THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 24, 1995 TAG: 9503240451
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Members of a commission studying a city-county merger have decided to meet with experts before preparing a plan for combining the governments.
The executive committee, subcommittee chairs and nonvoting staff of the Pasquotank-Elizabeth City Governmental Study Commission will seek advice from David Lawrence of the Institute of Government at Chapel Hill. Lawrence has guided the commission since the merger study began.
Commission members asked Chairman L.P. ``Tony'' Hornthal Jr. to set up the meeting Wednesday night during an organizational gathering attended by fewer than half the commission's members.
The group reviewed a public hearing last week in which the Elizabeth City Council and Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners voted to let the commission continue its work.
Despite the endorsement from the government bodies, some commission members were disheartened by comments from what they considered misinformed residents who opposed the merger process.
The study, now entering its second phase, has faced stiff resistance from some black city residents who fear their voting power will be weakened under a single, countywide governing board. Many county residents have said they're worried their taxes will increase.
To meet the racial issue head on and respond to criticism that one commission subcommittee lacked a black member, Commission Vice Chairman Robert L. ``Bobby'' Vaughan suggested adjusting subcommittees so each includes a black commission member.
Hornthal also encouraged the panel to work on bringing the public into the planning process.
``Our concerns with public perception should have to do first with perceptions of fairness and openness of process, and second with outcome,'' Hornthal said.
Vaughan said after the meeting that a full merger in his lifetime ``is highly unlikely.'' But he expects that efforts to consolidate many services will eventually work for the community's benefit.
``If we don't make some plans,'' Vaughan said, ``we're going to find ourselves going down the drain instead of going up the mountain.''
Commission members, who have been working together for more than a year, will soon receive a letter asking if they intend to continue serving as the process intensifies.
``We're going to need every person we can get, willing to work, and willing to participate,'' Hornthal said. ``We thought we had devoted some time to our efforts for phase one. But we ain't seen nothin' yet.'' by CNB