THE STATE PORT
m
Cougars on deck
Coach, player of year are na
Good vibrations
Buddhists at home in Bruns
Charge it
Airport may go to plastic fc
in Sen *
O- O *
CO l/l
mo
X)
Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 67, Number 40
Published every Wednesda t! s>
, NC
SBSD
weighs
budget
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Residents of Southeast Brunswick
Sanitary District will have a new
district property tax to pay for the
first time next year if district com
missioners adopt the budget propos
al they continued to refine Tuesday.
The $962,000 SBSD budget pro
posal debated by commissioners
calls for establishment of a first
time district property tax of 30 cents
per $100 valuation. The property
,tax is expected to yield $162,000
next year, or just under 17 percent
of all district revenue.
With the district’s treatment plant
scheduled to come on line at mid
year — around January, 1999 —
sewer use fees are projected to pro
vide the district $274,000 in the fis
cal year to begin July 1. Sewer con
nection fees are expected to add
$370,000 next year; “other ser
vices,” which include building
inspection and permit fees, will pro
vide $155,000 and “miscellaneous”
revenues are expected to total
$1,000.
Projected expenses in Southeast
Brunswick Sanitary District for the
year beginning July 1 include
$50,550 for office expenses and
$61.850 for operation of the district
treatment plant General expenses —
including $119,000 for personnel.
$240,000 as a contract payment ter
the City of Southport and a
$235,000 capital fund' — total
$849,600.
Personnel expenses indicate the
district proposes to hire a manager
and employ a billing and adminis
trative clerk, a building inspector
and a clerk-typist. The budget also
reflects a $20,000 appropriation for
a “police officer,” but sanitary dis
tricts may not establish police
departments under existing state
law.
A draft budget is to be publicly
presented by commissioners when
they meet in regular monthly ses
sion Monday, That meeting is to
begin at 8 a.m. at the district office
on Long Beach Road. The board
will also likely schedule a public
hearing on the budget proposal for
mid-June. Commissioners will be
free to adopt a budget after conduct
of that hearing and before June 30.
Juvenile
reforms
proposed
By Terry Pope
County Editor
A juvenile justice reform act
sponsored by state Rep. David
Redwine (D-Ocean Isle Beach) and
introduced to the N. C. House of
Representatives would hold parents
more accountable when their chil
dren break the law.
Parents could be required to
attend court hearings with their
child, pay court costs and make
sure the child complies with court '
orders or probation requirements
under House Bill 1373. They could
also be required to attend family
counseling or parenting classes.
Redwine said HB 1373 is a good
starting point for trying to reduce
juvenile crime and involves $40
million in the recommended state
budget to pay tor the proposals.
“We have tried to make parental
responsibility and community
See Juvenile, page 7
TAKING FLIGHT
Memorial Day
weekenders
had a fine
time at Brunswick
County Airport on
Saturday, inspecting
the new “Carolina
Belle” biplane of
Ocean Aire Aviation,
or even taking a ride.
Skydivers and
“Moonwalking” for
kids kept interest at a
high level throughout
the afternoon.
Photos by Jim Harper
Brunswick schools
Writing skill grades
exceed region, state
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Brunswick County’s seventh and
tenth* graders scored better than
other students from across the
region and state on the 1998 end-of
grade writing test.
While the county’s fourth graders
as a whole didn’t reach state level,
their scores also climbed from last
year’s results.
The scores left school administra
tors and teachers ecstatic over what
is viewed as steady progress in the
county schools. For the first time
since the state began administering
the writing test program, all grade
levels in Brunswick County showed
improvement.
Some, like South Brunswick
Middle School’s seventh grade and
North Brunswick High School’s
tenth grade, scored remarkably
higher than the state and regional
averages by 15 to 20 points. Test
results tell school officials the per
centage of students who score a
passing grade of 2.5 or 3.0 on the
state’s expository writing tests,
which are graded by readers on a
scale from 0 to 6.
“Generally, the results are excel
lent,” said assistant superintendent
for instruction Mary McDuffie. >
“This is a real cause for celebration ,
in Brunswick County.”
Brunswick County’s seventh and |
tenth grade students scored higher f
than New Hanover County students. V'
In the tenth grade, Brunswick
County is almost ten percentage
points higher than the state with
54.9 percent making a passing grade
of 3.0 or higher. Last year, only 48
percent of county tenth grades
made passing marks.
“Historically, this has been an area
where we have had to really focus
on improvement,” said M
McDuffie. “We exceeded the
regional average and the state aver
age, which is tremendous progress
for our high schools."
Seventh grade students improved
their scores in one year by 15 per
centage points. That means 68.4
percent of seventh grade students
scored a 2.5 or higher on the scale
compared to 53.4 percent in 1997.
“Our results in the seventh grade
were phenomenal,” said Ms.
McDuffie. “The scores exceeded the
See Writing, page 7
1997-98 Brunswick County
WRITING SCORES
FOURTH GRADE
■ State
County
* " ■
SEVENTH grade
- T I
TENTH GRADE
Percentage of students receiving passing grade
compared with state averages
Financial plus
Yaupon plan
of annexation
said feasible
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
It will cost the Town of Yaupon
Beach an estimated $30,000 to pro
vide services in the first year of
annexation to its 483-acre target
area on the mainland bordering
Long Beach Road, Airport Road
and Fish Factory Road.
That same area will generate
about $60,000 in new revenues for
Yaupon Beach in the same period.
In short, annexation of the main
land tract by the Town of Yaupon
Beach is financially feasible as the
area will provide twice the revenue
Yaupon Beach will need to provide
it services, the town’s recently pub
lished annexation study has con
cluded.
Yaupon Beach commissioners in
March adopted a “resolution of
intent” to annex the sizable main
land tract. Mayor Dot Kelly said
the annexation of new land was to
be done for “economic" reasons,
providing sufficient land for the
town to grow as it nears build-out
on the island side of the Oak Island
bridge. The annexation will also
bring the Yaupon Beach wastewater
plant site into corporate limits.
Under terms of state law govern
ing annexation, Yaupon Beach on
Friday published its formal annex
ation study — a document establish
ing that statutory requirements of
the target area have been met and
that the town is financially able to
provide all services to the annexa
tion area it provides to current resi
dents of the town. A copy of the
See Yaupon,page 6
Long Beach
Council opens
budget review
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Town manager Jerry Walters' pro
posed $6.751-million 1998-99 bud
get proposal for the Town of Long
Beach will be the subject of an ini
tial budget workshop of town coun
cil Thursday at 10 a.m.
Council will begin its examination
of the proposal which calls for a
property tax increase of three cents,
to 42 cents per $100 assessed valua
tion. The proposal also calls for a
$1.37 monthly increase in solid
waste fees and suggests an unspeci
fied water rate increase to reflect an
anticipated increase in Brunswick
County's wholesale water rate.
The proposed 42-cent tax rate is
based on a total estimated townwide
valuation of $483.9 million and a
tax collection rate of 95.41 percent.
The property tax is expected to
generate $1,939,068, or just under
44 percent of the town's proposed
$4.44-million general fund budget
for fiscal year 1998-99.
The general fund is proposed to be
balanced this year with a nearly
$256,000 appropriation from gener
al fund unappropriated balance at
the end of the current fiscal year.
Greatest costs anticipated by the
proposed general fund budget are
$1.02 million for general govern
ment. $1.15 million for police,
$924,000 for streets and $715,000
for recreation.
The town's fire department is pro
jected to receive $83,608 in the
coming year and the town’s rescue
squad, which will have four new
full-time salaried employees, is to
receive $196,255.
Although water system costs can
not be accurately determined until
Brunswick County commissioners
declare wholesale rates, for the com
ing year, a proposed municipal
water system budget of $1.29 mil
lion has been advanced, based on
current costs.
That water system budget, subject
to change, is based on the current
year basic monthly water rate of
$7.18 and a user rate of $1.93 per
thousand gallons of consumption.
Total cost of all solid waste efforts
in Long Beach next year — includ
ing a new curbside recycling pro
gram, curbside yard debris removal
with a leaf vacuum and a second
weekly household waste collection
seasonally, will cost just over
$465,000.
The three-percent tax on accom
modations in Long Beach is expect
ed to generate $235,533 in the com
ing year and a capital reserve fund
of just over $48,000 has been autho
rized.
Council will likely address most
budget concerns in three or four
workshop meetings. A public hear
ing on a refined budget proposal
reflecting council's input will be set
later in June.
Bald Head
plans hike
in tax rate
By Jim Harper
Staff Writer
A budget calling for a tax rate
increase of 14 cents will be the 1
subject of a workshop Friday
and public hearing Saturday on
Bald Head Island. *
Village manager Wade
Home’s proposed 1998-99 bud
get calls for increase from the *
present 67.5 cents, for a total of
81.5 cents per $100 valuation,
to help buiid a capital reserve
fund. V
In his May 1 budget message,
to council, Home proposed
applying accommodations tax
proceeds, which have been pre
viously used to pay for debts 4
incurred in beach renourish- *
See Bald Head, page 6 4 ’
" NEWS on the NET: www.southport.net