Teachey water bills to increase

Residents in the town of Teachey will notice an increase in their town water bills soon, which is actually an action approved by the town’s board of commissioners in 2022.

During the town board meeting on Feb. 9, Teachey town administrator Morgan Jacobs advised the commissioners that the increase had not been applied to the bills since it was approved several years ago. Jacobs said the town was converting to new software during the rate change and adding the change had fallen through the cracks.

The town cannot legally apply the rate increase retroactively, so the new rate will likely show up in the March bill. Town attorney Joseph Ezzell advised the board they could not apply the increased rate unless the current town budget reflects the increase voted on in 2022.

Also on the topic of water, Teachey public works director James Parker reported the recent freezing temperatures had taken a toll on some water pipes in the town.

“We’re still finding customers with broken water lines going to their houses,” Parker told the board. “I got a call this afternoon, before the meeting and had to shut someone’s water off because they had a busted water line under the driveway.”

Those who were victims of busted pipes because of the freeze could face water bills even higher than the five percent increase approved in 2022 because of the leaks after the pipes began to thaw.

The town itself was the victim of an emergency water leak at the corner of Northwest First and Boney Streets, across from the town park near the edge of State Street. Parker said if the leak had been another three or four feet, they would have had to contact the state and shut down the road. The leak was caused when a joint had pulled apart. The board approved an expenditure of $10,595 to A.C. Schultes of Carolina for emergency repairs to stop the leak.

The busted pipes in town will not only affect town citizens’ bills, if they were the victim of a busted pipe, but the town itself will likely be hit with a hefty bill as well. According to Parker, the town normally uses about 50,000 gallons of water a day. Because of busted pipes and the joint damage near the park, the town’s water usage increased to 180,000 gallons a day for a few days following the snowstorm.

In other business, local developers Chad Lambert and Robert Stevens of Bert Properties appeared before the board asking if there had been any progress on drafting specific rules for the town regarding the construction of townhomes for sale.

Lambert and Stevens revealed plans at last month’s board of commissioners meeting to build a new development in Teachey that would feature single-family homes, as well as townhomes, near the intersection of NC Hwy 117 and Hunter Street. While the development meets zoning requirements, the rules do not address the specifics for constructing townhomes that would be built for sale rather than rent.

The board had agreed to discuss the issue at a town board workshop held on Jan. 30. Lambert and Stevens asked if the workshop had resulted in any progress on drafting townhome rules.

“At this point, we’re still trying to develop what the townhome ordinance specifically would be,” Mayor Bobby Jones responded. “I think we still need more time to really dive into that more specifically.”

Stevens said the delay in drafting townhome rules is affecting their company financially.

“I guess the point being is we’re stuck,” Stevens said. “We as developers or business guys, our business is halted until this gets figured out. I would just hope we understand we’re losing money every day . . . because of the hole in your ordinance.”

After a lengthy discussion, the board agreed to hold another workshop to discuss the issue further on Feb. 27 at noon. They also requested Jacobs reach out to the League of Municipalities to see if they had someone who could attend the workshop to offer guidance on creating an ordinance affecting townhomes for sale.

During announcements at the end of the meeting, Jones said the town would be serving as host for the next few meetings of the Duplin County Mayor’s Association, with their first hosting duties on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Rose Hill Restaurant. They agreed the next meeting of the mayor’s group would be held at the Teachey Fire Department.

It was also announced that the Teachey Spring Fling will be held on March 28 at the town park. The event will feature an Easter egg hunt and free food, in addition to various churches and ministries participation.