-I-
P The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
"Neivs front Next Door"
June 10 - June 16, 2009
Face/ recalls hub-bub over
Hubble telescope, Page 4
Jacot jumps from Pirate ship
into Dolphin waters, Page 8
HECErv'ED
JUN 1 0 2009
Hertford tax, utility rates on hold School board
prepares for
Employees to pay $40 -
monthly for health care
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
HERTFORD — Hertford property own
ers will not see a tax increase or utility
rate hike in next year’s town budget.
Monday night, Town Council approved
a $1.5 mUlion general fund budget for
2009-10.
The plan, which takes effect July 1,
keeps the town’s property tax rate at
35 cents. That means someone with a
$100,000 house wUl pay $350 in Hertford
property taxes and $410 in Perquimans
County taxes next year.
Town employees wUl not receive a
salary increase, two vacant positions in
the public works department wiU not be
fiUed, and for the first time, employees
win have to pay $10 a week for health in
surance.
“Health insurance costs from Blue
Cross and Blue Shield for the employees
increased by 21 percent as compared to
last year’s (cost) increase of 6.6 percent,’’
Town Manager John Christensen said in
his budget message to coimcil members.
“The town currently pays 100 percent of
the employees’ health insurance costs....
This $10 is approximately half of the
overall increase.”
Christensen called the $40 monthly
payment “more favorable” than the
town’s other options of imposing fur
loughs, layoffs, or raising taxes.
The budget also includes a 57 percent
increase in property and liability insur
ance costs because of the town’s new
wastewater and water treatment plants
and new vehicles. The town’s cost for
workers’ comp insurance also increased
83 percent because of employee claims,
Christensen noted.
Christensen said the proposed budget
is a continuation of council’s commit-
See BUDGET on Page 2
budget cuts
System could see reduction in workforce;
meeting today about state cuts that may
“have a negative impact on services”
Row, row Riverfest
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON
Drizzling rain, cool temperatures and overcast skies might have kept the large crowd away, but the weather didn’t damper the spirit of
river enthusiasts who attended Saturday’s Riverfest in Hertford. About a dozen kayakers paddled from Belvidere to Hertford to arrive
just in time forlunch. Many other activities took place at Missing Mill Park, and the periauger sailed from the town dock. Entertainment
was provided on the courthouse green downtown. Organizers hope it will become an annual event. More PHOTOS on Page 10
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Local school officials are
scrambling to prepare for
possible state budget cuts
that may cause the school
system to lay off some
teachers and resource per
sonnel.
The Perquimans Board
of Education is scheduled
to meet today (June 10) to
discuss personnel issues
including having a plan in
place in the event reduction
in force of school personnel
is needed.
“It is possible that a new
state budget with additional
cuts in -public education
will have a negative impact
on services provided in Per
quimans County Schools,”
Superintendent Dr. Dwayne
Stallings wrote in a letter to
school employees June 1.
“Our resolve is that if
the state budget is as severe
as predicted, we will try to
impact as few employees
as possible. However, if the
Stallings
budget is fi
nalized any
where near
the proposed
version we
now have ac
cess to, it will
be necessary
to look at
position al
lotments and
implement
some type of reduction in
force.”
Increased class size and
additional cuts, includ
ing losing low-wealth and
small-school funding for
Perquimans, would result
in eliminating funding for
teacher assistants and re
source personnel, he noted.
“Other provisions within
the proposed legislation
would dramatically reduce
the services we now provide
students,” Stallings added.
“Let me reiterate that these
are all possibilities; how
ever, they are very real pos
sibilities.”
See SCHOOL on Page 10
Albemarle Plantation
listed among best
retirement locations
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Albemarle Plantation has
been named one of America’s
100 best master-planned com
munities in “Where to Retire”
magazine.
According to the magazine,
the Perquimans County gated
community ranks 64th out of
100 communities around the
United States. Florida tops
the list with 23 communities
included, Arizona adds 14,
and North Carolina has 10
developments lisfpd among
best places to retire. In North
Carolina communities, only
Hendersonville’s Cummings
Cove tops Albemarle Planta
tion.
The magazine’s editors
evaluated several hundred
communities according to
costs, location and range of
lifestyle amenities. Most of
the communities are open to
residents of aU ages, while 41
are termed active-adult com
munities, meaning residents
must meet minimum age re
quirements.
“Master-planned devel
opments offer the types of
amenities that contribute to
interesting, active and fulfill
ing lifestyles,” said Publisher
Karen Northridge in a press
release. “Secure, well-main
tained and with amenities
like clubhouses, fitness cen
ters and social clubs as well
as golf and tennis, our 100
Best’ give retirees much more
than a house.”
See PLANTATION on Page 2
Board deadlocks on
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 85 Low: 72
■Isolated T-storms
Friday
High: 87 Low: 70
Few Showers
Saturday
High: 84 Low: 70
Few Showers
Mother, daughter to be prosecuted minimum housing plan
Case involves White
’07 shooting death
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
District Attorney Frank
Parrish will prosecute a
mother and daughter togeth
er on first-de
gree murder
charges in
connection
with the June
2007 shoot
ing death
of Thomas
White.
Parrish,
whose office
Parrish
usually prosecutes local cases
using assistant prosecutors,
said he will personally pros
ecute this case at the request
of the alleged victim’s family
Jennie Lee White, 61, and
daughter Katherine Ann
White, 43, are both charged
with first-degree murder in
the death of Jennie’s hus
band in their Mill Drive home
on June 22,2007.
White was apparently shot
and killed with a single gun
shot to the head while he
slept in his bed, police said.
He reportedly suffered from
prostate cancer and post-trau
matic stress disorder.
Parrish said he sought and
received permission from the
court to try the two women
together rather than have
two separate trials. Both
cases were declared non-capi
tal cases early on, he added.
Parrish hopes to schedule the
trial mid-August.
Attorney Sam Dixon rep
resents Jennie White while
Katherine White is repre
sented by Wayland Sermons,
Parrish said.
“Right now, we are trying'
to work out a court date that
is agreeable with all of us,”
he said. “We expect to have to
summons a lot of jurors.”
Police were called to the
White home around 1 a.m.
June 23 to investigate a pos
sible breaking and entering
and an unresponsive subject.
Upon arrival, sheriffs depu
ties found the dead man in
his bed.
Jennie White told police
that she and her daughter
had been at the Moose Lodge
See WHITE on Page 10
Nixon: No money to
enforce new law
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
A proposed minimum hous
ing ordinance that would
have helped rid the coimty of
substandard properties was
rejected by county commis
sioners last week.
Commissioners voted 3-
3 on the ordinance June 1,
which basically killed the
ordinance for the time being
despite no opposition voiced
during a public hearing held
last month. The vote was split
— men against the ordinance
with the women on the board
voting in favor.
County Manager Bobby
Darden said the ordinance
can be reconsidered at a later
date.
Explaining his negative
vote. Chairman Mack Nixon
said the coun
ty didn’t have
the money to
enforce the
ordinance.
“We’ve laid
off a code
enforcement
officer,” he
pointed out.
“Why have an
ordinance on the books that
we can’t enforce?”
He reminded board mem
bers that the county had set
money aside years ago to tear
down dilapidated housing.
See HOUSING on Page 10
Nlxon