Long Beach couple races
to the altar, but who’s crew
chief
on pit row? - 1C
Neighbors
The Fourth of July came
early this year, with parade
and fireworks display — IB
Our Town
Yaupon Beach asks state
permission to explore using
waterway o
Growth
is 4th
fastest
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Brunswick remains one of the fast
est-growing counties in North Caro
lina, and at a rate even higher than
once predicted.
The U. S. Census Bureau has re
leased updated population estimates
for all 100 counties; Brunswick ranks
fourth with an increase of 24 percent
between 1990 and 1996. According
to the bureau’s latest figures, county
population at July, 1996, stood at
63,225.
“Based on this rate of growth,
Brunswick County’s population as of
July 1, 1997, would be 65,183,” said
Don Eggert, planner II with the
Brunswick County Planning Depart
ment.
Leading the state in growth is
Pender County with an increase of
26.8 percent, followed by Wake
County at 25.3 percent and Hoke third
at 24.6 percent. Neighboring New
Hanover County had a growth rate of
19.3 percent and Horry County (SC)
See Growth, page 9
Welfare
changes
Cuts accepted
bv some rather
than seek work
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A state welfare reform program
has shown positive results locally
by reducing the number of families
on public assistance by 21 percent.
But Brunswick County social
services employees say there are
some flaws in the system that need
to be worked out, flaws that
encourage applicants to accept cuts
in their welfare checks rather than
search for jobs.
“I think it needs to be emphasized
more that welfare is only tempo
rary,” said Cheryl Bowers, an
income maintenance case worker
for the Brunswick County Depart
ment of Social Services. “I know it
sounds cruel to be taking money
from children that didn’t ask to be
See Welfare, page 5
Photo by Jim Harper
All sorts of strange creatures were to be seen Monday and Tuesday at (tie Southport yacht basin as film
ing of the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer” incorporated a fourth of Julv parade. (More pho
tos in Neighbors section.)
City to seek payment
Admission charge for the movies?
dj lutuaru nuuei
Municipal Editor
With a full-scale movie production on-going in the
city, aldermen Thursday night received for review a
proposed guideline which sets out fees to be charged
movie companies wishing to film in Southport.
In addition to setting a daily fee for filming long-term
and short-term productions, the draft policy establishes
charges for filming at specific locations, fees for use of
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nel.
The draft policy, which begins by charging film
production companies between $300 and $750 per day
to film in Southport, also requires film production
companies to purchase general liability and other
forms of insurance and to name the City of Southport
co-insured
Aldermen are expected to take action on the policy
See Payment, page 6
LIMITS EXPEL
Occupy
tax pro]
to cost tL
i
*
I
is
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
A bill consolidating the authority
to levy accommodations taxes in
Brunswick County will cut munici
palities’ options to levy taxes on
short-term rentals by one percent.
But, the county will be given the op
tion to levy a one-percent occupancy
tax to fund a travel and tourism de
velopment agency.
This is clearly not what beach mu
nicipalities in the county bargained
for this winter when the two county
chambers of commerce proposed the
one-percent countywide occupancy
tax. Municipalities -- including
Southport and the Oak Island com
munities — have levied three-percent
occupancy taxes since the late 1980s
See Proposal, page 9
‘He met with motel,
hotel and tourism
people and they told
him they would not
let him do it (any
other) way without
fighting him. They
have a powerful
lobby.’
Dot Kelly
Yaupon Beach mayor
TAX DISTRICTS
Fire, rescue
departments
seek funding
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
While 55 percent of Southport Vol
unteer Fire Department responses are
made outside the city, city residents
pay 85 percent of department costs.
Brunswick County this year will
pay only $ 15,(XX) of the department's
total $110,(K)0 operating costs, a fig
ure that is “totally inadequate,” vol
unteer fire chief Gregory Cumbee told
aldermen Thursday night.
Cumbee serves as one of five
county fire chiefs who, with county
commissioner David Sandifer and
five volunteer rescue chiefs, have
been charged with recommending
new funding practices for volunteer
emergency units in Brunswick
County.
Aldermen on Thursday joined
mayor Bill Crowe in calling on
county commissioners to establish
Forecast
The ’(tended forecast calls for
mostly iinny skies Thursday through
Saturcko with highs in the 70's.
INSIDE
Polite report ... 6
Obituaries ..... 9
Business ......» J.0
District Court .. II
Church ........ 6B
Schools ....... 8B
TV schedule .... 9B
Tax listings ..... .11B
Calendar ......14B
Dosher gets
nursing beds
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Dosher Memorial Hospital received state approval
to operate 60 skilled nursing beds and should have a
functional facility within two years, hospital admin
istrator Edgar Haywood said last week.
Dosher was selected from among six Brunswick
County applicants. Haywood said the hospital re
ceived the allocation because of its reputation and
support from the community.
“From day one, we tried to drive home the idea
that Dosher wants to operate a quality facility and do
it right, or we don’t want to do it at all,” he said. “And
1 think Smithville Township showed a tremendous
amount of community support for the hospital.”
Over 1,300 letters of support were presented the
state on Dosher’s behalf.
See Dosher, page 7
The 60-bed skilled nursing facility will be constructed behind the main hospital building
where the parkin?; lot now is located. The Cape Harbor Apartments building will be demol
ished and Dr. Thomas Savidge’s office will be moved to make room for additional parking.
Each fire and rescue
tax district would be
governed by a
special commission
empowered to set a
district property tax
to support volunteer
fire and rescue units
several fire and rescue tax districts in
Brunswick County. Each fire and res
cue tax district would be governed by
a special commission empowered to
set a district property tax to support
volunteer fire and rescue units.
Chief Cumbee said if fire and res
cue tax districts are created, all those
in the Southport Volunteer Fire
Department’s five-mile response area
— not just city residents -- would sup
port emergency units.
“People outside our city benefit,”
Cumbee said.
Using city funds to upgrade equip
ment and facilities, the city has ob
tained a Class 6 rating by the state
Insurance Services Office. This en
titles all residents of the department’s
response area to a reduction in fire
insurance premiums equal to $788 a
year for a $ 100,(XK) home or $540 per
year for a $50,000 home, Cumbee
said.
The department’s favorable insur
ance rating annually saves
homeowners close to $1 million in
fire insurance premiums in the five
mile response area.
"People outside the city get the
same benefits as those in the City of
Southport and we feel the county has
got to foot a bigger part of the bill for
See Funding, page IS
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