THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 18, 1996 TAG: 9604180395
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Currituck County officials don't stand a chance of winning General Assembly approval for their revenue-raising proposals, according to the local legislator they've asked to help them.
Rep. W.C. ``Bill'' Owens Jr. said Wednesday that he's willing to submit bills for three possible revenue sources for Currituck County, but it will likely be an exercise in futility.
``I'll be glad to introduce it, but it isn't going anywhere. I'm absolutely certain of that,'' Owens said.
County commissioners apparently agree.
``We don't think that we're going to get it either, but we're willing to try,'' said Eldon Miller Jr., chairman of the Currituck County Board of Commissioners.
The goal, commissioners said Wednesday, is to focus attention on county's growing troubles.
``We know we have to tote our own water, and we're willing to fight for the people of Currituck County,'' said Commissioner Owen Etheridge, who initiated the unanimous vote Monday night to resubmit the legislative package.
Owens met with commissioners from Currituck and Camden last week at a joint meeting and essentially told both boards the state legislature would likely refuse any attempts to raise taxes, at least during a short session that begins May 13.
But Currituck commissioners decided this week to resubmit the same tax package that was rejected last year.
The fast-growing county is hoping to raise money without further raising property taxes to pay for additional schools and county services. Plans include increasing a local land-transfer tax and establishing a meals tax and residential impact fees.
A report expected to be issued next week on growth-financing should bolster the county's case for additional local income, Miller said.
``We think that (state legislators) need to know that we are still in need of these revenue sources, and we're going to keep pinging at them until they decided to do something,'' the chairman said.
Of the revenue requests Currituck made last year, Owens decided against submitting bills to authorize the land-transfer tax hike and create impact fees because of the mood of the General Assembly.
Owens said a real estate lobby did not influence his decision to not forward the Currituck bills, as reported earlier.
The meals tax never made it out of committee, but a fourth request to authorize establishing a beautification district in Corolla did pass - the only tax bill in the state to receive approval during the session, Owens said.
While Currituck commissioners may have gone against Owens' advice to go it alone, they are apparently heeding his recommendations to find the support of others.
Ideally, county officials would like to see other counties attach themselves to the Currituck bill.
``We're going to make efforts in the next few weeks to contact as many boards of commissioners throughout the district that we can,'' Etheridge said.
``Our best hope is, by the time the short session begins, to at least have the General Assembly take a serious look at this,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: State Rep. W.C. "Bill" Owens Jr.
by CNB