The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-01-31
COURTHOUSE
Continued from Page One)

county's history.
Next week the appraisers from
New Jersey will set in to complete
the valuation in the town of Man
teo. It's going to be a glorious
Pile: To replace this Board of Com
missioners this year, if they can
set down to nibble on a $50, 1000, 900
cake instead of the $18 million
dollar one they now have. 1t may
mean they can spend a half mil
lion dollars next year instead of
the more than quarter million
they are spending this year. 1t
may mean that the citizens will
pay twice as much taxes, and it is
our guess there are going to be
some painful bowls from the peo-
pie before it is through. However,
there is only one hope for the peo-
pie: To rplace this Board of Com
missioners and get them out by
December 1, before they have time
to spend it all. It's going to be too
late if the people of Dare County
wait many weeks longer before
taking steps to safeguard their in
terestS.
We expect lot of trouble about
this method of valuation. TyrreI
County tried it two years ago, and
one gets a dismal picture of results
from Tyrrell where the peoples
property jumped from four mil
lions to IL millions. While small
reduction in rate resulted, this
newspaper is advised by reliable
men who served on the Tyrrell
committee which attempted to SUI
pervise this work, that the job
was completely repudiated by ev-
cry member of the committee, al
though tn county had paid many
thousands for it. :
One of the most serious results
that can come from wasteful
spending, high taxes, and exhorbi-
tant valuations in any event is the
effect upon prospective investors.
AS all of us know, lands sold to
visitors have brought tremendous
profits to real estate men. The
building of houses has given much
employment at home to our peo-
pie, and the trade from all of the
activity has meant a great deal to
the merchants. The taxes from
property developed has been a god
send to our people, and God knows
what the citizens would have had
to pay, or how well they would be
faring, if these outsiders didn't pay.
three-fourths of our taxes already.
This is fact. And these people by
paying taxes, support our schools,
our county government, our well
fare subjects, yet none of them
have children here in school, nor
burden for the welfare department.
We would like to give the full
figures, but it is a little difficult
to get figures in Dare County
where some officials don't want
them to get out to the people. In
fact some of these servants" of
the people think they own the job
and own the people. Despite law
requiring county audits promptly
each year, the last annual audit to
be found is for the year 1866. If
one wished to be negligent, he
might, under this system, get away
with wrong-doing for year and
a half without it being known by
the people. =
A change is needed, and this
year is the only time possible to
make it as it should be done, with
out waiting four long, miserable,
and expensive years, while we
watch our taxes grow, our income
and employment by investors driv-
en- away, and our whole county GO
ing backward from the fine posi-
ton which so many helpful friends
had been able to achieve for it in
the past 30 years before the waste
full and greedy took over.