P The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
MAK 1 1 imH
NCDOT to repair Hwy. 17 river bridge p.3
Charies & Aiice Jean Ward make $25,000
donation for Marching Pirates uniforms p.4
Three schoois deemed “Super Safe” p. 10
"JVeivs from Next Door"
March 11 - March 17, 2009
Schools
report
criminal
activities
Criminal acts in school
‘07-’08
Perquimans 13
Pasquotank 15
Edenton/Chowan 23
- as reported to the state
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
Perquimans County
Schools reported 14 criminal
acts last year according to
data released last week by the
North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction.
While 13 of those offenses
were report- TTTTrTdT”
edatPerqui- Schools win
mans High Super Safe award
last year, page 10
only one
was reported at the middle
school.
With an average daily mem
bership of 526 at the high
school; 13 criminal acts there
gave the school a reportable
act rate of 24.71 per 1,000 stu
dents.
By comparison, 15 criminal
acts were reported in Pasquo
tank County Schools and 23 in
the Edenton/Chowan school
system.
Last year, there were nine
instances of possession of
a controlled substance hi
Perquimans schools and one
possession of alcohol. There
werafour instances of posses
sion of weapons. One posses
sion of a controlled substance
was reported at the middle
school.
“Superintendent Dwayne
K. Stallings acknowledges
that one incident of violence
in schools is too many,” stated
Brenda Lassiter, public infor
mation officer for the school
system.
“School officials recognize,
however, that the school pop
ulation wiU mirror that of
society and issues will arise
within the school walls. Con
sequently, it is imperative that
strong leaders are in place to
increase your effectiveness in
a crisis situation.
“No school district can af
ford to be unprepared for a
violent emergency,” she con
tinued. “Violence prevention
is an ongoing process that
includes physical deterrents
coupled with peer communi
cation.
“Each school in the Perqui
mans County School District
has a safe schools committee
on site that reports to a dis
trict-wide safe schools com
mittee under the direction of
Perquimans County Schools
See SCHOOL on Page 2
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 56 Low: 40
Mostly Cloudy
Friday
High: 51 Low: 46
Showers
Saturday
High: 57 Low: 46
Few Showers
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PERQUIMANS WEEKLY-PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Ann Carol White, library assistant, reads to the little ones about wind during last week’s Storytime for preschoolers at the Per
quimans Library. The number of folks using the library in 2008 set an all-time record. Almost 60,300 visitors used the facility
last year, an increase of 19 percent over 2007.
Public library use up in 2008
Tough economic times
often stoke useage
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
In tough economic times, more
people use the public library At least
in Perquimans County they do.
Jeri Oltman, Perquimans County
librarian, says the number of people
using the county library in 2008 set
a new record. Almost 60,300 visitors
used the facility last year, an increase
of 19 percent over 2007.
“You’ve probably noticed news
paper articles and segments, on TV
programs about the increased use of
public libraries during times of eco
nomic downturn,” Oltman reported
to county commissioners recently.
“Perhaps you’ve been wondering
if that’s true in our community as
well...it is true. Each month we docu
ment certain activities and uses,
based primarily on the standardized
reports required by the State Library
of North Carolina.”
Those reports show that in addi
tion to the number of people using
the library, Oltman and the staff
track the number of county residents
who have library cards. As of Feb. 23,
6,395 residents hold a library card.
They also track the number of peo
ple who sign in to use the library’s
computers.
“We continue to set new records
in this area as residents and tom ists
come to the library to use our com
puters on a high speed network,” she
said.
In January, 1,010 people clicked on
the library’s computers. Another 904
people used them in February In 2008,
the 13 computers were used by 11,496
people, an increase of 17 percent over
2007. The library also has wi-fi access
which allows folks to bring their own
laptops to the library for internet use
as well.
Even with items dike recorded
books, music, videos, DVDs, periodi
cals, headphones, equipment, toys,
puppets, games and puzzles available
to check out, stUl the number one
item checked out in Perquimans is
books.
“As you would expect, getting good
books to read is one reason people
come,” Oltman continued. “We keep
track of how many books we circu
late each month. Even though the
use of DVDs and videos is strong, the
number of books checked out each
month is stronger.”
Last year, more than 57,000 items
were checked out, an increase of 11
percent over 2007. That number does
not include magazines and newspa
pers read while in the library Of the
See LIBRARY on Page 4
Fire destroys BeMdere home last week
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
BELVIDERE — Quick re
sponse by local firefighters
Thursday afternoon pre
vented a fire in a vacant mo
bile home from .spreading to
a nearby brick home, sheds
and several vehicles.
The two-bedroom mobile
home, located at 1951 Bel-
videre Rd., Belvidere, was
reported burning around
noon. Firefighters from Bel-
videre-Chappell HiU, Win-
faU and Hertford contained
the fire to the inside of the
vacant house.
Emergency Management
Coordinator Jarvis Winslow
said the home was totally
destroyed.
Owner Edward Chappell
said he and a worker had
been installing insulation
in the home earlier in the
morning, but had left to
work on a boat parked in the
yard nearby when a passer
by in a car reported smoke
billowing out of the home’s
window.
The home had no electric
ity but was heated by a kero
sene heater, Chappell said.
Chappell said he didn’t
know how the fire started.
“When I saw it burning, I
ran and moved the boat and
the dump truck away from
it,” he added.
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Belvidere-Chappell Hill, Winfall and Hertford firefighters re
sponded to a mobile home fire on Belvidere Road around
noon Thursday.The home was a total loss, firefighters said.
Butterfield County tax collections going strong
to meet
residents
Congressman G. K. But
terfield or a member of
his staff win be available
to meet with constituents
March 12, 9—11 a.m! in the
commissioners’ meeting
room in the Perquimans
County Courthouse Annex.
Butterfield invites anyone
experiencing difficulties
dealing with any federal
issue or agency including
the Social Security Admin
istration, Veterans Affairs,
Medicare, USDA and HUD.
No appointment is neces
sary and people will be met
on a first-come, first-served
basis.
For further information,
please call Butterfield’s dis
trict office at 1-888-874-9063
or at 252-237-9816.
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
While county tax col
lections are down slight
ly due to the economic
downturn, most Perqui
mans County residents
are paying their local
taxes.
Frank Heath, tax ad
ministrator for the coun
ty, told county commis
sioners March 2 that as
of the end of February,
county tax collections
are less than 1 percent be
hind last year’s figures.
“Ordinarily, I’d be very
upset,” Heath said. “But,
from what I have heard
from surrounding coun
ties, those counties are
down anywhere from
2—5 percent compared to
last year. While we’re not
where we want to be, con
sidering everything. I’m
okay with it.”
For the 2008-2009 fiscal
year, county residents
have paid just over $6 mil
lion in taxes or 93.96 per
cent through the end of
February out of almost
$6.5 million billed for real
estate. That leaves about
$391,834 to be collected.
By the end of February
last fiscal year, the coun
ty had collected 94.95 per
cent of taxes.
“Of course, we billed
about $500,000 more in
total levy this year than
last, and that makes a
difference too,” Heath ex
plained in an email.
Total tax amounts were
higher this year because
tax rolls were actually
boosted in 2007 by new
construction, new subdi
vided lots, and any build
ings that were partially
completed as of Jan. 1,
Officials
2007.
Also, the county’s re
cent revaluation found
additional taxable prop
erty that had been added
over the last eight years
that may not have been
assessed in the past. Stor
age buildings, bulkheads,
and concrete driveways
were among some of the
taxable property found
by the revaluation that
were not on previous tax
roUs.
Heath said the county
collected over 97 percent
of taxes billed in fiscal
2007-2008 and 98 percent
(a 25-year high) billed in
2006-2007.
“I think that the slight
decrease in percentage
collected (this year) can
be linked to the trends
with the economy,” he
added.
See TAX on Page 4
reserves
County hopes to collect
funds before accounts are
hijacked by the state
CATHY WILSON
STAFF WRITER
County commissioners have agreed
to try to syphon their state lottery and
public school capital building funds
(ADM) from state coffers into the coun
ty’s treasury before the state freezes
those funds.
Last week, members of the Perqui
mans Board of Commissioners voted
to withdraw $112,000 in local unallo
cated funds currently sitting in the
state treasury that is normally used
to pay for capital school improvement
projects. Commissioners have asked
members of the Perquimans Board of
Education to approve the drawdown
as well. School board members are ex
pected to give approval March 11 dur
ing a special called meeting.
The cash-strapped state government
has withheld the county’s February
quarterly distribution of lottery and
ADM funds to help ease the state’s
cash-flow problems, said County Man
ager Bobby Darden. The county’s sec
ond quarter distribution of both funds
amounted to approximately $48,000,
Darden said.
Officials from the North Carolina
Association of County Commission
ers have warned counties that the state
may very well hold distributions for
the final two quarters of the fiscal year
as weU.
o>oc>o
The county uses those funds to pay
for school improvement projects that
are not financed. They do not use the
funds for debt service payments.
“We’ve gotten lottery funds for about
three years now,” Darden said. “They
have never been threatened in the past.
This really caught us off guard.”
In addition, Darden said county lead
ers across the state are concerned that
the state wUl freeze or seize what funds
the counties already have accumulated
in those accounts. That fear is what
prompted county commissioners to di
rect Darden to draw down the $112,000
already there for Perquimans.
“Perquimans County has histori
cally let these funds accumulate at
the state treasurer’s office and drawn
them down to help fund construction
projects,” Darden wrote to schools
superintendent Dr. Dwayne Stallings
in requesting the school board’s ap
proval. “You may recall that the county
funded almost $1,000,000 from the ADM
fund towards the Perquimans Coimty
Middle School repairs several years
ago. Perquimans County has resisted
using these funds to make annual debt
service payments due to the fluctuation
in the amount of funds received year
to year. These funds have been a com
pliment to our land transfer tax and
provide additional revenue options for
school capital projects.”,
oooo
Darden explained that county com
missioners consider both lottery and
ADM funds to actually be local funds
held in the state treasury until the
county draws out the funds to use on
a project. Since Hertford Grammar
School’s HVAC project is still an open
project,for the county, Perquimans can
stfil draw the funds now.
In the past, the quarterly distribu
tion has been as high as $60,000, Darden
said. While the. lottery’s funds are in
creasing, the ADM funds are based on
state corporate income tax revenues
which have declined with the slower
economy
“When the economy is good, the ADM
funds are good. When the economy is
See MONEY on Page 2
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