THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
. ? ? ' ?
Volume 52, No. 28 USPS 428-080 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, July 18, 1985 25 cents
County employees confront commissioners regarding pay raise
By SUSAN HARRIS and
JANE B. WILLIAMS
Perquimans County Commis
sioners were confronted Monday
night by a delegation of county
employees who were under the
impression during the county's
Fiscal Year 1985-'86 budget
talks that they would be
awarded a five-percent pay in
crease.
During the final budget meet
ing held on Tuesday, June 25,
commissioners discussed possi
ble ways to cut the proposed
county tax rate, but came to no
viable solution, leaving the
meeting with the proposed bud
get intact with plans to adopt
said budget at their July 1 meet
ing, the same day that the new
budget was to be effective.
In the June 25 meeting Com
missioner Wayne Winslow
stated that although he would
like to see the tax rate cut by
two and one-half cents be could
see no way to do it. Winslow
briefly discussed at that meet
ing four cuts, ie. employee sal
ary increases, library and rec
reation department increases
and Board of Education funds,
but did not substantiate his
ideas with a motion, stating,
"We've got to be fair to every
body."
However, on July 1, after the
county entered FY 85-86 without
a budget, Winslow presented a
motion to the board with those
exact cuts. The motion was
adopted.
In an interview following that
meeting Winslow stated that he
did not feel he had any support
for the budget cuts at the ear
lier meeting so he did not offer
a motion at that time. Winslow
further stated that he was later
contacted by Commissioner
Thomas Nixon, with whom he
met on Sunday, June 30, to re
evaluate the proposed budget.
The action- taken by the board
RMS opens first satellite clinic
WINFALL? Quality health
care moved to a medically un
derserved area on Sunday when
an affiliate of Albemarle Hosp
tal officially opened it's first sa
tellite medical facility here.
The facility, The RMS Perqui
mans Medical Center, plans to
serve all of Perquimans County.
With a population of just under
10,000 the county was consid
ered medically underserved
with only one doctor practicing
here.
"The Americal Medical Asso
ciation recommends that there
be one family physician or in
ternist for every two or three
thousand residents," said Jack
Morris, chairman of Regional
Medical Services' (RMS) build
ing and development commit
tee. It's easy to see why RMS
decided to place a medical cen
ter here," he added.
One of the primary goals of
RMs is to bring health care
closer to home for those in out
lying areas. The hospital affil
iate was incorporated, last sum
mer. The Perquimans facility is
the first new building to be un
veiled by the organization.
He thanked local community
leaders, including Mayors Lloyd
Morgan and Bill Cox, who were
present.
He also thanked local ag
ribusinessman, Willis Jessup,
for making the site on Highway
37 available, and for other valu
able support and assistance.
"Perhaps the most important
Dr. Neil DeNunzio and bis
wife, Laura, officially
opened the new RMS Perqai
mans Medical Center in Win
fall on Sunday afternoon.
(Photo by Jane Williams.)
Commissioners
change road
improvement plan
By JANE B. WILLIAMS
Perquimans County Commis
sioners elected to deviate some
what from a proposed plan for
secondary read improvements
in Perquimans County after a
substantial number of Snug
Harbor property owners voiced
? their dismay at being rated too
low for action on the upcoming
year's priority list at a public
hearing on Mooday.
The hearing which is held an
nually by the North Carolina
Department of Transportation
Division of Highways - Planning
and Reserach Brand) is set to
advise local residents of plans
made by that department for
secondary road improvements
in each county, and to gain the
residents Input Montey's hear
the state to re-evaluate their
plans for road improvements,
moving that neighborhood
higher up on the priority list.
No road improvements were
scheduled in the original plans'
for FY85-H6 by the state for that
community.
After a lengthy discussion,
Perquimans County Commis
sioners voted to alter the origi
nal plan presented by the DOT
for the use of the $256,445 avail
able to Perquimans County, by
adding Hemlock Street in Snug
Harbor to the list for stabiliza
tion, along with State Road 1216,
1359 and I860. The commission
ers also approved the widening
at Balahack Road in its entlrity
at a cost of approximately
$83,500. Originally only a portion
of that road was set to be wid
& i
decision we made was finding
the right physician to meet the
needs of the community," Mor
ris said. "We interviewed ap
proximately 15 doctors before
selecting Dr. Neil DeNunzio. We
were looking for youth, enthu
siasm, ability, and a commit
ment to serve. We found all of
those characteristics in Dr. De
Nunzio."
Speaking to the group, De
Nunzio said that he was pleased
to be opening his internal medi
cine practice in Winfall. He
briefly described the range of
an internal medicine practice -
covering treatment of blood
pressure disorders, diabetes,
heart disease, preventive medi
cine and routine* checkups
among other things.
DeNunzio credited Albe
marle's administrators, and
RMS managers, Bob Jeffries,
Glen Washington -and Charles'
Stewart with helping to bring
him to the area.
"I am looking forward to of
fering medical care to you and
your families and your neigh
bors. I am looking forward to
being your doctor," DeNunzio
said.
After speaking, DeNunzio and
his wife, Laura, severed the rib
bon across the front door, allow
ing the entry of approximately
150 who visited the center on
Sunday.
caused numerous county em
ployees to request an audience
at the enxt commissioners
meeting, which was held on
Monday night.
A group of 36 county employ
ees representing seven county
departments presented a resolu
tion to the board requesting no
less than a five-percent in
crease. The resolution pointed
out that the employees esti
mated their worth to the county
as greater than a two and one
half percent increase, adding
that such an increase in effect
was not an increase considering
costs of Social Security, retire
ment, taxes and insurance rates
on the new salary scale.
After assuring the assemblage
that the board was proud of the
county's employees and their
performance Chairman W.W.
White, Jr. stated, "We will re
consider (salary increases) if
there are monies available. We
will look at it again. There's no
guarantee, but we will look at
it."
Social Services Director Paul
Gregory addressed the board
stating that he had met with
County Finance Officer Dur
wood Reed, and together they
had found the funds for the em
ployee raises, working within
the county's ad valorem tax
rate.
"I just can't believe that you
gentlemen are going to sit out
there and keep the county em
ployees at a two and one-half
percent pay raise," Gregory
said.
At that point Reed and Gre
gory joined the commissioners
at their table to show the board
how the full praise could be
granted without escalating the
tax rate of 66-cents per $100 val
uation.
After studying that informa
tion Commissioner Lester Simp
son said that he felt that if you
treated the employees fairly
they would work to save the
county money. Then Simpson
made the motion to give all
county employees a five-percent
salary increase. Simpson voted
against the adoption of the coun
ty's FY 85-86 budget that con
tained the cuts.
Two injured in
weekend collision
By JANE B. WILLIAMS
Two women were injured
on Saturday morning at the
intersection of U.S. 17 Busi
ness and U.S. 17 By-Pass ap
proximately one-half mile
south of Hertford when a ve
hicle operated by an Eden
ton woman failed to yield
right of way and struck an
other vehicle head-on at the
busy interchange.
According to North Caro
lina Highway Patrolman
Y.Z. Newberry, Dorothy
Mosher France of Edenton,
who was operating a 1976
Plymouth, was heading
north on U.S. 17 when she
initiated a left turn onto U.S.
17 Business, placing her ve
hicle directly in the path of a
1980 Oldsmobile operated by
Mrs. Liza Murdock Lang of
Kins ton, creating a head-on
collision.
Pictured is a 1980
Oldsmobile thai was to
taled daring a head-on
collision Saturday at the
intersection of U.S. 17
Business and By-Pass
just south of Hertford.
The vehicle was operated '
by Mrs. Lisa Murdoch
Lang of Kins too who was
transported to Albemarle
Hospital for overnight ob
servation. (Photo hy Jane
Williams.)
r
Dr. Robert Earl Lane, a
local physician, was enroute
to Edenton when he came
upon the scene and stopped
to administer first aid. Both
drivers were transported to
Albemarle Hospital in Eliza
beth City by the Perquimans
County Rescue Squad.
Mrs. France was listed in
serious condition at the hos
pital, and Mrs. Lang was
held overnight for obser
vation.
According to Newberry
both vehicles were totalled.
Mrs. France was charged
with failure to yield right of
way.
After three requests by the
chairman for a second to the
motion gained no response, the
motion died.
Commenting on the lack of ac
tion by the board, Gregory said,
"It was clearly shown that
money wasn't the problem." His
statement elicited a round of ap
plause from the assembled em
ployees.
The additional increase in sal
ary would cost approximately
$8,500 during the next year,
however a portion of those mon
ies would not be paid by the
county but would come from
state and federal matching
funds.
It was pointed out at the
meeting that the county brought
forward $140,608 from the gen
eral revenue fund balance into
FY 85-86.
County employees, led by
Sherriff Julian Broughton, just
prior to their departure from
the meeting, showed their ap
precation for support offered by
Commissioner Simpson verbally
and with the evenings second
round of applause.
When asked about the groups
next course of action, Debbie
Reed, a spokesperson for the
group and an employee with So
cial Services said, "We'll have
to get together and see."
As the board n eared adjourne
ment Simpson said, "I still don't
think the employees were
treated right," adding that he
felt they were led to believe that
they would receive a five-per
cent increase.
Commissioner Winslow asked
Simpson who had given the em
ployees that impression, to
which Simpson replied, "You
did."
After all business had been
discussed Chairman White re
quested a motion for adjourn
ment. No motion was made.
Upon the recommendation of
County Attorney John Mat
thews, White himself adjourned
the meeting.
Reed resigns post of
county finance officer
From Staff Reports
Perquimans County Finance
Officer Durwood Reed tendered
his resignation of that position
to the Perquimans County Com
missioners on Monday night.
Reed, owner and operator of
Reed Oil Company in Hertford,
has served in the capacity of
county finance officer for ap
proximately 33 years. In his let
ter to the board he stated that
he was resigning that position
after an enjoyable tenure with
the board.
In a telephone interview on
Tuesday morning Reed said
that he had given considerable
thought to the move, and had
been planning on resigning
since last winter after his per
sonal time became so short. He
also stated that he was fully
vested in the county's retire
ment program, and felt that this
would be a good time for him to
retire from that position.
The letter, which was read by
County Commissioner Chairman
W W. White, Jr., was received
by several moments of silence
by the board memebers, after
which White said, "I think we
can all appreciate the job Dur
wood Reed has done over the
past 33 years."
Commissioner Lester Simpson
made a motion to accept Reed's
letter of resignation with regret.
"Commissioner Thomas
Nixon said, "Not right now,
some time in the future, but not
right now." Nixon added that
the timing was not right due to
the absence of board memeber
William Wray Chappell.
Simpson's motion died for
lack of a second.
In his letter to the board Reed
stated that he would end his of
ficial duties on October 1, 1985.
Reed has been responsible for
handling all of the county's fi
nancial network throughout his
years of service.
This 1976 Plymouth was
totaled in a Saturday col
lision near Hertford. The
driver of the vehicle, Do
rothy Mosher France,
was charged with failure
to yield right of way. Mrs.
France was admitted to
Albemarle Hospital and
listed in serious condition.
(Photo by Jane Wil
liams.)