The commissioners will meet at 4 p.m. for a work session on the Pinehurst water issue. In keeping with board policy, the commissioners will hold off taking a vote until the regular session beginning at 6 p.m.
“I expect action by the board Tuesday,” County Manager Steve Wyatt said. “I feel we’ve made good progress in our discussions in the past two weeks.”
The Tuesday work session will not be a joint meeting with the Pinehurst Village Council. John Cook, an attorney with the Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge and Rice law firm, will join the commissioners, County Attorney Lesley Moxley and other county staff members for the workshop.
At the Jan. 5 meeting, the commissioners voted 3-2 to turn down the water purchase agreement, a key element in the water system agreement reached in 2003 by both the county and the village. In voting against the agreement, Board Chairman Michael R. Holden and two other commissioners raised objections to a change in the wording of the proposed contract.
UTILITIES — On a related subject, Wyatt said he is still working on an administration plan for the Department of Public Utilities.
He hopes to make recommendations to the commissioners in a few weeks.
Dennis Brobst resigned as director of public utilities in December in order to accept a similar position with the village of Pinehurst. In the meantime, Public Works Director Phillip Boles has been assigned dual duties, including those of utilities director.
STATE — North Carolina’s financial condition took an upward swing last week.
Tax collections increased in the second quarter of 2003-04, according to a report from legislative economist David Crotts. Tax collections climbed $25.8 million ahead of forecasts, a big improvement over the $41.4 million shortfall experienced at the end of the first quarter, ending Sept. 30.
If collections continue to increase, state coffers may grow to the point that there’s money to apply to the new budget year.
That doesn’t mean the state is all that steady fiscally, however, for expenses continue to climb. State employees continue to lobby for pay raises, and the state’s share of Medicaid costs is expected to keep on climbing.
From a fiscal standpoint, the good news is that the collection increase is indicative of economic improvements, slow but steady, across the state.
EDWARDS — Going into Monday’s Iowa caucuses, Sen. John Edwards’ poll numbers have moved him into a dead heat with the leaders.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean remains in the lead with support of 22 percent of caucus goers, according to a Research 2000 poll. The race is tightening, though. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has 21 percent, and Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri and Edwards are tied at 18 percent.
The margin of error for the poll is 4 percent. That same poll showed Edwards gained 10 percentage points since last week.
Another poll had Kerry in the lead at 22 percent, followed by Dean and Gephardt at 21 percent and Edwards at 17 percent. That poll showed Edwards gaining two points in a week and has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Gov. Mike Easley is campaigning with Edwards, as are two Iowa supporters: Wayne Ford, the longest serving black legislator in Iowa, and state Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald.
AT HOME — Edwards’ acceptance is growing in more places than Iowa.
According to a poll commissioned by The News & Observer of Raleigh, 55 percent of the people polled said they approve of Edwards’ campaign for the Democratic nomination for president. That’s up from a 39 percent approval rating a year ago.
Edwards fared even better in a survey by Research 2000 of Rockville, Md., showing an approval rating of 93 percent, compared with 67 percent a year ago.
That was the good news. The bad news was that North Carolinians have indicated that if the election were held today, they would vote for President Bush, even if the native son were to win the Democratic nomination.
