Civil process fees raised
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on October 6, 2004 1:58 PM
Out-of-state agencies and legal firms will now have to pay $50, up from $5, to have court papers served by Wayne County deputies.
The county commissioners voted Tuesday to raise the civil process fee immediately for non-North Carolina agencies. This will apply to court orders, summons and other legal actions processed by deputies.
The N.C. General Assembly sets the fee for in-state actions and recently raised it from $5 to $15.
Sheriff Carey Winders told the commissioners that the fee had been comically low. "We've had people laugh on the phone when they heard we only charge $5," he said.
Many counties have set their out-of-state fees to be closer to the actual cost of serving the papers, County Manager Lee Smith said. Deputies often have to make multiple trips to track down individuals.
Smith suggested the fee be at least $25 to $30.
Commissioner Arnold Flowers asked what other counties are charging, and County Attorney Borden Parker replied $35 to $50.
The commissioners voted unanimously to increase the fee.
Asbestos contract
A/K Grading & Demolition Inc. of Goldsboro was awarded a $35,200 contract to remove asbestos from the first floor of the Jeffreys Building. The contract will complete all the asbestos removal from the building.
The county will be renovating the first floor to house the planning, inspections, environmental health and veterans services departments, which are scheduled to move in 2005.
Six companies had bid for the job, with prices up to $112,000.
Halloween early
The commissioners called for trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities to be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29. Several churches and other groups had asked for the change because of conflicts on both Saturday, Oct. 30, and Sunday, Oct. 31.
The Goldsboro City Council voted also for the earlier celebration. The commissioners have asked all the cities and towns to follow the same schedule to avoid confusion.
Also Tuesday, the commissioners did the following:
*Approved updates to the county's Work First program.
*Proclaimed the week of Nov. 1-7 as "Military Appreciation Week," November as "Adoption Awareness Month in Wayne County," and the week of Nov. 7-14 as "Crime Stoppers Week in Wayne County."
The commissioners aren't scheduled to meet again until Tuesday, Nov. 9.