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The
ERQUIMANS
"News from Next Door”
April 1 - April 7, 2009
County
jobless
rates rise
All N.C. counties saw
increase in January;
Perquimans rose 1.4%
The unemployment rate in
Perquimans County jumped
from 9.6 percent in December
to 11 percent in January.
According to the Employ
ment Security Commission
of North Carolina, • 4,654
people in the county were
employed in January out of
labor force of 5,232, meaning
578 people locally were out of
work.
Perquimans County isn’t
by itself in seeing a winter
jump.
Unemployment rates in
creased in all of North Caro
lina’s 100 counties in January,
including 71 counties other
than Perquimans with a rate
of 10 percent or higher.
“The ESC is continuing
to help our customers who
come to us in this difficult
time seeking jobs and unem
ployment benefits,’’ said ESC
Chairman Moses Carey Jr.
“The ESC is paying record
amounts of benefits to tran
sitional workers and will dis
tribute over $200 million in
benefits from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009.”
By comparison, Chowan
County’s rate jumped from 11
to 12.8 percent while Pasquo
tank’s rose from 8.4 to 10.6
percent.
The unemployment rate in
Gates County rose from 6.4 to
7.7 percent while Camden’s
December unemployment
rate of 7.6 rose to 9.8 percent.
Dare County showed the
highest unemployment in the
state with a rate of 17.3 per
cent.
COUNTY MANAGER TELLS DEPARTMENTS TO HOLD
LINE ON SPENDING, INCLUDING SALARIES
PG. lOA
LEARN HOWTO CUT YOUR ELECTRIC BILL
SEE BELOW
NEW ANIMAL WELFARE GROUP FORMED
PG.2A
ILLCLyVEV-
APR U 1 ZU09
State says WinfalTs finaiices improved
Yates
LGC said the sale of the [water] system would
remove a large financial burden from the town
Town is considering increasing block rate which
would increase rates for high-volume users
Total expected Winfall budget reduction is
$12,375
Darden
DOT employee charged in wreck
■r
By CATHY WILSON
Sta/jf Writer
A North Carolina Depart
ment of Transportation
(NCDOT) employee has been
charged with failing to stop
for a traffic light after the
NCDOT truck he was driv
ing collided with another
vehicle on U.S. Highway 17
Monday morning, sending
three people to the hospital.
According to the North
Carolina Highway Patrol,
Donald Perry, 51 of Elizabeth
City, was driving a 2002 Ford
pick-up truck, registered
to NCDOT, northbound on
Highway 17 around 9:28 a.m.
when he reportedly swatted
a bug on his ear with his
hat, accidently knocking off
his glasses.
State police say the truck
ran through the red light
and collided with a 1998 Pon
tiac, driven by Eboni War
ren, 25, of Hertford, who
was attempting to turn left
onto Highway 17 from New
Hope Road.
Warren was transported
by Nightingale to Norfolk
Sentara Hospital while Per
ry and Germaine Stokely,
22, of Elizabeth City, were
transported to Albemarle
Hospital by members of
Perquimans EMS. Stokley
was a passenger in Warren’s
vehicle.
Members of Winfall and
Hertford Fire departments
responded and extricated
the injured from the car.
Trooper K.R. Briggs inves
tigated the accident.
Town sponsors ener^ conservation workshop
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The best consumer energy
saver is right at your finger
tips...literally.
Brian McGinn, residential
energy advisor for Electrici
ties, says use your fingers to
turn off lights and applianc
es, adjust thermostats, and in
stall insulation to help lower
your utility bills.
“The best energy conserva
tion tools I know of are your
own fingers,” he told Hertford
residents who attended a free
energy workshop March 24 at
the firehouse.
About 25 utility customers
turned out to hear money
saving conservation tips as
well as garner information
on home weatherization and
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 66 Low: 54
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 70 Low: 51
Isolated T-Storms
Saturday
High: 68 Low: 50
Partly Cloudy
home improvement financing
programs in the area.
Town officials offered ways
for customers to save money
and even explained the for
mat of the town’s utility bill
in an effort to help customers
undertand it better.
Each family that attended
received a free energy sav
ing kit as well as a water con
servation kit complete with
information and products to
help reduce the customer’s
electric anB water usage and
costs.
Town Manager John Chris
tensen explained the town’s
ElectricSave program, a load
management program that
helps the town conserve en
ergy and save the utility cus
tomer anywhere from $4—$20
a month on the utility bill.
Signing up for the program
aUows the town to cycle vari
ous appliances chosen by the
Christensen
customer
during peak
times of the
day usually
between 3—5
p.m. in the
summer and
7—9 a.m. in
the winter.
The aver
agecycletime
ranges from a few minutes to
two or three hours, four days
a month.
Appliances that can be
cycled by switch include the
electric water heater and heat
pump/central air.
“By managing the heat and
air in the home, the town is
able to save on energy costs,
so that savings is passed on
to the customer,” Christensen
said.
He also said customers can
ask for a utility bfil history
showing electrical and water
Energy-savings tips
6'™89076"47143
• Use compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulbs rather than
standard light bulbs. CFL
bulbs use about 25 percent
of the energy of standard
light bulbs and last 10 times
longer, saving the customer
about $40 in electricity dur
ing its lifetime.
• Make sure the heating
and cooling system is work
ing at maximum efficiency.
Install a programmable
thermostat that allows the
system to remain comfort
ably low in the winter and
comfortably high in he sum
mer.
• Insulate exterior walls,
ceilings, attics, crawl spaces
and basements.
• Weatherize the home by
sealing openings with caulk,
mastic, spray-foam or weath
er stripping.
• Use ceiling fans as you
adjust your thermostat set
tings.
• Air dry dishes in the dish
washer instead of using the
drying cycle.
• Turn off appliances like
computer and monitor when
not in use.
• Plug TVs and DVD play
ers into power strips which
can be turned off when not
in use.
• Wash only fuU loads of
dishes and clothes. Using
cold water saves energy.
usage over a period of time.
Such history, he says, can
show that the customer has
a water leak and not even
know'it.
“If your water bill is
steadily creeping up, you
could have a water leak,”
he explained.
“Remember, if you have a
water leak, you are actually
paying for that leak twice.
Your sewer charge on your
bill is based on the amount
of water you use.
“So, if you have a water
leak, you’re going to pay
for it in the water charge
and in the sewer charge.
It’s very important to find
those leaks and take care of
them.”
Christensen pointed out
that each water meter has
a leak detector. Customers
can determine if there is a
leak by checking the water
meter.
First make sure there is
no water running in the
house, then check the me
ter.
“If the meter is moving,
you need to find the leak,”
he added.
Chris Wharton, director,
of utilities for the town,
said toilets are the main
culprits for slow, quiet wa
ter leaks.
“You’ll be surprised to
find how much that is cost
ing you a month,” Wharton
said.
Other agencies taking
part in the workshop in
cluded the Albemarle Com
mission, the Economic
Improvement Council, Per
quimans County Extension
Office, and USDA-Rural De
velopment.
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
The state’s last meeting
with Winfall officials regard
ing the town’s financial con
dition has produced a more
positive letter from the Local
Government Commission in
dicating that the town’s cash
flow has improved.
However, in the letter, writ
ten by Sharon Edmundson,
director of the LGC’s fiscal
management division, it ap
pears that the improvement
in the town’s financial situ
ation is in part based on the
sale of its water department
to the county
“Your decision to negotiate
the sale of your water sys
tem and aU its operations to
Perquimans County effective
July, 2009 is another positive
step in restoring the town’s fi
nancial weU being,” Edmund
son wrote the town.
“As you stated, the sale of
the system wiU remove a large
financial burden from the
town, will save your citizens
money in their water bills,
and will allow the water fund
to repay loans given from the
general fund.”
But County Manager Bobby
Darden said Friday that the
county has no plans to pur
chase the water system from
WinfaU.
In fact, Darden said, the
county has not been asked to
purchase the system.
Darden said Winfall Mayor
Fred Yates approached the
According to the LGC,
Winfall ended the last
fiscal year (June 30) with
an $8,545 deficit, giving
the town a negative 1.95
percent reserve fund
avaiiable for emergencies.
Since then, the town
has increased its real
estate tax rate, adjusted
anticipated revenues and
cut expenditures to help
improve the town’s cash
flow.
five action.
Edmundson and staff met
with town officials after town
council amended its budget
ordinance adjusting revenue
projections and cutting ex
pense line items.
“Your amended budget
gives a more realistic view
of revenues especially given
the overall drop statewide in
sales tax revenue,” Edmund
son wrote after meeting with
the WinfaU duo.
“One of our primary con
cerns was that the town has
enough financial resources to
pay its debt service payments
and you have assured us that
you now have the cash flow to
make those payments,” she
added.
“After reviewing your re
vised budget and interim fi
nancial data, we agree that
the cash flow for the town has
improved and that making
those debt service payment
county on behalf of the town should not pose a problem for
and asked if the county would the town. ”
be interesting in assuming
ownership of the system. No
sale was discussed nor has a
sale been negotiated.
The county understood that
it would assume ownership to
relieve WinfaU of thq cost of
upkeep and operation.
Darden said at a recent
workshop to kick off discus
sion of the county’s 2010 fiscal
budget, some county commis
sioners asked about a sale of
the WinfaU water system be
cause they had heard rumors
that the county intended to
purchase it.
Darden said there was a
consensus among the com
missioners that the county is
not interested in purchasing
the plant, but is wiUing to as
sume ownership of the plant
- provided that it is unencum
bered.
The county presently seUs
water to Winfall in bulk.
Officials with LGC said Fri
day they cannot say how not
selling the water system wiU
affect WinfaU’s financial con
dition because it is a complex
issue.
Edmundson met with Yates
and WinfaU’s accountant,
Terry Chappell, on Feb. 24 to
discuss the state’s concerns
over the town’s finances and
steps taken by the town to ad
dress those concerns.
According to the LGC, Win
faU ended the last fiscal year
(June 30) with an $8,545 defi
cit, giving the town a nega
tive 1.95 percent reserve fund
avaUable for emergencies.
Since then, the town has
increased its real estate tax
rate, adjusted anticipated rev
enues and cut expenditures to
help improve the town’s cash
flow.
The LGC, part of the state’s
treasurer’s office, requires lo
cal governments and munici
palities to keep at least 8 per
cent of their general fund in
reserves (about one month’s
expenditures) in order to stay
fiscaUy responsible.
The Feb. 24 meeting oc
curred after the state deter
mined WinfaU’s overaU finan
cial condition had declined
to an unacceptable level and
required immediate correc-
It is not clear whether the
town was expecting funds
from the sale of the water
system mentioned in Ed-
mundson’s letter to make the
payment.
Edmundson also talked
with town officials about the
town’s water and sewer rate
increases, and its plan to turn
its water system over to the
county on July 1.
WinfaU raised its water and
sewer rates a year ago from $6
per thousand over 2,000 gal
lons to $8 per thousand over
2,100 gallons.
In addition, according to
the LGC, the town is also con
sidering going to an increas
ing block rate structure that
would iivrease rates for high
volume users, namely Cen
tral and Perquimans Middle
schools.
. Edmundson wrote that
the town intends to keep and
maintain its sewer coUection
system, possibly seeking fed
eral stimulus funds to fund
future sewer projects and
rehabUitate the existing sys
tem.
The town’s general fund
dropped last year due to sev
eral reasons, the state point
ed out. WinfaU transferred
money from the general fund
into the town’s ailing water
and sewer fund, and the town
overestimated revenues in
the general fund that never
materialized without cutting
expenditures.
Budget amendments ap
proved March 9 included
adding expected revenues in
property and vehicle taxes,
but reducing sales taXj police
receipts, and funds coming in
for beautification and using
the town’s facUities.
Expense wise, the amend
ments reduced administra
tion by $500, police by $5,925,
fire by $3,000, roads and
grounds by $2,950, among oth
er items for a total reduction
of $12,375.
Water revenues in the water
fund were reduced by $9,000
as were the expenditures.
Sewer fund revenues were re
duced by $5,950 as were those
expenditures.