February 17, 1999
Phone 910-457-4568/Fax 910-457-9427/e-mail pilot@southport.net Volume 68, Number 26
THE STATE PORT
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Published every Wednesday in Southport, NC
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Photo by Jim Harper
The first structural steel member of the new Southport Community Building was moved into place on
the Garrison on Monday, in replacement of the World War II-era building which burned there four
-years ago. The project is expected to be completed in June.
Reserve fund extremely low
City may need electric
rate hike before budget
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Public services director Ed
Honeycutt Thursday asked Southport
aldermen for an immediate three-per
cent across-the-board electric use rate
increase.
The rate hike would raise residential
electric bills between $3 and $4 per
month, depending on the number of
load management measures for which
the customer has opted. Commercial
rates will rise between $1.60 and $8
per month, Honeycutt said.
Aldermen appeared stunned by
Honeycutt’s request — a request he
said he made as electrical fund balance
failed to grow.
“You want this before the budget?”
alderman Meezie Childs asked in ref
See Electric, page 14
‘There are just
certain things
you can’t afford
not to do.,..’
Estimated $7.1 billion
Property values soar
in county revaluation
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Property values in Brunswick County have increased
57 percent during the past five years, according to reval
uation figures released by Brunswick County tax asses
sor Boyd Williamson on Monday.
Total value of property from the last revaluation in
1994 was $4.6 billion, while it stands at $7.1 billion
under the new rates, mostly, due to an increasing
demand for rural homesites and steady growth in coastal
developments.
“Rural land is going to be a hot commodity.” said
Williamson. “People are coming into the county, and the
demand is increasing.”
County commissioners must decide on a tax rate
based on the new assessed values for the fiscal year bud
get that begins July 1. They must decide whether to
change the current tax rate of 68.5 cents per $100 of
property value or keep that rate and bring in more tax
revenue.
Residents will get individual property tax statements
in the next few weeks and should have them in hand by
the first of March. Tax department employees have
spent the past 12 months visiting and appraising the
county’s 100,000 parcels for the revaluation process.
“There are millions of keystrokes entered in the
course of this process." said Williamson. “Are there
Brunswick County tax assessor Boyd Williamson
points to higher values throughout the county.
going to be errors? Absolutely. If there are errors, we
will make them right."
The department has installed a new telephone line
with five extensions to answer calls from residents who
will question the new values. Residents can appeal their
assessment to the Board of Equalization and Review if
they are not pleased with the tax department's ruling.
“If the current market value is different from the
assessed value, that may be a reason for an appeal." said
Williamson. “Or a person may be dissatisfied because
See Values, page 16
LONG BEACH
Canal
access
on hold
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Opponents of proposed public
access improvements on Davis
Canal at SW 20tb Street Tuesday
night convinced council that con
cern for the project was sufficient
to warrant more public discussion.
Council will meet in workshop
session to discuss the project with
members of the town recreation
advisory committee and interested
Citizens on March 9.
In other business brought before
council's regular monthly session,
councilor Kevin Bell's resignation
was accepted, but the naming of
his successor was postponed when
councilor Horace Collier said he
would resign his two-year council
seat on February 22 to seek
appointment to the four-year term
Bell has vacated.
Council also voted to authorize
construction of a pedestrian and
bicycle lane extending from 39th
See Canal, page 14
Three-story facility
Plans proceed
on courthouse
By Terry Pope
County Editor
It wasn't an unanimous decision,
but the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday
to proceed with design of a three
story. $11.5-million new court
house at the government center
near Bolivia.
Grier-Fripp Architects of
Charlotte presented its schematic
designs to commissioners Monday,
depicting a more conventional
courthouse with a sandstone facade
and columns. It will be constructed
adjacent to the present courthouse,
which has become too small to ade
quately handle the criminal case
load and judicial system space
needs.
"This truly will be a courthouse
for die future of Brunswick
County," said Glen Ware, of Grier
Fripp Architects.
It is expected to meet the county's
space requirements for the next 25
years and can be modified to add
room for another 25 years of
‘A lot of work has
been done. We def
initely know we're
going to have to
have a new court
house. I don’t want
to stop everything.’
JoAnn Bellamy Simmons
Commission chairman
growth.
Two commissioners. Bill Sue of
Leland and David Sandifer of
Holden Beach, voted .against the
appropriation of $506,000 to Grier
Fripp so the firm can proceed with
a schedule to seek bids in
See Courthouse, page 11
BRIDGE, OTHER PROJECTS
Tolson claims state
ready, feds hold-up
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Transportation Secretary Norris
Tolson told Brunswick County resi
dents during a special Friday visit
that federal agencies are to blame
for holding permits at bay while
state officials are ready to build a
second bridge to Oak Island.
“We are not going to please every
body,” Tolson told a group of
municipal and county officials who
attended the public meeting held by
the Brunswick' County Board of
Commissioners. “I don’t always
control the schedule. We are run
ning behind in letting contracts over
what we are ready to build, but we
can’t let the contracts until we have
the permits. The biggest issue is the
Corps of Engineers. They don’t
have enough help. There is one per
son for the Anny Corps of En
gineers writing permits for our pro
jects.”
Residents also voiced concerns to
See Tolson, page 8 .
N. C. Secretary of Transportation Norris Tolson told county officials
and residents that construction delays can be blamed on permitting.
NEWS on the NET: www.southport.net
Rep. Redwine takes
appropriations chair
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
Eight-term incumbent Rep. E. David Redwine of Brunswick County
became one of the most powerful members of the N. C. General
Assembly thik week with his appointment as chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee.
House Speaker Jim Black, of Mecklmburg County, announced
Redwine's appointment as leader of the House’s largest and most power
ful committee Thursday. Redwine will share the post with representa
tives Ruth Easterling of Mecklenburg County and Thomas Hardaway of
Halifax County. u
Redwine. now the tenth most, senior member of the House and ninth
most senior Democrat, was first appointed to the House from the 14th
District in 1983 and has won reelection every two years since 1984. He
has been a member of the Appropriations Committee since first appoint
See Redwine, page 11