Tentative budget set, tax rate up a nickel
The Perquimans County 1
Board of Commissioners i
approved on Monday a
finalized draft of the 1980-81 |
county budget that totals ]
$?,457,075 and would add five I
cents to the county property i
tax rate. I
The budget document is
available for public inspection
^at the Register of Deeds office !
In the courthouse , and a public i
hearing has been scheduled i
Monday, June 9, at 8 p.m. to
obtain citizen comment on the i
matter. j
Included in the proposed
budget is (1,173,000 in local tax |
revenue based on a tax rate of i
$1.15. The remainder of the (
budget is funded from other
sources.
Up some 130,000 over the
present year's budget, the
proposal includes no stipend
lor the recreation department
that is presently jointly funded
by the county and the town of
Hertford.
The recreation department
had requested $20,000 from the
county, and it was suggested
on Monday night that the
money would come from
revenue sharing funds not yet
in the hands of the county.
Commissioner Welly White,
however, argued that the
department needed a more
definite committment. "They
need a firm figure, an
obligation," he said.
But a committment was not
forthcoming.
"I'd like to see them get
together and stick up for what
they say," said commissioner
Lester Simpson. "When they
came in here they said they
needed some money to get
started and they wanted to be
self-sufficient."
There is a movement afoot,
however, that would make the
recreation department even
more dependent on the county
for funding.
The Hertford Town Council
is expected to meet with the
commissioners on Monday
and ask them to increase their
share in the department's
expenses next year.
In another matter, the
commissioners reversed
themselves on an earlier
decision and reduced the fee
from $50 back to $15 for
restoring water service to a
customer who has had his
water turned off because of a
delinquent account.
No action was taken on a bill
to be presented in the short
session of the General
Assembly that would require
that a hunter have written
permission in his possession
when hunting on another
person's land.
The bill would also require
that any rifle above a .22
would have to be fired from
eight feet off the ground.
First district representative
Charles Evans had sought
support for the bill.
The .commissioners also
responded to a request for
information from the Wood
ville Water Association, which
has been forced through a
petition by customers to take a
vote on whether or not to
remain independent.
A copy of the county water
system's by-laws will be sent
to the association, along with a
message that if the county
purchases the system,
Woodville customers would
pay the same rates and
receive the same services that
other county water customers
receive.
Representatives of the
system had met with the
board at a prior meeting to
receive information in the
event that the association is
forced to sell out on a vote of
its customers.
The commissioners also
promised to "support
whatever Woodville does to
upgrade its system" in the
event that it does not sell.
In another matter, the
commissioners agreed to pay
a $304 bill for expenses con
nected with the recent
Governor's Leadership
Conference, but not without
some comment.
"Minnie B. Taylor has
presented me with a bill which
I have not paid because
frankly, I didn't know
anything about it," said
county finance officer D.F.
Reed, Jr.
The size of the bill came as a
surprise to the commissioners
and initiated some response.
"Next time I'll know how to
say no," said Simpson.
Finally, the commissioners
met with a group of Snug
Harbor and Holiday Island
square dancers who wanted to
fix up the county-owned
Blanchard Building for con
ducting classes and dances.
While they were sym
pathetic to the plight of the
square dancing group, the
commissioners said the
building is presently being
Used for storage, and will
eventually be rennovated.
In addition, county attorney
John Matthews issued an
opinion that because the group
wishes to remain segregated,
it could not legally be allowed
to use public property.
75 pedal for cystic fibrosis
Approximately 75
gPerquimans County cyclists
Entered the Jaycee's Bike-A
fhon Cor cystic fibrosis on
Sunday, and the eight-mile
event took its toll on many of
the riders. Michael Stalling:
(1) seemd to have some dif
ficult reaching the pedals on
his giant tricycle, while Doug
Church's problem was more (
mechanical in nature ? a near |
flat tire. Although no final ]
:ount was available as of
iress time, Jaycee president
Doug Umphlett estimated
funds raised to be "around
$2,000." (Photos by NOEL
TODD-McLAUGHLIN)
PHS graduation
set for June 11
Perquimans County High
School will graduate some 112
students at 8 p.m. on Wed
nesday, June 11, in the school
gymnasium.
School principal William
Byrum described the number
of graduates as "slightly
down" from previous years,
and added tha he anticipated a
larger graduatig class next
year.
Commencement speaker
will be Dr. James Howard
Jackson, professor of
Business Education and Office
Administration, Virginia
Commonwealth University,
Richmond, Va.
Valedictorian for the 1980
graduation class is Charles
Shelton Skinner. Class
salutatorian is Charles
Michael Bullard.
Marshalls for com
mencment exercises are:
Juniors ? Rene Bowser,
chief; Lynwood Winslow, and
Eddie Pierce.
Sophomore marshalls are
Dianne Jordan and Deborah
Hoffpauir. Representing the
freshman class is Paige
Hollowell and Sheila Perry.
No baccalaureate services
will be held.
For schools
Capital outlay
plan approved
A modified capital outlay
plan has been adopted by the
Perquimans County School
Board that concentrates on
redesigned vocational
facilities at Perquimans High
School.
The action was taken in a
meeting on Monday night, at
which schools superintendent
Pat Harrell presented plans
that would give all of
vocational programs at the
school expanded classroom
lab areas, and would include a
new metal building to house
the auto mechanics program.
A new construction program
is slated to begin at the high
school this fall, and Harrell
said that it was felt that im
provements should be made
for old program facilities
while making room for con
struction.
"We did not feel we could
ignore the old programs,"
said Harrell, of agriculture,
mechanics, and drafting
classes that had been carried
out in cramped quarters.
All of the programs will be
grouped together in a wing of
the King Street Building, with
the new metal building,
projected to cost some $60,000,
on the Gdenton Road Street
side of the building.
The capital outlay budget
amounts to $154,400 and the
commissioners have also
made a committment to
provide an additional $31,000
to the schools from future
revenue sharing funds when
needed, according to Harrell,
and board chairman Clifford
Winslow.
The high school athletic
program (football in par
ticular) will also receive some
money in the coming year for
improved facilities.
Locker-rooms at the back of
the gym will be converted for
use as dressing rooms at a
cost of $10,000, and public
restrooms will be constructed
at the football-baseball field
that can eventually be ex
panded to include a field
house.
Science lab rennovations
are also in store at
Perquimans High, with a
laboratory-classroom com
bination slated for biology and
chemistry, and another for
physical science.
There will also be an ad
dition to the Perquimans
Union Cafeteria for com
modity storage at a cost of
$4,500, $6,000 for energy
conservation at school
buildings, and $7,900 for
miscellaneous projects, along
with $40,000 in other ex
penditures.
The plan hinges on approval
of the 1980-81 by the
Perquimans County Board of
Commissioners.
Summer migrant program to be conducted again
Parents of those children
eligible for the summer
?migrant program met at
Hertford Grammar School on
Wednesday to hear a
presentation from the
program's coordinators and
teachcrs on parent in
volvement.
The presentation was
Workshop in Philadelphia last
summer; the Perquimans
contingent has been incited to
appear in Fayette ville
The migrant program is a
federally funded project
designed to , help those
children who hare relocated
frequently due to their
parents' occupation.
?
migrant instructor at Hertford
Grammar during the regular
school year.
A migrant is defined by law
as ooe with an occupation in
(arming, fishing, or forestry.
In order to qualify for the
program, a student must have
moved into the school system
from another county or state,
and his parents must meet the
Congress made this provision
to help "those who would be
settling out" of the migrant
stream.
During the regular school
session, the Perquimans
County migrant program
serves some 120 students.
Forty-five of these students
an served in the area of
mathematics at Hertford
Grammar ?ad Central
Grammar schools. The
remaining students, all high
school aga. do not attend a
special class, but records
including immunisation.
academic, and attendance
information, are kept.
Miss Howell explained that
it was up to the individual
county to determine what area
would be encompassed in the
migrant program. "In
Perquimans County, Title I
meets the needs of the
language arts and reading, so
the migrant program was
delegated to math," she said.
But the sui mer migrant
program is all inclusive,
covering a wide range of
subjects including reading,
math, aft musk, and physical
education. "We feel it is a very
well rounded program," said
Miss Howell.
Instructors for the summer
migrant program, all retur
ning from last year, are John
Lavetto, art; Emma
Lawrence, reading; Caroline
Laveiso, music; Parthenia
Hill, mathematics; and
Carolyn Rogers, physical
education.
Other migrant staff
members include ChaHene
Overton, who keeps all
migrant records, and EsteUe
Felton, Community Service
. , ' vksAi ? A
Aid, who serves as a liason
between family and school.
Morris Kornegay is the
migrant director.
Last summer's migrant
program received wide ac
claim because of the extensive
parent involvement. Parents
had input in the programs,
made a scrapbook on the
summer's activities, and
participated in weekly open
house sessions in each subject
area.
Perquimans Connty's
migrant program enjoyed the
f
highest percentage of parent
involvement in the state,
according to lfiss Howell.
And this summer's migrant
program appears as though it
will follow last year's success.
"We're looking for 75 perceat
of the eligible boys and girls to
participate in the summer
program." said Miss Howell
to the parents fathered
Wedaeaday. She added that ia
the three rammers of the
migrant program, only one
studeat had dropped oat
becauM of lack of interact
*
K 1