SATURDAY
CITY HOMICIDES: 2009 murder rate holds surprises. SUNDAY
Stimulus benefit shifts in paychecks BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
January 9, 2010 125th year No. 9
GOING FAST: Tax preparers fill temporary job. 1B
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
DOUBLE DIP: Andrews, Trinity battle in hoop action. 1C
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COLD GETS OLD, TAKES TOLL
TRIAD – People checking out their first pay stubs for 2010 will find a difference in their federal withholding because of a change in the implementation of the broad tax cut under the federal stimulus. When Congress approved and President Barack Obama signed the nearly $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 11 months ago, the legislation in-
The Making Work Pay Tax Credit is 6.2% of a taxpayer’s earned income, with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing jointly and $400 for other taxpayers. cluded a tax cut that was phased in through lower withholding from paychecks. But the tax cut from the stimulus didn’t officially take effect until April of last year. The stimulus tax cut, formally called the Making Work Pay Tax Credit, stays in effect through 2010. However, the withholding is being spread out over 12 months instead of nine, the Internal Revenue Service reports. “We received a year’s worth of credit in just nine months (in 2009),” the IRS indicates. During this year, eligible taxpayers “get the same amount as last year but during a 12-month period,” according to the IRS. The Making Work Pay Tax Credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer’s earned income, with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers. The tax break is phased out for higher income taxpayers, according to the IRS. “Most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because the credit is refundable (people can get it even if they owe no tax), most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit,” the IRS reports. The Obama White House has handled the tax cut differently than the administration of President George W. Bush. The Bush administration sent a lump-sum, one-time check to taxpayers. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
On the Web
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For more information about the tax implications of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known commonly as the federal stimulus, visit: www.irs.gov/recovery
WHO’S NEWS
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The Rev. Haywood N. Goode Sr. of Thomasville received a 2010 MLK Community Service Award. The honor is bestowed by the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Action Committee.
INSIDE
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DINING OUT: Archale Carter Brothers to become new eatery. 1B
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
High Point water and sewer crews begin process of repairing a water main break on Green Drive Friday.
OBITUARIES
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Buddy Boyles Jr., 80 Hubert Dunn Sr., 85 Ruth Jackson, 85 Andrew Johnson, 16 Ellen Kellam, 88 Doris Kibler, 80 Samuel McCombs, 57 C. Pennington Sr., 79 Thelma Nutt, 90 Archie Sink, 88 Imogene Smith, 92 Obituaries, 2A,2B
Frigid ground leads to water line breaks, headaches BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – Folks who think it’s been tough for them coping with the cold during the past couple of weeks might want to touch base with Brian Parks. The 34-year-old water/sewer crew chief for the city of High Point Public Services Department has braved the elements to repair a flurry of water line breaks brought on by the unusually frigid winter. He’s worked around bone-chilling water streaming from pipes early in the morning when the temperature was as low as 13 degrees, trying to limit the amount of time city customers go without service. “You just kind of get used to it. The hardest thing is getting your
Inside
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Icy hazards persist in South. 2A water turned off, especially in the dark locating the valves,” said the six-year city employee who attended Trinity High School. Parks and workers like him with municipal and county utilities have stayed busy because of higher-than-normal number of water line breaks. High Point recorded 15 water line breaks from Dec. 23 through Friday morning, said Terry Houk, assistant public services director. Usually there would be few to no breaks because of weather during late December and early January. “Typically we have more issues
in February when you usually have colder weather. It’s when the ground freezes, then unfreezes, and the ground shifts,” Houk said. High Point Public Services crews have been able to handle the line breaks in three to four hours, Houk said. When too many line breaks occur at once, the city can bring in contract crews to help with repairs, he said. The city of Thomasville has had a greater number of smaller water line breaks, but no major line breaks so far, City Manager Kelly Craver said Friday. “I’d attribute that more to good fortune,” he said. Craver worries that, as temperatures rise next week, more breaks could occur as pipes contract with the changing conditions. pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528
WEATHER
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Mostly sunny High 33, Low 17 6C
Guilford County commissioners to study revaluation options BY DAVID NIVENS ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER GUILFORD COUNTY – Guilford County Commissioner Steve Arnold wants to save taxpayers some pain by postponing the 2012 property revaluation. With the upheaval in real estate and credit markets the last two years, several counties have considered postponing their scheduled revaluations. The issue can be controversial among homeowners based on how much their homes are worth and when they bought them. Last year, Dare County officials postponed their scheduled 2010 revaluation a year in hopes that property values would rise and spare taxpayers a tax increase to keep county revenues at current levels. Dare uses a five-year revaluation cycle. Guilford’s cycle is eight years. “If we do this as scheduled, it won’t be a pretty picture,” Arnold, a High Point Republican and property developer, said during a Thursday county retreat. “It
won’t do any good to have reduced property values. Taxes will have to go up, even if the new rate is revenue neutral.” Because of increased values folArnold lowing revaluation, county officials often settle on a reduced tax rate, but falling property values create a gap. Annual property taxes are calculated by multiplying assessed value in 2004 by the current tax rate per $1,000 value. In some instances, old assessments create inequities between the share of taxes being paid by established property owners and those who built homes since 2004. “I think we should look at a fiveyear revaluation interval,” said Republican Commissioner Linda Shaw. Commissioners could see a report on their options in 60 days from Tax Director Ben Chavis. But it may be too late for county leaders to delay the re-assessments because the county is too
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VALUES
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Up: While the number of home sales was up 10% in the Triad during the fourth 2009 quarter, the average price of homes sold was up just 2.1%, year-over-year, to $168,288, according to the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association.
INDEX ABBY 3B BUSINESS 5-6C CLASSIFIED 1-6D COMICS 5B CROSSWORD 4B DONOHUE 5B FAITH 5A FUN & GAMES 4B LOCAL 2A, 1B LOTTERY 2A MOVIES 6A NATION 6A OBITUARIES 2A, 2B OPINION 4A SPORTS 1-4C STATE 2A STOCKS 5C TV 6B WEATHER 6C WORLD 3A
Down: The average November sale price was down 7.3% from a year ago, according to the N.C. Association of Realtors.
far along in the revaluation cycle. A delay may require special legislation, said County Attorney Mark Payne. “We pretty much have continuing valuation now,” said Democratic Commissioner Kirk Perkins, a real estate agent and appraiser. “I am not sure that we have lost that much value on residential properties.” dnivens@hpe.com | 888-3626
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