BY MILES LAYTON

A round-up of all things from God’s country…

This week’s column talks about delinquent property taxes, Hayes Plantation’s annexation status, Andy Griffith and Creswell’s water woes.

First, I received this news tip that leading public officials in Elizabeth City have not paid their property taxes. That’s weird how the local media hasn’t reported on this, maybe never reported on this, but maybe I missed that story.

Bills were sent out in July — real and personal property tax payments were due Sept. 1, 2024 and payable through Jan. 5, 2025, without interest. On Jan. 6, interest was added, and delinquent collection remedies were started. 

N&K Investment Holdings — Kirk Rivers and his wife Nina Rivers‘ company — owe about $1,251.

Who is Kirk Rivers? Elizabeth City Mayor

From our listings that came directly from the Pasquotank County Tax Office: 

N & K INVESTMENT GROUP INC     39-C-2                       $436.88

N & K INVESTMENT GROUP INC     55-G-2-3                   $815.32

Deborah Malenfant – Executive Director of Elizabeth City Downtown – has a big tax bill:  

MALENFANT, DEBORAH JANINE      16-B-1B                    $5,748.75

Mayor Pro Tem/Third Ward Councilman Kem Spence owes:  

SPENCE, KEM & TAMMIE           55-A-34                      $109.22

Keisha Dobie, 3rd Vice President of the Pasquotank County’s NAACP (Keith Rivers is president) and a prominent community organizer:   

DOBIE, KEISHA J                 66-F-16                    $1,180.15

There are a few other names of interest on that list, but because these folks aren’t traditionally considered public figures, I’ll just point our readers to the delinquent tax list.  

Worth noting, this information is public record. Newspapers charge the county big dollars to publish this tax list – we’ll call that a taxpayer subsidy. Because of state law, county governments are required to spend taxpayer dollars to publish these lists. But let’s face facts – local newspapers do NOT have the reach they once did, especially in rural areas, so paying for this subsidy that reaches a tiny sliver of the population makes no sense. More people probably saw the tax list posted to social media or the Albemarle Observer’s website than published in traditional media outlets.

Hayes Plantation Annexation

In other news, after receiving a tip from a solid source, I sent an email to our state senators asking for clarification on why a bill regarding the state’s annexation of Hayes Farm into the Town of Edenton appears to be in limbo in the state Senate. Though skeptical of anything that Raleigh touches, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.

FLASHBACK — In December of 2023, the state of North Carolina purchased the 194-acre Hayes Plantation for  $6.1 million from the Wood family and transformed it into a public historic site.  

According to our previous story, the Town does not and did not have the regulatory authority to annex Hayes, so this annexation had to be handled by the State and required a local bill from the NC legislators to become law.

Raleigh — when the House unanimously approved HB 904 regarding the Town of Edenton’s annexation of Hayes Farm on June 5, 2024, the bill was sent to the Senate the next day, where it appears to have remained ever since. 

Because it is Good Friday, I’m not going to hold our lawmaker’s feet to the fire about the matter until after Easter. That said, can Senator Hanig or Senator Sanderson shoot me an email telling me what’s what and I’ll be happy to update the story at mileslayton1969@gmail.com

Andy Griffith Show

Speaking of the General Assembly, the House approved HB 557 this past week, which seeks to make “The Andy Griffith Show” the official television show of the Tarheel State.  

Approved 96-14, HB 557 was sent Wednesday to the Senate. Though there were 30 Democrats who supported the bill, there were 14 Democrats – no Republicans – who voted against the bill. State Rep. Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, voted for the bill, as did State Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort.  

For folks from other places, the Andy Griffith Show was a wholesome, great television show that has been in reruns for years. Everyone has their favorite episode – how about this one. Since many people from New York (?) read the Albemarle Observer, the Andy Griffith Show would be considered the same kind of cultural touchstone as New York City’s Seinfeld – this is a great scene.    

Creswell’s Water Woes

In other news, Creswell Mayor Alfredia Williams posted this note about water quality to social media on April 10 – see below. Apparently, residents had brown water flowing from their faucets, but that may been cleared up, maybe.  

To the Creswell Community,

I know many of you are frustrated—and rightfully so. Water quality is a serious issue, and I want you to know that since becoming mayor, I’ve been working on this consistently for nearly over a year. It’s not an easy task, but it has been and continues to be my top priority.

We’ve taken steps, including recent flushing, system monitoring, and ongoing conversations with agencies that oversee and can support our infrastructure. I attend meetings, speak up for Creswell, and share the real concerns you live with every day. The board and I are working hard because we do not want this to continue.

To the business owner who mentioned installing filters—thank you. I also have protections in place, and I appreciate every business that continues to operate and serve the community despite the challenges. But I also want to be transparent: every business in Creswell face challenges, and that’s part of why it’s so important for us to stand together.

When we’re divided, we lose ground. But when we stand in unity, things happen. Progress happens. Change happens.

Even when you don’t see it—whether you’re sleeping, working, or going about your day your mayor is out there working. I walk with you. I stand with you. And I will continue to fight for you, for our water system, and for a better Creswell.

Let’s do this together.

Mayor Alfredia Williams

From April 8:

A Message from Mayor Alfreda Williams: Water Quality and Infrastructure in Creswell

I want to take a moment to speak directly to the people of Creswell about the ongoing concerns with our water quality and water system. This has been a long-standing issue in our community—one that many residents know has existed for over 10 +years.

However, under my leadership as mayor, I want to assure you that the issue is not being ignored—it is being addressed with careful planning, research, and action.

With the full support of our town council, we have taken deliberate steps to understand the root of the problem. We have approved efforts to assess the situation thoroughly and are currently exploring multiple options to determine the best long-term solution for our town’s water system.

Some of the things we are actively working on include:

• Determining whether pigging (or ice pigging) the water lines will help clean and improve flow and quality.

• Collaborating with other nearby towns to possibly connect to a different water source.

• Making internal improvements to our own system, including evaluating if more manpower or operational changes are needed.

These are all part of a larger strategy—we are not jumping into quick fixes. We are taking the necessary steps to plan carefully, lawfully, and responsibly to ensure that the work we do now will stand the test of time.

We understand that people are frustrated, and we hear those concerns. But I want Creswell residents to know that real work is happening behind the scenes to solve these problems—not just for today, but for the long-term well-being of our town.

Thank you for continuing to be part of this journey. As your mayor, I remain committed to getting results, working with our council and partners, and most importantly—doing it the right way.

Mayor Alfredia Williams

The Albemarle Observer has reached out to Mayor Williams seeking more information and comment.   

Here is what I can tell you from decades of covering these types of stories – Creswell’s water problems are not unique – be it places like Hertford, NC, Tangier, Va, or Zaleski, Ohio – small town/rural infrastructure is in major need of financial assistance – grants, not loans – from the state because these systems are often outdated and in need of repairs. I hope Raleigh folks read this note and reach out to Mayor Williams with solutions. 

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