The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1959-07-10
DISTRICT
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high taxes imposed. Last year, the
tax in the district was alike on al
people, ten cents. This year it has
been cut to less than one-thiTd ir
half the area, and raised two and a
half times on the rest of it, namely
Mays Head and Kitty Hawk.
There is also opposition to con-
tinuance of the district from some
officials of Dare county which has
had to carry the burden of COM
putting the taxes, collecting, them,
and turning them over to the dis
trict. This expense has cost citi-
zens at large in the county an esti-
mated several thousand dollars,
none of which has been returned
to the county.
Resentment further grows to-
ward the district among its citi-
zens, because after having dis
carded the three nominees in the
1858 primary, they wrote in names
of other candidates on whose part
assurance had been given they
w ould, if elected, assist in
abolishing the district, with its
waste and high taxes. On gaining
control, having been elected, the
new Commissioners set out on a
program of spending money, and
have disregarded all pleas of the
district opponents, to wait until the
issue is decided.
The opinion is now rather wide
ly accepted that in order to achieve
the benefits for which the district
was created, it will be necessary to
go about these detectives in some
other way. Ten years ago, the
beaches became disturbed of the
possibility of the early scarcity of
water supply, and small number
of progressive minded citizen were
instrumental in establishing the
district, at that time as the only
means whereby some 100000 in
"free" Federal money might be
obtained, plus smaller bond is
sue to be financed through local
district taxes.
After some delay while the dis
trict was being set up, and some
preliminary surveying and engi-
neering done, an election was held.
Sufficient citizens lacked conf
dence in the proposal to carry it at
the polls.
But the District continued to
drag along for some years, mean
while taxes were collected. The
great trouble with the district has
been it's lack of public relations.
It has had honest men in charge
of it, but they did not have the
time, or didn't take the time to
keep the public fully posted. When
opposition to any part of the pro-
gram developed, it got so much
Roadway that last minute efforts
by the Board to explain, could not
overcome the long adverse start.
An ill-advised effort was made
a second time in 1858 to carry a
bond issue called "a million dol
lar blank check" by its opponents.
Despite the worth and the need
of the cause, only the most politi-
cally inept could have hoped for
it's success at the time the cleo
ton was held. 1t was launched at
the worst time possible; for prop
erty owners and citizens in general
were seething over the unfair
revaluation program carried on by
the County Board. On top of this
was the fact that the citizens OF
both Kitty Hawk and Mays Head
as we'll as Kill Devil Hills hao
just voted on themselves a school
tax to construct new buildings, anG
they felt that as a result of the
unreasonable valuation, the addeC
burden would be more than they
could bear.
With the last election having
failed so overwhelmingly, the citi
zens have come to the conclusion
that there would be no chance il
ten years to carry such an election
which was the prime purpose il
creating the district-to build {
water system. They now say it j!
foolish to maintain any longer, &
district body of officials who have
a freehand in levying taxes ant
spending other peoples money anc
against the will of the majority Of
the people.