- 0-5,.,.
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June 11,2008
Vol. 76, No. 24 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
**News from NextDoor*^
laiiliiiHl
Lawsuit
impacts
Hertford
budget
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford residents will
face a higher tax rate, and
higher water and sewer
rates, but the cost for elec
tricity is expected to re
main the same based on
the proposed 08-09 budget
presented to town council
Monday night.
The results of a court
case settled Monday after
noon, however, may cause
the proposed budget figures
to increase even more.
“This budget is a contin
uation of the board’s com
mitment to maintaining
the municipal core services
that the citizens and busi
nesses enjoy as weU as con
tinuing the commitment to
building and maintaining
the infrastructure to allow
for long-term growth,” said
Town Manager John Chris
tensen in his budget mes
sage.
Christensen presented
proposed budget figures
based on a tax rate of 35
cents per $100 valuation,
up 8 cents from the revenue
neutral tax rate of 27 cents
from the town’s recent re
valuation. While the pro
posed tax rate is down 14
cents from last year’s rate,
the recent revaluation of
town property effectively
increases the taxpayer’s tax
rate by eight cents per $100
valuation.
Hertford’s property in
creased during the revalu
ation from $82,994,642 to
$148,599,754, or 79 percent.
Water rates are proposed
to increase to $21.05 basic
charge plus $4.75 per 1,000
gallons. Sewer rates are
proposed to cost $28.35 for
the basic charge and $7.90
per 1,000 gallons used.
Christensen indicated
the average customer in
town uses 5,000 gallons per
month. Under the proposed
rates, which increased back
in March, customers who
use 5,000 gallons per month
would see their water and
sewer bills increase from
$68 to $112.55 per month, an
increase of $44.55.
Electric rates for town
customers are expected
to remain steady for now.
Steadily rising fuel costs,
however, may increase the
town’s wholesale power
CONTINUED on page 11
Thursday
High: 88 Low: 67
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 89 Low: 71
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 92 Low: 74
Isolated T'storms
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
CINDY WAGONER OF EURE demonstrated the art of churning butter Saturday at the Newbold—White House. Kim and Mason
Smith of Elizabeth City, along with sons Wilson, 6 and Wesley, 2 helped churn the warm cream into rich butter. After the
churning was complete, they strained the butterfat through cheesecloth before forming the butter ready for refrigeration.
The liquid squeezed from the butter fat created buttermilk, delicious for drinking and baking. Colonial interpreter Ken Riese
led the group on a tour of the Colonial Kitchen Gardens as well.
Safety issue holds up day care permit
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The folks at Faith Assem
bly of God Church want to
help the community by
offering cheaper daycare
services to children while
their parents work.
County commission
ers want to make sure
those children are safe and
healthy while at the center
before the county allows the
center to operate in an agri
cultural area where crops
are occasionally sprayed
with chemicals approved
by the Environmental Pro
tection Agency.
The church applied for
a conditional use permit to
aUow them to open Faith
Builders Daycare in the
former parsonage build
ing adjacent to the church
located on property at 1551
Ocean Highway just south
of Weight Station Road.
Members of the county’s
planning board on May 13
unanimously recommend
ed county commissioners
approve the request pro
vided the church plant a
tall buffer and thick hedge
around the site to minimize
exposure of the center’s
outside play area to the
crop-dusting activities over
nearby fields.
Even with the landscap
ing conditions recommend
ed by the planning board,
county commissioners still
voiced concerns about the
chemical spraying done on
the agriculture fields and
postponed action on the
church’s request until the
county planner researched
applicable laws on distance
required between the spray
ing and the center. Commis
sioners tabled the church’s
request until next month.
Commissioners are con
cerned that aerial spraying
of chemicals on the fields
might affect the children.
“Fm concerned that the
hedge would hold the chem
ical,” noted Commissioner
Shirley Wiggins.
- Commissioner Tammy
Miller-White wanted lan
guage added to the permit
that would address a safe
environment for the chil
dren while being fair for
the adjacent farmers.
The church’s seven and a
half acre property actually
straddles two different zon
ing districts. The church
itself is located in a comr
jnercial highway district
while the proposed day care
center is located in a rural
agriculture district. A child
day care center is allowed
in a rural agriculture zone
with an approved condi
tional use permit.
The church property,
which includes both the
church building and the
former parsonage where
the daycare center would
be located, is bordered by
farmland on two sides. Ap
proximately four acres of
land owned by the church
lies behind the building
that would house the day
care center,
A public hearing on the
conditional use permit re
quest was held June 2 dur
ing which no one spoke in
opposition.
Plans caU for the center
to house 41 children from
infant to 5 years old with
the fees lower than the
usual rate of daycare in the
area, he said.
The center has already
been approved by the state.
Harden said, and they are
waiting for the green light
from the county commis
sioners to open the center.
The church plans to plant
seven foot tall hedges every
five feet around the build
ing in an effort to keep any
chemicals from blowing
over onto the area where
the children might he play
ing, he told commissioners.
Harden pointed out that
other daycare centers in the
area already operate close
to fields that are sprayed by
crop-dusting. One operates
on New Hope Road while
the other center operates
in neighboring Pasquotank
County.
According to state law,
no pesticide shall be depos
ited by aircraft within 300
feet of schools, hospitals,
nursing homes, churches,
or any building (other than
a residence) which is used
for business or social activ
ities if either the prerhises
or the building is occupied.
Festival date change Hardee's returns to town
6"*89076 4714-3
The 27th annual In
dian Summer Festival
will move from the tradi
tional second Saturday
this year, to the first Sat
urday, Sept. 6.
Festival organizers
said the always-popu-
lar Perquimans County
High School Marching
Pirates, Albemarle Cho
rale, Uphill and Atlan
tic Fleet Jazz Emsemble
have committed to en
tertain in downtown
Hertford on that day.
Others are being sought
to fin the playbill.
Back this year will be
the car show at Missing
Mill Park and the tractor
pull on Clarke Street.
For the younger set,
there will be children’s
rides, sand art, pony
rides and games. Com
mittee members said
high gas surcharges add
ed by vendors to regular
service prices has made
finding attractions dif
ficult.
Vendor information
and applications are be
ing accepted. Informa
tion can be found on the
Historic Hertford, Inc.
website at historichert-
fordinc.org or by leaving
a message at 426-1425.
Sponsorships are also
being accepted.
Officials with Boddie-No-
ell confirmed this week that
Hardee’s will open in the for
mer Popeye’s building this
faU.
Larry WiUiamson, senior
director of human resources,
said the company is looking
forward to being part of the
Herford community.
“We are a family-oriented
business and we look forward
to partnering with the com
munity,” he said.
The company will remodel
the current Popeye’s building
to create a fuU-service Hard
ee’s with an opening date set
for early faU or late Septem
ber.
The restaurant originally
opened as a Hardee’s before
selling out to Popeye’s and op
erating as FatMilton:*-.
Photo galleries
Log onto dailyadvance.com to see photo galleries from
Perquimans, including Hertford’s 250th anniversary celebra
tion, and PQ baseball and PQ softbaU, a compilation of photo
graphs taken around the county of youth competition this sum
mer. These galleries will continue to be updated as the seasons
progress. Look for PQ graduation coming soon.
TOnfaU
tax rate
rises
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Taxpayers in WinfaU will
enjoy a 4 cents reduction in
ad valorem taxes next year.
Members of WinfaU
Town Council approved
their 2008-09 budget Mon
day night based on a tax
rate of 41 cents, down from
last year’s 45 cents tax rate.
In fact, WinfaU has kept its
tax rate at 45 cents for the
past 12 years, according to
Sharon Gordon, town clerk.
Even with a lower tax
rate, the town expects to
receive over $50,000 more
in property taxes thanks to
the county’s recent revalua
tion. The new tax rate, how
ever, is expected to bring
$6,200 less in vehicle tax
revenue into town coffers.
There is no hike in water
or sewer rates for the next
fiscal year since the town
upped those costs May 1.
The price of water rose
May 1 from $6 per 1,000 gal
lons of water over 2,000 gal
lons to $8 per 1,000 gaUons
of water over 2,000 gaUons.
Sewer costs also increased
from $5 per 1,000 gaUons to
$8 per 1,000 gaUons, Gordon
said.
Because of the increase
in water and sewer prices
already in place, water re
ceipts for the next fiscal year
are expected to increase by
$30,000, giving the town’s
water budget a reserve fund
of approximately $28,725.
The town’s sewer fund
is expected to reflect about
$41,500 increase in sewer
revenues, giving that fund
approximately $8,375 in re
serves.
The budget includes a
4*74 percent increase in pay
for town employees, as well
as a second fuU-time police
officer for the WinfaU Police
Department.
Stolen
vehicle
wrecked
A 200 Ford Explorer was
apparently stolen from MiU-
er & Meads MobUe Home
Park sometime last Monday
night and later wrecked on
Wynn Fork Road.
According to Hertford
Interim Police Chief Brian
Riddick, Louis T. Perry of
Savannah Ga. was visiting
friends at Meads when his
vehicle was stolen some
time after 8 p.m. He awoke
the next morning around 6
a.m. and discovered it miss
ing.
When he reported the
vehicle stolen Tuesday
morning. Perry discovered
that his Explorer had been
wrecked on Wynn Ford
Road a couple hours ear
lier.
Hertford Officer Erik
Priebe responded to an ac
cident around 4 a.m. involv
ing the Explorer. The ve
hicle, traveling eastbound,
crossed over the westbound
lane, struck a ditch and
overturned. Police said
no driver was at the scene
when they arrived.
The recovered stolen ve
hicle was a total loss, police
said.