NEWS
SPORTS
OBITUARIES
OPINION
COLUMNS
Outdoors
CLASSIFIEDS
OPINION
State law allows counties to redistribute portions of the rebated sales
tax to incorporated municipalities based on a formula using population or ad
valorum rates.
Until last year,
This decision was a boon for Onslow’s smaller coastal towns such as
portions of
Because these towns boarder either the
While the property revaluation was considered by most water related
property owners to be a heavy burden, using the new ad valorum rates in the
calculation for distribution of sales tax benefited the coastal towns most
impacted by the new values.
With only one year of sales tax distribution under this method, Onslow
commissioners are seriously considering reverting back to a formula using
population as the bases.
This of course will benefit
While we can appreciate the excitement that the city of
Whatever the reason, Onslow commissioners need to explain why this change
was made for only one year.
Considering the anticipated growth of area due to the addition of 9,000
plus Marines, there is no question
But to seriously consider this change with only one year of experience
fails to give the process time to work and it plays havoc with the budgets of
small towns that can ill afford sudden changes in financial sources.
If the county is set to revert to a distribution based on population, the
county should give notice at least one year and preferably two years in advance
so that the towns impacted can plan.
Any sudden adjustment this year on the part of the Onslow commissioners
is indicative of insensitivity or bad planning, or maybe both.
Slow
and steady
Last week the planning board, staff and developers met in a workshop to
begin the arduous task of hammering out a development agreement.
Development agreements are a relatively new concept in
Since this is the county’s first attempt at such a venture prudence
should take the lead.
Development agreements can be a virtue or a vice depending how they are
used.
The advantage to such an agreement is that it allows the planning board
and staff more latitude and creative ways in applying its ordinances as long as
they remain consistent with the county’s land use plan. The county can also
use this agreement to negotiate items such as contributions towards school
construction, thus circumventing the illegal practice of impact fees.
For the developer building a large community that takes a lengthy build
out time, the advantages of such an agreement comes in the form of having local
ordinances locked in without fear of change throughout the cycle of development.
Because the agreement is negotiated, the developer can also benefit from
creative use of the ordinances and can negotiate perhaps better buffers in
exchange for a per unit donation towards school construction.
While there are many advantages to this type of agreement there are also
many pitfalls. The county planning board and staff need to be vigilant in making
sure they are not compromising its planning standards for the sake of any
negotiated advantage for the county.
Because these agreements supersede the county ordinances and lock the
county into lengthy agreements, the utmost care must be taken.
While the developers of
All negotiated concessions must be haggled over with extreme care and
weighed against any perceived benefits offered.
If done correctly the planning board and staff will have laid the ground
work for a useful tool for future
Letters to the Editor
Although my numbers may not be exact, I believe them to be directionally
correct.
There are approximately 3,200 residences in North Topsail Beach (NTB).
There are approximately 800 registered voters in NTB.
Assuming that there are 1.5 registered voters per residence, the
registered voters occupy approximately 500 residences or 16 percent of the
total.
Of the 800 registered voters, no more than 600 voted in the most recent
NTB election. As for
I believe that you will agree with me that the issue of beach nourishment
is a political hot potato. The Aldermen have repeatedly cited the failure of the
bond issue as the basis for their not proceeding with beach nourishment, despite
overwhelming evidence that beach nourishment is desired by a majority of all NTB
property owners. The end is agreed upon, but not the means.
The most recent actions of the Aldermen in dissolving the Beach
Nourishment Committee, denying additional funding to the engineering firm hired
by NTB to obtain required permits, and leaving Topsail Reef residents hanging
out to dry are irrational at best.
Although the Aldermen in dissolving the committee stated they were not
dissolving the committee, only realigning its membership, I do not believe they
have taken any action to reactivate the committee. NTB had already spent $1.6
million on beach nourishment studies, now wasted. Topsail Reef had agreed to pay
one-half of the funds required to add sand to its public
beach, but the offer was rejected, because the Aldermen thought the Reef should
pay more.
Alderman Swantek is quoted in the March 26, 2008 issue of Topsail
Voice as stating that, if the Reef paid one-half of the funds required, each
owner of the Reef would only be paying $311 and that by renting their units the
owners could recoup that amount in a week. That quote speaks volumes.
The reference to “renters” really is what underlies this whole beach
nourishment issue.
Those of us who own oceanfront properties as vacation homes are
considered second-class citizens, the town and county will gladly accept our tax
monies to fund new jails, in the case of
Almost all of the commentary – either from
A decreased tax base means less revenue for all those government services
- now feeding off the oceanfront property tax stream. Eventually, NTB will be
required to unincorporate or be annexed by
The reduction in tax revenues will occur sooner rather than later. The
inability of owners to sell their properties because of beach erosion will lower
the appraised values the next time around. The lack of beach nourishment will
lower all property values, and not just those on the north end of NTB.
Buyers tend to paint with broad brushes and will not distinguish between
COBRA versus non-COBRA properties, soundside versus oceanfront, first row versus
second row.
We bought our condominium in 1984, well before NTB was incorporated. (Of
course, we could not vote on that issue either.)
It is sad to see what has become of this area. Just within our complex of
76 units, we have approximately 20 for sale, and no takers, even at
significantly reduced prices. Perhaps there are those that believe that a return
to nature is best – that a beach uncluttered with residences is the answer.
Sometimes you get what you wish for and sometimes what you wish for is not what
you wanted.
I urge each branch of government – city, county and state – to
reconsider their respective positions on beach nourishment. Time is of the
essence. Another Category 3 hurricane this summer may well mean that the time to
act has passed.
No representation for NTB taxation
As a property owner at
It has been all over the TV news but they have declined any interviews.
The non-resident owners are not allowed to vote; therefore, our voice is not
heard.
We are asking the Topsail Voice to be our voice. We have no representation for our
taxation.
Skate park a done deal
Dennis Month
Support Pender businesses
The
following is a letter I sent to Mr. Bobby Hudspeth, the principal of
I was disturbed to read in the Topsail Voice newspaper about the field
trip THS students took to Barnes & Noble in New Hanover County to select
books for their media center.
As a small business in
Now, taking these two factors into consideration, I am troubled that the
Pender schools would support an entity outside of their county. Granted, a field
trip to the Quarter Moon Bookstore on
An example may be inviting an author to speak that would be of interest
to that age group. The Quarter Moon has many resources of it's own to offer,
given the opportunity.
Let’s show some respect for the small business owners in
Lori
Fisher
(Fisher
is the owner of The Quarter Moon bookstore in
Remember the Red Cross during Fran
I am in
Does anyone recall the Red Cross set up at the
I am not saying deny aid to those in need, but, at that time, who needed
it more? Those that could go to the local grocery store and get it, or those
that had no access to any of it, for 40 miles?
When various manufacturers decided to donate a truck full of
brand new mattresses, my father was told, by the Red Cross, that they only
wanted money, just money. Of course, Dad worked it out with someone in the town
so that residents, without insurance or with limited insurance could be given
new mattresses. If he had not been the persistent type, there would have
been people that were deprived of something they truly needed, that they
could have gotten free.
The Red Cross burns me up to this day. Yes, they do many great things for
many people. Yes, they constantly are in need of blood. I just ask
you not to forget what happened with them here before.
Lisa
Stansbury
The
editorial staff at Topsail Voice reserves the right to edit all submissions for
spelling, grammar, length and clarity.