector on April 1, said this week she was enjoying the new job. “We' have got a great staff in this office,” Mor ris said. Katy Shook, the area horticulture specialist, had been serving as inter im director for more than two years. Shook did a great job as interim director, Mor ris said. Morris was the family and consumer sciences agent for Bertie County for the past eight years. Since November 2013 she also has been working in Chowan. Although she is no lon ger officially working in Bertie, she is finishing up a few programs she start ed over there. She will be finished with all her work in Bertie by the end of this month, she said. Family and consumer sciences is what was STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER Mary Morris, shown standing at the door of her office, is the new director of Chowan County Cooperative Extension. traditionally known as “home economics,” Mor ris explained. Morris, a 1990 graduate of John A. Holmes High School, graduated from East Carolina University in 1997 with a degree in health education. She earned a master’s degree in health education from ECU last year. She is married to Stu art Morris. They live in the Rocky Hock commu nity and have two chil dren who are students at Chowan Middle School. After earning her bach elor’s degree she spent eight years in Southport. When her kids were bom, she stayed at home with them until they were See MORRIS, 4A
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