Who are these People?

Glen, sorry we missed you at the budget work session last night. Had you been there, you would have had some of the answers you have on taxation issues. But, I agree, posting them here will help spread the word.

Looking at the early preliminary budget for 06-07, it appears that we should be able to lower the real estate property tax rate. It is currently at $0.12/$100 and should be able to be dropped a little (maybe even 2 cents).

The BPOL taxes and Gross receipts tax are set in the code, and those were just amended by the present Council. I believe the rates are set at a good level and a competitive level with other jurisdictions.

Application and permit fees are being examined right now and I believe Sheila Jarboe is working on a report to Council (along with the building official Jim Lowery) with her recommendations for any modifications. Stay tuned to the May meeting for Council's action on that.

Cigarette tax should stay set at $0.25 per pack if last night's preliminary budget holds. I see no reason to lower or raise that tax.

One idea I want to explore is the possibility of removing the fee for Town Tags altogether. The income generated from the sale of those tags is about $14k. This income could easily be replaced with a large variety of other income sources that would effect non-residents of Town just as much, if not more. Such examples would be a 1% prepared meals tax, a $0.005 gas tax, or even raising the cigarette tax by as little as $0.025. Such taxes are common in other jurisdictions and are avenues for revenue that we should explore.

As for the Historical buildings in Town and the Historical Commission in general, I briefly talked to one of the Planning Commissioners about that last night (Mr. Joe Minor). I admitted to him, as I have to Michelle Neal-Heard, that my feelings on the historical buildings and sites has begun to change from my earlier sentiments. Now that I have seen and heard the ideas and plans involved in remodeling and upgrading certain buildings (Sears Houses), I see where in some cases that is a great idea.

I realize the historical value of the Old Post Office and Museum and have mentioned to Michelle repeatedly that I think her efforts to work on restoration are great. She has enlightened me considerably about some of these buildings. That being said, I don't think it's feasible to save every last old building in Town, but it is possible to save some of the more meaningful ones.

As for the PD, some things are still up in the air. But, I am all for the idea that would relocate the PD to one of the Sears Houses on the Harrover property, along with renovating the garage so that the PD could use that space to park the motor unit and spare cars. We have told the Department to go ahead with the purchase of a new cruiser and will look at the needs for a second car during the budget planning. We will work during the budget process to set aside money to pay for the renovations and upgrades that the house would need to securely house a PD. Making this change, should allow for more visibility for the PD; rather than hiding them in the back of the Food Lion store area.

I trust that once our two new officers are fully trained and have completed their required field training with Officer Kenworthy, the department will be able to schedule the officers to as close to a 24/7 coverage as possible. That has been an issue that Council has shared with the Department for some time and hopefully now it will come to be.

I hope that this begins to shed some light on things for some people. I will check back in now and again to see what ever other relevant questions may be posed. Have a great weekend!

JT