June heats up at Hbrary
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Elegant dinner enjoyed at Newbold-White
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School notes
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Subscriber of the Week:
William Polk
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June 4, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 23 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
^^News from Next Door
35 cents
County to lower
effective tax rate
Proposed
budget almost
$14 million
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
County taxpayers can
breathe a sigh of relief.
County commissioners
are considering adopting a
tax rate of 41 cents for the
next fiscal year. While last
year’s tax rate was 67 cents,
the proposed rate is actual
ly a decrease in the tax rate
of 2 cents per $100 of as
sessed value because of the
property revaluation which
went into effect Jan. 1.
“There would only be
10 counties out of 100 in
North Carolina with a low
er property tax rate than
Perquimans County,” said
County Manager Bobby
Darden in presenting the
proposed budget. “Counties
with lower tax rates are typ
ically in tourist areas and
second home markets such
as at the coast or mouji-
tains. A tax rate of 41 cents
would be the lowest tax rate
in Eastern North Carolina
in a county with no ocean-
front beaches...this bud
get still provides adequate
funding for customary ser
vices, enhances some ser
vices, and provides benefits
for the county employees.”
wm your taxes go up?
Basically, it depends on
how much your property in
creased in value, how much
personal or business prop
erty you own, and whether
or not your farm and tim
ber land qualifies for land
use values.
Since the county’s re
valuation of real property
increased the county’s tax
base by approximately 85
percent since the last re
valuation in 2000, state law
requires counties to define
their revenue-neutral tax
rate, or the rate that is esti
mated to produce the same
amount of revenue for the
current fiscal year if no re
appraisal had occurred.
The revenue-neutral tax
rate is 43 cents. County
commissioners, however,
chose to reduce that figure
to 41 cents per $100 of as
sessed value.
The proposed tax rate,
however, shovdd make per
sonal property tax bills
considerably smaller if a
vehicle is valued the same
or less than the year before.
Land use value land should
also see a decrease in taxes
as well as open agricultural
and forest land.
County department
heads didn’t receive every
thing they requested. Out
of $14.3 mfilion in budget
requests, county commis
sioners included $13.7 mil
lion of their requests in the
proposed budget.
“While aU requests have
their own merits, past bud
gets have made similar ad
justments,” said Darden.
“The tax rate would have
to be 45 cents to fuUy fund
aU requests of Perquimans
County for the next year.”
The proposed budget
funds substantial capital
projects for the county
school system. In addition
to funding 100 percent of
their normal annual capital
outlay requests, the budget
will also include funds to
complete the $1.77 million
Hertford Grammar School
HVAC upgrades as well as
complete the $14 million
high school addition and
renovation project.
In addition, the proposed
county budget funds the
schools $2,061,540 from the
general fund for operation
al costs, up 12 percent from
last year.
“The largest increase in
school current expense the
last 10 years prior has been
8.7 percent and the aver
age annual increase for the
same time period is 4.3 per
cent,” Darden pointed out.
“This will significantly im
prove the local funding per
student, where Perquimans
County currently ranks in
the bottom third of North
Carolina counties for local
current expense funding
per student.”
The budget for the coun
ty’s social services depart
ment was reduced from $2.8
to $2.5 million due to the
reduction in Medicaid costs
since the state wfil assume
50 percent of the local cost
beginning July 1.
The sheriff’s department
was fuUy funded by com
missioners at $885,000, an
increase of only 4 percent
over last year’s budget.
Capital outlay requests in
the budget include the re
placement of two vehicles
and live-scan fingerprint
equipment which is 100 per
cent grant funded.
The budget also creates
two new sergeant positions
that will serve as shift lead
ers for deputies on duty
and will be filled by current
deputies through restruc
turing from within the de
partment.
County employees are
set to receive a 4 percent
cost of living raise, contin
ued coverage of full health
and dental insurance, and
no increase for optional
spouse and dependent cov
erage which is fully paid by
employees.
County employees will
receive increased mile
age reimbursement of 50.5
cents per mile if the pro
posed budget is passed.
The proposed figures
also include funding for
two additional positions
in the telecommunications
office, an administrative
assistant’s position for the
county manager’s depart
ment, and a part-time posi
tion for the recreation de
partment.
Other funding noted in
the proposed budget in
cludes:
*$729,100 for the Albe
marle District Jail, an in
crease of 11 percent from
last year.
*An increase of $15,000
for Albemarle Regional
Health Services.
*Each county fire depart
ment will receive $55,000.
*An increase of $5,000
for the College of The Al
bemarle, bringing the coun
ty’s funding to $30,000.
*A 5 percent increase
to the Pettigrew Regional
Library System for the op
erations of the Perquimans
County Library.
The proposed budget also
calls for an increase in the
solid waste fee from $108 to
$120 per year. No increase
in water fees is anticipated.
County commissioners
will hold a public hearing
on the proposed budget on
June 23, and will consider
adopting it afterwards. If
adopted, the proposed bud
get will go into effect July
1.
■7--
PHOTOS BY PHIL HARRIS
BATS ARE SWINGING, GLOVES are scooping, arms are pitch-
; ing and guys are just hanging out at bail parks across
j Perquimans.
m'
w.
i ■
t ^
■■
'j
Graduation set for June 14
SUSAN HARRIS
They’re counting down
the days at PCHS, as the
class of 2008 looks to close
the book on high school and
turn to the next chapter in
their lives.
Graduation is set for Sat
urday, June 14 at 10 a.m. at
Memorial Field. Valedicto
rian Tamara Gregory and
Salutatorian Michael Ross
will present the addresses,
while fellow honor students
Eric Rountree, Candice Nix
on and Mary Allen Guthrie
will also take part in the
ceremony.
Graduation tickets have
been distributed to seniors,
with each receiving white
tickets and gold tickets. All
tickets will be accepted for
.#*w'
Tamara Gregory
seating in Memorial Field.
However, in the event the
ceremony must be moved
into the gym, only white
tickets will be honored. All
guests must have tickets in
order to be seated.
School officials ask that
Michael Ross
guests arrive in time to be
seated by 9:40. No one will
be allowed to stand along
the fence. Guests- should
park across from Memorial
Field. There will be securi
ty personnel to assist with
parking.
Wmihbi
Thursday
High: 93 Low: 72
Scattered Storms
Friday
High: 92 Low: 73
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 90 Low: 72
Mostly Sunny
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