ROSEBORO — A pay cut may soon be issued for town commissioners. Earlier this week, it was suggested by a board member that commissioners reduce their salaries by 10 percent as they pushed to find funding sources for the town’s two major projects, a new fire truck and a water well.

Nearly $1 million is needed to fund the two projects, which commissioners have said are vital to serve residents. However, the board only needs to actually find $375,000 of the total needed, since other monies are coming from grants.

Because of the need and budget constraints, commissioners David Alexander initiated the pay cut idea. “I don’t think we should raise taxes, but I think the commissioners should take a 10 percent pay cut. I think we should, at least, let the people know that we are trying to do everything we can.”

Board members currently make $551 per quarter and mayor Roland Hall earns $772.50 every month for his position.

The board did not vote on the pay cut suggestion nor discuss it further.

Funding for the new fire truck will come, in part, from a $100,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. The remaining money, $250,000, will be borrowed by Roseboro at a 4.2 percent interest rate.

Town clerk Drenda Ammons commented on the loan after the meeting, saying they don’t see the loan as an additional financial burden to the town. The reason being, she said, is that the town finished making payments on the last truck in 2008. Payments for the new truck will be very similar to the ones the town is used to paying. In addition, funds from the Coharie and Roseboro fire district tax will go to fund the new truck.

The second project, the $500,000 well, will be paid mostly from federal stimulus money. The remaining $125,000 will have to be found by town. One option explored by Hall was to have the county take over the Parks and Recreation department, using the money Roseboro currently pays for that service toward the well.

Last year, reported Ammons, the town contributed $26,500 of the $28,500 for the parks and recreation department. However, most of the children weren’t from Roseboro, she said. The mayor reported back to the board that no decision had been made by the county commissioners about the possible change.

After the meeting, Alexander said he would like to see some of the town’s dilapidated houses torn down, and foreclosure proceedings started, then the lots could be sold to the community and back taxes could be pursued, both as means of raising additional funding that could go toward either or both projects.

The budget will again be discussed at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board in April.

Michael Connolly can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 120 or can be emailed at sicity@myclintonnc.com