Whalehead District tax hike

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FROM THE DAILY ADVANCE

Currituck eyes tax hike for Whalehead district


By Cindy Beamon

The Daily Advance

Monday, June 6, 2011

A new drainage system in Whalehead has not been tested yet by a major
storm, but county officials are hoping it will prevent standing water
from lingering for months if a northeaster or a hurricane hits in the
future.
In the meantime, more work appears ahead for extending the drainage system in the flood-prone neighborhood.
The Whalehead subdivision has a history of drainage issues during major
storms. Rain from Tropical Storm Ida in 2009 stood for months in the
Outer Banks neighborhood.
Hurricane Ernesto a few years earlier was even worse. Widespread
flooding submerged parts of the resort community for two weeks and flood
waters were slow in receding.
Since then, the county has installed a system of pipes and pumps
designed to draw down the water table so that rain water can drain
through the sand.
County Engineer Eric Weatherly said the new system will not keep the
subdivision from flooding during major storms, but it should help get
stormwater out faster.
With the first phase of the project at the south end of Whalehead near
completion and Phase II at the north end ready to begin, the county is
now turning to Whalehead residents for feedback on plans to fund the
next step. The county has proposed a 5-cent increase in stormwater
district tax rate to fund the $3.3 million Phase III at the
subdivision’s center.
Whalehead property owners pay 4 cents per $100 valuation already; the
proposed increase would raise the rate to 9 cents per $100 valuation. An
additional 1.5 cents has also been proposed for door-to-door trash
pickup, bringing the total proposed tax for Whalehead property owners to
10.5 cents per $100 valuation.
The county has asked property owners to fill out a survey about the proposed tax increase. A public hearing is set for June 20.
The proposal has already gained the support of the Whalehead Property
Owners Association. In a letter to members, president Ron Harman said
the tax increases are “the best solutions to our chronic problems.”
The existing stormwater tax will cover the cost for the first two phases of the project.
The county is close to finishing the $1.75 million first phase at the
southern end of the subdivision on Corolla Drive from Albacore to Coral
streets. The contractor is still working to correct problems with
pumping capacity for the system, but officials expect the project will
be completed later this summer.
Weatherly said the new system has yet to be tested with a heavy rain.
“We really haven’t had any more than nuisance rains ... not enough to test the system yet,” he said.
Funds from the stormwater district are also available for the next $1.4
million phase of the project at the northern end of Whalehead
subdivision. The project would extend the system to the Barracuda Street
basin with a pump to the Corolla Light pond.
Construction for the second phase is scheduled to begin in November with an estimated completion date of May 2012.
Using funds from the tax hike, the third phase would extend the system to Whalehead’s center at Mackerel and Herring streets.