Chatham County Online

Back to school time means it's time to re-link your grocery cards to benefit the local schools. I'm posting here instead of in the Schools section so that everyone, even if you don't have kids in school, links your card - it take a minute or two of your time, but benefits the schools all year long. I couldn’t find the other CCS schools. My kids are grown and gone, so I linked to Virginia Cross Elementary – they are a low-income school that doesn’t have the resources for a lot of financial support from parents.

http://www.harristeeter.com/community/together_in_education/link_to_your_school.aspx

7129    VIRGINIA CROSS ELEMENTARY
1769    PERRY HARRISON SCHOOL PTA
2435 NORTH CHATHAM SCHOOL
5044 NORTHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL PTSA
5413 HORTON MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA
5925 MONCURE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6133    PITTSBORO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6262 SILK HOPE SCHOOL
7459    CHATHAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
7862    J.S. WATERS SCHOOL
8548    MARGARET B. POLLARD MIDDLE SCHOOL

This topic has been moved to Chatham Community Calendar.

http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php?topic=34665.0

To Whom This May Concern

A gravestone marks naught but those that have given their lives.  It does not stand for any causes.  It only recognizes one thing: loss of human life.  We all know this, in our heart of hearts.  We all know that in the course of waging war, it is almost always the poor and destitute who are charged with lunging into the fray of death and pain.

It is the truth of all those who served, and so it is with those who died as Confederate soldiers.  Men, both young and old, sacrificed their lives in what they perceived as defending their homeland.  Though they were on the wrong side of history, the vast majority did not own another human being.  If there is any truth on this Earth, it is that the rich and powerful declare the war while the poor are the ones who ultimately pay for it.  For many of them, there is no gravestone. For their bodies were burned or buried alongside of those they fought.  All that stands to remember them are the monuments that most people simply walk by without a second glance.

Monuments that stand in town squares here in the southeastern US represent the loss of human life, first and foremost.  They remind us that war has a cost.  They also remind us that not every cause is just.  But lest we forget, the survivors of the Civil War had sons that fought in the Spanish American War.  Their grandsons fought in the First World War.  Their great grandsons fought in the Second World War.  Their great great grandsons fought in Vietnam.

It can be said that for the most part, America is gracious in victory.  We allow our enemies to collect and bury their dead.  We allow them to honor those dead.  We often rebuild that which we destroy.  Despite all the horrible and tumultuous wars, no matter how terrible our enemies are, we still respect the sacrifice of their combatants.  Except when it comes to the Civil War.  Slavery has been abolished.  Those who fought and died in the bloodiest American conflict since our founding are long gone.  We have little left to remember them by but we can learn from their mistakes.

Let the monuments stand as a reminder of how terrible war can be.  Let them stand as a reminder that unless we love and care for one another as fellow human beings, the consequence just might be death and destruction.  For those who try to sweep history under the rug are often doomed to repeat it.  There is a pervasive hunger for violence against those who hold different views.  The espousing of unpopular ideas is being considered the same as violence and actual violence has become the accepted response.

Let us pray to whatever deity guides us, or look within ourselves, to find the tolerance we so desperately need.  

Durham Protestors just tore down a Confederate statue on public property.  The girl in the video should sing up for Glow Wresting with all this fake pushes and kicks to a metal statue ~ chuckle

Let me preface this with the statement that I support the rights of property owners. If it is mine I want to control what happens.

That said, I heard that Oakleaf is moving to Carrboro due to a jump in rent. They got an extension through this year and will be pulling out in 2018. Word is that the rent doubled. I hate to see this restaurant leave Pittsboro. It drew folks to town who probably would not have come anyway.It was a boost to the area to have such fine dining in Pittsboro. Most businesses want that Chapel Hill address even though they are not even close to CH. Guess one will have to travel to other cities again to celebrate big events.

  At least, I am finally seeing work being done at the new Postal Fish restaurant. Perhaps it can fill the void.

Heads up on upcoming paving projects in Chatham Co. 15-501 between C. Hill/PBO is a no win lately for escaping the NC orange barrel state flag

http://www.wral.com/35-miles-of-highway-to-be-resurfaced-in-chatham-county/16852992/

Couldn't believe today near Briar Chapel had dude standing in middle of 15-501 highway with nothing but his fist to signal for traffic to stop. NO slow/stop sign. He came close to being road kill. WT? Had an orange hat on, which blended in perfectly with all the orange barrels

Body of missing Chatham teen Boone Cummins found in Sugar Lake
http://chathamjournal.com/2017/07/25/body-boone-cummins-found-sugar-lake/



Pittsboro, NC – The body of a teen who was reported missing near Sugar Lake in Pittsboro since last Wednesday has been found. The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office reported that Gabriel “Boone” Cummins was found dead in Sugar Lake early Tuesday morning shortly after 1 a.m. Authorities said the unofficial cause of death appears to be drowning.

Authorities had suspended their search of the lake around 2 p.m.on Friday afternoon because of plummeting water temperatures and zero visibility at 40 feet below the water’s surface. The lake floor is littered with old machinery and other hazardous debris that pose safety concerns for divers.

Authorities resumed their search on Monday after the Sherills Ford Fire Department in Catawba County offered to use its remote operated vehicle. These remote controlled devices are capable of performing searches that are too dangerous for human rescuers. A search and rescue team used the robotic vehicle to recover the body of a missing 18-year-old from the Chatham County lake.

Boone’s body was transported to the state medical examiner’s office to determine an official cause of death.

I hope it is still too cold in the winter for Burmese pythons to get established here.



Here's another article & photo.



http://wncn.com/2017/07/24/python-captured-at-chatham-county-storage-facility/

Chatham County’s 2017 tax bills mailed in mid-July
http://chathamjournal.com/2017/07/10/chatham-countys-2017-tax-bills-mailed-mid-july/

Pittsboro, NC —Chatham County residents can expect to receive their 2017 property tax bills any day now, according to Chatham County Tax Administrator Kep Kepley. The deadline to pay 2017 property taxes without penalty is January 5, 2018.

The 2017-18 tax rate is .6281 cents, which is slightly lower than last year’s rate.  The decrease is due to Commissioners lowering the rate to reflect the 2017 revaluation of all property.

County Manager Renee Paschal said that due to revaluation, the adopted tax rate approved in June will affect each property owner differently. “Those who saw no change or decreases in property valuation will see a lower tax bill than last year.  However, when revaluation led to an increased property value, that property owner could have a higher tax bill than last year, even with a lower property tax rate.”

Kepley said that it is important for taxpayers to carefully review their tax bills after receiving them. If they identify problems or do not receive their tax bills by August 30, contact the Tax Office as soon as possible at (919) 542-8250 or (919) 542-8260.

In some cases, taxpayers will receive one bill covering both real estate and personal property (such as a boat or mobile home), while some will receive separate bills for different types of properties. It will not include motor vehicles, which are billed by the NC Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as part of registration renewals.

For residents living outside incorporated towns that offer municipal waste collection, the county property tax bill includes the county’s annual Solid Waste Fee. The county allows an exemption from the fee when a residence is not habitable or it has been vacant for more than two years.

To be eligible for the solid waste fee exemption, taxpayers must file an application with Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling by January 5, 2018. Waste fees will not be waived if applications are received after this date. An insert in the tax bills explains the services provided for fee.

The deadline to appeal real estate property tax values has already passed, but taxpayers may appeal the value, location or taxability of personal property within thirty days of the date posted on the tax bill. Personal property includes airplanes, boats and motors, mobile homes, unlicensed vehicles, or business personal property.

“It is important for people to know that deadlines to appeal real and personal property values are set by state law and are not negotiable at the county level,” Kepley said.

Taxpayers are billed for any personal property they owned as of January 1, 2017. “If you owned a boat on January 1 of this year and sold it the next month, you still owe the full year of personal property taxes for that boat,” said Kepley.

Real estate property taxes also are billed based on January 1, 2017 ownership. However, if the property is sold a few months later, the attorney handling the closing usually requires the seller to pay a prorated share of taxes, with the buyer paying the remaining balance. “We strongly encourage the seller to send the property’s 2017 tax bill to the new owners immediately to avoid problems with delinquent taxes,” Kepley said.

The Tax Office offers several methods to pay taxes, including the chance to pay in installments. The public can pay taxes in partial payments by either mailing them to P.O. Box 697, Pittsboro, NC 27312 or by visiting the Tax Office in Pittsboro in the Courthouse Annex. If making a partial payment, please include your tax ID account number found on your tax bill on all payments.

“It is very important for customers wishing to pay in installments to begin as soon as they receive their tax bill and not wait until December or when the bill becomes past due,” said Kepley. The Tax Collector’s staff will begin reviewing accounts in January and will begin enforcement procedures earlier than in the past.

For more information on tax payment options, including payment by credit card, e-check or bank draft, contact the Tax Collections Office at 919-542-8260 or visit the following website: www.chathamnc.org/index.saspx?page=479

Kepley reminds residents that, as of 2013, most motor vehicle property taxes are collected by the NC Division of Motor Vehicles when they bill for vehicle registration. There are some exceptions that are billed as personal property.