THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY Volume 61, No.41 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, October 8,1992 35 Cents ^ + ... Community activities offer variety of events: Community happenings: Pago 5 , < ' ! -»J,?? * pliit m I II . ': .; fe, . iYf Sports: Currituck, Perquimans football teams finish three-game week: Pago e V Y <' , ' - County is pinching pennies to pay bills By TRACY E. G ERLACH Staff writer A dangerously low fund bal ance and slower receipt of reve nues kept Perquimans County from investing any money in September and may mean hold ing off on some unnecessary purchases. County Manager N. Paul Gregory told the board Monday. Gregory explained the coun Sfs situation in a financial up ate to the board. “We’re not out of money, but there’s not enough money to make an investment," Gre gory told the board, pointing to the only month where money was not invested. "We want to be sure we have enough reve nue to pay the bills." For the first time in at least five years, Perquimans County was unable to invest any money during a month in order to en sure that there would be enough cash to pay day-to-day bills. The county may also with hold a payment of $100,000 to the school district for two months as a precautionary measure until revenue receipts pick up. An agreement between the county and the school system would allow the county to make its October payment in Decem ber if necessary, Gregory said. Gregory’s report documents a decrease in the total funds available in the general fund over a three year period. In July of 1990, the county had $904,824 available compared to this year’s $476,865. Tax collections are also l down about $100,000 from/ usual September collections, Gregory said. I The county will continue to pay its bills, but will try to keep other expenses at a minimum, Gregory explained. “We’re not in bad shape, but we’re not in good shape ei ther.” The county’s dwindling fund balance has been an area of concern for some time. It has readied a point where it is no longer available to the board of commissioners as either a safety cushion or for investment purposes, Gregory said. “The fund balance used to run the county prior to ad val orem taxes being collected,” Gregory said, "we’re still in fairly good shape for cash flow, but when an emergency arises or an opportunity arises, we won’t have money. In an emer gency we’d have to do some scrambling." * Chairman of the Board Mack E. Nixon said the county, like any good business is “fool -W ish” to operate without a suffi cient fund balance. Board member Thomas Nixon, said Perquimans Coun ty’s situation is not unique. T think you've Joined the rest of the governments,” he said. "They’re all broke." i,Vv $ ’ \ ■ - Boards make no election plan decision By TRACY E. GERLACH Staff writer__ Perquimans County’s board of commission ers and board of education watched presenta tions of three different redistricting plans Monday, but opted not to act until they have further reviewed the proposals. Voters who have waited more than five years for a decision on how elections will be con ducted in the future will wait at least two weeks longer. The Board of Education and Board of Commissioners will hold their next regular meetings Oct. 19. Both boards left the meeting with a more difficult choice than they had before entering the room. Three different plans were presented: one by the Perquimans County NAACP, another by the county’s Republican party and a third by the Electoral Study Committee — formed for the purpose of coming up with the new election sys tem. Even NAACP president Frqd Yates, who pre sented his group’s five-district plan, was in trigued by the other proposals. “All three are good plans,” Yates said follow ing the hearing. “All three probably accomplish the same mission but in different forms. We have to be very careful to see that it’s the best plan for the people.” The mission of all three plans was to estab lish a voting system that better represents mi norities in the county. Of Perquimans County’s 10,447 residents, 3,426 are black, according to the 1990 census. About one third of the registered voters are black. Perquimans County's electoral system was first questioned in 1988 by the NAACP after the board of commissioners overlooked two black candidates vying for a position on the board and appointed a white candidate. Redistricting plans submitted tty both the NAACP and the Republican party established two majority black districts. The Electoral Study Committee plan does away with all districts, but establishes an at large limited voting system de signed to elect the three top vote getters each term. H.R. Bobby Jones called for the board’s to accept the Republican’s six-district, township voting plan, which he said allows for “each voter to have a close association with his elected offi cial.” 11 “It keeps the elected official closer to his constituency,” Jones said. The plan would add one member to both boards. There were few differences between the lay out of the Republican and NAACP plans. John Jennings, who serves on the Board of Elections, said the Republican plan would be'easier to implement since the boundaries were clear cut. “There’s less gerrymandering,” he said. Michael Crowell, a Raleigh attorney rep resenting the Electoral Study Committee, said the at large, limited voting plan adopted by the committee is intended to give black voters addi tional opportunity to elect a candidate. Limited voting is relatively new in North Car olina, he said. Several counties and towns have already switched to the system, he said. Under the limited voting plan, there would be six Instead of five members on both the board of commissioners and board of education. Three seats would be decided each term and voters would only be able to choose one candi date. The three top candidates would be elected. “It keeps white voters from having enough votes to elect all the candidates,” Crowell said. “What we all hope and assume is people would vote for a candidate regardless of their race. If the vote is along racial fines, it allows black vot ers to elect a candidate of their choice.” School board member Benjamin Hobbs questioned the plan as the best measure of a candidate’s support. “It bothers me that a couple of people could possibly be elected with a few votes,” he said. Once both the board of commissioners and the board of education vote on a plan, the choice will be sent to the state legislature for ap proval. The U.S. Justice Department will give fi nal approval to the plan. With approval, a new system could be in place for the 1994 election. The options Mike Crowell • The Electoral Study Committee haa proposed an at large, limited voting system that would in crease each board from five to six members with three seats elected each term. There would be no district or precinct lines nnder the plan. Voters could choose only one candidate and the top three vote getters would be elected. It is argued that limited voting would keep white voters from having enough votes to elect all the candidates. TkJ! Disadvantages: All candi dates could corns from one ' area. If one candidate gets an overwhelming majority ; of the votes, the other two could be elected with very few votes., % Fred Yates # • The KAACP plan would divide the county into five districts, each having approximately 2,100 resi dents. Two districts would If' have a majority of black - voters. District one would ||' i "