Obituaries

Dolores Godwin Holt, Christine B. Hobbs, James M. Toler, Thomas J. Underwood Jr., Elmon Howell, Sandra B. Wiggins

Headlines

Briefs: Community Events 

Wayne citizens disagree on use for tax revenue

Tornado touchdown

Etheridge votes to strengthen student loans

Princeton Police run weekend checkpoint

State Highway Patrol reports

Johnston County Sheriff's reports 

Smith's fight for a kidney an inspiration to others 

Photos

This week's photo gallery

Movies

Stop Loss
Street Kings
88 Minutes
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Local Showtimes

Church Directory

Wayne citizens disagree on use for tax revenue

23 April 2008 —
By Sarah A. Wise
NL Staff Writer
Folks are rarely overjoyed to hear about a potential tax increase. But disagreement has recently been stirring in Wayne County over the way the revenue from a proposed quarter cent sales tax will be spent.

On May 6, all Wayne County citizens will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed tax. If approved, the quarter-cent tax would raise sales tax on all items sold to an even seven cent per dollar.
Earlier this year, the state granted counties the option of a 0.4 percent property tax or a quarter cent sales tax to provide funds for growth. Either tax would have to be approved by voters before the county commissioners could vote to enact the tax.

Some counties opted to put both proposed taxes on the ballot. However, Wayne County officials have pushed for the sales tax only to go on the ballot.

County Manager Lee Smith explained that sales tax is the fairest tax that the county can levy.

“Everyone pays it, and everyone benefits from it,” he said.

A brochure provided by the county further details that a sales tax would generate a larger income for Wayne County than would a property tax. Per year, the brochure says, a penny of property tax would generate $550,000, while a quarter of a penny of sales tax would generate $2.4 million.

And Wayne County has a lot of needs that could use that $2.4 million, adds Mr. Smith.

Earlier this year, he detailed a long list of needs the county is facing right now. In addition to the ongoing need for money to build schools, the county has needs for emergency radio systems, public libraries, the health department, and the detention center.
Mr. Smith has proposed that, if passed, all revenues generated for the first four years would go toward funding an overhaul of the county’s emergency communications system.

The project, which costs an estimated $9 million, has been in the works for several years. The county planned to proceed on the project this year, using funds generated from a 911 fee the county received.

However, the state recently revoked that revenue from the county, leaving a gaping hole in the finances for the project.

Mr. Smith explained that the county’s current radio system is very out of date, and much of the equipment is literally falling apart.
“It’s been patched together so many times I’m actually afraid of it,” he said of the 40-year-old system. “We were looking at the project, and we had it worked out, but now there will not be sufficient funds.”

And the sales tax, he said, could generate those funds to produce a county-wide system, making the whole county safer. The project costs cover radio towers and providing radios to all fire departments, police departments, EMS stations, schools, and school bus drivers.

If the sales tax is shot down by voters, the county will still install systems, but each individual department will have to purchase its own radios, which could get costly on the local level.

It would be very hard to argue that the county did not need a new system. But recently, some citizens have expressed a disagreement with the county’s choice of systems.

Dennis Lewis of Pikeville addressed the county commissioners last Tuesday. He told the board that he did not feel that they were being responsible with the funds they planned to acquire through the taxes. He said he felt the board should be installing the VIPER communications system, which is used all over the state and has already been employed by the county’s highway patrolmen.

He stated that the VIPER system was substantially cheaper than the system the county was planning on purchasing, and he felt that it was more than effective since the system supports larger counties like Wake.

After Mr. Lewis’ comments, Mr. Smith addressed the board. He said he had met with the highway patrol, and assured the board that the highway patrol’s system would tie in with the new system.
He said that, based on the research the county had done, the VIPER system would not work well for Wayne County’s needs. He added that the primary concern with the system was being able to control communications on a local level.

A group of concerned citizens are meeting to get more information on the two systems. The meeting will be at 7:00 on April 24 at the Pikeville Community Building.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Saturday, April 26 – Hephzibah Baptist Church Betty Massey Circle yard sale in church parking lot (in Fellowship Building in case of rain), 7 a.m.-noon

Sunday, April 27 – Performance by The Living Waters at Crossroads Church of God of Prophecy in Selma, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, April 28 – WorkKeys career readiness test in Room 220 of Wayne Learning Center at Wayne Community College (pre-register by noon), 5-8 p.m.; “The Politics of Terrorism” lecture in Moffatt Auditorium at Wayne Community College, 7-9 p.m.; Deadline to register for Rosewood First Baptist Church Growing in Grace Women’s Conference to be held May 3 (email bkeen78@hotmail.com or call 734-5571 to register)

Tuesday, April 29 – First session of pediatric advanced life support class at auditorium of Johnston Medical Mall ($200 per class, pre-register by calling 938-7736), 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; QuickBooks workshop in Room 219 of Magnolia Building at Wayne Community College (call 735-5151 ext. 334 by Apr. 25 to register), 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 30 – Last session of pediatric advanced life support class at auditorium of Johnston Medical Mall, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

back to the top

Visit Princeton Public Library

Located on Princeton School Campus
919- 936-9996
Mon., Tues., Thurs, 4-7 p.m. • Sunday 2-3 p.m.
101 Dr Donnie Jones Blvd E
Princeton, NC 27569  

.