DOBBINS HEIGHTS — There’s a bitter feeling brewing in Dobbins Heights as the town reels from the decision from the Richmond County Board of Commissioners’ vote in April to change to an ad valorem sales tax distribution method, which is estimated to cost the town about $160,000 annually based on the distribution of sales taxes in fiscal year 2018-2019.
The Town Council unanimously approved their resolution, passed in an informal vote on April 28, calling for the county to return to a per capita sales tax distribution method and instead raise the county tax rate to offset the county’s budget shortfall. This resolution mirrored those passed by the county’s five other municipalities who were all left in the dark as the county considered this decision for at least seven months.
Dobbins Heights’ budget talks will resume next week to determine what cuts will be made. Tax Collector Reba Dille said the preliminary discussions have shown the town may have to increase the tax rate by $0.10, as Hamlet did this week, and reduce trash pick up to once a week, among other cuts.
The town’s pool, which is currently closed indefinitely due to COVID-19, may not open at all because of the loss of revenue caused by the change to ad valorem, according to Mayor Pro Tem Tyre Holloway.
Mayor Antonio Blue took issue with Chairman Kenneth Robinette’s statement in his letter to the Daily Journal in which he urged the municipalities to “move forward like Raiders on Friday night, not as naysayers on Monday morning.” Robinette’s letter came after the Board of Commissioners approved a motion by Commissioner Rick Watkins to seek a third-party review of the issue of taxation in Richmond County. This review which would include the impacts on all municipalities and would be completed by Feb. 1, 2021. Commissioner Tavares Bostic seconded the motion and said the commissioners have to be “intentional” about improving the relationship with the municipalities.
“The thing of it is: they’re talking about us working together now, but what about before now?” Blue retorted. “You chose not to work with us before now.”
Blue argued that Dobbins Heights hasn’t received any help from the county in recovering from its poor financial standing in 2008, when it was in debt to Hamlet and had other deficiencies. He touted the town’s improvements in the tax collection rate, renovations to the basketball court and the new community center as being done without county help.
“I feel like you didn’t help us get where we are to become financially solvent but now you want to take from us to help you out of your crunch,” Blue said. “My recommendation is tell your friends, tell your neighbors, call the county commissioners, call the county manager and tell them how you feel because right now you’re talking about us cutting over $100,000 out of our budget.”
In response to the county’s justification for this change — where they cited new expenses offloaded by Rockingham and Hamlet last year without telling the county — the Dobbins Heights council pointed to the lack of notice the county gave before discontinuing the funds they were receiving to help with running their pool. Each year, the town was budgeting at least $4,000 to run the pool for years (which grew to $5,400 in the last two years of it being allocated) which would be provided by the county. But then in 2015, after Dobbins Heights had already budgeted it, the county told them they would not be receiving it, according to Holloway.
The town did not get an explanation until 2018 when they, together with Hoffman officials, spoke at a the public forum in a commissioners’ meeting. It was here that they learned the county had denied them because they didn’t have any organized recreational sports at the park, according to Blue.
“I don’t see how they could not communicate with the municipalities, it’s like we don’t exist in their world,” said Councilwoman Mary Ann Gibson.
Dobbins Heights resident and previous candidate for town council Edward Tender expressed concern over the impact this could have on the town’s youth.
“If these little children don’t have a park to play in, they’ve got a jail over there!” Tender said.
Holloway said that the cuts the town will have to make will be to services that their residents depend on.
“We’ve just got to clamp down, take care of our village and we’ve just got to keep praying and working for the best outcomes,” he said. ”As citizens and council of the Town of Dobbins Heights I pledge to you that we’re going to keep taking care of our business and we’re going to do right right by our citizens.”
