Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Boykins Town Council made arrangements at its May meeting to have billing information for supplemental taxes be sent to the town moving forward after this action was suspended in the early 2000s due to a verbal agreement between past county and town officials.

Among other topics covered at the May meeting, the Town Council also addressed continued efforts to improve the cleanliness of Boykins.

SUPPLEMENTAL PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX BILLS

Boykins Town Clerk and Treasurer Victoria Edwards noted that the Southampton County  commissioner of revenue’s office supplies Boykins its tax bills and any abatement information that may need to be processed after the initial billing in October.

Edwards indicated that she had not received supplemental tax statements from the commissioner of revenue’s office, and she made inquiries with other town clerks in the county and discovered that they had not received these statements from the commissioner of revenue’s office either.

After speaking with Commissioner of Revenue Amy B. Carr, Edwards was informed that Boykins had agreed to forego sending out these supplemental tax statements several years ago, and the towns could request the billing information be sent to the towns again if they wanted to begin billing for supplemental taxes. 

SEARCHING FOR THE AGREEMENT

Edwards noted that while preparing for the Boykins Town Council’s March meeting, she searched for the original motion or resolution the past council had passed or adopted to forego the supplemental tax bills, but she was not able to find any documentation.

She noted that at the March meeting, she informed the council of what she had learned — the county was billing town citizens for supplemental taxes, and if the town wanted to start billing for these taxes, it would have to request it.

“The council members that have been in office for several years did not recall ever agreeing to forego tax revenue,” Edwards stated.

She then noted that she was instructed to request that the billing information be sent to the town moving forward. 

“The council instructed the mayor to address the (Southampton County) Board of Supervisors and request repayment of collected taxes from the supplemental tax bills,” Edwards said.

She ended up addressing the Board of Supervisors at its March 28 meeting on behalf of the Town Council and Mayor Jackie Robertson, and she made the request as instructed. 

County Administrator Brian S. Thrower stated that he and Deputy County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer Lynette C. Lowe would look into the matter and get back to Edwards. 

At the time of the May Town Council meeting, there was no update to report, but Edwards said the town has since been updated.

“Lynette Lowe did a thorough investigation on the matter,” she said. “She discovered the agreement the towns made to forego billing for supplemental taxes happened in the early 2000s. It was a verbal agreement made by those who are now no longer employed by the county and towns or no longer living.”

CLEANING UP BOYKINS

Citizens had been notified that code enforcement was going to be actively pursued this term, with special focus on town codes that promoted property cleanliness.

Edwards said the town won a property cleanliness code enforcement case that went to court. 

“The council also identified other properties for the clerk and town sergeant to begin the code violation process,” Edwards said, referring to herself and Sgt. George Brozzo.

Edwards also mentioned that the Tarrara Woman’s Club, Boykins Lions Club, Smithfield Foods and the town of Boykins coordinated a roadside litter pickup for Earth Day, April 22. 

“They gathered 10 bags of litter before thunderstorms cut the day short,” she said. “As the town is enforcing property cleanliness town codes, another Community Cleanup Day is being organized.”

She said the date is yet to be determined. 

OTHER ITEMS

Edwards shared information on two other items that were part of the Town Council’s May meeting agenda:

• Birdhouse: The Tarrara Woman’s Club asked to install a bluebird birdhouse in one of the town’s parks. The council approved the request, and a bluebird birdhouse will be installed at the Raymond Parker Recreational Park in the coming weeks.
• Zoning map update: While Town Zoning Administrator Damian Dwyer was in the process of enforcing town zoning codes, it came to his attention that the town’s zoning map had errors in a specific area. He requested the town begin the process of correcting these errors at the April council meeting. The item was tabled at the May meeting.