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How will Kitty Hawk split the bill for proposed beach nourishment?

Posted at 8:07 PM, Mar 02, 2015
and last updated 2015-03-02 20:07:55-05

Kitty Hawk, N.C. (WTKR) - The Town of Kitty Hawk is moving forward with a project that will provide beach nourishment and build up the oceanfront dune.

Years of storms along the Outer Banks have resulted in significant beach erosion which would be addressed through the sand nourishment.

Town officials also hope that the project would reduce flooding caused by ocean over wash conditions, which can impede traffic on NC 12 and US 158, delaying emergency response.

Right now, the project is estimated to cost more than $23 million to accomplish.

A good portion of that will be funded by Dare County, but more than $4.5 million will have to come from Kitty Hawk.

To help pay that cost, the town is considering the establishment of two Municipal Service Districts - A and B- which would generate increased taxes for the span of five years.

You can see a map of the proposed Municipal Service Districts here.

Just how those districts are broken up though remains a point of contention in Kitty Hawk.

"I'm very concerned about how it's going to get paid for. First of all, the people who are going to benefit the most are the people who have the houses on the beach. So obviously they should be paying more of what it's going to cost than the people that are inside," Marshall Stoll, who has lived in Kitty Hawk for 16 years, told NewsChannel 3's Todd Corillo on Monday.

Kitty Hawk will host a public hearing about the establishment of the proposed Municipal Service Districts on Monday, March 16, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at the Kitty Hawk Town Hall.

You can read more about the proposed Beach Nourishment Project, including frequently asked questions answered by Mayor Gary Perry, here.

Related:

Kitty Hawk gets guidance on fixing dune line problems

Kitty Hawk moves forward with beach nourishment plan

Kitty Hawk looks at ways to reduce flooding and storm damage