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Town's $1,610,250 budget and moved to appropriate the funds to cover
the expenses. The budget holds the line on any increases with the real
estate tax rate remaining at 19 cents per $100 assessed value, personal
property tax staying at $1.68 per $100 value and machinery and tool tax
rate at 40 cents per $100. The lodging tax rate also remains at 3.5
percent with the meals tax set at three percent.
No increases for in-town or out-of-town water and sewer customers are
included in the approved budget which shows an overall increase of 5.81
percent in the general fund.
Also on Tuesday night Council voted unanimously to continue its
curbside recycling effort which has been on-going in the Town since
1991. However, with the closure this month of Recycling Works which has
collected the recycled materials over the past five years the Town is
considering the most economical way to continue the service and
hopefully expand participation in the program. After much discussion
Council asked that Town Manager Carl Espy and the Finance panel headed
by Phil Hollis look for the most economical way of securing the needed
equipment and the number of man hours needed from Town employees to
carry out the work. Finance members and Espy will bring back a
recommendation to Council in the near future.
Council also approved a request from Halifax Dixie Youth District 2
Director Emmett Edmonds to use the public address system during the
upcoming minor league tournament which Halifax will host beginning on
Friday, June 29 and lasting through July 4, 2007 at the field at
Halifax Elementary School. Edmonds said the games are scheduled to
begin at 6 and 8 p.m. and generally last no longer than two hours.
Members also scheduled two public hearings for their upcoming July 10
meeting, the first on the adoption of the Town's Comprehensive Plan and
the second on a request from Halifax Counseling Center, PLC for a
special use permit which will allow the business to have home
occupation in a residential zone.
Council also decided to hold no regular meeting during the month of
August, but added they will meet, if necessary, for a special called
meeting.
In response to a request from Councilman Jack Dunavant to bring suit
against Norfolk and Southern Railway for blocking traffic by stopping a
train on the tracks at the southern end of the town for more than 15
minutes recently, Council voted to send the company a certified letter,
asking that they be notified in advance of any time that such a
hindrance might occur. Council pointed to the state code that says
blocking the tracks for more than a five minute period is unlawful and
asked that the company respond to the notification since traffic was
backed up for miles in both directions.