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EOENTON NC 27932-1854
Wednesday, iVlay 18, 2016
50«
Proposed county budget raises tax rate 4 cents
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
County Manager Kevin How
ard’s recommended budget for
2016-2017 includes a four-cent
hike in the property tax rate and
increases local spending for pub
lic school operations by $50,000.
The property tax rate in the rec
ommended budget is 76.5 cents
per $100 valuation, which repre
sents an increase of four cents
over the current tax rate.
“This increase is due to the re
duction in revenues and to cover
an increase in expenses due to
capital needs,” Howard wrote in
his budget message to the county
commissioners.
Total General Fund spending
(including the Social Services
Fund) in the recommended bud
get is nearly $16.9 million, an in
HOWARD
crease of roughly
$594,362 over the
original 2015-2016
budget.
The recom
mended budget
appropriates
$525,069 from
fund balance.
The proposal
does not call for an increase in
water rates.
“The Chowan County Board of
Commissioners are committed
to improvements in the public
education system,” according to
Howard.
The county manager presented
the recommended budget to the
county commissioners at their
meeting Monday night
The board scheduled the public
hearing on the county budget for
June 6.
Also, the board recessed its
meeting Monday night until 9 am.
today (Wednesday) for the pur
pose of holding an initial budget
work session. The budget work
shop is expected to last nearly all
day. The board voted to conclude
the work session by 4 p.m.
The recommended budget in
cludes nearly $3.54 million in local
See BUDGET, 4A
s
a
THE DAILY ADVANCE PHOTO
Edenton players celebrate their win over Midway, Saturday, in the second round of the 2A state playoffs. See story, on page 7A.
Troxler bullish on food processing in NC
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The state’s commis
sioner of agriculture
cited die Jimbo's
Jumbos as an example of
the state’s expanding food
processing industry - and a
company that stays ahead
of the curve in food safety -
during a Tuesday afternoon
visit to the company's new
oil roasting facility.
Agriculture Commission
er Steve Troxler toured the
181,000-square-foot building
on Peanut Drive in Edenton
along with liis chief of staff,
Zane Hedgecock, and local
man ii u»fa in ii 111 ii ii
i "89076 44 813*
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
officials and business lead
ers.
Paul Britton, vice presi
dent of operations for the
peanut processor, led the
tour of the new facility,
wluch is expected to have
its first lines operational in
September or October and
be running at full capac
ity by this time next year.
Britton told Troxler and
other guests that the com
pany currently employs 220
people in Chowan County
and expects to add another
60-70 workers as the new
facility gets going.
The plant will run two
shifts.
Troxler express*si ex
citement about the employ
ment growth.
“And then we hope to
grow to even more than
that," Troxler added.
The commissioner
pledged the support of the
PHOTO BY THOMAS J. TURNEY
North Carolina Agricultural Secretary Steve Troxler (left front) listens during a tour
given by Vice President of Operation for Edenton Paul Britton (right) at the Jlmbo’s
Jumbos peanut facility, Tuesday.
N.C. Department of Agri
culture as Jimbo’s Jumbos
and other food processors
continue to implement
state of the art practices
in foot! safety and efficient
food processing.
“We’re going to hold your
hand through the whole
process,” Troxler said. “You
ain’t by yourself.”
Britton said the new
plant is designed for both >
See TROXLER, 4A
Study:
Grocery
could
thrive
From staff reports
A consultant specializing
in grocery store location re
search says there is enough
market potential for another
grocery store in Edenton/
Chowan County.
Kevin R. Anderson of
Greenville, S.C., recently
presented his findings
to the Edenton Chowan
Partnership’s Eco
nomic Development Com
mittee.
The Partnership, using
both its funds and funding
from Electricities, hired
Anderson to study the area
to determine if the market
is strong enough to sup
port a second grocery store.
The town of Edenton is a
member of Electricities,
the entity that assists pub
lic power communities in
managing and operating mu
nicipal electric distribution
j systems.
Anderson briefed the
! committee in April on the
methodology he used to de
i termine the study’s findings:
demographics such as popu
lation, median household in
comes, and unemployment
rates. Anderson explained
i he then produced sales fore
casting projections and con
cluded there is room in the
See STORE, 4A
Council
reopens
brew-pub
discussion
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Near the dose of the May
10 monthly meeting of the
town council, council mem
bers voted unanimously to
reopen discussion with Ra
leigh developer John Glover
regarding his proposal to
establish a brew-pub on the
downtown waterfront.
Councilwoman Norma
Simpson was absent from
the meeting.
The site of the new busi
ness would be the former
Northeast Commission
building should council de
cide to sell it. The council
recently voted 4-2 not to sell
the building.
But following a motion
by Councilman Bob Quinn,
one of those who voted
against the proposed sale,
the council decided to re-es
tablish contact with Glover
See BREW-PUB, 4A