Kick-flipping...

School board member Gerald Totten, who for the past year has served as a liaison between his board and the county Board of Commissioners, stepped down from that role Monday, though he will continue to serve as a member of the school board.

Totten’s decision came one week after Totten and School Superintendent Robert Logan clashed at a school board meeting over an online post Totten made regarding several budgetary matters.

On Monday, Totten said he could no longer serve as a liaison between the two boards, though he said his role as liaison had been successful.

While acting as liaison, Totten said “there was a free flow of information between the two boards in a timely fashion.”

But Totten said he is no longer able to provide such information because of what he said is a “draconian decision” by Logan regarding the dissemination of information.

“Board of Education members can no longer communicate directly with appropriate central school office administrators but must request information only through the superintendent,” Totten told commissioners Monday. “He, in turn, will answer the request in due time. That draconian decision by the superintendent was announced after a request for certain public information was made concerning lottery proceeds and actual uses of funds entrusted to the school system.”

Totten is not alleging any misappropriation of school funds but said some funds have been “moved around and I liken that to a game of three card Monte.”

“Misappropriation is not the question but additions and movement of money between and among funds, while your books balance, internal documents raise questions as to how and why some of them happened,” said Totten.

Totten added he “cannot be a party to such possible chicanery nor do I have the confidence in the information or its timeliness which I receive in response to inquiries of school staff.

“Accordingly,” Totten continued, “this is my last meeting as the liaison between the two boards. The effort is no longer worthy of my placing my honor or integrity on the line.”

County commissioners reluctantly accepted Totten’s decision, but also asked him to reconsider.

Commissioners chairman George Lucier said Totten’s service as liaison between the boards had worked “very, very well” and helped create what he said was the “best working relationship between the two boards … at least since I’ve been following Chatham County issues.”

more- See Thursday, JAugust 7,  2008 paper: Vol 88, No.35

Chatham County’s Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) to begin construction of the initial phase of a multi-purpose county park in the northeastern part of the county. Chatham County received the full amount requested and the maximum award provided by PARTF.

The 66-acre park is located on Big Woods Road on land that had been owned by the Eugene Grace family. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners provided matching funds through a new park facilities capital reserve.

“Being able to start work on the park is a dream come true. I am so excited for the residents because it means that we can take a major step forward in providing facilities that they have wanted and needed for a long time,” said Tracy Burnett, director of Parks and Recreation.

County Commissioner Chair George Lucier said that “we have such a tremendous backlog of needs for recreational facilities, especially in this part of the county where we had so much growth. We are very thankful to PARTF for giving us the funds to move forward.”

Burnett said that the park will be a place where people can go to relax and do things that they enjoy. “We all need somewhere to go to unwind and get away from everyday stresses. The park will provide an opportunity to go to a truly beautiful place to enjoy nature, sports, family outings, picnics or whatever they do in their leisure time.”

Construction is not likely to begin until late spring of 2009 since state funds are not available immediately and some additional studies of the property are underway. “If we can begin grading work by late spring, the park should be open to the public in the spring of 2010,” Burnett said.

The initial phase of construction is expected to include a baseball field, multi-purpose field (which can be used for soccer and football practices), concession center with restrooms, picnic shelter, ¼-mile walking trail, playground, parking area, entry road and utilities. However, some adjustments may be made based on additional studies of the 66-acre property and the availability of funds

more- See Thursday, August 7,  2008 paper: Vol 88, No.35

Chatham County residents can expect to receive their 2008 county tax bills within the next couple of weeks.

Tax bills were mailed on August 4, said Chatham County Tax Administrator Tina Stone.

The current tax rate is 65.3 cents per $100 valuation, an increase of 3.6 cents from last year.

Approximately 58 percent of the tax increase will be used for school needs and to create a capital reserve fund for park facilities, while the rest will be used for general county programs and personnel.

“We would prefer not to have any tax increase at all,” said George Lucier, chair of the Board of Commissioners. “However, we did not see a way to further reduce the budget without hurting important programs and services.”

Lucier added that other local governments across the state also have been impacted by the economic situation, but “this is often the time that we see an increased demand for certain services. It is a difficult dilemma for elected officials.”

Stone said that it is important for taxpayers to carefully review their tax bills after receiving them. If they identify problems or have questions, they should contact the Tax Office as soon as possible at 919-542-8250.  In some cases, taxpayers will receive one bill covering both real estate property and personal property (such as a boat or mobile home), while some will receive separate bills for different properties. 

For residents living outside incorporated towns, which have their own municipal waste collection, the county property tax bill includes the county’s annual Solid Waste Fee. The fee was increased by $10 (or 8 percent) per residence to accumulate funds to build a new waste and recycling center. Information on services from Chatham County’s Waste Management Department is included in the tax bill mailing.

Officials may soon determine charges regarding an April car accident in which a local teenager lost her life.

On Monday, the Siler City Police Department (SCPD) released new information stemming from the State Highway Patrol’s investigation.

On April 26, Ashley Pyrtle, 18, of Siler City, was killed in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of North Dogwood Avenue and West Eighth Street in Siler City.

According to an SCPD report, officers from the State Highway Patrol’s reconstruction division determined the speed of both vehicles at the time of the crash.

Officials estimated Taylor Nicole Roper, 17, who was traveling south on North Dogwood Avenue, was driving approximately 76 miles per hour while Michael Hagan Pore, 18, who was traveling north on North Dogwood Avenue and turning onto West Eighth Street, was driving approximately 21 miles per hour.