BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Bald Head Island contributed $33 million to Brunswick County in property taxes from 2017 to 2023, a point that was made among several council members after Brunswick County Board of Elections rejected the island’s request to have its own voting precinct.
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The county BOE unanimously voted against the precinct last Tuesday because of cost, logistics, and the relatively small number of voters it would serve. About 370 of Bald Head Island residents are registered of 129,103 in total in Brunswick County.
Board member Randy Pelton argued the precinct would cause excessive logistical problems, as the island is only accessible by ferry. A few special conditions presented could include: having to close the ferry during inclement weather, technical support and supply replenishment not being provided on site by staff, and costs associated with ferry transportation of poll workers and equipment.
Pelton said it also would be cost-ineffective. To add a precinct to the island, it would cost at least $8,000.
“While we may end up disappointing some of the folks that are residents of Bald Head Island, we have to consider what is best for the majority of taxpayers of Brunswick County,” Pelton said at the meeting.
At a Bald Head Island Village Council meeting three days later, town manager Chris McCall countered the board’s argument the precinct would be too expensive; he contended Bald Head residents contribute sufficient funds to finance it. He pointed to a preliminary table of Bald Head property tax revenue created by finance director Zachary Hewett to illustrate the amount residents pay the county.
“From 2017 to 2023 our net levy to the county in property tax revenue of $33 million [is] relative to the revenue we receive to support EMS with public safety of $1.6 million dollars,” McCall said.
Public information officer Carin Faulkner told Port City Daily the island works with the county on EMS and waste management. Faulkner said island staff was researching further collaborations.
Port City Daily reached out to Brunswick County about a breakdown of Bald Head’s tax contributions for county services but didn’t hear back by press. The piece will be updated upon response.
Council member Jerry Maggio said the council should develop a comprehensive accounting of tax revenue versus services and present it to Brunswick County officials.
“[Show] every penny we pay them over the years from whatever source we pay them, every penny we get from them,” he said.
Maggio argued the small number of Bald Head voters registered in the county should not negate the precinct since a much larger number of residents pay taxes to the county. His reasoning was many residents have second homes in Bald Head, yet are registered in other districts.
“The issue is, we have 1,200 or 1,300 homes paying property taxes in Brunswick County, not that we have 300 voters,” he said.
Brunswick elections director Sara LaVere confirmed the board of elections does not “base allocation of resources on municipalities.” She did not have information about how much in Bald Head tax revenue goes to the Brunswick Board of Elections and deferred to the county.
Council member Emily Hill acknowledged Bald Head residents do benefit from Brunswick County’s services.
“We have to recognize honestly that Brunswick County is our ingress and egress to this island. So we’re using those roads,” she said. “But there’s a whole lot we don’t benefit from and we don’t get much back.”
Port City Daily reached out to commissioner Pat Sykes and vice chair Mike Forte about Bald Head’s complaint that there is a discrepancy in the amount of money contributed through property taxes versus what it receives in services. Sykes was the only one to respond.
“This is the first time I have heard anything about this issue,” she said. “I would need to read the Board of Elections minutes to figure out their decision; the county commissioners are not involved in their decisions.”
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Mayor Peter Quinn told Port City Daily Tuesday it is a little too soon to claim inadequate reciprocation from the county.
“It’s premature right now,” he said. “It’s more of a gut feeling than it is a reality.”
Quinn said the local voting precinct is important because Bald Head has a large elderly population. According to 2020 census data, 86.5% of Bald Head residents are over 65.
“I was actually on the phone today with someone in their 80s, and they’re like, ‘If I have to go to Bolivia to vote, well, then, how am I even going to do that? You know, my life is centered around living on my couch,’” Quinn said. “So, we have to find ways to get them there and it’s a hardship, and to vote shouldn’t be a hardship in my eyes.”
Early voters can cast ballots at one location in the county, the Cooperative Extension Training Room at 25 Referendum Drive in Bolivia. It’s located roughly 23 miles from Bald Head Island and takes residents an hour to get to, in part due to the 20-minute ferry ride.
Board of elections member Paula Clarity said at a meeting last Tuesday she opposed the voting precinct because she believes early voting and absentee ballots provide sufficient opportunities for the area’s residents.
On Election Day, the closest precinct is the Brunswick Center in Southport, requiring voters take the ferry and then take an 8-minute drive from Deep Point Marina.
Upfront expenses to add an on-island precinct would include a $7,000 Verity Touch Writer ADA device, $700 supply cage and covers, and $300 for printers.
LaVere told Port City Daily training poll workers would be another expenditure: “Each of those poll workers would come to Bolivia to train. Some of those roles would require multiple sessions at our office.”
Clarity surmised at last week’s BOE meeting it would take seven to nine poll workers to run Bald Head’s “tiny precinct.”
“It just seems to create an extra burden that is unnecessary,” she said. “I don’t think it’s good in a fiscal way, I don’t think it’s good in a logistical way.”
Disruption of ferry service from storms represented another concern. Village manager McCall said he had adequately addressed it at an Aug. 22 BOE meeting; discussion of adding a Bald Head voting precinct was an item of the meeting agenda.
“I felt good that all the questions were answered,” he said, referring to funding and saying the island already had volunteers who could fulfill the poll staff requirements.
Mayor Pro Tem Scott Gardner was optimistic about the precinct, he relayed to council, because the board of elections discussed including a motion about it in August. It was delayed due to absent board members.
According to Quinn, Bald Head council will continue to lobby for the precinct for future elections — the next coming up in 2024, a presidential election year.
“We have comments from the Brunswick Board of Elections and we’re going to respond to them formally,” he said. “We’ll keep pursuing it because I think it’s important.”
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at [email protected].
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