Post & Voice 10.16.14

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Volume 44, No.3

POST Voice The Pender-Topsail

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Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Media of

School bond tax hike could be up to 10 cents

Candidates profiles Election Day is just over two weeks away. Read profiles of local Pender County races on pgs. 10-13A in this week’s edition of the Post & Voice.

50 Cents

Record for the People of Pender County

The perfect pumpkin

Commissioner says it’s more than just bricks and mortar to pay for By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County voters will be deciding on a proposed $75 million school bond Nov. 4. County Commission Chairman David Williams says the bond could cost taxpayers a 10-cent tax hike. School officials are saying the bond will cost about 8.5 cents on the tax rate to fund. But Williams says more has to be considered beyond the cost of paying for just the bond. “I think we are looking at 8.5 cents to pay for the bricks and mortar. But then you have to take into account the increase in operating expenses,” Williams said. “It’s probably going to be a tax increase in the 10-cent range, give or take. It could be a little higher. During the presentations they (school officials) have been talking about what it will take for the

bricks and mortar. It won’t do us any good to just pay for the construction – and you can’t put operating expenses into the bond. Williams says if voters approve the bond – and he hopes they do – they are also voting to increase the operating expenses. If the bond is approved in November, nothing would be done with the county tax rate until July 2015. “We are not going to approve to build school buildings and not approve the money to operate,” Williams said. Currently a penny on the tax rate generates about $630,000 in revenue. The exact amount of additional tax revenue needed to fund the increased operational expenses to cover the bond construction will determine the tax increase above the amount needed to cover the bond debt.

One-Stop voting begins next week, registration is closed No provisional ballots for out-of-precinct voters By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher One-Stop voting in Pender County begins Oct. 23 at five locations across the county. But registration is closed, as of 5 p.m. Oct. 10. Voters will not be allowed to register and vote the same day, as the U.S. Supreme Court upheld North Carolina election laws that eliminated same-day registration. Pender County Election Board Director Dennis Boyles says voters will need to be

One-Stop voters can vote at any location. You do not have to vote in your precinct. aware of their assigned precinct when they come to vote Nov. 4. “People will actually have to go to their precinct to vote. One of the problems we have is you go to Hampstead and

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Staff photos by Andy Pettigrew

Warm weather brought out a big crowd to the annual Hampstead United Methodist Church Fall Festival Saturday. The pumpkin patch (above) was a hit with the children as they went from pumpkin to pumpkin searching for just the right one. Delicious smells (right) from the different foods available filled the church grounds. See more photos of the event on Facebook.

Higher costs, more regulations

Topsail Beach board learns about Clean Water Act By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer Higher costs and more regulation for coastal towns could be the result from new definitions of U.S. waters proposed by the U.S. EPA. Tyler Newman, the government liaison with BASE

(Business Alliance for a Sound Economu), informed the commissioners of Topsail Beach that the proposed regulations will increase the permit process for towns like Topsail Beach. In a presentation during the Oct. 8 town commissioners meeting, Newman outlined the reach of proposed language changes in the Clean Water Act. “Regulations could affect inland lots adjacent to wetlands and ditches,” said Newman. The regulation changes are definitions of U.S. waters, according to Newman. The expanded wording in the Clean Water Act includes small streams. “The EPA says it is all overblown, that they are just defining areas,” said Newman.

But Newman said the defining process would impact traditional waters, ditches, tributaries, inlets and beach nourishments. Newman said the good news from the U.S. EPA is the public comment period has been extended through Nov. 14. He said the U.S. EPA had more than 100,000 comments. Newman said opposition to the proposed changes has come from both sides of the political aisle, from business, local governments, and even the Small Business Administration. For more infor mation visit http://www2.epa.gov/ uswaters/documents-relatedproposed-definition-watersunited-states-under-cleanwater-act. School bond In another presentation to

the Topsail Beach commissioners, Dr. Terri Cobb, the superintendent of Pender County Schools, outlined the $75 million bond issue that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. She told commissioners about the overcrowding in the schools and the renovations needed at older facilities. “This bond issue can only be used for school construction only,” said Cobb. Cobb said the most the bond issue will cost homeowners is $84 per $100,000 valuation per year. For the average homeowner in Topsail Beach, the tax increase would be an estimated $300 to $500 per year. Cobb said the district cannot undertake projects simul

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Possible explosive device found in Surf City From Staff Reports The Surf City Police Department received a call Tuesday at 12:24 p.m. from an employee at Century 21 reporting a suspicious item on the kitchen counter of a home at 1822 N. New River Drive. The Century 21 employee came to check on the residence after the tenants had moved out the first week of Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew October. She was securing The Rocky Point Harvest Festival and Parade grand marshall launches a handful of the home when she observed candy to waiting children during the parade Saturday. See more photos of the event a suspicious device inside the house. on Facebook.

The Surf City Police Department arrived and an immediate perimeter was established for the safety of the citizens. A two-block area around the home was evacuated. The Surf City Fire Department and Pender EMS & Fire were called to the scene and a mutual aid request was made to the Wilmington Police Department Bomb Squad. Wilmington Police Bomb S q u a d a r r ive d o n s c e n e about1:45 p.m. The device was secured and destroyed by

using a controlled explosive charge outside the residence and the area has been determined to be safe. The Surf City Police Department is currently investigating the incident further to determine if any criminal charges are applicable. “We would like to thank all agencies involved for a quick and safe resolution to this incident,” said Major Ron Shanahan of the Surf City Police Department.

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