Pender Co. commissioners approve 17-cent tax hike

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — After months of meetings and high tensions, Pender County commissioners are moving forward with a 17-cent property tax increase.

While some residents are still not happy about it, others are praising the decision. It took six meetings and several debates, but with a 3-2 vote commissioners finally passed the 2015-2016 budget, which includes the hike.

“I’ve never been involved in this 11th hour waiting to pass a budget like this,” Commission Chair David Williams said.

Williams said at their first meeting this week, Commissioner George Brown made a motion to pass the budget, but he didn’t get a second.

“I even offered to resign as chair in order to put someone else in the chair, so I could second a motion,” Williams said.

Commissioner Fred McCoy said he was originally with the residents who did not want a tax increase.

“I’ve never dreamed about raising taxes,” McCoy said. “My taxes are going up too. All of our taxes are going up. Mine are going to go up 300 or 400 dollars, I’m sure.”

McCoy said after some soul searching he came back to the second meeting with a second motion.

“We’ve got to realize the future of the county and the growth that we’re going to have here,” McCoy said.

Pender County parent Susan Croom said she supports the decision because 11 cents of the increase will go to the school bond referendum that voters passed last year.

“I know it was difficult for him, but I’m glad that he thought about the children first,” Croom said.

Croom said the increase will be worth it.

“Well nobody wants a tax increase,” Croom said. “I mean that’s obvious. None of us want to pay more, but with the school system the way that it is and the schools the way they are, it was inevitable. We had to.”

Commissioners said it’s been almost a decade since the county has seen a tax increase. The fiscal year starts July 1.