THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510110652
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Opposition to a possible city-county merger broke open at Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
After a long discussion about the merger process, the commissioners voted unanimously to meet as soon as possible with the Elizabeth City Council to discuss the future of the commission appointed to prepare a merger plan.
According to the motion, the options on the table are: let the commission continue its government study work; modify the commission's direction; or eliminate the body altogether.
``I've been against it from the very beginning,'' Commissioner Hugh Clinkscales, who raised the issue Tuesday, said after the meeting.
``It seems to me that the committee has now gone headlong into total merger, which I am not for.''
In March, Clinkscales was part of the unanimous county vote to let the Pasquotank-Elizabeth City Governmental Study Commission prepare a merger plan for consideration. The city also voted to move ahead after the commission reported to both boards that a merger would be ``advisable.''
Now 2 years old, the merger commission recently began looking at how a combined governing board would be composed and elected. Commission subcommittees are also studying the consolidation of services such as police and fire protection.
The commission has always had vocal opponents - primarily residents who fear a merged government would lead to higher taxes or less voting power for blacks living in the city.
Rhetoric has stepped up in the past few weeks, which saw the creation of a group whose only goal is to shut down the merger process. And private doubts among public officials have surfaced.
``A few of them have been talking about this for several months,'' Pasquotank Commissioner Chairman Zee Lamb said. ``Some commissioners have gotten some heat in the community.''
Merger commission Chairman L.P. ``Tony'' Hornthal Jr. said there are also many people who support the commission and the concept of merging the governments and services. But supporters have hardly been outspoken on the subject.
``If those people continue to remain silent and fail to appear at public meetings to express their support,'' Hornthal said, ``then I think that the commissioners and council may well conclude that all of the opinion in the city and county is negative.
``If this study goes down the tubes because the people who support what's going on have failed to make their feelings known, then that's going to be their problem.''
Hornthal said it remains to be seen whether Tuesday's discussion signaled a setback for the commission. But some officials acknowledged Tuesday that the merger process is losing momentum.
``It's almost total opposition to a total merger from the district I represent and the county as well,'' Clinkscales said. ``We'd only be doing that committee a favor if we let them know this opposition.''
Clinkscales originally moved to set an early December deadline for the commission's Phase 2 report. The board also discussed letting the commission study the combination of city and county services but not governments.
But the commissioners chose to withhold a decision until they could talk with the city and the merger panel.
Paul A. Bryant, president of the newly formed Alliance to Counteract the City-County Merger, was pleased with the commissioners' action.
``Sounds like some good news,'' Bryant said Tuesday afternoon. ``We will continue the efforts that we have to petition the city and county boards until the official word has been made.''
Bryant said his group hopes to present petitions to officials at a meeting next week.
Hornthal said after the meeting Tuesday that he was disappointed by the tone of the discussion. He said he told the commissioners that he would probably resign if a majority of each board has already decided to vote against the yet-unwritten merger plan.
``I don't expect to waste my time and the time of a number of other people
Lamb would not speculate on the merger commission's future.
``I'm not sure where my board's leaning,'' Lamb said. ``I cannot predict what will come out of this latest chapter.'' by CNB