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potential de-annexation legislation sought by landowner David Couch.

The council also decided to hire a lobbyist to bolster the town’s efforts to persuade legislators to oppose a bill if it’s introduced.

Earlier in the meeting, the council instructed Whitaker to post a map of Couch’s 973 acres on the town’s website, as part of efforts to explain the potential impact of de-annexation on the town.

Some of the property is “in the heart of Summerfield close to its Town Core,” the resolution stated, reinforcing the council’s statements in the previous week and a half since Mayor Sessoms said he had learned about Couch’s plans. “A de-annexation of this magnitude would result in isolated tracts and create complex town boundaries that would complicate functions of Summerfield’s limited-services government.”

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:41 p.m.

Summerfield Considers Property Tax Hike

...continued from p. 3 taxes and other sources, she said.

Earlier this month, the audit of the town’s finances in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022, showed that capital spending reduced reserves by more than $520,000 from a fund balance of nearly $7 million in fiscal 2021. Buying the property that’s the future site of Bandera Farms Park from the Piedmont Land Conservancy cost $252,500, the town’s biggest capital expense, Hall said.

Despite the reduction in reserves, Wade Greene, the town’s auditor for last fiscal year, said the general fund was in “great shape” and reserves totaled $6.43 million. That’s enough money to cover the town’s expenses for about three years, four months, he noted.

The council has never raised the property tax rate, only lowered it, according to Hall. Summerfield levied its first property tax in the fiscal year 2004-2005, at a rate of 10.5 cents per $100 of property valuation.

The council has lowered the rate several times since then, and granted a tax holiday one year, Hall said. Under Sessoms’ earlier term as mayor, in the 2014-2015 fiscal year the council lowered the rate to 2.75 cents. It has remained unchanged since then.

That’s the lowest rate of any town in North Carolina with a population of 10,000 to 49,999 people, except for towns that don’t levy property taxes at all, Hall said.

Even so, council member Janelle Robinson pushed back at the idea of raising the rate.

“What do you say to the people who actually want us to have a tax holiday?” she asked during last week’s meeting.

“I say that is foolish,” responded Whitaker, explaining that he foresees higher expenses for the town. They include operational costs of Bandera Farms Park, the possible construction of an elevated water storage tank and the possible purchase and renovation of the historic Laughlin school as a new town hall.

“It makes me want to stop acquiring property,” Robinson said. “The more we acquire, the more it’s going to have to go up.”

“Inflation is hitting everybody,” councilman Jeff Davis added. “Now it’s hitting us.”

Increasing Summerfield’s property tax rate by a penny per $100 valuation would generate an additional $183,572 in annual revenue, Hall said. The tax rate increase would cost the owner of a house valued at $400,000 about $40 more a year, she noted.

Whitaker questioned whether an increase of that amount would justify criticism from some taxpayers.

“If you’re going to raise taxes, at least make it count to our bottom line in our revenue,” he said.

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CRIME / INCIDENT report

District 1 Sheriff ’s Offi ce has recently responded to the following incidents in northwest/northern Guilford County ...

Assault

March 22 | Officers responded to an assault report involving a physical altercation that took place in the 7400 block of U.S. 158 in Stokesdale.

March 24 | A 27-year-old female was arrested in the 5400 block of Winters Way in northwest Greensboro (near Old Oak Ridge Road) for assault on a government official, breaking and entering, injury to real property and vandalism.

Burglary

March 15 | A resident of the 8700 block of Shady Hill Court in Colfax (near N. Bunker Hill Road) reported at 12:30 a.m. that an unknown suspect entered his residence through an unlocked back door; no items were reported as stolen.

Death Investigation

March 15 | Officers responded to the report of a fire at 4:41 a.m. in the 6200 block of Horseshoe Drive in Summerfield (off Hamburg Mill Road); one person got out of the house alive, but another died as a result of the fire.

Driving With Limited Privileges

March 26 | A 31-year-old female was arrested in the 4500 block of U.S. 220 N/Auburn Road in Summerfield for driving with a revoked license/ limited driving privileges.

Fraud

March 13 | An employee of Barham Grocery on U.S. 158 in Stokesdale reported an unknown suspect paid for items using several counterfeit bills; on March 15, employees turned two additional counterfeit bills over to law enforcement; each of the bills had a face value of $100.

March 16 | A resident of the 8200 block of Walter Combs Way in Stokesdale (near U.S. 220 N) reported that between Feb. 25 and March 16 an unknown suspect defrauded him of $655.19.

Fugitive From Justice

March 19 | A 28-year-old male was arrested in the 7500 block of N.C. 68 N in Oak Ridge for being a fugitive from justice.

LOST PROPERTY

March 23 | A resident of the 700 block of Chestnut Hill Court in northern Greensboro (near N.C. 150 W) reported he lost a wedding band sometime in the last six months.

Overdose

March 17 | Officers responded to a drug overdose involving cocaine and synthetic drugs at 4:13 a.m.; the incident occurred in the 2400 block of Oak Ridge Road in Oak Ridge.

School Fight

March 16 | Officers responded at 1:39 p.m. to a student fight at Northwest High School.

Theft

March 14 | An employee of Circle K gas station in Colfax reported an unknown suspect shoplifted four 18-packs of beer worth $98.17 altogether.

March 15 | A resident of the 8800 block of Colgate Road in Stokesdale (off N.C. 65) reported that between March 9 and March 15 an unknown suspect entered his unlocked residence and stole a white/orange

STIHL backpack blower, a blue Kobalt cordless chainsaw, a white/orange