'i
Boone to give out smiles
Rage 2
Singing valentines
Pages
JVs get two wins
Rage 8
" ■■■—, .
P6/C5**********,*c
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
February 5, 2003
Vol. 71, No. 6 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Perquimans
Weekly
RECEIVED
PER 0
County upholds
water reading
Pirates enjoying success
Not reading
meter crux of
problem
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Failure to read his water
meter is what landed a
Perquimans County water
customer in hot water.
Carlos Spence appealed
to the county commission
ers Monday, stating he does
not think he used the
almost $700 worth of water
for which he was billed.
Although Spence had
already been granted a
meeting with the county
manager and water depart
ment representatives who
agreed to cut the bUl in half
and give Spence six months
to pay the reduced bill in
full, Spence opted to go
before the county to plead
his case.
According to Spence, his
wife pays the family bills
and “had a problem with
the water department.”
Spence said his wife could
n’t solve the problem and
asked him to intervene.
Spence said the couple
received a biU of around
$700. He asked the water
department to check the
meter and was told that the
meter had already been
changed. Spence said he
was upset because he didn’t
get to check the meter
before it was changed. He
added that he had no leaks
in his house, no septic tank
problems, no water under
the house and no soft spots
around water lines indicat
ing leaks.
“I believe the problem
was my water meter,”
Spence said.
Spence’s water ended up
getting cut off for non-pay
ment. It was off for three
days before being restored
after Spence called to set up
an appeal before the com
missioners.
“I feel like I should have
gotten a better shake than
what I got,” Spence told
commissioners.
He added that if he had
paid the reduced bill, he
would have been acknowl
edging that he had a prob
lem.
Spence ended his presen
tation with a statement that
ultimately seemed to be evi
dence the commissioners
used to vote to uphold the
water bill: “I have never
read the meter.”
The WoodviUe resident
said his water bill was
$12.50 per month for many
years. He did not read the
meter each month, but paid
$12.50.
Speaking for the county.
County Manager Paul
Gregory told the board that
the situation goes back to
August, yet water to the
Spence home was not
turned off until January It
was off for three days until
Spence requested the hear
ing before the full board, at
which time it was turned
back on.
Water department
employee Cheryl Phillips,
who sat in on the initial
meeting with Spence,
brought a file with informa
tion about the situation to
the commissioners’ meet
ing. According to PhUlips,
the minimum water bill is
$12.50, which covers up to
2,000 gallons of water.
When Spence’s meter was
read in July, 253,000 gallons
of water had gone through
the meter, for a total biU of
$662.30. When Spence came
to the water department to
complain about the bill,
water department employ
ees explained that the total
gallons did not reflect a
one-month usage, but had
accummulated over several
months.
Even so, ■ Spence was
offered what the county
calls a “high usage adjust
ment.” When a water bill is
extremely high, customers
may request relief If grant
ed, water bUls for the previ
ous 12 months are aver
aged, and that average sub
tracted from the current
high bill. The customer
pays half the bill and the
county charges off the
other half.
Because Spence was
adamant that there was a
problem with the meter, the
original meter was
replaced. Water
Department Supervisor
Russ Chappell checked the
serial number of the
removed meter, and found
that there was no known
history of the meter over
reading. In fact, Chappell
received a statement saying
that that particular water
meter does not over-regis
ter consumption when bro
ken or old, but rather
under-registers.
In addition, Spence’s
meter was monitored after
it was changed. County
employees found that
Spence was actually using
5,000-6,000 gallons of water
each month, rather than
the 2,000 for which he said
he had paid the water
department. His average
bill should have been
$30.70, according to the rate
chart.
Phillips explained how
Spence was billed $12.50 for
so long, when his biU. was
actually probably over dou
ble that amount. She said
that the computer bills cus
tomers based on meter
readings. If no meter read
ing is submitted by a cus
tomer, the computer uses
past history to bill for the
next bUling cycle. If Spence
had paid $12.50 per month
for many years as he told
commissioners, the com
puter would have billed
him for 2,000 gallons per
month based on his history,
far below the 5,000 or 6,000
gallons he was actually
using. Water department
employees periodically
read every meter in the
county and adjustments
may be made if meter read
ings have not been reported
to the water department
properly. When Spence’s
meter was read, the true
usage was reflected in the
gallons used and he was
billed for what he had actu
ally used.
Upon hearing the expla
nation, commissioners
voted unanimously to
uphold the bill with the
high usage adjustment.
They also suggested that
the problem could have
been avoided had Spence
just read his meter.
Daily Advance photo by SAM WOLFE
The Pirates lost a squeaker to Manteo last night in Hertford, but Perquimans in on
a roll in the Four Rivers Conference. The team is ranked No. 4 in Class 1-A in the
N.C. Coaches Association/iHigh.com state poll and is currently in first place in the
FRC. For highlights of varsity, varsity girls and junior varsity action, see page 8.
Comissioners appointed
to committees, boards
SUSAN R. HARRIS
County commissioners
were formally assigned
committee appointments in
regular session Monday.
Wallace Nelson had
asked commissioners upon
his appointment as chair
man in December to let him
know where each thought
he or she would be best
suited to serve, and on
which committees they
would like to serve.
Monday, the appointments
were presented in open ses
sion.
Commissioners Charles
H. Ward and Shirley
Wiggins sit on the most
boards on behalf of the
county.
Ward’s seats include
those on the Albemarle
District Jail Commission,
Albemarle Regional
Landfill Authority,
Economic Development
Commission,
Perquimans/Chowan/
Gates Landfill Committee,
Rural Planning
Organization Steering
Committee and WIA/JTPA
Chief Elected Officials.
Although not on the list of
appointments made by the
county. Ward also repre
sents the county on the
regional committee orga
nized to fight an OLE in
Northeastern North
Carolina.
Wiggins represents the
county on the Albemarle
Mental Health Board,
Communications Advisory
Board, Home & Community
Block Grant, Welfare
Reform Committee and
Smart Start Board.
Vice Chairman Mack
Nixon sits on the
Albemarle Hospital Board
of Trustees, Albemarle
Regional Health Services,
Albemarle Regional
Landfill Authority,
Economic Development
Commission and
Perquimans/Chowan/
Gates LandfiU Committee.
Nelson is on the First
Judicial District Council,
Recreation Advisory
Committee, Welfare
Reform Commitee and
Social Services Board.
Benjamin Hobbs is the
county’s pick on the
Albemarle Commission
Board and Economic
Development Commission.
The county’s newest
commissioner, Tammy
Miller-White sits on the
EMS Board, Welfare
Reform Committee and
Citizens Advisory Board.
In other business, the
board:
• Voted to join the law
suit filed against the state
for illegally witholding
reimburseables.
• Heard a report from
Tax Supervisor Cheryl
Phillips that there are 49
people who owe over $1,000
each in ad valoren taxes for
years 1992-1997.
Commissioner approved
sending at least half to
attorneys for foreclosure.
• Heard a report from
County Manager Paul
Gregory that the county is
having problems with LP
gas provider Amerigas.
The library and senior cen
ter have given out of gas
three times, while the res
cue squad building has
given out twice and the
extension building, once.
Commissioners told
Gregory and attorney John
Matthews to check over the
Amerigas contract.
School
s^^mto
get report
card 20th
Report card day is com
ing for North Carolina’s
public schools.
Gov. Mike Easley recent
ly declared Feb. 20 as North
Carolina School Report
Card Day On that day, prin
cipals across the state will
send home copies of the
report card, as it relates to
their schools. The report
card will include informa
tion about student perfor
mance, class sizes, atten
dance, school safety,
instructional resources and
teacher quality
In announcing this pro
ject to parents, Easley said,
“It is my goal to provide you
with information that
keeps you, informed,
empowered and involved in
your child's school. Active
participation in your
child's school is one way to
guarantee success in the
classroom.”
According to
Perquimans County
Schools Superintendent
Ken Wells, plans have been
made for the NC School
Report Card to be released
on Feb. 20 in Perquimans
County Schools.
“As parents review the
report cards, they should
keep in mind that the data
is from the 2001-02 school
year,” WeUs said. “In future
years, the state expects to
issue the report card early
in the school year since it is
a snapshot of the preceding
school year.”
The report card will
include ABCs school and
student accountability per
formance data, experience
and licensure status of
teachers, class and course
sizes, teacher turnover
rates, school safety data
and other information.
Report card data will be
available for each school,
for each school district, and
for the state's education
system as a whole and wUl
also be available on the web
at www.ncreportcards.org.
beginning Feb. 20.
Anyone with questions
concerning the NC School
Report Card’s detailing
information regarding
Perquimans County
Schools may contact their
child's principal or Brenda
Lassiter, Public
Information Officer, at 426-
5741 ext. 239.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 46
Low: 30
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High:40
Low: 27
Showers
Saturday
High: 46
Low: 31
Partly Cloudy