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No more beach referendums, commissioners say
Steve Earley, The Virginian-Pilot
The Outer Banks Voice
A fee for parking at beach accesses. Charging visitors an extra $1.50 for a night in a hotel. Maybe $10 a week for cottage rentals. Squeezing more money from the county and state. Borrowing it.
Anything but going back to voters and facing probable defeat in another bond referendum to pay for rebuilding the beach, Nags Head commissioners suggested Wednesday night.
South Nags Head, the epicenter of the debate
Nags Head’s political leaders are long past debating science and necessity on the topic of beach nourishment and have turned their full attention to where the money will come from.
Plenty of ideas were put forward during a Wednesday work session in which commissioners, apparently by a quirk of timing, had just conceded in a budget discussion that an anemic revenue flow means the town will need to cut back services, raise taxes, or both next fiscal year.
But with approval of various permits imminent and the engineering in place, there was a clear sense of urgency on beach nourishment. The price has already gone up to $36 million from the $32 million estimated when the Nags Head bond referendum failed in 2007.
This time, said Commissioner Renee Cahoon, “I don’t think we have the time to wait for a referendum.”
While there seemed to be a tip of the hat to considering that possibility, none of the five commissioners were embracing it.
Instead, they proposed plenty of other ideas while acknowledging that some might be unpopular and never see the light of day.
Charging visitors to park at beach accesses and giving residents a sticker for a fee was one idea offered by Commissioner Anna Sadler, along with the possibility of a flat fee of $1.50 a night for hotel rooms and $10 a week for cottage rentals. Sadler said she wanted the Board of Commissioners to put a lot of ideas before the public and gauge the reaction.
“I don’t think we need to go back for another referendum,” she said.
Commissioners said that because the town is ready to go with the project, it has leverage to insist on a good cut of about $24 million the county is holding in money accumulated from 1 percent of the occupancy tax and the short-lived 1 percent sales tax add-on for beach rebuilding. But Nags Head is sure to face a heated political go-round with other towns and Hatteras Island over who should get how much.
Cahoon and Sadler said they favored pushing legislators to re-impose the extra 1 percent on the sales tax. Using general obligation bonds requires the approval of voters, but Cahoon said the town might be able to borrow some of the money by other means. Commissioner Doug Remaley said Nags Head is probably on its own and “we need to pay for it however we can.”
Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Gray suggested doing half the project with a focus on South Nags Head, which gets hammered by practically every storm that hits the Outer Banks. Mayor Bob Oakes didn’t like that idea. He said that the more area covered in a beach nourishment project, the longer the sand is likely to stay put.
In public comments, no one suggested that beach nourishment might be ill-advised from a scientific or economic point of view. Instead, they warned of South Nags Head houses falling into the ocean and tourists not coming back to the Outer Banks because the beach is gone.
“The problem is we keep talking about it and talking about it,” said Stan White, a former county commissioner and a member of the state transportation board.
White urged the Nags Head board to push ahead aggressively and offered to be a liaison in Raleigh to help get things moving.
You might be interested in this related story from The Virginian-Pilot last month.
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Join the discussion:
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Bobby says:
The town has been “working” on beach nourishment for 17 years and now they have a sense of urgency? Why are they not looking at other means such as offshore artificial reefs? When I moved here from VB, I was pro beach nourishment. However, now that I have seen the fury of the ocean and devastation caused by a northeaster, I think that a multi- faceted approach is necessary. The veterans week storm would have pushed all of the sand into Oregon Inlet so now they would have a dredging issue.
Ronnie says:
Great information and great site.
Raising money from parking might not be a bad way to raise some dollars. Wrightsville Beach has a program and it is a bit more expensive than $1.50 flat fee. Each street has a kiosk that you purchase a voucher for a specific amount of time. The machine prints a receipt that is placed in the window of your car.
Bobby makes a good point about looking at multiple options – I have not heard much information about the offshore reefs but I think it would be something to consider.
barbara says:
Ironically, AGAIN, everyone BUT the Oceanfront property owners will pay for this awful, ill-advised plan.
Think about it, IF owners don’t NEED to park at the beach, they are ON the beach. Ironically they expect all of us locals, people renting cottages off of the oceanfront, anyone else, daytrippers (people who use our beaches while waiting to check in to their cottages, etc.) Are we gonna have to pay $1.50 just to check surf conditions!?
This will ruin the Outer Banks worse then BN. I strongly urge the Commissioners to rethink this and I also urge the locals to fight it every step of the way. Boo!
(The site is very nice, well done.)
Rob Morris says:
Thanks for the comments. Just a note: Commissioner Sadler suggested a $1.50 per night fee for hotel rooms. There was nothing specific about a cost for parking. I’ll check and make sure the wording of the story isn’t misleading.
Alison says:
Beaches should be FREE & OPEN TO THE Public!
Andy says:
“I don’t think we need to go back for another referendum,” said Commissioner Anna Sadler.
This statement, along with others (doesn’t care what the voters want) by Commissioner Sadler shows the arrogance and lack of respect for those that voted her into Office. A referendum is the only way this Council should operate when something as large and as expensive as Beach Nourishment is.
I have no need nor want to quote Commissioner Cahoon, as she was voted OUT of Office.
pete says:
From a scientific, and ecological perspective, beach nourishment is never a good thing. The fact that there is no beach in Nags Head is a result of years of natural process coming to pass. The entire system of barrier islands is moving. The beach moves along with the rest of the system. We have chosen to inhabit very dynamic sandbars which move and change with the rise and fall of every tide. This process will not cease. The Army Corps of Engineers has stated that it would be less expensive over the next fifty years by the tens of millions of dollars to purchase endangered structures at fair market value, and remove them, instead of spending an estimated 1.6 BILLION dollars over the same time span for beach nourishment projects. Remove the houses, and the beach will return. It is scary that no scientific study was cited during this process. The only motivating factor I see is greed. Greed from rental companies not wanting to lose units, and greed from Commissioners who would try and scare a public with tales of all the tourists not coming back because there is no beach. WE LIVE ON A BEACH!!! Silly.
Ben says:
I am with Pete.
Look at the math.
Do the research.
pete says:
If everyone really wants to help out, or at least be heard, then contact the people responsible and tell them how you feel. Contact Commissioners Cahoon and Sadler. Contact Dare County Commissioners as well. Addresses, e-mail contacts, telephone numbers are all listed in the phone book (maybe not e-mail), and could probably be reached without leaving the space from which you are sitting and reading this right now. Demand a referendum. Do not allow this to simply be swept under the rug. Get something back for the taxes you already pay. Demand responsible leadership. Even if you don’t get it from the current bunch, the process will prepare you for the next time we choose our local leadership.
gws says:
I also think any sand dumping is the “shortest possible view.” It will never stop. It’s not 36 million today, then problem solved – it’s 36 today, 50 next year, 70 the year after that, on and on forever to preserve houses that should not be where they are.
Take the money, move or demolish the houses, all of them, and establish a stable dune system.
Face it, you built those things on the wrong spot . . . Deal with it, and quit expecting everyone else to pay for your stupidity.
Dave says:
If the beaches will disappear and people will stop visiting, who renourishes the undeveloped beaches? Why are they still there? We’ve stopped the beach’s ability to move and naturally remain above water by stopping island overwash and by building directly on the beach, and we are in a battle that we cannot financially pump or engineer our way out of. The commissioners surely know this but are going to keep going with the status quo of sand pumping and holding the line and pass the costs on to your kids. By which time they’ll probably be retired in Asheville.
John says:
Pete! Pete! Pete!
I live on the Outer Banks and knew from the day I moved here that there were risks associated with the pleasures of the seaside life. I feel for the oceanside homeowners, but at the same time they invested in a property the same as if someone invested in a stock. Now they want a bailout financed by the rest of us using the same shaky logic which proponents of That Other Bailout have used: The beachside houses drive the economy and are Too Big To Fail.
Well, newsflash: If the current beach front properties fall into the ocean there will be a new set of beach front properties. They are like shark’s teeth. From walking the beaches and seeing the situation for myself, it is my layman’s opinion that the best option is to drop back and punt on this one. Work on preserving the future rather than rebuilding the past.
Ray Midgett says:
The simple fact of this entire matter is this. Year round residents of Dare County are not affluent enough and never will be affluent enough to support what would surely be the never-ending and continuously rising costs of a beach nourishment program. We are not the City of Virginia Beach, Ocean City, Md., etc. and never will be. We live on 14+ miles (northern beaches) of barrier islands, not 3 miles or less of beaches protected by the Chesapeake Bay or the Florida reefs. Most people in Dare County know we have to live with and be thankful for what we have, and move back when it’s time to move. And, heaven help our children if we ever turn away from this philosophy.
Colleen says:
Could someone publish how much of our taxes are paid by non resident property owners who have no ability to vote?
Andy says:
Maybe they should move here then. When they purchased their property (as a BUSINESS) they were (or should have been, as ignorance is no excuse) well aware of the voting laws.
Bob says:
I have been vacationing on the Outer Banks for over 30 years. The beaches have been eroding by constant wave and storm action since the dawn of time. Yet, the popularity of the Outer Banks still increases. People are still coming – even though the beaches ebb/flow. Taxing the tourists is a bad idea. People will eventually go where it’s less money to vacation. The beaches on the Outer Banks are in no worse shape now then they were 30 years ago. They will continue to come and go with time and storms. But once you lose the people due to high rental fees and parking fees and beach towel fees and suntan oil fees and walking on the beach fees, then it’s too late.
Tom says:
There are thousands of retired Navy ships in the “Ghost Fleet” up in Hampton Roads. These hulls can be cleaned, towed to points offshore and sunk to create artificial reefs. These reefs, if properly positioned, will alter the tidal currents and make beach nourishment unnecessary. They will also be homes to sea life and will be wonderful sites for visiting divers to explore (hello Visitor’s Bureau?) This procedure has been used very successfully off Florida. One has to ask why does North Carolina not permit these reefs? Beach nourishment is costly, dirt and ineffective.
Bob O says:
I hear several arguments against nourishment. Economically, we shouldn’t increase taxes on local residents to pay for it. (I also heard one person say we shouldn’t keep raising taxes on visitors because eventually they may decide to go elsewhere.) And it’s just a waste of money because it will all wash away.
Environmentally, the argument seems to be that nourishment will cause irreparable harm to the beach.
It’s puzzling to me that frequently, the same people make the economic argument that it is a waste, and will all wash away, at the same time they are making the environmental argument that it will do irreparable damage.
From what I’ve seen, the beach is always dynamic, many thousands of cubic yards moving all the time. The worst case of the economic argument, it washes away before we pay for it, resolves a lot of the environmental argument. And if it stays in the system for a reasonable period (Nags Head has measured its sand loss over a 10-year period, and wants to put that amount back on the beach with high quality offshore sand-about two miles offshore), it seems reasonable to protect the infrastructure and income stream the oceanfront provides.
You do nothing, and you know what happens. How long before the beach at Jockey’s Ridge moves to the Beach Road and then the Bypass?
Ray Midgett says:
Mayor Bob, Mayor Bob, Bob, Bob,
You’re just not getting it. You cannot put whitewash on a Michelangelo painting, wipe it off and expect it to be the same. Beach nourishment will destroy the natural beauty of our Outer Banks shoreline. Haven’t we done enough with our berms, trucked in from Currituck County farmfields, beach pushes, pushing shells and swash zone elements up into manmade dunes that don’t last? If you really want true beach nourishment for all of the Nags Head beaches . . . stop beach pushes . . . make everyone bulldoze their dunes back out onto the beach where all the sand came . . . give the ocean some room to breathe…have your planning department stop letting investors build cottages on pilings with ground level rooms below, where the ocean has no where to go.
Increase your setbacks . . . increase the side lot setbacks . . . etc . . . and you’ll get natural beach nourishment . . . without taxing your residents.
Tim says:
Beach nourishment is the only way we will protect the natural beauty of the Outer Banks. Millions of cubic yards of sand move every time the wind blows. A few thousand cubic yards of sand to protect the infrastructures is good environmental policy. It is unthinkable to let our resources wash away. Natural and manmade.
Bob O says:
Dear Ray,
The berm stunk – because it was incompatible, small grain, very fine sand. I am not a fan of beach pushes, and I think we should outlaw them when we get a nourished beach.
The Michaelangelo analogy is poor – wouldn’t you keep putting whitewash on a fence, or your house – wouldn’t you keep resurfacing your road – wouldn’t you make your bed in the morning, even though you’re going back to sleep in 16 hours?
I’m not sure I followed the setback suggestion – how would side setbacks improve the situation?
Don’t you argue that the sand will just wash away? I don’t agree on your estimate of lifespan, but both of us are just guessing. Let’s get some real data, so we can make better decisions for the future. I will also encourage our town to better examine alternative responses to erosion. I think we’ve been very focused on nourishment as the only answer, and we need to think outside of our box.
Linda says:
It will be a sad day when Mother Nature eventually reclaims what is rightfully hers, and not ours (It never was to begin with). The reality is that the beach is washing away, and will continue to do so. This situation is a combination of evolution, and having homes originally built too close to the shoreline. One may temporarily be able to “lessen” the problem, but in reality, it just buys some time, with an amazing price tag. Whatever is eventually decided upon needs the ingredients of common sense and sustainability.
Tim says:
It is poor environmental policy to let our infrastructure wash into the ocean. Beach nourishment does not just protect the oceanfront owners. Beach nourishment protects all structures on the Outer Banks. It also protects the environment and protects our rights to use the beach.
Butch Stone says:
What a lot of people don’t realize is that there is a renters tax is 12 ¾ per cent- when tourist rent these homes.
That means that an average oceanfront cottage that rents for 3,000.00 a week — some of them rent for 1,5000.00 a week — a 3000.00 home will take in 382.50 per week — that’s 4,590.00 over a 12-week seasos — and they rent more than 12 weeks a year! And we just lost 25 of these in Nags Head.
Oceanfront homes are the first to rent — rent out the most of all the homes — and 90% have no one living in them full time — so that means no children in school, no one on welfare — plus they pay real-estate tax
If we lose these homes, you will see our taxes rise. They have got to get it somewhere!!
Butch Stone
Nags Head
jake says:
Butch, by the math, you want to spend 36 million dollars (plus the next rounds of nourishment) to preserve the tax income from 100 endangered homes, which is $459,000 annually.
. . . You only lose $35.5 million in that deal.
Butch Stone says:
Jake
I didn’t add the income of the renters that stay at the homes — spending money at our stores-restaurants. And no one lives in these homes, so the tax they take in is not used by the oceanfront homes but by you and the people that live full time here — for schools, welfare, etc.
This income is shared by everyone in some way on the Outer Banks — and how about the real-estate taxes that the homes pay?
Brenda Ruth says:
Jake
WE ARE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF TOURISM
We need to do our best to keep them coming back year after year. Their revenue is what supports the economy.
Without the tourist we will cease to financially exist. Haven’t you ever heard of “you have to spend it, to make it?” If a business owner doesn’t put money back into the business, it will fall behind — and sooner or later die!
The beaches are the business here. Let’s not let it fall behind or die.
Brenda Perry
Kitty Hawk
Ray Midgett says:
Bob O says:
Dear Ray,
The berm stunk – because it was incompatible, small grain, very fine sand. I am not a fan of beach pushes, and I think we should outlaw them when we get a nourished beach.
Bob, correct me if I am wrong; but, wasn’t the engineering firm that designed (engineered) the so-called 5-year emergency berm in Nags Head a few years ago, that lasted only months the same firm your town is using today for your proposed project? And, I’ll bet you a milkshake I can produce news coverage which quotes Nags Head and/or the firm saying the sand was compatible . . .
newjake says:
I agree, tourism is the key, we are on the same page. But, those few, misplaced houses are not tourism. They are a small, small percentage of tourism.
If the new Hilton burns down tomorrow, will the Outer Banks fail? No. People will stay elsewhere. Same with those particular houses.
Like Butch pointed out, this plan spends $36 million to insure we collect about $450,000 annually in taxes from those homes. In just 78 years, we’d make the money back.
Time to retreat and be smart about the dune this time. The people who stayed in those houses can stay somewhere else, just like the people who stayed in Serendipity can now stay somewhere else.
Bill says:
Speaking of the funding surrounding this issue, it’s frustrating for a local resident to think about “what we will not see in our town” due to the huge outflow of local funds required for beach nourishment. This is a definite gamble for the local political power circles since a huge bet is being laid on this spin of the wheel.
Is there a list of what has been suspended or will be indefinitely delayed within the town of Nags Head per the funding requirements for beach nourishment?
Personally, these are some of the focuses I see lost due to the high price gamble of beach nourishment:
1) Bypass Pedestrian Walkway – KDH has a complete pedestrian walkway throughout the town along the bypass. Nags Head has a walkway started; however, it only extends to Kelly’s Restaurant. Will it extend any further, or has beach nourishment stalled that infrastructure project? Every summer, and throughout the year, people are always seen biking and walking along the bypass median, throughout Nags Head town limits, while drivers whiz by inches away at 50+ mph! Its a disaster waiting to happen, and its really too bad a complete bypass pedestrian walkway, including perhaps flyovers is not under construction/complete. The new Food Lion complex, along with additional small business expanding along the bypass in Nags Head necessitates safe pedestrian traffic along that roadway!
2) A Nags Head Town Center – Years ago, Nags Head offered a sense of beach side commerce when many small businesses resided along the Beach Road. There where many things to see and do. Now, most all of that business is gone and replaced with large ocean front beach housing. Heck, we do not even have ocean-view dining in Nags Head other than the pierhouse. A Nags Head town center is needed to not only centralize commerce, but also provide an avenue for activity sponsored by the town. Think of the Duck Town Center and the infrastructure in place there to provide scenic access to the sound along with areas to host events such as Duck Jazz Fest.
All in all, I do not think there is an argument that beach nourishment is not a “one time effort.” Even proponents can agree that the 20+ million now to implement, along with who knows the maintenance costs is what we will see. As noted in other comments, Dare Country Tourism does not reside on “Beach Nourishment.” There are many, many miles of Dare County beach which is not eroding, and housing available for renters. The select few “danger zones” in south Nags Head, KH, and Mirlo Beach are lost causes, and new responsible planning for those areas is necessary. Sand (money) on the beach in those areas equates to a night in Vegas. Perhaps a win, but more likely it will go to the House (aka, Atlantic Ocean).
To tell you the truth, I could care less about beach nourishment. However, what gets me is the cost, and what we will not see in Nags Head due to this heavy outflow of public funds. Additionally, the short-sightedness is frustrating, along with the “alleged” conflicts of interest which seem to tie to the issue.
Oh well, I am just a regular guy who has lived in Nags Head for nearly 20 years, and have seen much change during that time. I am not a successful small business owner, or a local real estate mogul. I do not have a vested interest in oceanfront property, nor do I plan to. I do pull a nice salary though and live quite comfortably to support my family. I also have a vested interest in this town as a tax paying and longtime resident, and hope to see it succeed in whatever path it takes.
For the proponents of beach nourishment, good luck and I hope your gamble pays off . . . not just for you, but for Nags Head and Dare County as a whole.
If not, well perhaps upcoming elections may see some alternative sectors (non-real estate) represented in the running . . .
Brenda Perry says:
TO BILL
everything you said–maybe needs to be done
But the whole thing is— the beach and the oceanfront homes won’t be here soon —the ocean will breach the sound— your home will not be here if you keep fighting a one penny tax— the beach is why the tourist come here and spend there money—if the beach is in bad shape–they will not come and a lot of people here will be out of jobs—
please look at our neighbors Virginia Beach–it works there
Ray Midgett says:
Mr. Bill, you have said it well…………kudos to you.
Pete H. says:
newjake @ 7:43 am 8 Feb. said,
“. . . tourism is the key; we are on the same page. But those few, misplaced houses are not tourism. They are a small, small percentage of tourism.”
Right; and think of how much more beach there would be for all the tourists if the McMansions weren’t there!
Butch Stone says:
Pete
You would never say this if you owned one of these homes. These people worked hard to get them and work hard to keep them. The McMansions bring in a lot of taxes that keep your taxes low. Pray that they dont lose them.
newjake says:
Those few homes bring in a tiny, tiny drop in the bucket when it comes to tax revenue. Probably less than a tenth of a percent if we ran the numbers. That’s not a good argument.
I think a better one might be, “We need to keep as many houses as we can right on the beach, that’ll keep even more and more people crowded onto the sand. This way, we can accurately recreate the towering skylines and population density of inner city ghettos right here on the Outer Banks.”
Seriously though, who would argue that the best beaches we have are uncrowded, with loosely spaced houses you can’t see, hidden by dunes on one side, complemented by the ocean on the other . . .
Maybe Pete’s right, Nags Head is ruining its own vacation experience by keeping so many homes crunched in there.
Butch Stone says:
This tiny drop in the bucket are peoples homes!
Please, you run the numbers and tell all of us what you came up with.
We will never have towering skylines. There is a height restriction. Yes, the best beaches we have — there are no homes there — sure.
But do we just let these homes fall in the ocean? And then when we get to the next row, we do the same? Where does the madness stop!!
newjake says:
I think there’s a difference between a family home and a business that is called a rental home.
No local families live in those homes, Butch, you know that best of all b/c you rent them out for the wealthy owners.
Move them, build a dune, vegetate it, then watch the beach come back. The “madness” is a town with no money trying to spend 36 million they don’t have, and trying to tax people that are suffering to pay for it.
Southern Shores didn’t tax your citizens to dredge their canals. Duck didn’t tax Nags Head to build its park.
Butch Stone says:
Mr. Newjake
First,I will come clean if you do! I think some people on this site have two names and don’t use their real names. Yes this is mine. Yes I have a oceanfront property in Kitty Hawk.
When you own a small, one-person business,you have to think about the future and try to invest and take a chances. I am certainly not wealthy like you think all of the owners are,and maybe some of them are, I don’t know?
I love the Outer Banks, so much that, I would love to come here to live, retire, and that has always been my goal.
Yes when I bought my oceanfront home, I always thought that the people here would always try to do something to save the beach and the homes here. I never knew they would just rape and use the beach for their own gains and never take care of it. The beach belongs to all Americans, and not just me, because it is in my backyard. Just because it is in my backyard doesn’t mean i own it. If I want to move my sand next to my house, I have to get a permit. I cant ask you to leave if you are in my backyard. I have no rights. But I pay for beach pushes, to protect my property and it also protects the beach road.
If I lose my property, the people lose. I collect a great deal of renters’ tax for Dare County, and still pay real estate taxes also, just like you. But I have no one living in my home full time to overcrowd the schools, collect welfare or use any of the money I collect for you. One penny tax is nothing to ask the people on the Outer Banks to pay to save their beach.
Think how much all of you have made because of the beach and it affects everyone here. This is why the tourists come here. Wealthy? I am having a hard time just like everyone, if I lose my home, I lose my life, my dreams of ever living here. If we lose the first row of homes here, then we will soon lose the second row. Maybe the beach road will be next. Please, people, save the beaches, not for me, but for you!!
Rob Morris says:
I’ve read the comments with great interest. Please don’t make them personal.
Bob O says:
Dear Bill,
I like your ideas about a town center. Nags Head is reviving a Beach Road committee, 1st meeting March 6. I hope you’ll come out.
Local government collects about $30 million a year from sales and occupancy taxes. I think it’s a prudent move to protect that stream of revenue. It is generated largely by oceanfront homes – what is it worth to insure 10 years of that revenue?