P15/C6
Crawford takes PAL honors
Page 4
Hunter safety teams set record
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Hello, Dolly! coming to PCHS
F^ges 10
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
received
March 24, 2004
Vol. 72, JSIo. 12 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Perquimans
Weekly
PCHS
opens
doors to
parents
“When I attended school,
things were much differ
ent.”
“Students are more dis
ruptive today.”
“Parents aren't as
involved with the educa
tional process today.”
“Our children are being
tested too much.”
These comments are
often heard by parents and
others regarding education
The community had a
chance to see first-hand if
some of these statements
were true last Tuesday
when they were invited to
attend the first Community
Visitation Day at
Perquimans County High
School.
“I am committed to
building and maintaining
positive relationships with
parents and the community
and actively seek ways to
involve our parents in pro
jects, such as the "State of
the School" meeting, cul-
Parents returned to school last week when Perquimans County High School host
ed a Community Visitation Day on Tuesday, attending classes and eating breakfast
and lunch with students.
tural and historical presen
tations and programs and
campus visitations,” said
PCHS Principal Hans
Lassiter.
In keeping with the
desire to involve parents
and the community in the
affairs of the school, PCHS
opened its doors for parents
to attend the first-ever
Community Visitation Day.
From the opening bell until
about noon, guests walked
about campus and hallways
dpring the instructional
day to see first-hand the ob
faculty, staff and students
are doing. Guests were also
encouraged to eat breakfast
and lunch with students.
Lassiter said numerous
parents took advantage of
the opportunity to attend
school with their children.
“It is my goal to offer a
visitation day for parents
every year,; Lassiter said.
“It is imperative that par
ents are involved in their
child's education.”
During a recent board
meeting, Lassiter credited
teachers for working like
never before to ensure the
success of every student.
He said dministrators rec
ognize that success for
every child can be realized
if parents and the commu
nity assume active roles in
the educational arena.
New head football coach named
Swafford now
at PCHS
SUSAN R. HARRIS
James Swafford doesn’t
want to wait until the first
day of practice to meet next
fall’s prospective Pirate
football players.
So the Tennessee native,
named the new head foot
ball coach here Monday
night by the school board,
planned to spend some time
at PCHS Tuesday after
noon, informally meeting
students and staff and tak
ing in a baseball game.
Swafford said PCHS
Principal Hans Lassiter
will set a more formal
meet-and-greet session for
players, parents and the
press, probably sometime
in late April or early May.
The date will be deter
mined not by Swafford or
Lassiter, but rather by the
anticipated birth of
Swafford’s daughter in
Tennessee in three weeks.
Holiday
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 73
Low: 51
Mosry Qoudy
Friday
High: 71
Low: 52
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 71
Low: 47
Scattered T'Storms
Swafford said he is anx
ious to take over the foot
ball program at
Perquimans. His philoso
phy on the game is that
football is about commit
ment, dedication and team
work. He believes football
is an extension of the class
room and the team directly
reflects the school and com
munity.
The tall, physically
imposing Swafford has 12
years of coaching experi
ence in football, serving the
past seven years as a head
coach, and also as a defen
sive coordinator, special
teams coordinator and,
assistant coach. His last
assignment was as head
coach at South-Doyle High
School in Knoxville, Tenn.
In addition to his coach
ing duties, which also
included a stint as a softball
coach, Swafford is certified
to teach both health and
physical education and spe
cial education.
Swafford said after
Monday night’s board
meeting that he will hold
summer work-outs for foot-
Facility
plans move
Toward
A former PCHS athlete
will play a key role in
improved athletic facilites
for future Pirates.
Dr. BiUy Nixon recently
met with Superintendent
Ken Wells regarding the
proposed athletic facility
improvements for the high
school.
Nixon has agreed to
donate property he owns
across the street from the
school as the county moves
forward with renovations
and improvements for the
local school system.
James Swafford
ball players at PCHS. He is
looking for players who are
coachable and willing to do
what is right both on and
off the field, he said.
In his previous posts,
Swafford greatly increased
the numbers of players on
his football teams, as well
as improving the win-loss
record.
Swafford’s wife, Nicole,
likes this part of the coun
try, and found the opening
in Perquimans County on a
North Carolina website.
“My wife likes this
area,” Swafford said.
“We’re real excited about
coming here.”
Mrs. Swafford is a certi
fied math teacher, and the
couple has a 20-month-old
son.
In references provided
by Swafford to the school
board, Mrs. Swafford is
described as very support
ive of her husband’s teams.
Swafford said Monday
night that she likes to get
students motivated to sup
port the football team.
The Swaffords’ school
year ends in Tennessee on
May 21, and the couple
hope to move as soon as
possible after fulfilling
their commitments there.
In fact, Swafford spent part
of Tuesday looking for a
place to live in Perquimans
County.
Swafford is taking the
coaching position vacated
when former head coach
Harrell Thach resigned in
November.
Both Lassiter and
Athletic Director Susan
Cox said Swafford is a good
fit for Perquimans High.
Superintendent Ken Wells and Dr. Billy Nixon look over
plans for a new PCHS athletic complex.
The school board and
commissioners will meet
on Monday at 7 p.m. to dis
cuss HVAC and roofing
needs at Hertford
Grammar and the middle
school, as well as PCHS ath
letic facilities.
County to
sell property
Proceeds to
pay taxes
owed
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Tax Supervisor Frank
Heath said the sale of two
properties at the court
house door next Tuesday to
collect unpaid taxes is a
matter of fairness.
Heath, who took the tax
supervisor position in
November, said if every
possible means to collect
real estate taxes is exhaust
ed with no success, the
county will move to fore
close on the property.
“When I was hired, it
was made clear to me that
the commissioners were
serious regarding equity to
taxpayers,” Heath said last
week.
The county property tax
rate is based on the amount
of taxable property in the
county. Heath said. If some
property owners don’t pay,
the tax rate for the rest
rises to cover the cost of
running the local govern
ment. That rise in the tax
rate is unfair to those who
do pay taxes. Heath said.
Heath said that tax
department employees
make every effort to collect
taxes through a variety of
methods before resorting to
a tax sale. Those who owe
taxes get notices in late
summer or early faU, with
taxes due by Jan. 6 of the
following year. If taxes are
not paid by Jan. 6, the prop
erty owner receives a sec
ond notice in the mail.
Taxpayers who can not
pay the full tax amount by
the Jan. 6 date may apply to
set up payment plans with
the tax office.
“We try to help taxpayers
as much as we can,” Heath
said.
In late winter, the tax
department advertises in
The Perquimans Weekly
that it wiU begin enforced
tax collections. In March,
per state mandate, those
taxpayers who owe
amounts due in the previ
ous tax year are published
in the newspaper.
The tax department
requests employee lists
from companies and agen
cies in the county. If a
delinquent taxpayer is one
of those employees, the
county garnishes wages,
taking 10 percent per pay
period.
Bank accounts are also
attached.
In addition, the county
may file to have state tax
refunds sent to the county
to help offset taxes.
Letters, telephone calls
and visits from Heath are
measures used to try to col
lect taxes.
The ultimate goal is to
collect taxes by June 30, the
end of the county’s fiscal
year.
After all other avenues of
collection are exhausted,
the county may opt to begin
foreclosure proceedings,
which ultimately results in
the county selling the prop
erty at the courthouse door.
The county then keeps
from the sale price the
amount of taxes owed and
expenses incurred to col
lect the taxes.
At present, the county
turns its foreclosure files
over to an attorney. After
notifying the taxpayer in
writing of its intent, the
county submits the file to
the attorney’s office.
A complaint is filed with
the clerk of court, and after
the time required by state
law, a judgement in entered
for foreclosure.
A sale date is set, a
notice in published in the
newspaper, and the sale
takes place. Per state law,
the sale can not be finalized
until an upset bid period
has passed. After that, the
final buyer is determined
and the legal documents
are executed to transfer the
property.
Heath said the process
takes less than a year.
While the county can
foreclose on real estate.
Heath said often trying to
collect taxes on personal
property such as automo
biles and recreational vehi
cles, can be more difficult.
Heath said a list of about
50 taxpayers had already
been turned over for fore
closure prior to him com
ing. to Perquimans. About'
20 of those remain unre
solved. The two properties
that will be sold next week
are among the original 50.
A list of 40 more delin
quent tax accounts was
approved hy the county
commissioners for submis
sion to an attorney in
January.
Heath said properties
placed on the list are prior
itized by how many years of
taxes are owed and the
highest tax amounts owed
in each township.
“We are trying our best
to collect taxes,” Heath
said.
While collection work
takes a lot of time for tax
department employees.
Heath said other parts of
his job are more enjoyable.
“I have really enjoyed
the part of this job where I
get to go out in the field and
meet taxpayers,” Heath
said. “I sure have enjoyed
being here. Everybody I’ve
met has been really nice.”
Another priority for
Heath is upgrading and
expanding computer and
internet capabililities in
the tax office.
Heath is married to
Perquimans County native
Roberta Chappell Heath.
The couple have a yoiung
son. They moved to
Perquimans to be near fam
ily and enjoy a slower pace
of life.
Prior to coming to
Perquimans, he managed a
law firm in Raleigh, where
he gained experience in
personnel management
and real estate law.
At age 17, Heath began
working as a paralegal in
Greenville, and years later
would earn his masters in
public administration from
East Carolina University."'
His studies were concen
trated on state and local
government management.
He has experience in
real estate and the opera
tion of tax offices.