THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 3, 1995 TAG: 9505030446
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
Dare County citizens will have three opportunities to voice their opinions on the proposed 1995-97 county budget and the 3-cent increase in property taxes officials say is needed to fund county schools.
Public hearings will be held at 7 p.m. on May 22, June 5 and June 12. Locations for the meetings will be announced later. One meeting will be held in Manteo, another on Hatteras Island and a third in either Kill Devil Hills or Kitty Hawk.
At Tuesday's meeting of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, County Manager Terry Wheeler unveiled the preliminary budget for the next two fiscal years.
Under the budget, no new taxes will be needed for the county's general operating expenses. However, an increase in property taxes - from 37 to 40 cents per $100 in value - will be needed to fund the education budget of $5.98 million in 1995-96 and $6.2 million in 1996-97.
If the increase is approved, the owner of a $100,000 home will pay an additional $30 in taxes.
A June 19 vote is expected by the full commission on the budget and the proposed tax hike.
The almost $1.3 million increase for 1995-96 will provide for 13 new teachers. Five new faculty positions will be for technology teachers, while the remaining eight will teach reading, English, and to maintain a manageable student-teacher ratio.
Some $100,000 will fund a state-mandated cost-of-living adjustment for school personnel.
Also, $60,000 is to be set aside to fund the high-tech information highway.
For 1996-97, $240,000 is budgeted for salary increases based on merit. Those raises will be awarded on performance during the 1995-96 school year.
Also, the county has committed $750,000 in capital outlays over each of the next four years to upgrade technology instruction in the schools.
The proposed budget also provides for $250,000 in each of the next two years for roof repairs for schools.
Wheeler said Dare County spends an average of $2,578 per pupil, the highest in North Carolina. If the new budget is approved, the per-pupil expenditure will increase to $2,915. The average statewide is $1,329 per student.
Included in the general fund budget:
A new youth resources officer for the Dare County Sheriff's Department. Also, the department will receive six new patrol vehicles, (16 were requested).
Flex-time funding will also be available to the department, which officials say will keep officers on the street rather than taking time off in compensation for overtime. Wheeler said the flex-time plan will save the county money.
$1.5 million for the Fessenden multi-purpose community center on Hatteras Island.
Emergency Medical Services will get an additional staffed unit at Buxton on Hatteras Island.
Some $111,000 is proposed for new security cameras and monitoring devices at the Dare County Detention Center.
$5,000 is proposed for new books for the Dare County Library.
Copies of the proposed budget are available for public inspection at all branches of the Dare County Library, the Board of Commissioners office, the county manager's office and the Buxton satellite office.
It will also be available at the Thomas A. Baum Center, the Manns Harbor Community Center and the Duck Fire Station.
In other business, the commission:
Approved a $24,000 appropriation from the county's contingency fund for the Hatteras Island Teen Center to provide for a full-time director. The commission also gave a go-ahead to an $11,000 grant for a rope course to be used by the Dare County Sheriff's Department's Therapeutic Wilderness Program. The activity will be used to help build self-esteem for at-risk youth in the county.
Passed a resolution approving a financing agreement for the acquisition of new facilities for the Albemarle Mental Health Center.
Approved reimbursement agreements to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for work NCDOT performed to reinforce shorelines in Stumpy Point and Manns Harbor.
Took under advisement a request by student J.B. Shepherd for the construction of a skateboard park.
And there was yet another clash between Commission Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. and Commissioner Shirley Hassell.
Hassell questioned Owens concerning a discussion he had with Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight and Rep. Bill Culpepper concerning local legislation that would allow sales of liquor by the drink at marinas on Roanoke and Hatteras Island. Hassell called the discussions an insult to the people of Manteo, where sales of liquor by the drink have been voted down twice in recent years.
``You criticized me for parking in a handicapped zone,'' Hassell said referring to remarks Owens made at an earlier commission meeting. ``But this is real abuse (of power).''
Owens said no such legislation had been introduced. He said he discussed the chances of such a bill with the two local legislators and was told a resolution in support of the bill would need to be passed by the board of commissioners.
``I let the matter die on my own volition,'' Owens said. ``I knew the bill wouldn't have a chance to pass. But no bill has been introduced.''
Hassell also took Owens to task over an estimated $5,000 spent by the county on a Raleigh reception hosted by the county honoring Basnight following his re-election as president pro tem.
Hassell said, ``I think the presence of the board is enough (at a reception). We ought not have to feed everybody, too.''
She added, ``We ought not have to buy legislators.''
Owens, however, defended the reception. He said that it was a common practice by county and municipal governments throughout the state.
``This is a cost of doing business,'' he said. ``It's not a way of depriving taxpayers. In the long run the taxpayers will benefit. If extending a handshake, or a shrimp or a piece of crabmeat will help Dare County, it's worth it.''
Following the discussion, Commissioner Doug Langford made a motion in support of such activities. Hassell cast the lone opposing vote. by CNB