Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / June 24, 2015, edition 1 / Page 1
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482-4418 P8/ce P^6 W waterRsUtDEN LIBRaRy' EDENT0n"C -W1S51 50' UPCOMING HOME GAMES GAMES START AT 7PMI AT HISTORIC HICKS FIELD NEXT HOME GAMES lime 25 Morehead City Marlins- Chamber of Commerce Night I JUNE 27 Petersburg Genorals VectorCSP Night I July 1 Martinsville Mustangs - Police t EMS Night I July 2 Peninsula Pllots Military Appreciation Night - Active Duty Free (Veterans Contact the American legion) Call 482-4080 For More Information I WWW.EDENTONSTEAMERS.COM County adopts budget wim 2.5-cent tax hike ■ Plan includes $66K for schools; raises water rates BY REGGIE PONDER Editor The Chowan County Board of Commissioners Monday night settled on a 2015-2016 county budget that raises the property tax 2.5 cents, with one-half cent of the increase earmarked for public school operations and the rest for county de partmental services. Commissioner Alex Ke hayes’ motion to that effect passed unanimously, even though there had been no fewer than five previous motions that failed to gar ner a majority of the com missioners’ votes. The board also adopted a half-cent increase in the fire tax, raising it to 5.5 cents per $100 valuation. The new county property tax rate is 72.5 cents per $100 valua tion. Water rates also are go ing up in the budget for the coming fiscal year. The board voted to increase the base rate, which covers up to 2,000 gallons, from $9 a month to $12. In addition, the water rate was increased from $4.50 per 1,000 gallons to $6 per 1,000 gallons. The water rate increase is intended to raise funds to help the county prepare for expansion and upgrades at the water plant that are expected to become neces sary in a few years. The county also will begin charging a $25 after hours service fee beginning Sept. 1. Commissioner Keith Nixon made a motion to re duce the development fee from $2,500 to $1,500, but the motion failed, with only Nixon and Commissioner . Ellis Lawrence voting for it. Nixon said he didn’t want to discourage development. He noted a downturn in building permits and new home construction in re cent years. The 2.5-cent increase in the county property tax rate is expected to prevent the Sheriffs Office from hav ing to curtail patrols due to shortages in funds for fuel and maintenance. The addi tional revenue is expected to restore funding for those items in the Sheriffs Office budget. In addition, the tax hike is expected to generate about $66,000 in additional funding for schools current expense. The previous proposal for the county budget did not include any increase in schools current expense. Edenton-Chowan Board of Education Chairman John Guard had told the commissioners during a public hearing last week and again at the meeting Monday night that without additional funding from the county, the schools would have to eliminate 12 posi tions - most of them teach ers. The budget adopted Monday does include some additional funding for the schools. Massacre hits home for Charleston native BY REGGIE PONDER Editor Police have charged Dylann Roof in last week’s massacre of nine people at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., but his name is not one Deborah Davis will be saying - ev en though four people she knows were among those killed. “We decided in Charles ton we aren’t calling his name," said Davis, a Charleston native who is the director of the Edenton Housing Authority. “I am so hurt and so devastated and so trying to control anger,” Davis said Monday morning during a conversation with other members of Edenton’s Ra cial Reconciliation Group. “It’s just when you know people, and you know people are gone sense lessly.” Davis said Charleston is coming together and not in any way allowing itself to be divided around race. “That’s not on anybody’s rpind and that’s not how we show who we are,” Davis said. Davis said she appreci ates the Racial Reconcilia tion Group and the honest conversations that take place within the group. “We have conversations about race - mid we don’t even all agree,” Davis said. “We’re a microcosm of what America Ls," said Ben jamin Speller, a member of the group. “Everybody STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER Racial Reconciliation Group members (l-r) Joseph Hoffler, Judie Hoffler, Benjamin Speller, Deborah Davis and John Collins participate in a discussion Monday at Edenton United Methodist Church about the fatal shooting of nine people last week at Mother Emanuel AME Church, a historic African-American Church in Charleston, S.C. Davis, a Charleston native, knows some of those who were killed in the attack. brings to the table their own baggage.” Davis said she is staying with the group rigid now because she’s not in her hometown. “I’m sticking with it be cause I’m not at home right now,” Davis said. “And this is till I have.” Davis said she will be go ing home in a few weeks. “I don’t know how angry I’ll be present,” Davis said of when she returns to Charleston. “1 know I’m angry now." But she said she has no idea how she will feel once she has gone home and touched the bricks in the church. "I wonder w hat all those vets think about him,” Da vis said of Roof, whom she sometimes referred to ironi eaily as “this gentleman,” adding “I’m being generous in calling him that.” She noted he had been shown in videos trampling the American Flag and burning the flag, and she wondered aloud, “Now how do they feel about this non-educat ed lowlife of a person?” Jo Baker, leader of the Racial Reconciliation See HITS HOME, 4A Town adopts budget with 1.5-cent tax hike BY REBECCA BUNCH Staff Writer The town council in a split vote Monday night approved the town’s proposed 2015-2016 fiscal year budget. The vote was 5-1, with Councilman Steve Biggs casting the lone dissent ing vote. The budget includes a 1.5 cent increase in the property tax rate. The town’s current ad valorem tax rate is 37 cents per $100 valuation. The new rate will raise that amount to 38.5 cents. Biggs said he was disappoint ed when he asked last year for the council to play a more active role in development of the bud get and that never occurred. “I am convinced we could have done a lot better job,” ©2009 The Chowan Herald All Rights Reserved Biggs said. Mayor Roland Vaughan sug gested that discussion of Biggs’ ideas for change could take place at a future finance com mittee meeting. Town Manager Anne-Ma rie Knighton said in her bud get message to the mayor and council that the loss of privilege tax revenue due to legislative action by the General Assem bly left the town with no way to make up those funds but to raise* taxes. That point was reiterated by Finance Committee Chair Sam bo Dixon. Dixon said that los ing the funds “left a hole in the budget" that had to be filled. He referred to the 2015-2016 proposal as a “hold the line” budget and termed the shortfall in the town’s coffers “one more dung Raleigh’s doing to make it tougher to run the town.” Biggs said he agreed widi Dixon’s assessment of the pro posed budget. See TAX HIKE, 4A Mother seeks information in search BY PETER WILLIAMS The Perquimans Weekly The mother of a 39-year-old Holi day Island woman who has been missing for three weeks is pleading for the public to come forward with information about her daughter. Arlene Murin said Karen Bosta was last seen in Edenton on May 30. Her daughter's car was found the following week in a parking lot in Edenton. Despite their efforts, lawmen said they have few clues as to what happened. Perquimans County Sheriff Eric Tilley said based on where the car seat was pushed back on the 1997 Lincoln Continental 'she didn’t put it there.” The car was found in Gas light Square, a lar ge parking lot near tire Historic Chowan Courthouse. Bosta is about 5-foot.-3 and 140 pounds and the seat was adjusted for somebody much taller than that. Bosta’s family is offering a $2,500 reward for information. ‘‘If anybody saw who dropped off the car, please come forward,” Murin said. “It didn’t just appear in the lot, somebody drove it there.” Both the Perquimans Coun ty Sheriffs Office, the Chowan See SEARCH,2A KAREN BOSTA Officials float idea of different deer season BY REGGIE PONDER Editor A group of deer specialists from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Com mission told a gathering of deer hunters last Wednesday that it might be time to reconsider the deer seasons in North Carolina The deer management forum at Swain Auditorium in Edenton was the fifth of nine the Midlife Resources Commission is holding across the state. The biologists at the meeting Wednesday acknowledged tire cur rent seasons were established in a much different tune, when the state was in deer restoration mode. The areas are purely administrative ar eas, not necessarily reflecting the habits and characteristics of deer. The biologists said their under standing is that the current seasons are not really the best biological fit for the deer population. If there is a change in the sea sons, they said, that change will need to take into consideration sci entific management principles, the limits of habitat and landscape, and See DEER SEASON, 4A 36th ANNUAL COME TO EDENTONS VvATEHrKUNT EAT DINNER AND ENJOY _ , „ NORTH CAROLINA'S LARGEST Fabulous 4th of July “Over the water fireworks show” STEVE HARDY S ORIGINAL BEACH PARTY Popular among all audiences MECHANICAL BULL RIDING LOTS Or FOOD, FUN, CRAFTS. RAFFLES AND GAMES FOR CHILDREN!!! ne&e svppon uur raounus wi or July WE MEED YOUR FINANCIAL HELP! MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO CHOWAN EDENTON OPTIMIST CLUB 108 Meadow Lark Dr., Edanton NC 27932 IRS Tax Exempt ID # available upon request " ■" " J
The Chowan Herald (Edenton, N.C.)
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