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"News from Next Door" WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017
Rotary honors teachers, 9
"" 0 7 SECT
50 cents
County proposes no property tax increase
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Perquimans County Manager
Frank Heath is proposing a budget
that will hold the line on property
taxes and water rates yet increase
some services.
The $15.2 million general fund
budget is $124,983 more than the
current budget. It largely holds the
line on spending on schools despite
a decline in enrollment. Heath is
recommending an increase to add
another school resource officer.
There are two on the payroll now,
and School Superintendent Mat
thew Cheeseman asked for two
more so there will be an officer at
each school.
The budget also includes
$397,000 for school capital ex
penses.
There is also enough money in
the budget to upgrade emergency
services to a paramedic level of
care.
One reason why is he estimates
the Amazon Wind Farms East
project will pump an additional
$350,000 in revenue next fiscal
year. Earher projections had been
the project would produce about
$250,000 in local taxes.
The annual solid waste fee is
scheduled to increase from $130
to $140. The money pays to op
erate five convenience sites as
well as pay the county’s share of
sending waste to a private landfill
in Bertie County. There is no pro
posed increase in water rates, but
once again Heath cautioned com
missioners that the water distribu
tion system is more than 30 years
old in some places and will require
ongoing repairs.
For county employees there will
be no cost of living raise. County
employees got a 3 percent cost of
living raise in the current budget.
But the county has covered the
increased cost of health insur
ance. It is expected to climb from
$506 per employee to $540. That
includes a projected 5 percent in
crease in rates and $25 per month
per employee that the state will
begin charging employees for the
base 70-30 plan. The county will
pick up the $25 per month charge
in the proposed budget.
County employees will still be
See TAX, 2
State
may ease
gun rules
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A proposed state law that
would allow anybody of le
gal age to carry a concealed
firearm in public without a
permit is not a step in a pos
itive direction, Perquimans
County Sheriff Shelby White
said last week.
Under the current law,
residents can apply for a
concealed-carry period.
They are required to under
go an eight-hour class and
pass a test.
White teaches the course
and he says it’s not hard.
White said his office issues
an average of about 15 con
cealed weapons permits a
month.
The sheriff says he thinks
the concealed permit has a
place, but questions some
other laws on the books. .
“What blows my mind is
if they’ve got a concealed
carry permit they’re not al
lowed to consume any al
cohol or drugs while they’re
armed.”
If the same person openly
carried a pistol on their hip
there is no law against them
using alcohol or drugs.
Concealed carry permits
are issued through the lo
cal county sheriff. They
conduct a criminal back-
ground check that looks for
records of mental illness or
incapacity. The requirement
has long been a sore spot
with gun rights advocates,
See GUN, 2
Controlled Burn
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Top, members of the Hertford
Fire Department control the
spead of flames as they burn
down the two-story Matthew-
Jacocks House on Church Street
at the foot of King Street on
Sunday afternoon. The home
had declined to the point it was
no longer safe. It was built in
1824.
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Just the chimney remains
Monday from a house on Church
Street that was built in the
1820s.
Judge
hears
wind
case
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
CURRITUCK — The
Perquimans County Com
mission was wrong when it
rejected plans for 57 wind
turbines in the Bear Swamp
area last year, a lawyer told
Superior Court Judge Wal
ter Godwin Jr. Tuesday.
Attorney Bobby Sullivan
argued that because of ma
jority of the commission
agreed Apex Clean Energy
had met four the county
standards, the commission
was obliged to vote yes
when it came to the fifth
and final vote. At the very
least, commissioners who
had some concerns could
have approved the project
on the final vote with some
conditions, Sullivan said.
Apex appealed the case
to the Superior Court. Per
quimans County only holds
Superior Civil Court twice
a year, so Tuesday’s case
was heard at the Currituck
County courthouse. God
win heard about two hours
of testimony and said he
would release a ruling later.
Apex is suing the county be
cause it was the body that
denied the project.
See WIND, 2
NAACP to honor first responders
Golden LEAF funding may be available
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Before the parade, before the fire
works, the Perquimans County NAACP
will be honoring a special group this In
dependence Day weekend.
On June 30, the group will hold an
event for first responders. It will be held
at the Perquimans County Recreation
Center at 6 p.m.
The event will focus on law enforce
ment, firefighters, emergency respond ¬
ers and those who work in the 911 tele
communications office.
“We hadn’t heard of anybody doing an
appreciation for them before, and this is
long overdue,” said Lenora Brothers, one
of the organizers of the parade set for
July 1.
Both Hertford Police Chief Douglas
Freeman and Perquimans County Sheriff
Shelby White said they appreciated the
gesture.
See NAACP, 2
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
If Perquimans County can
raise most of the money to
get the first phase of the Ma
rine Industrial Park started,
Golden LEAF will likely be
there to help with the rest,
according to the president
of the non-profit corpora
tion.
Perquimans County ap
proached Golden LEAF for
money for major site devel ¬
opment money within the
last year, but was turned
down. At the time, the board
of directors didn’t think the
project was to that point,
according to Dan Gerlach,
president of Golden LEAF.
“At the time the board
felt the other sites has more
promise, but that if Per
quimans got close we’d be
interested to take another
look at it.” He believes the
board still feels that way.
Now the project may be
closer to becoming a reality.
The N.C. Senate included
$2.8 million in its version of
the state budget for the first
phase of the boat basin. The
N.C. House completed work
on its version of a $22.9 bil
lion spending plan last
week. Now the two bodies
will work together to iron
out the details.
And Monday Rep. Bob
Steinburg said he thinks the
See LEAF, 2
Top scholars to net nearly $1.1 million
From Staff Reports
Three Perquimans Coun
ty High School students
who were accepted to at
tend the Newport News
Apprentice School were led
the list of the top scholar
ship recipients this year in
terms of dollar value. The
total value of the top five is
$1,094,000.
UPTON JORDAN BATEMAN TYSON
Farmers Market Opens
6 89076 47144
2
Graduation is set for this
Friday night at the high
school.
Blake Jordan, Andrew
Tyson and Garth Upton
will earn a $25,000 annual
salary for the four years at
the school. That, and the
$172,000 in free education
benefits have a total value
of $272,000.
Both Jordan and Tyson
will also play on the Ap
prentice baseball team and
Upton will play football.
Sarah Baker, who will at-
See SCHOLARS, 2
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER
WILLIAMS
Shoppers visit the
Hertford Farmer’s
Market Saturday
at the new location
in the parking lot
of Coastal Carolina
Family Practice,
600 S. Church St.
The market will be
open each Saturday
through Aug. 26
from 8 a.m. until
noon.