THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 1996 TAG: 9601100656
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
For the first time, this Roanoke Island community has agreed to supply sewer and water service to a customer living outside the town limits.
The action last week, under a new policy adopted earlier in the year, didn't sit well with two members of the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
Board Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. and Commissioner Doug Langford criticized the policy Monday at the county panel's regular meeting.
``I'm opposed to tying people on to a water system, when those people don't have the right to vote in local elections,'' Langford said. ``For Manteo to go into unincorporated areas, and not allow people the right to vote for people who will make decisions regarding those services, is wrong.''
However, Manteo's new mayor, Lee Tugwell, said Tuesday that despite concerns raised by Owens and Langford, there is no conflict between the county and the town.
But Langford said Manteo has an option if it wants to include Roanoke Island residents in the system.
``They can annex the residents into the town,'' Langford said. ``But what they're doing is not right.''
Owens said it appears that Manteo's new policy is not being fairly administered.
``I do have concerns that the town is determining who gets service by the dollar bill,'' Owens said. ``If they're going to do it, they should make it available to the small business owners as well as the large ones.''
Tugwell spoke with Langford Tuesday afternoon, and the mayor said later the commissioners' worries concerning the Manteo policy may be rooted in history.
``I don't really have any immediate reaction,'' Tugwell said about the commissioners' comments. ``We're going to sit down with the county manager and try to address some of these concerns.''
Several years ago, the town of Kill Devil Hills sold water and sewer services to Colington Island residents. Tugwell said the county may have concerns that a similar situation may occur on Roanoke Island.
``I don't think we're getting into that situation,'' Tugwell said.
In April, by a 4-2 vote, the Manteo governing board adopted a change in its Land Use Plan to allow the sale of water and sewer services to customers living outside the town limits. Critics of the change called the change short-sighted, and said that it would place too great a demand on the municipality's utility system.
Supporters said the change would lead to lower utility bills for town residents, since more customers would be paying fees. Roanoke Island residents outside Manteo rely on private wells and septic tanks.
Under the new provision, applicants for service will be charged $16 per gallon for a hookup based on the designed daily flow for a given business or residence. For example, Roanoke Island Animal Hospital, which has received the first permit, has a design flow of 504 gallons per day, which results in a utility extension fee of $8,064. The Manteo board unanimously approved the veterinary clinic's request for municipal water and sewer service. by CNB