The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

June 20, 2012

Pinetops employees get 3 percent raise

FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Calvin Adkins

TARBORO — PINETOPS — Town employees and the board of commissioners were given a 3 percent raise while the majority of fees and the tax rates remained the same in the 2012-2013 budget that was passed last month.

The budget reflects a $300,000 reduction compared to last fiscal year for the town of approximately 1,358 people. Most of the reduction stemmed from the result of more than $200,000 used last fiscal year to recover from Hurricane Irene. The general fund total dropped significantly — from $1,377,536 to $1,029,895.

Pinetops Town Manager Gregory Bethea's goal for the budget was listed as:

• To keep property taxes as low as possible

• To provide resources for a sustained and aggressive response to crime

• To focus resources on reducing the long-term cost of town services with the use of competent employees and contractors , and the most appropriate tools and technologies

• To develop and maintain a small, extremely capable and competitively compensated town workforce

Perhaps the only downer in the budget was the fact water and sewer rates increased by 6.5 percent and was the only fee increase.

"It has been our goal to increase water and sewer rates yearly to keep up the town's investments in water and sewer lines and plants," Bethea wrote in the budget proposal. "By increasing rates regularly with small increases, we reduce the need for large increases."

Electric rates, which are the largest revenue producers for the town, and garbage rates, did not increase. However, Bethea's proposal suggested that there could be a $2 monthly increase in garbage fees next fiscal year to absorb an increase that was handed down to the town by the county.

Bethea reported there will not be a tax rate increase do in part of the town's recent improved collection rate. In 2010 $11,153 in taxes were collected compared to $23,723 last year. So far this year the town has already collected $,429 in taxes.

"We need to continue to be diligent to operate in a manner in such that we can avoid a tax rate increase in which we did this year," Cobb said. "But it doesn't mean that we can do it every year.

The town administrator also reported an increase in utility collection fees by $20,000 monthly.

Pinetops Mayor J. Vines Cobb didn't have any complaint with the budget.

"We didn't have any major issues and there were not many changes," he said. "Everything is running about the same so I'm satisfied with it."

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