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AUG i 3 3i
4—
August 13, 2008
Vol. 76, No. 33 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
^^News from Next Door**
35 cents
Tax
bills go
out next
week
County bills
for both towns
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Don’t be surprised to
find one of the most dread
ed items in the history of
mankind lurking in your
mailbox next week.
Approximately 15,000
tax bills will be mailed after
Aug. 18 to property owners
in Perquimans County.
Some folks may face
sticker shock since this is
the first tax bill to reflect
the new property revalua
tions and new tax rates that
went into effect July»l.
In the county, property
assessments increased ap
proximately 85 percent. An
ad valorem tax rate of 41
cents was adopted, giving
county taxpayers an effec
tive tax decrease of 2 cents
per $100 assessed valua
tion.
In Hertford, assessments
went up approximately 79
percent. A tax rate of 35
cents was adopted, giving
Hertford taxpayers an effec
tive tax increase of 8 cents.
And in WinfaU, property
assessments averaged in
creasing 84 percent. A tax
rate of 41 cents was adopt
ed, giving town taxpayers
an effective tax increase of
12 cents.
Whether or not an indi
vidual’s taxes wiU increase
depends on whether or not
real property or vehicles
owned increased or de
creased in value, and if so,
by how much.
Taxes are due Sept. 1,
but may be paid without
penalty before Jan. 6, 2009.
A 2 percent penalty will be
applied on Jan. 6. An addi
tional 3/4 percent is added
for each month afterwards
for non-payment.
The Perquimans County
Tax Department is charged
with the responsibility of
getting out tax biUs and for
collecting bill payments for
the county and the towns of
Hertford and WinfaU.
Their collection rate for
last year is 97.36 percent,
above the state average for
counties within the same
population grouping.
WftaMHBR
Thursday
High: 87 Low: 69
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High: 87 Low: 69
Isolated Storms
Saturday
High: 85 Low: 70
Partly Cloudy
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Town
ups
electric
rates
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‘4:
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Photos courtesy of PHIL HARRIS
PERQUIMANS HIGH SCHOOL IS a beehive of activity as con
struction workers and school employees work to complete
renovations and move into new spaces in time to welcome
students on Aug. 25. The former gymnasium (pictured) is
quickly becoming a media center and classrooms. Back in
the former media center and administrative offices, re
modeling is creating much easier access from the school's
front door, as well as roomier offices, waiting areas, confer
ence rooms and much-needed storage. Superintendent Dr.
Dwayne Stallings said Monday that the building is sched
uled for completion by next Monday.
Town to use cistern for watering plants
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
When it rains, it pours...
hopefuUy right into the
town’s new cistern con
structed alongside the town
hall.
Last,week, town officials
instaUed a 330-gaUon water \
cistern, the politicaUy cor
rect name for what folks
used to caU a rain barrel.
The cistern, however, is a
far cry from the 50-gaUon
metal drum usuaUy associ
ated with the older term.
The heavy-
duty plastic
cistern sits
on top of
an elevated
wooden
stoop and
is attached
to the roofs
guttering
system. The
water runs
off the roof
of the town
haU, into the
gutter, down
the spout
and into
the cistern.
Gravity
causes the
rain water
to flow from
the cistern
and into a
hose for wa
tering.
Brandon
Shoaf, town
planner and
apparent
jack-of-all-
trades, con
structed the
stoop and in
stalled the cistern that wfil
be used to conserve water.
Cost of the conservation
project is funded through
We'll use the
rainwater to
water the
plants around
the building
as well as to
fill the water
wagon that is
used to water
the plants
downtown. If
we didn't have
the cistern sys
tem, we'd have
to use potable
water, and it
costs money to
treat water.
John Christensen
Hertford Manager
a 75 percent grant through
the Community Conserva
tion Assistance Program
with the Perquimans Soil
and Water District. The
town wfil fund the addi
tional 25 percent. The town
received a $975 grant for the
project, Shoaf said.
The size of a building’s
roof determines what size
cistern one needs. Officials
estimate approximately .62
gallons of water wfil run
off per square foot of roof
area for each inch of rain
that falls.
“We’ll use
■■■■■■ the rainwater
to water the
plants around
the building
as well as to
fill the water
wagon that
is used to wa
ter the plants
downtown,”
explained
Town Manag
er John Chris
tensen. “If we
didn’t have the
cistern sys
tem, we’d have
to use potable
water, and it
costs money
to treat water.
Rain water
wfil work just
as weU.”
An added
awareness of
water conser
vation has re
sulted from the
recent drought
throughoutthe
state, Chris
tensen pointed
out.
“We aU need to find ways
to conserve water,” he
added. “Water has become
a very valuable resource.
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
BRANDON SHOAF AND CHRISTY Manning, town employees,
examine the new 330 water cistern recently installed along
side the Hertford Municipal Building. Rain water collected in
the cistern will be used to water plants on the municipal lot, as
well as the plants downtown.
The cistern also helps con
trol storm water run-off as
well.”
Christensen is so con
cerned about water con
servation, he and his wife,
Susan, also applied for
and received a $1,300 grant
through the same program,
and just recently installed
a 525-gallon round cistern
at their home. Their 6 foot
by 5 foot, cistern, however,
is buried in the ground and
a pump forces the collected
water up through an at
tached hose.
“It looks like a space
capsule. As, soon as I fin
ished burying it Saturday,
it started to rain, and Su
san and I just stood there
watching the cistern fill
up,” grinned Christensen.
The Christensens can
now water their flowers
and plants around their
home as well as wash their
vehicles with rainwater.
In both cases, in the win
ter when rainwater won’t
be collected, the piping
will simply be disconnect
ed from the cistern to the
downspout.
For more information
about water conservation,
contact the Perquimans
Soil and Water Conserva
tion District.
CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
Hertford wfil increase
electric rates, but will ease
the increase into effect over
a period of six months.
Monday night, mem
bers of Hertford Council
approved a rate hike of
9.8 percent for residential
customers and 11.7 percent
for commercial customers.
Half of that increase wfil
go into efiect on the Sep
tember bill, and the other
half will be added starting
with the January billing.
A customer using an
average of 100 kilowatts
a month wfil see a hike of
about $6.15 in September
and an additional $6.15 in
January.
The graduated increase
passed on a 3-2 vote with
council members Ann
White and JoAnn Morris
voting no.
Electricities, the com
pany that supplies power to
the town for distribution,
increased its cost to the
town by 14 percent effective
Aug. 1, costing the towii
$280,000 more for electricity
annually. The town has ab
sorbed that increase since
the first of the month.
Town Manager John
Christensen presented a
proposed rate hike in total,
but Mayor Sid Eley suggest
ed splitting the increase
throughout the year in an
effort to soften the blow to
town, residents who have
already seen an increase in
water and sewer rates this
year.
The additional whole
sale price for power for the
town will drain the utility
reserve fund, Christensen
pointed out, if not passed
on to the customers. That
reserve fund, he added,
is needed to handle unex
pected costs in the event of
emergency break downs,
equipment failure, and/or
weather damage to lines
and poles.
“All around us, the cost
of power is going up,”
Christensen said. “We’re
not going to be able to es
cape that.”
Other Electricities mem
bers have also faced rate in
creases in their localities.
According to Christensen,
Elizabeth City increased
their electric rates by 14
percent, Edenton—12.5 per
cent, Progress Energy—16
percent, and North Caro
lina Dominion Power has
requested an 18 percent in
crease.
Morris said she voted
against the proposal be
cause she supported in
creasing the rates by the
full 9.8 percent now. .
White said she voted no
because of the citizens’ in
ability to pay. She did not,
however, offer a solution for
paying Electricities with
out raising rates.
Council member Horace
Reid encouraged the town
to have a plan in place to
help customers who fall be
hind on their bills.
Christensen said the
town works with customers
who have trouble meeting
their bills.
“We’d rather them pay
consistently than not at
aU,” he said.