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General News

General News

Pender County Animal Shelter Offers Free Rabies Vaccinations for Dogs and Cats in April

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. — Rabies, a serious disease transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, poses a significant risk to both animals and humans. The virus can also spread if infected saliva or tissue from the brain or spinal cord enters broken skin, the mouth, nose, or eyes.

To combat the spread of rabies and promote public health, Pender County Animal Shelter is offering free rabies shots for dogs and cats over three months of age throughout the month of April. This vaccination initiative is exclusively available to Pender County residents.

Owners of multiple pets are encouraged to streamline their visit by pre-registering via email. They can send completed registration forms to Animalshelter@pendercountync.gov.

This campaign underscores the county’s commitment to protecting both residents and their beloved animals from the dangers of rabies.

For more information and registration forms, please visit the Pender County Animal Shelter website or contact: 910-259-1484.

Pender County Animal Shelter is open Monday – Friday 9:00 am – noon; 1:00pm – 4:30pm and Saturday and Sunday noon – 4:00 pm and is located at 33280 New Savannah Road in Burgaw.

Pender County Tax Appraisers Conducting Fieldwork in Your Area for Precise Property Assessments

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. — Pender County tax appraisers are continuing fieldwork in your area. Each on-site visit for tax appraisal typically lasts only a few minutes, averaging between 10 and 15 minutes per visit. Appraisers play a crucial role in ensuring fair and precise property assessments, as the State of North Carolina requires all 100 counties to conduct reappraisals of real property at least once every eight years, per NCGS 105-286.

Real property encompasses land, buildings, structures, and improvements. Appraisers are easily identifiable by their county ID, with vehicles displaying a magnet featuring the county logo and field Appraiser information, along with high-visibility vests adorned with the county logo.

The appraiser’s initial effort involves contacting the property owner and then leaving a red door hanger to communicate the purpose of their visit. Appraisers meticulously document the property’s building’s physical characteristics and conditions, noting any additions or deletions since their last visit. Measuring the exterior walls is a crucial component of this process. Furthermore, they are currently in the field verifying all measurements and other pertinent data affecting the property, ensuring that all changes are accurately recorded. Given that changes may have occurred since the last reappraisal in 2019, this thorough verification process is essential for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the property assessment.

Appraisers capture photographs during their assessment, photographing the home and any outbuildings while navigating the property. As part of the process, they ensure they take at least two photos from varying angles of each structure for comprehensive documentation. Field visits will be conducted exclusively from the exterior of the property.

The Tax Office will provide updates regarding appraisers’ subsequent locations to keep you informed. If you have any concerns or feel uncomfortable, please don’t hesitate to contact the Tax Assessment office at 910-259-1221.

The Tax Office relies on residents to notify them of any issues or concerns, as they can only address them when made aware. Feedback is considered essential for them to effectively address any occurring matters.

We appreciate your cooperation during this process.

Complete, Columbia Township.

Complete, Canetuck Township.

Complete March 11, 2024, Caswell area.

Beginning March 25, 2024, appraisers will be in the Grady Township Area & inside the Town limits of Atkinson.

Will begin in Union Township area, to include Watha and Wallace by week’s end (April 12, 2024).

PENDER COUNTY ‘VERY CONFIDENT’ THAT PRIMARY ELECTION WAS ADMINISTERED APPROPRIATELY DESPITE LATE REPORT

PENDER COUNTY, NC – On Primary Day, in Pender County all precincts opened on time and voters were able to cast their ballots. “Our most important job is to ensure that every voter’s votes are counted, and that elections in Pender County are administered in accordance with state law. Ensuring the integrity of the election results is more important than reporting results quickly,” said Pender County Elections Director Greg Jackson.

When Jackson learned early Tuesday morning that computers and printers at some precincts were not functioning properly, he immediately moved to put contingency plans in place to conduct the election.

“We are required to have these plans in place and to train precinct officials on how to implement contingency plans. We always hope that we don’t need to use our contingency plans, but yesterday we did. I am proud of the work that our elections officials did to ensure the integrity of the Primary Election in Pender County in the face of unexpected technical difficulties,” Jackson added.

The Pender County Board of Elections is made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. Carol Ann Johnson a Democratic appointee, and board chair “It is the solemn duty of the members of the Board of Elections to oversee the County elections staff and all precinct officials, and to ensure that every vote is appropriately counted.” She added, “We don’t need to wait for the dust to settle on this election, as every vote was counted properly.”

In total, 10,506 ballots were cast in the Primary Election in Pender County across 18 precincts in the County, including early voting. The results are unofficial until the Pender County Board of Elections completes the ballot canvass later this month. Those results will be certified to the State Board of Elections.

Pender County was the last County in the State to report results on Primary Day, but County officials are very confident that the election was administered appropriately despite the timing of the results being reported. A State Board of Elections official was in Pender County on Primary Day and observed and assisted Pender County officials with election processes.

SFEA Honors Pender County Events with 2024 Kaleidoscope Awards

BURGAW – Six Pender County events and festivals received recognition from the Southeast Festival and Events Association’s annual Kaleidoscope Awards.  The Kaleidoscope Awards spotlight the best and the brightest in the Southeastern United States Events and Festivals industry as a part of the SFEA Conference hosted by Jekyll Island this year.

“Every year, the ideas presented in the Kaleidoscope Awards applications get more creative, the initiatives submitted get more innovative and inclusive, the competition gets stiffer, and pool of incredible events spreads across the region. A rising tide lifts all boats, and we’re all headed up!” said Jamie McCormick, Operations Manager for SFEA.

The Kaleidoscope Award categories are diverse, covering just about every aspect of the industry, including vendors and suppliers.  Pender County Events and Festivals competed in a variety of categories against a record number of applications spanning 30 organizations from nine states and received honors in five different categories.

Gold, Best Green Initiative:  Ocean Fest
Silver, Best Event Video:  Ocean Fest
Silver, Best Event T-Shirt:  Autumn with Topsail
Silver, Best Event Mascot:  Blueberry from the North Carolina Blueberry Festival
Bronze, Best Event Program:  The Anniversary Celebration of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge
Bronze, Best New Event:  Juneteenth

“We are incredibly pleased so many Pender County Events and Festivals received honors from the SFEA,” says Stephanie Key, with Pender County Tourism.  “These awards recognize our exceptional events. It demonstrates that we host some of the most outstanding events and programs in the southeast. The awards honor the dedicated individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes to make these events a success.”

Pender County Tourism has been a member of The Southeast Festivals & Events Association since 2021.  The SFEA is a membership-based organization composed of festival and event planners, venues, and industry service providers whose goal is to strengthen the industry by hosting educational sessions, networking opportunities, award programs and additional events throughout the year, thus allowing for continued professional growth of members.

For more information about the SFEA visit online at https://sfea.wildapricot.org/main

 

Pender County Utilities and CFPUA Collaborate for a Reliable Water Supply Along Highway 421 Corridor

Pender County Utilities and Cape Fear Public Utilities (CFPUA) have come together to proactively establish a robust and reliable interconnection along the Highway 421 corridor located across from the former BASF plant at the county line between Pender County and New Hanover County. The goal of this collaborative effort is to ensure that all customers along the corridor have access to a reliable and continuous supply of water. To achieve this goal, both organizations have arranged for primary and backup water sources, which can provide water to customers without any interruption, even in the case of a line break. This collaborative initiative demonstrates both organizations’ commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable, and uninterrupted water services to their customers.

“We are delighted to announce that the upcoming interconnection will provide numerous benefits to all our valued customers. Our objective is to deliver a seamless and uninterrupted experience to business owners operating along the 421 corridor, said Anthony Colon, Pender County Utilities Executive Director; this will allow businesses to focus on their core operations with complete peace of mind, knowing that their water needs are being taken care of.”

The project involves digging a hole under Highway 421 to establish a connection between the two water connections. The excavation work is expected to last for less than two days and is not expected to cause any disruptions to the traffic. However, the project completion date has been set for the spring of 2025. The project marks a significant infrastructure upgrade and, upon completion, will ensure a more efficient and reliable water supply for the area.

Information on Solid Waste Decals

If you’re interested in Solid Waste Decals for Pender County, we have some helpful resources for you. You can visit the solid waste webpage to locate the solid waste centers in your area and find out what items are accepted. If you need to update your mailing address, the address change letter form, is a quick and easy way to make changes. And if you’re looking for the latest tax information, the tax webpage is a great place to stay informed.

Pender County Commissioners Oppose North Carolina Homeowners’ Insurance Rate Increase

The North Carolina Rate Bureau has filed a request with the North Carolina Department of Insurance that proposes to increase homeowners’ insurance rates statewide by an average of 42.2 percent effective August 1, 2024. To view the letter to the Commissioner of Insurance, click here.

If approved by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, homeowners’ insurance rates in Pender County would increase by 99 % for properties located in beach communities and increase by 71.4 % for properties located in eastern coastal areas of Pender County.

The Pender County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution at the January 16th meeting opposing the proposed increase in homeowner’s insurance rates by the North Carolina Rate Bureau. A certified copy of the resolution was sent to the office of North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, Mike Causey.

In this resolution, the Board states that “it is of the opinion that the North Carolina Rate Bureau’s requested increase is inequitable, disproportionate, and unjustified, and will likely harm Pender County, its residents, its tourism industry, the welfare and property of the County’s residents and property owners, and economic development in Pender County.”

The North Carolina Rate Bureau represents companies that write insurance policies in the state and is a separate entity from the NC Department of Insurance. The North Carolina Department of Insurance is a state agency, and they negotiate with the

To view a PDF of the resolution, please click here.

 

A public comment period is required by law to give the public time to address the proposed rate increase. Public comment period ends February 2nd, 2024.

Emailed public comments should be sent to: 2024Homeowners@ncdoi.gov.

Written public comments must be addressed to 1201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1201 and must be received by Kimberly W. Pearce, Paralegal III by Feb 2.

Property tax exemption is available for people aged 65 and above and those who are 100% disabled

If you’re a resident of North Carolina who is 65 years or older, or 100% permanently disabled as of January 1, 2024, and your income is below $36,700, you may be able to take advantage of a property tax exclusion. This exclusion applies only to your main residence, but it can result in a reduction of up to 50% in your taxable value. This opportunity can save on your property taxes for the upcoming year, so make sure to check if you qualify for this exclusion.

Application & Supporting Documents due on or before June 1st, 2024.

You can visit the office and pick up a form or call 910-259-1221, and they will mail you a form.

Property Tax Relief Application

 

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