U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan will meet with constituents Tuesday from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m. in the Dempsey Center on the campus of Sandhills Community College.

Hagan will host her "Conversations with Kay" session in the upstairs dining room. Her office reports that Hagan will meet with constituents about their concerns, and her constituent services staff will be on hand to assist people who need help with federal agencies, such as the Veterans Affairs office and the Internal Revenue Service.

Patrick Coughlin, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said that Chamber officials hope to have a few minutes for a private discussion with Hagan about their military affairs initiative.

This will be one of Hagan's first appearances in Moore County since her election in 2008. The North Carolina Democrat will be the speaker for the Chamber's State of the Federal Government luncheon in October.

VALUES - Tax values on 222 real estate parcels were reduced this year by the Board of Equalization and Review.

The reduction represents a decrease of 9.43 percent in the county tax base.

Board Chairman Jerry Daeke presented the annual report to the Moore County Board of Commissioners at a Monday meeting.

Daeke said the board reviewed 407 of the county's 68,550 parcels in a series of meetings held in the spring. The board also increased the values for 13 parcels and left the remaining 172 unchanged.

Property values were reduced by more than $95 million as a result of the board review.

The board also approved 30 adjustments for motor vehicle values, all for antique or classic vehicles. They were among 69 miscellaneous other appeals reviewed by the board.

Commissioners' Chairman Tim Lea thanked Daeke and his board members "for an excellent job" and "all the hard work you do."

VACANT - One seat on the Moore County Planning Board will remain vacant, at least for the time being.

The Board of Commissioners tabled the appointment at the regular meeting on Aug. 2.

The vacancy was created by the resignation of Jerry Wilson, who was appointed to a three-year term in March.

In the meantime, the commissioners may be studying the distribution of Planning Board membership in an effort to ensure representation from all sections of the county.

The district served by Commissioner Larry Caddell, with 10,000 registered voters, has three members. The largest district, served by Commissioner Nick Picerno, has 20,000 registered voters and two members.

Two members live in the district represented by Tim Lea, chairman of the Board of Commissioners. This district has 12,000 registered voters. Commissioner Cindy Morgan represents the smallest district, with 7,000 registered voters and two Planning Board members. The fifth district, represented by Commissioner Jimmy Melton, has 11,000 registered voters but no members on the planning board.

Laura Williams, clerk to the commissioners, reported that she has received two applicants for the appointment. Both live in Picerno's district.

AIRPORT - Michael Nash has been reappointed to a second four-year term on the Moore County Airport Authority.

The county commissioners made the appointment at the Monday meeting.

Clara Bryson Bernicken was appointed as a new member of the Library Board of Trustees, and Theron Bell was reappointed. Bernicken succeeds Diane Williams.

Other appointments made on Monday include Barbara Venditti and Elizabeth Cunningham, reappointed to the Nursing and Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee; Andrea Korte, reappointed to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council; and Michael G. Martin, appointed as the extraterritorial jurisdiction member of the Southern Pines Town Planning Board.

COBLE - Congressman Howard Coble has spoken out against legislation that he says would have a negative impact on the Coast Guard and also diminish intellectual property rights.

Coble is co-chairman of the Congressional Coast Guard Caucus and a former chairman of the U.S. House intellectual property rights subcommittee. He was speaking on the House floor in -reference to the CLEAR (Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources) Act.

"The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a horrific tragedy, and I want to make certain the responsible parties are held accountable," he said in a prepared statement. "I also want to ensure that we understand what went wrong to prevent future tragedies. Although I support domestic energy exploration, we need legislation that is focused and implements lessons learned."

The Greensboro Republican says the CLEAR Act does not meet these principles.

He says it would add another task to the Coast Guard without providing the tools needed to do the job.

'NO SENSE' - "The bill also diminishes intellectual property rights," Coble said. "Its mandatory publication requirements for chemical dispersants will eviscerate a number of trade secrets and undermine competitiveness in the chemical industry.

"It makes no sense to discard trade secrets in the name of protecting the public when the EPA already has the authority and jurisdiction to test, inspect and approve these products."

Coble complained that the proposed law would "create new impediments for tapping into our domestic energy supply, make us more reliant on foreign sources of energy, and compromise jobs."

Contact Florence Gilkeson at florence@thepilot.com.