On behalf of the Halifax County Board of Commissioners, I want to respond to the rrspin.com Letter to the Editor: Questions on what the county is doing for Roanoke Rapids.
We know that taxes are a concern for everyone no matter where we live. Paying taxes is collective funding to support services for all citizens.
Starting at the top, we pay federal income tax to support the federal government for services that are important but may seem somewhat intangible: Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and national defense as the biggest ticket items.
We also pay state income tax to support our state government for services that are closer to home but may still appear remote: public and higher education, health and human services, and justice and public safety as the biggest ticket items.
All citizens who live in a county pay county property tax for county-wide services. Fortunately, for Halifax County, compared to counties like ours in Northeastern North Carolina, our property tax rate is lower than most. Halifax County’s tax rate is 70 cents per $100 of property value. Comparatively, Bertie County’s tax rate is 93 cents per $100; Edgecombe County’s tax rate is 89 cents per $100; Hertford County’s tax rate is 84 cents per $100, and Northampton County’s tax rate is 82.5 cents per $100.
Those citizens who choose to live in a municipality pay municipal property taxes to fund additional services and amenities that are available for that municipality’s citizens, and the City of Roanoke Rapids’ tax rate is among the lowest of our seven municipalities. Municipal tax rates in Halifax County are as follows: Town of Enfield – 92.7 cents per $100, Town of Halifax – 62 cents per $100, Town of Hobgood – 72 cents per $100, Town of Littleton – 69 cents per $100, City of Roanoke Rapids – 64.1 cents per $100, Town of Scotland Neck – 73 cents per $100, and Town of Weldon 72 cents per $100.
Providing funding for Court Services and our Detention Center are indeed two functions of county government; however, those services are just the tip of the iceberg. Halifax County provides a wide range of essential services that support public safety, health, infrastructure, economic growth, and quality of life for residents. Some of the primary services provided include the following:
Public safety services through the Sheriff's Office, Emergency Services, Emergency
Management, Fire Marshal, and 911 communications
Public Health services including health education, clinics, environmental health, animal control, and disease prevention
Social Services programs such as Medicaid, food & nutrition services, child and adult protective services, foster care, daycare assistance, transportation assistance, and energy assistance
Public Utilities including water, wastewater, and solid waste services
Tax Administration including property assessments, collections, and vehicle tax matters
Planning, zoning, building inspections, and code enforcement for development and land use
Parks and Recreation programs and facilities
Senior citizen services through the Council on Aging, including nutrition, transportation, and in-home support
Library services, educational resources, and community programs
Cooperative Extension programs supporting agriculture, youth development, families, and community education
Veterans Services assisting veterans and families with VA benefits and resources
Economic Development efforts focused on job creation, business recruitment and retention, and workforce development
Register of Deeds services for real estate records, birth certificates, marriage licenses,
and other legal documents
Soil and Water Conservation programs supporting farmland, natural resources, and environmental stewardship
Technology and broadband support for county operations and public services
Board of Elections services to facilitate municipal, county, state, and federal elections
Halifax County also provides local expense and capital outlay funding for our three public school systems and our community college. This year both Halifax County Schools and Weldon City Schools will open new schools through the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund (through NC Lottery proceeds) with matching funds provided by the county. Roanoke Rapids Graded School District opened the new Manning Elementary School in January 2018, and Halifax County is still paying the debt service.
By funding Trillium Health Resources, the county provides mental health services for citizens throughout the county.
Halifax County supports the eleven rural fire protection districts throughout Halifax County, as well as funding for the NC Forestry Service in our area. The county provides annual funding support for the Choanoke Public Transportation Authority and the Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport Authority.
Halifax County has established two grant programs as part of the annual budget that support non-profit and faith-based organizations who provide public purposes: Recreation Partners Program Grants and Community Grants.
Halifax County Public Utilities provides a water and wastewater system, as well as solid waste services, for many citizens in the county. These services are considered a public enterprise, an activity of a commercial nature funded by user charges rather than property taxes. Such systems are created to be self-supporting with user rates, fees, and charges covering operating and capital expenses.
Like any water system, water main breaks are an unfortunate inevitability with aging infrastructure, winter weather, and main break strikes by other contractors. The Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District operates as a separate unit of local government, providing water services in other areas of Halifax County, such as Roanoke Rapids, and portions of Northampton County.
Regarding broadband services, Halifax County has several broadband projects happening throughout the county to improve broadband services for all citizens. There are currently five sources of grant funding for broadband projects: Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) – awarded to Charter/Spectrum with no county funds, USDA ReConnect Program – awarded to AccessOn with no county funds, GREAT Grant – awarded to Roanoke Connect (ENCore) and Brightspeed with limited county matching funds provided from ARPA-enabled dollars, Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) Grant – awarded to Roanoke Connect (ENCore) and Brightspeed with no county funds, and Stop-Gap Solutions Program – awarded to Roanoke Connect (ENCore) and Brightspeed with no county funds.
The Halifax County Economic Development Commission works across Halifax County on numerous projects, especially in areas with available land and infrastructure. The US 301 Industrial Site that Governor Josh Stein recently visited is one of only 15 designated SelectSites statewide. The site was chosen by the state as a SelectSite by meeting specific program eligibility criteria, including an established price and terms for sale or lease of the property, 50+ but not more than 999 acres, zoned for industrial use, directly served by a road, and served by industrial quality power, natural gas, fiber broadband, and public water and wastewater with specific capacity.
The inclusive playground constructed in Scotland Neck was a partnership with Trillium Health Resources, and no county dollars were invested in that project.
The City of Roanoke Rapids is fortunate to have 13 parks and three recreation centers, as well as a dedicated senior center.
Halifax County worked with Trillium to determine need and available space for the inclusive playground, and it was determined that all other municipalities had relatively up-to-date playgrounds, but Scotland Neck needed a playground facility and had available municipal property on which to construct the playground.
The County Library System consists of five library branches located in Enfield, Halifax, Littleton, Scotland Neck, and Weldon. Halifax County provides the staff and equipment for these branches, and the municipalities provide the buildings and maintenance of the facilities. The City of Roanoke Rapids has always supported and maintained its own library.
Ten years after our Halifax County Recreation Master Plan and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board recommended the establishment of a countywide Parks and Recreation Department, the Commissioners voted to fund a department including hiring a Parks and Recreation Director. The department will partner with non-profit and faith-based organizations and local governments across Halifax County, including Roanoke Rapids Parks and Recreation as needed.
The 4-H Rural Life Center is a centrally located, county-owned property with more than 350 acres available for many types of recreation. The Halifax County Cooperative Extension Office wrote a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant that was awarded to fund a multi-purpose building at that site to provide accommodation for indoor programming and a rental venue.
In conclusion, Halifax County provides many essential services to support the needs of all citizens, and the Halifax County Board of Commissioners and county staff work diligently to provide these services in the most cost-effective, efficient, and effective ways possible.
Vernon J. Bryant
Chairman, Halifax County Board of Commissioners