THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 22, 1994 TAG: 9411220595
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
As of April 1, all telephone calls within Dare County will be toll-free.
Officials had hoped that an Extended Area Service plan would begin by fall 1995. But at the Board of Commissioners' bi-monthly meeting Monday, representatives from Carolina Telephone said the new rates will go into effect much sooner.
``I know that's April Fool's day,'' said Dick Denton, Carolina Telephone district manager. ``But I can assure you all, this is for real.''
Currently, calls to and from Hatteras Island carry long-distance tolls. The new service will drop the tolls, while residents pay higher monthly rates.
In September, residents of Hatteras Island and Manteo voted to adopt an Extended Area Service plan, to better connect them with the rest of the county. More than 78 percent of Waves voters approved the plan; 66 percent of Buxton residents voted for it. On Roanoke Island, 58.6 percent of the eligible telephone customers approved toll-free calling.
``We wanted the company to put this issue on the fast track,'' said Commissioner Doug Lanford, who helped start discussion about toll-free service. ``The real winners are the people of Dare County.''
To have toll-free calling within county limits, residents and business owners will have to pay higher monthly rates. Waves customers will pay $2.45 more a month for residences and an additional $5.92 a month for businesses. Buxton homeowners will be assessed $3 more a month; businesses $7.22 a month. In Manteo, residents will pay an extra $1.24 and businesses will pay another $2.97 each month. Kill Devil Hills homeowners will have an additional 12-cent charge each month; business owners on the northern beaches will pay an extra 30 cents a month.
``The voters of Dare County made it abundantly clear that they wanted EAS,'' Denton said. ``Carolina Telephone wanted to respond to their wishes as soon as possible.''
In other business Monday, the commissioners:
Accepted an audit for fiscal year 1993-94 from Kill Devil Hills accounting firm Johnson, Burgess & Co. The audit shows that county revenues exceeded what had been budgeted by more than $400,000. The county's undesignated fund balance is $8.9 million - up more than $2 million from the previous year. That amount also is above the reserve level recommended by the N.C. Local Government Commission. The accountants said, Dare County ``is real healthy just where it is.'' But they recommended changes in water department billing practices. ``There should be two additional employees assigned to the Water Department, one with managerial and accounting duties and one with clerical duties for billing and receiving,'' said the audit. ``An aged accounts receivable should be run monthly . . . and reviewed by management for the existence of overdue accounts.''
Unanimously approved new regulations for mobile homes. Mobile homes in the county's unincorporated areas may move from one area to another freely. But if a mobile home which does not meet wind zone II or III standards moves outside of unincorporated Dare County, it will not be allowed to re-enter an unincorporated area.
Unanimously approved a conditional use permit for a restaurant and boat rental facility in Rodanthe at the site of Emily's Restaurant. The facility will not include a pier, as previously planned. Its owners will, however, be allowed to rent jet skis in addition to windsurfers and sailboats. The planning board had recommended that jet skis not be rented. But Commissioner Joseph ``Mac'' Midgett, who lives in Rodanthe and opposed the pier, said he saw no difference between renting jet skis and renting sailboats. ``The people really don't want windsurfers,'' Midgett told fellow board members. ``But you can't stop that kind of stuff.''
Approved new satellite dish antenna regulations in a 4-1 vote. The regulations prohibit home and business owners from erecting satellite dish antennas in front yards. According to the regulations, which board Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. said were penned for aesthetic reasons, satellite dishes must be at least five feet away from property lines and placed in rear or side yards. Commissioner Geneva Perry did not attend Monday's meeting. Owens abstained from the vote. Commissioner Sammy Smith voted against the new regulations, saying that some people had to put satellite dishes in their front yards because that was the only place they could get good reception.
Unanimously approved plans to sell 12 parcels of county-owned property. Officials deemed the parcels non-essential and plan to offer them to the public. Land is available in Buxton, Frisco, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Manteo, Nags Head, Stumpy Point and Wanchese. by CNB