Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Nov. 21, 1991, edition 1 / Page 6
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UOB'S POLICY DEBATED Seashore Residents Claim County Water Assessments Unfair BY TERRY I'OI'K What's a lair price to pa> lor county water lines? Alter receiving their assessment bills last week, some residents til Special Assessment District (SAD) IK ? Seashore Road and Hurricane Haven subdivision near Holden Beach ? were asking that question. It's an old issue that's been debat ed since the first SAD was complet ed m June ll'SS. In the past, the Brunswick County Utility Operations Board, which oversees county water expansion projects, has recommended to Brunswick County Commissioners that residents be accessed lor the lines based on mad frontage. But lots of unusual shapes, with either wide or narrow road front ages. often escaped lair assessments or felt the full force of the policy. " I'he opinion of this hoard is that it lixiked like it created a lot of in equities." said Robert Nubel. UOB vice chairman. "It's inevitable There's no perfect system." For some projects. UOB members decided to recommend a different assessment method? one calculated on the square footage of lots served Commissioners accepted that rec ommendation. State law gives counties several methods by which to assess propert> owners for capital improvement pro jects. Assessments can legally be made based on the square footage of loLs or In road f rontage. Seashore Road residents carried their complaints to the I 'OB last week in what was scheduled as the final public hearing on SAD IS. held to correct any assessment cr rors. Some said the\ felt misled about the cost of the water lines after learning that they were being as sessed by the square footage of their Iols instead of by road frontage. "I'm sure if we did it the other way." said \ubel. "we'd have the same number of jvople complaining Somebody is going to feel put upon." Mane Unison of Seashore Road called the square footage assessment method "highly ridiculous." "It's not fair for Brunswick County people." she added. "If I had that kind of money. I would upgrade my place." Roy B. Kirhy. (i2. owns one acre of land on Seashore Road and was assessed S2.700. He is blind. "There's no way I can pay it." ?aid kirby. "I'm blind and can't see. and you people want to do me like this." The county does consider eco nomic hardships for persons w ho are elderly or on fixed incomes, ex plained Nubel. Along Seashore Road, a 12-inch "/ might want to go into the pipe business. Don t you think that's a little bit overpriced?" ? Roy W. Kir by. Seashore Road Resident line was installed, but residents are being assessed for onl\ a six inch line, said Jerry Webb, director of Public I'tilities. The county will pick up the additional cost. Sonic had implied Seashore Road residents were being forced to pay the cost ol running lines to Hurri cane Haven. Of the 15 people who attended the public hearing, at least lour said they have no problems with their wells and that they ilo not need county water. II calculated by road frontage, Ro> W. Kirby said his SI, 858 as sessment averages more than SI 2 a foot for the water line in front of his property. Other SAD customers assessed by road frontage have paid an average of S5 to S6 per foot for the water lines, according to Brunswick County Water Department records. For example, residents in SAD 1 ? Holiday Acres, Holiday Pines and Holiday Ranches ? paid S5.l'S jvr Iiku in Dcccmbcr Rcsidcms in SAD 2? Shangnla, Brunswick Shores and Long Acres paid S6.03 |\'r fool. Ai Landing I and II (SAD 8). residents there were assessed S6.46 per lool in December 1989. Eighi SAD projects were ap proved with customers paying a road frontage assessment between Dcccmbcr 1988 and January 1990. ITie lirsi project assessed by square footage of lots was SAD 1 1 ? Pine Burr Acres ? in January 1990. The cost there was .(U cents jvr square lool for each lot. IN EXECUTIVE SESSION DSS Board Studies Personnel The Brunswick Counts Social Services Board met in executive session Monda> to discuss personnel, but look no ac tion afterward. DSS Director Jamie Orrock asked for the closed door meeting to discuss what he said was "litigation of personnel." saying he needed just a few minutes to brief the board. The Kurd did not discuss the matter in open session. In other business Monday, the board handled routine monthly items on its agenda, approving agency and de p.iruiienial reports. The amount of food stamps issued to Brunswick County residents continued to increase, from S3 >0.7% in September to S358.732 in October, reported Supervisor Sandy Jackson. The number ol households served b> the Uxni stamp program has increased from 2.1U0 in September to 2,089 last month, she said. Fraud Alleged A monthly food sump report filed by investigator Shirley Weston states that charges have been brought against a woman accuscd of receiving S965 in Icxxl stamps while ineligible. The suspect actually lived in Colorado and received food stamps from both stales, Ms. Weston reported. She was arrested in Perquimans County and is awaiting trial. In another report of alleged food stamp abuse, war rants have been Hied against a former employee of Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport, claiming she allegedly received SI, 094 in icxxl stamps while ineligi ble.' Ms. Weston said the woman used a fake name and a fake social security number and is also wanted on simi lar charges in Oklahoma, Idaho, New Jersey and Kansas. Warrants for probation violation have been issued in Oklahoma while the Brunswick County warrants have not been served, since the suspect is running from the law somewhere between North Carolina and New Jersey, said Ms. Weston. "These were two extremely involved cases," said Ms. Weston. However, die department did manage to collect S 1 ,55 1 in ouLsumding fcxxl stamp claims, she said. b , camn It's a Tom Clark Thanksgiving! With the beauty of Natahala and Little Bear, The Pilgrim, and Eleanor & Virginia Dare. We have the 1991 Forest Gnome and all the Tom Clark Country People series, also another Cairn Studio artist's-Timothy Wolfe's Madelyn. Judge Snepp is available with "Constitution" and with "Constition." Layaway Now For Christmas CARDS &GHTS We offer UPS service Thanksgiving Cards b Boxed Srts Christmas Girds Twin Creek Plaza, Shallotle. 754-9968 ? 10?. DISCOUNT OFF GREETING CARDS ONLY-SR. CITIZENS Specs' Gifts lor Special People ? Bndal & Gill Registry ? FREE GIFT WRAP ? Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9:30-8 Sun. 130 The Brunswick Hospital is pleased to announce the association of Samuel W. Kirtley, M.D. in the practice of Family Medicine, with the Brunswick Islands Medical Associates, P.A. (BIMA) in the South Brunswick Islands Medical Park Junction of Hwy. 17 and Union School Road Now accepting appointments 579-0707 Nutx'l said ai the original SAD IS public hearing, both assessment methods were explained to resi dents. "While a reference might have been made (to road frontage)." said Nubel, "I think it was always point ed out that there were other means of assessment." For SAD IS, residents will be as sessed around .06 cents |vr square toot. "I might want to go into die pipe business," said Kirby. "I>on'i you think that's a little bit overpriced?" Otis Shore's one-acre lot was as sessed S3,I(X). a figure he said was in error. The purpose of the public hearing, said Nubel. was to correct such errors. Hut the answer. Shore said, is lor residents to hire a lawyer, get a peti tion and to "throw this thing out." Other residents complained that they are being asked to pay both an assessment and for the county's water bonds used to build the system. 'Die bonds arc rqvuti with lax money. "There arc many people in ihis county that will never see county water," responded Nubel. "I don't have county water, hul I'm paying lor a county water bond." Franklin Grumpier suggested that the county should seek Farmers Home Administration loans to help residents pay lor water line expan sion. Elizabeth Parker, 72, owns a lot on Seashore Road with I SO feet of road frontage. The lot has been in her family for X5 years. Now she is being asked to pay S2.2SI for a wa ter line. "I didn't want it," said Ms. Parker. "I didn't need it. I don't know how I'm going to pay it. I don't understand this square footage." DOB members, defending their policy, said they would not ask com missioners to reconsider the assess ments for property owners in SAD 18. 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The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 21, 1991, edition 1
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