THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210864
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 83 lines
Today may be a long one for Dare County commissioners and members of the Dare County Board of Education.
The two panels will hold a joint meeting this afternoon to discuss the proposed $59.5 million school construction bond issue.
This morning, the Board of Commissioners will huddle to find out exactly what it can and cannot do in relation to the bond issue. And it will get a clearer picture of the tax impact of the spending package.
The meeting is set for 9 a.m. in the Commissioners' Meeting Room in the Dare County Administrative Annex.
The afternoon workshop, set for 1:30 at Manteo Middle School, will be followed by a question-and-answer period for citizens.
``I've told the superintendent (Leon Holleman) that the board needs to be prepared to stay as long as necessary, even if it means adjourning for dinner and coming back in the evening,'' County Manager Terry Wheeler said. ``Following our joint workshop, citizens are going to have the opportunity to ask questions, and we're going to stay until every citizen has a chance to ask those questions, and get answers.''
In the morning meeting, the county's seven-member governing board will meet with bond counsel Donald Ubell of Charlotte to talk about the nuts and bolts of the bond process.
``The commissioners simply want to find out what their options are,'' Wheeler said. ``Not that the commissioners will want to change anything in the package, but they want to know if they have that option.''
Along with the bond package, commissioners will get a clearer picture of how much additional money will be needed for the day-to-day operation of schools if the bond issue passes.
Commissioner Doug Langford said earlier this week that he wants to know every possible cost that might arise.
``We don't want any surprises,'' he said Tuesday. ``I want to know the cost of every desk, every shoulder pad, utilities, anything that will be required to get those buildings open and functioning properly.''
Commission Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. said he supports the referendum, but has questions about some projects that were left out of the proposed building plans. And he wants to know why others were included.
``I'm not opposed to the referendum. I think the people, not the commission, should decide up or down on this,'' Owens said. ``But I wonder if the board has fully explored the possibility of an elementary school on Hatteras Island. I think Hatteras has been grossly mistreated over the years, and I don't think some of the board members fought as hard as they could have for their areas.''
Hatteras will be the next major growth area in the county, Owens said, and a separate elementary school makes sense.
``We've got U.S. 64 that's going to be expanded to four lanes from Raleigh to Whalebone Junction,'' Owens said. ``The next major growth is on Hatteras Island. We'll be taking over the water system there in three to four months. It seems that an elementary school is needed there worse than in Manteo, Nags Head or on up the beach.''
Like many commissioners, Owens also has worries about unanswered questions.
``I think our board feels the whole story has not been told,'' he said. ``I'm not saying that information has been withheld, but a lot of people feel that some things have not been explained, based on what we've read, heard and seen.''
Owens expects commissioners to have wide flexibility in what is included in the bond, he said.
``From what I've been able to find out, we have a lot of leeway,'' Owens said. ``We need to know if we can divide the bond into two, how far we can go, or what we can do. But as I understand it, the bond issue will be worded by us.''
Owens, a veteran of 26 years in county government, said he doesn't have a clear reading on how the board will vote on the referendum issue.
``I'm usually pretty good at those things,'' Owens said. ``But this time, I don't have any idea on how they'll vote, and that's just on whether or not to have a referendum.''
Owens said another unknown is the attitude of the growing number of retirees in Dare County.
``We have a lot of retired people who are here on fixed incomes, government and military pensions and Social Security,'' Owens said. ``If the tax rate is going to go up 50 percent or some significant amount, we have a responsibility to find that out. We have a responsibility to protect them.''
Of one thing Owens is certain: The school bond debate has split the county.
``This is the most vicious, most vindictive debate I've seen in more than 20 years,'' he said. ``I've received letters and faxes that are just vulgar. I've been threatened. But that doesn't bother me. I've already said that this will be my last term on the board. But we don't need all this divisiveness.''