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The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
Volume 48, No.35
OPPING
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Commissioners approve $63.5 million county budget By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County Commissioners gave approval to the proposed 2018-19 county budget Monday. The general fund budget totals $63,538,374 with the total county budget passing $113.3 million, including all county funds outside the general fund. The new budget represents an increase over last year’s figure, but economic growth
resulting in rising revenue for the county kept the tax rate unchanged. The new budget includes a two percent cost of living raise for county staff, as well as a two percent increase in 401K contributions for county employees. The budget also includes $2.8 million in increased funding for Pender County Schools. Outside agencies were funded to the tune of $923,000. Commissioner David Piepmeyer asked County Manager Randall Woodruff for fig-
County approves criminal background checks on volunteers By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
Pender County will now have the option of running criminal background checks on individuals volunteering with county departments. Commissioners approved the measure at their Monday meeting. The request came from Agricultural Extension Service Director Mark Seitz. Seitz wants to be able to run background checks on summer volunteers working with the extension department. Prior to the change, background checks were run on potential employees, but not volunteers. Pender County Sheriff Carson Smith told commissioners
ures representing what was requested by county staff for their departments, and what was actually budgeted. “I think that would give the citizens an understanding of how much was actually cut from the budget from what was requested,� said Piepmeyer. “That comes through the process of the budget workshops and the efforts of our department heads meeting the challenges so we don’t have to raise taxes.� Woodruff told commissioners the county
is constantly in the process of improving financial management of county funds. “We have come a long way and things are a lot better than they were three or four years ago. There are still things we need to do to make our things look better,� Woodruff said. “We have had good audits over the past several years and raised the bar quite a bit. But there are still some things the Local Government Commission has told us to make things even better.�
Getting ready for graduation
all employees are run through a criminal background check. The county ordnance as it stood did not make provision for volunteers to have criminal checks. “I’m in favor of this. I think we have to be checking every person’s background,� said Commissioner David Piepmeyer. “We are not singling anyone out, but we need to provide safety for all our employees, volunteers, everything.� Chairman George Brown said the measure would also extend to those individuals serving on BOC appointed boards and positions. Background checks will be at the discretion of the county manager and the board.
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The Blueberry Festival Recipe Contest will be held Friday June 15, 9 a.m. at the Community Building in Burgaw, located beside the old jail downtown
Correction
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Topsail seniors ďŹ le into the school auditorium for the annual Baccalaureate service Sunday evening. Hampstead churches join together to continue the traditional pre-graduation religious service. Topsail seniors will graduate Friday at 5 p.m. at the Trask Coliseum at UNCW. Trask High School will follow at 7 p.m. Pender High School will hold its ceremony Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at the school. Pender Early College High School graduated its seniors last week.
Topsail schools go on lockdown: two students arrested From Staff Reports Pender County Sheriff ’s Office received a call at 8:33 a.m. May 29 reporting a Topsail High School student may be en-route to the school with a firearm. At 8:42 a.m. a lockdown was initiated of all east side Pender County schools. At 8:47 a deputy located Bryce Matthew Sheehan, 18, of Hampstead sitting in his vehicle in front of Topsail High School. Sheehan was found with a large knife strapped to his leg and had three other knives on his person.
Sheehan was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon on educational properPush Mowers • Lawn Tractors • Zero ty, not a firearm. He is currentTrimmers & Chainsaws ly incarcerated at the Pender County Jail and is being held on an $8,000 secured bond. No firearms were found on his person or in his vehicle. While investigating Sheehan, a passing motorist alerted a deputy at the school of a vehicle whose driver had been driving erratically while approaching the school and had
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Bryce Matthew Sheehan
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