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TownTalk: More Information on Revaluation and Tax Rate Increase

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Vance County commissioners are divided on the issue of how often to conduct a property reappraisal and revaluation – state law requires the revaluation occur at least every 8 years, but many counties have opted to have them more often.

According to Commissioner Sean Alston, only about 20 percent of the state’s 100 counties – 22 counties – are on an 8-year cycle.

Wake County, for example, does a reval every two years, but others have chosen to be on four- or six-year cycles.

But local commissioners do not, so far, anyway, see eye to eye on what the frequency should be.

It was a topic of discussion at the June 13 budget work session, and at that time, the commissioners agreed on tabling the discussion for now and revisting it next year.

Commissioner Sean Alston said the county didn’t need to wait 8 years for the next revaluation. Judging from citizens’ responses to the most recent revaluation, many were surprised at the jump in property values.

Having revals more often “reduces the shock value,” said Commissioner Archie Taylor. “Our community was shocked this time,” Taylor said.

Commissioner Leo Kelly said he leans toward revals every four or six years. “The real estate market is volatile,” Kelly said.

The cost of a revaluation right now is in the neighborhood of $700,000, a figure that Commission Chair Dan Brummitt balked at shelling out more often than every eight years.

Alston and Kelly, however, said spending the money for more frequent reappraisals could reap benefits – in addition to not overwhelming property owners with large increases, more frequent revals could put the county in a position where it could return to a revenue-neutral rate, maybe even lower, said Kelly.

In arriving at consensus on the 10-cent tax increase per $100 valuation, Taylor said he didn’t want to pay the higher tax bill, but he was willing to do so.

“I want my county and my community I live in to get better,” he said.

Alston said the county can’t keep “using Band-aids” to create temporary fixes. “We’re running out of Band-aids…we have to have growth.”

The Vance County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 24 and could formally adopt the FY2024-25 budget at that time.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Library

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Perry Memorial Library’s Youth Services Director Melody Peters took a few minutes Tuesday from tending to last-minute summer reading program details to talk about upcoming events that will be taking place soon at the library.

There’s a lot going on at the library, but Peters said she’s especially excited about the summer reading program kickoff. “I am expecting a big crowd – I really am!” she exclaimed on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Readers of all ages and abilities can complete reading journals and turn them in during the summer in exchange for cool prizes.

“Cool” is the name of the game today – the first 200 participants were going to get Pelican Sno Balls.

Library patrons can enjoy a musical performance at the library as part of “Make Music Day” throughout the city and county.

Clarinetist Tristan Beradi, a student at N.C. A&T State University, will perform in the gallery from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, gather the family and head over to the library for Family Story Time. Peters said she listened to comments from busy parents who just can’t swing a library program during the week. And with sports activities on Saturdays, the only day left is Sunday.

So Peters said she’ll be curious to see how many folks turn out.

“We’re trying it out and hope people come,” she said.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more about all the programs at Perry Memorial Library.

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Sossamon To Participate In Area Juneteenth Activities

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— information courtesy of the office of Rep. Frank Sossamon

There are a couple of Juneteenth celebrations taking place in the area this week to mark the day – June 19, 1865 – when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX with news that the Civil War had ended, which also brought enslaved people their freedom.

One event will take place at the venue Back to Eden on Wednesday, June 19 and will feature activities that commemorate the historic day. The event begins at 12 noon and will include the laying of a wreath and a mock funeral. The event will feature speaker, live entertainment, food trucks, tours and fireworks.

The second Juneteenth celebration is the Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks Department’s 4th Annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 22. The event will take place at the Vance County Courthouse Square in Henderson from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. This festival has become a cornerstone of the community’s celebration, bringing together people from all walks of life to honor African American heritage through music, food trucks, vendors, bingo, craft making and live performances.

“Juneteenth is a time to reflect on our past, celebrate the progress we’ve made, and commit ourselves to the ongoing work of achieving true equality for all,” said Rep. Frank Sossamon. “I am honored to be a part of these celebrations and look forward to engaging with our community as we commemorate this pivotal moment in history.”

Sossamon plans to attend both celebrations and hopes they will help to highlight the significance of Juneteenth and the ongoing journey toward equality and justice. Both events are open to the public, and all community members are encouraged to attend.

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TownTalk: County Budget Deliberations

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In a budget work session last week, the Vance County Board of Commissioners worked to reach consensus to raise the tax rate by 10 cents – to 71 cents per $100 property valuation – a move that will provide cost-of-living increases for staff and have funds for capital projects and a possible salary study.

The consensus, though not an official vote, was reached with four commissioners in favor.

It’s estimated that the additional 10 cents will generate $4.3 million in additional revenue.

According to County Manager C. Renee Perry, the revenue-neutral rate of 61.3 cents per $100 valuation would not be enough to support any capital projects that are needed in the county, including work on a new jail, 911 call center, a northern end EMS station and more.

Perry broke it down this way: 1 cent will be for an additional 3 percent COLA increase (for a total of 7 percent), and the other 9 cents would be for addressing capital needs and the salary study.

Commissioner Sean Alston said the county must pay attention to salaries that would be more competitive with surrounding counties.

“We have to move for the future,” Alston said.

Commissioner Leo Kelly concurred. “If we don’t grow the budget, we don’t grow the county.” Kelly said it is critical to take advantage of the revaluation to keep the county moving forward. “This is the time to do it,” he said of increasing the tax rate.

Chair Dan Brummitt said he is willing to entertain ideas about the budget but said he does not support a tax increase.

“It doesn’t make sense,” he said, adding that the county should not grow the government; rather, “leave the money in people’s pockets” and let them invest in the county to grow the economy.

Commissioner Archie Taylor said he is in favor of raising salaries to help the staffing shortages across county agencies, including the Department of Social Services, sheriff’s office and the jail – which has had almost two dozen vacancies for the past two years, according to Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame.

In addition to salary increases, Commissioner Yolanda Feimster said the county has to keep an eye on quality of services. “We can’t keep prolonging the situation – we’ve got to get people hired” so county residents can have the quality of services they desire and deserve.

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Fire Departments Could See Additional Funding

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The county’s volunteer fire departments stand to gain an additional $30,000 annually as commissioners and County Manager C. Renee Perry hammer out details of the FY 2024-25 budget.

Commissioners held a budget work session last week, with sights set on June 24 as a possible date to adopt the $57 million budget.

Each department, as well as the rescue squad and the Vance County Fire Department, would see $130,000 in county funding and the new hourly pay rate for part-time firefighters would increase to $17 an hour, up from $15 an hour.

To achieve these goals, the county’s fire tax would be bumped from a revenue-neutral rate of 5.9 cents per $100 valuation to 7 cents per hundred, as recommended by Perry.

This increase will generate and additional $300,000 in revenues.

That amount, matched with a one-time disbursement of about $300,000 from the fire tax general fund, would provide for the additional funding. The current total fire tax fund balance is about $625,000.

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STEM Early High School Gets Solar+ Schools Grant

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-information courtesy of Vance County Schools Chief Communication Officer Aarika Sandlin

STEM Early High School in Vance County is one of nine schools across the state to receive a grant from NC GreenPower to install a rooftop solar array as part of a solar education package.

With backing from the State Employees Credit Union, the Solar+ Schools Award will pay for all of the project’s construction costs, expected to be between $55,000 and $75,000.

The educational package includes a 20-kilowatt solar array, STEM curriculum, teacher training and more.

Schools should raise $3,500 to cover any future operations and maintenance expenses. The included weather station and data monitoring equipment will incorporate live  information from the arrays into classrooms, and teachers will be able to compare weather  scenarios and involve students in reading and interpreting the energy data.

Northern Granville Middle School in Granville County also is a recipient of the Solar+ School Award.

In 2024, the Solar+ Schools program accepted applications from public K-12 schools in Tier 1 and 2 counties in North Carolina. For the awarded schools, the installed 20-kW photovoltaic systems will serve as educational tools and will provide an energy impact depending on each school’s arrangement with its local electric utility. Since Solar+ Schools’ introduction in 2015, program recipients have saved about $100,000 cumulatively in electricity expenses, and the STEM and solar curriculum training has benefited more than 280 teachers and 62,000 students  throughout the state.

The member-funded State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation has been a long-time advocate of NC GreenPower and continues to generously back the Solar+ Schools program. In  2022, the SECU Foundation contributed a grant of up to $600,000 extending through 2024 to  provide additional funding and assist with installation costs for awarded schools.

“NC GreenPower’s Solar+ Schools initiative is a unique and innovative project that continues to  produce energy savings and educational benefits for our schools and our state,” said SECU  Foundation Executive Director Jama Campbell. “We couldn’t be more pleased to help outfit nine schools with a working solar array system for students and our communities to learn more  about solar power’s impact as an alternative energy source for today and years to come.”

TownTalk: Around Old Granville: Architects

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Lovers of historical architecture could come up with the analogy that if Old Granville County – what is now the four-county area that includes Vance, Warren, Franklin and Granville counties – were an art museum, then all the lovely homes that dot the towns, cities and countryside certainly are works of art to be admired and enjoyed.

Continuing that analogy, it was architects and craftsmen like Jacob Holt and Thomas Bragg and James Burgess who are just a few of the state’s premier artists whose creations still stand -and are still admired – today.

“They were able to express their aesthetic and the community’s idea of the aesthetic,” said Mark Pace, local historian and North Carolina Room Specialist at the Richard Thornton Library in Oxford.

Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris talked about a number of homes, some standing and some long gone, that can be attributed to Holt, Bragg and Burgess in Thursday’s TownTalk segment of Around Old Granville.

Holt moved to Warren County in the 1840s, having worked with William Howard, an acolyte of Thomas Jefferson, in Prince Edward County, Va. He estimates that as many as 80 Holt houses still stand, a tribute to the craftsmanship Holt and his team of artisans poured into each build.

“If you’ve got a Holt house, it’s not a ramshackle mess,” Pace said.

He set up shop in Warren County and soon laid claim to having the second-largest non-agricultural work force around, Pace said.

Among his workers were enslaved persons as well as freedmen. “He had the talent and he had the crew,” he said.

And although it wasn’t his first build, the William Eaton House is what put Holt on the map.

With motifs of Greek Revival, complete with columns, cornices, elaborate mantelpieces and sidelights, the Eaton house remains “one of the showplaces of Warrenton,” Pace said.

Montmorenci is another well-known home in Warren County, and was built by James Burgess in 1822.

Much of the interior of Montmorenci was dismantled and sent to be part of the DuPont estate called Winterthur in Delaware, Pace said, including incredibly engineered spiral staircases and intricate mantelpieces.

Thomas Bragg was also a contractor and architect who worked in the area in the 1820’s through the 1840’s, Pace said. He did significant work in Wake County and designed the William Polk House there.

The home Bragg built for his family still stands in Warrenton. Some of Bragg’s children went on to achieve fame in their own right: Thomas, Jr. became a governor of North Carolina and Braxton was a general in the Civil War – it’s for him that Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty, was named.

 

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