Water taxes to sunset in 2015

By DEUCE NIVEN

    After a decade of paying property taxes to keep Columbus County Water Districts 2 and 3 financially afloat, property owners will begin seeing that tax bill disappear next year, Columbus County Commissioners agreed Monday.
    Commissioners agreed to cut that tax assessment in half for the 2014-15 fiscal year that begins next July 1, and to eliminate it completely the following year, as they approved an agreement that will allow the county to run its five rural water districts as one.
    Impacted districts include District 2, primarily north of Whiteville, and District 3, serving western sections of the county.
    Some commissioners, notably Amon McKenzie and James Prevatte, have pushed for years to merge the districts, and approved a plan to do just that nearly a year ago.
    For more on this story see the Sept. 18 Tabor-Loris Tribune print edition.