Author: bcobb
Pender County Department of Social Services Hampstead Office Extends Office Hours to Better Serve Community
HAMPSTEAD – Effective March 1st, the Pender County Department of Social Services (DSS) is pleased to announce the extension of office hours for its Hampstead Annex Building services to five days a week from 9 am to 4 pm. The department has a dedicated team of three full-time employees specifically serving the Hampstead area, known for their knowledge, compassion, and unwavering commitment to providing essential assistance and support to the community.
The primary objective of this expansion is to enhance accessibility and convenience for clients. The department is confident that the extended hours will prove to be a valuable resource for the community and those in need.
For any inquiries or concerns about these changes, please get in touch with the department directly.
According to Wesley Stewart, the Director of the Pender County Department of Social Services, “We aim to improve the quality of living for the citizens of Pender County by empowering them to meet their human needs and by promoting self-sufficiency. We believe that providing assistance closer to citizens’ homes is one of the ways we can help.”
To learn more about Pender County DSS, click here.
SFEA Honors Pender County Events with 2024 Kaleidoscope Awards
BURGAW – Six Pender County events and festivals received recognition from the Southeast Festival and Events Association’s annual Kaleidoscope Awards. The Kaleidoscope Awards spotlight the best and the brightest in the Southeastern United States Events and Festivals industry as a part of the SFEA Conference hosted by Jekyll Island this year.
“Every year, the ideas presented in the Kaleidoscope Awards applications get more creative, the initiatives submitted get more innovative and inclusive, the competition gets stiffer, and pool of incredible events spreads across the region. A rising tide lifts all boats, and we’re all headed up!” said Jamie McCormick, Operations Manager for SFEA.
The Kaleidoscope Award categories are diverse, covering just about every aspect of the industry, including vendors and suppliers. Pender County Events and Festivals competed in a variety of categories against a record number of applications spanning 30 organizations from nine states and received honors in five different categories.
Gold, Best Green Initiative: Ocean Fest
Silver, Best Event Video: Ocean Fest
Silver, Best Event T-Shirt: Autumn with Topsail
Silver, Best Event Mascot: Blueberry from the North Carolina Blueberry Festival
Bronze, Best Event Program: The Anniversary Celebration of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge
Bronze, Best New Event: Juneteenth
“We are incredibly pleased so many Pender County Events and Festivals received honors from the SFEA,” says Stephanie Key, with Pender County Tourism. “These awards recognize our exceptional events. It demonstrates that we host some of the most outstanding events and programs in the southeast. The awards honor the dedicated individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes to make these events a success.”
Pender County Tourism has been a member of The Southeast Festivals & Events Association since 2021. The SFEA is a membership-based organization composed of festival and event planners, venues, and industry service providers whose goal is to strengthen the industry by hosting educational sessions, networking opportunities, award programs and additional events throughout the year, thus allowing for continued professional growth of members.
For more information about the SFEA visit online at https://sfea.wildapricot.org/main
County Public Advertising Information
The County has compiled a comprehensive presentation that provides a detailed review of the requirements of state law, costs, options, and practices relevant to public advertising information.
Pender County Utilities and CFPUA Collaborate for a Reliable Water Supply Along Highway 421 Corridor
Pender County Utilities and Cape Fear Public Utilities (CFPUA) have come together to proactively establish a robust and reliable interconnection along the Highway 421 corridor located across from the former BASF plant at the county line between Pender County and New Hanover County. The goal of this collaborative effort is to ensure that all customers along the corridor have access to a reliable and continuous supply of water. To achieve this goal, both organizations have arranged for primary and backup water sources, which can provide water to customers without any interruption, even in the case of a line break. This collaborative initiative demonstrates both organizations’ commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable, and uninterrupted water services to their customers.
“We are delighted to announce that the upcoming interconnection will provide numerous benefits to all our valued customers. Our objective is to deliver a seamless and uninterrupted experience to business owners operating along the 421 corridor, said Anthony Colon, Pender County Utilities Executive Director; this will allow businesses to focus on their core operations with complete peace of mind, knowing that their water needs are being taken care of.”
The project involves digging a hole under Highway 421 to establish a connection between the two water connections. The excavation work is expected to last for less than two days and is not expected to cause any disruptions to the traffic. However, the project completion date has been set for the spring of 2025. The project marks a significant infrastructure upgrade and, upon completion, will ensure a more efficient and reliable water supply for the area.
Tank failure causes explosion in Hampstead, NC; investigation underway
Hampstead, NC – On Friday night, the Pender County 911 center received multiple calls about a large explosion in the area of Lighthouse Court, Hampstead, NC. Firefighters and EMS Station 14 along with the On-Call Emergency Management Staff member responded to the incident.
Upon investigating the incident, it was discovered that the cause of the explosion was the failure of a 10,000-gallon ground drinking water storage tank (hydropneumatic pressurized vessel) that was attached to a large pump house. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or fatalities. However, one home in the vicinity sustained damage, with multiple windows being broken out.
Since the Topsail Greens neighborhood has a private water system, the incident left surrounding residents without drinking water. However, repairs were carried out swiftly, and a second water tank was filled with 10,000 gallons of water, ensuring that customers had access to drinking water.
Despite successful resolution of the incident, there are concerns regarding the cause of the tank failure. The Topsail Greens Homeowners Association’s president has formally requested a thorough investigation into the matter. This investigation will provide a chance to learn from the incident and create preventive measures to mitigate future risks.
Information on Solid Waste Decals
Pender County Commissioners Oppose North Carolina Homeowners’ Insurance Rate Increase
The North Carolina Rate Bureau has filed a request with the North Carolina Department of Insurance that proposes to increase homeowners’ insurance rates statewide by an average of 42.2 percent effective August 1, 2024. To view the letter to the Commissioner of Insurance, click here.
If approved by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, homeowners’ insurance rates in Pender County would increase by 99 % for properties located in beach communities and increase by 71.4 % for properties located in eastern coastal areas of Pender County.
The Pender County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution at the January 16th meeting opposing the proposed increase in homeowner’s insurance rates by the North Carolina Rate Bureau. A certified copy of the resolution was sent to the office of North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, Mike Causey.
In this resolution, the Board states that “it is of the opinion that the North Carolina Rate Bureau’s requested increase is inequitable, disproportionate, and unjustified, and will likely harm Pender County, its residents, its tourism industry, the welfare and property of the County’s residents and property owners, and economic development in Pender County.”
The North Carolina Rate Bureau represents companies that write insurance policies in the state and is a separate entity from the NC Department of Insurance. The North Carolina Department of Insurance is a state agency, and they negotiate with the
To view a PDF of the resolution, please click here.
A public comment period is required by law to give the public time to address the proposed rate increase. Public comment period ends February 2nd, 2024.
Emailed public comments should be sent to: 2024Homeowners@ncdoi.gov.
Written public comments must be addressed to 1201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1201 and must be received by Kimberly W. Pearce, Paralegal III by Feb 2.
Property tax exemption is available for people aged 65 and above and those who are 100% disabled
If you’re a resident of North Carolina who is 65 years or older, or 100% permanently disabled as of January 1, 2024, and your income is below $36,700, you may be able to take advantage of a property tax exclusion. This exclusion applies only to your main residence, but it can result in a reduction of up to 50% in your taxable value. This opportunity can save on your property taxes for the upcoming year, so make sure to check if you qualify for this exclusion.
Application & Supporting Documents due on or before June 1st, 2024.
You can visit the office and pick up a form or call 910-259-1221, and they will mail you a form.
Property Tax Relief Application
Pender County to begin field work for 2026 tax reappraisal. Here’s what you need to know
Pender County, NC– The Pender County Tax Department will begin field work for the 2026 Countywide revaluation on Pender County properties starting the week of January 15, 2024. Field appraisers will visit every parcel of land in Pender County (approximately 54,000), including residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial land, to update property characteristics.
A reappraisal is the process of updating all real property (land, buildings, and other improvements to land) values across the county to reflect the current market value as of the revaluation date. Pender County’s next reappraisal will be effective January 1, 2026. It will consider improvements to the land and the property’s exterior condition in the reappraisal.
During the reappraisal field work, our field appraisers will visit every home to measure each property structure and take updated photos of each property. They will knock on every door to reach the homeowner and leave a door hanger on every house or in the hands of anyone they contact on the property.
Field appraisers may have to visit one property multiple times throughout the year for various reasons. If you obtained any permits for your property over the past year, they will visit your property to verify any changes you made. They will also visit your property once for the reappraisal sometime in the next 12-14 months. We apologize if this causes any inconvenience, but to ensure properties are appropriately valued, we need to conduct these visits separately for the current tax year and the reappraisal year. If the homeowner is absent during the visit and the property is fenced, our appraisers will not enter the area. In such cases, the property will be appraised using satellite imagery. Please note that appointments will NOT be made for field inspections.
Members of the reappraisal team can be identified by the following:
- Their vehicle will be marked with the Pender County logo.
- Appraisers will be wearing high-visibility vests with the Pender County logo.
- Appraisers will carry Pender County-issued identification badges.
- Appraisers will leave a red door hanger at each home (either with the person they contact or on the front door) to give some information about why we are there, along with our office contact information.
“My goal for the 2026 tax reappraisal is transparency and to ensure taxpayers are provided with the information they need to understand the process. The reappraisal is not a tax rate increase. The tax rate is set during the annual budget and is set by the Board of County Commissioners,” said Pender County Tax Administrator Melissa Radke.
A field appraiser is expected to visit each parcel between January 2024 and February 2025. The new tax values will be reflected in the 2026 tax bill.
North Carolina law requires all counties to reappraise real property once every eight years to verify that the tax information shown on properties is accurate. Counties may set their revaluation schedule to every four years if voted on by the Board of Commissioners. Pender County was previously on an eight-year cycle, but the Board of Commissioners has moved up the reappraisal schedule by one year and will now conduct reappraisals every four years.