Credit Tip
In consumer practice, it is common
sense to look ahead. Emergency con
ditions do sometimes arise despite all
we may do to prevent them. This is
true in our use of credit as in every
other phase of our activities.
What do you do if you cannot meet
a payment? There may be a time when
it seems impossible to meet a sched
uled payment on a credit account or a
bill. These are the times when good
credit standing will come in handy.
In a real emergency there are intelli
gent courses of action open to you —
and some very unwise things, too.
If it’s necessary to postpone or re
duce scheduled payments, here are
some rules of good buymanship to
follow:
Call on the credit manager or the
merchant or lender;
Tell him the exact facts, such as
sickness, medical expenses, loss of
work, family emergency — why you
absolutely cannot make the payment
on time;
Discuss future prospects with him
so he can figure out how to tide the
situation over and avoid loss, incon
venience to him, and undue hardship
to you both;
Make every effort to carry out what
ever temporary or permanent revision
of terms which may result from your
meeting.
Many creditors are patient and un
derstanding in such matters. They ap
preciate your honesty, and will prob
ably be willing to go along with you
so long as you are making an effort
to give him money. NEVER avoid
talking to your creditor simply because
you can’t make a payment. Protect
your good credit by being frank. An
intelligent consumer — with or with
out the cash he needs at the moment
— has nothing to hide.
This credit tip was provided by Con
sumer Credit Counseling, 142 Church
Ave. Phone Barry Boneno at 885-0041.
Nettie Coleman
Region IV Alternate Elected
Nettie Coleman of 506 Pendleton
Court, a resident of the Turnkey III
project, has been elected to serve as
an alternate on the board of directors
of Region IV Citizens Council.
The Citizens Council is an Atlanta-
based organization sponsored jointly
by the Office of Economic Opportunity
and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development to enhance citizen
participation on a local and national
level.
Ms. Coleman was chosen at a recent
Region IV workshop held at Coving
ton, Ky. She is alternate to Milton
Stallings, Model Cities Citizen Partici
pation director and a member of the
board from High Point.
A native of High Point, Ms. Cole
man has worked previously as an em
ployment counselor. She attends Guil
ford Technical Institute, studying per
sonnel management and real estate.
She is a member of Model Cities’
Crime and Juvenile Delinquency Task
Force, having also served on the Evalu
ation Task Force.
Ms. Coleman describes herself as
being “in the learning process” re
garding Region IV. “I just started,”
she explained. “Region IV is involved
in giving people information about
federal funding, and what avenues to
take to obtain money, and how gov
ernment works. I have a lot to learn
myself.”
At the Covington workshop, con
ferences were held on such matters as
housing and revenue sharing. Also at
tending from High Point in addition to
Ms. Coleman and Stallings were CP
staff member Frank Wall and Model
Neighborhood resident Carrie Bennett
of 904 Meredith Street.
Upon his return, Stallings organized
a workshop for the Citizen Participa
tion staff to relay some of the ideas ob
tained in Covington. The workshop
included such topics as revenue shar
ing, Community Development, and the
relationship between Model Cities and
City Hall.
Ano'her local workshop, said Stall
ings, will be expanded to involve more
residents, agency personnel, task force
members. Model City Commissioners,
and more members of the Model Cities
staff.
NETTIE COLEMAN
Letters to the
editor, story ideas,
and comments are
welcomed by What's
Happening! It's your
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Contact Emily Hedrick,
885-9081.
City-Wide Task Forces Will Blend
Agencies^ Efforts To Plan Projects
Starve A Rat!
The Rodent Control and Stream
Clearance project needs your help!
The more they clean up the Model
Neighborhood, the more cooperation
they need from its residents.
Keep trash cans covered; don’t
throw food scraps on the bare ground
for your pets (the rats get there first);
don’t clutter your yard with jurik and
rubbish.
The Public Works Department can
do only so much — the rest is up to
you.
Remember: the Model Neighbor
hood is not large enough for litter!
Bulletin
OARD
Task force meetings are held at
7:30 p.m. at the Model Cities office,
609 S. Main Street, unless members
are notified otherwise.
Model City Commission Nov. 2
Evaluation Task Force Nov. 6
Educalion Task Force Nov. 13
Recreation Task Force Nov. 13
Housing Task Force Nov. 13
Employment Task Force Nov. 14
Health and Social Services
Task Force Nov. 14
Crime and Juvenile
Delinquency Task Force Nov. 14
As the Model City Commission be
gins its planning phases for the Fourth
Action Year, it will depend heavily on
the work of expanded, city-wide task
forces to identify High Point’s prob
lems and to plan their solutions.
The idea of city-wide task forces
is not new. Some other cities have
groups such as those proposed for
High Point who work closely with City
Council in determining the directions
of governmental spending.
In High Point, the formation of ex
panded task forces — using Model
Cities’ existing seven task forces as a
core —was prompted by the coming
of Community Development, a new
federal funding technique which is ex
pected to become a reality in the
spring.
Task forces made up of citizens from
all over the community — rich and poor
neighborhoods alike —are a key part
in the Model Cities process. They are
responsible for setting priorities, find
ing solutions for problems, and evalu
ating the results of the expenditure of
Model Cities’ own $3.54 million an
nual budget.
MORE MONEY
With the advent of new federal tax
dollars into High Point, the City will
have even more money to spend. City
Council will be relying even more, it
is hoped, on the advice of citizen
groups such as those organized now by
Model Cities.
The participation of residents from
all sectors of the city, both public and
private, is a vital element in local gov
ernment. The wisest use of these new
funding resources, Model Cities be
lieves, rests on the total involvement
of the community this money aims to
benefit.
A steering committee to choose the
20 members for each of the expanded
task forces consists of Dr. Otis E.
Tillman, Model City Commission
chairman; Frank Wood, City Council
man and Model Cities liaison; and
Howard Pancoast, United Community
Services planning councilman.
The 20 members will reflect equal
representation from the city’s four
wards, as well as a cross-section of
business and special interests. The
seven task forces will meet in the pro
gram areas of health and social serv
ices, economic development, recre
ation, education, crime and juvenile
delinquency, housing and environment,
and evaluation.
Letters have been sent to such or
ganizations as the Jaycees, Chamber of
Commerce, Junior League, Ministerial
Alliance and United Community Serv
ices soliciting their support and nom
inations for membership on the city-
wide committees.
Once names are obtained, the three-
man steering group will draw up a
list of members. All those on Model
Cities’ current task forces will remain
members, and form the nucleus for
the expanded task forces.
As always. Model Cities will be
seeking more involvement from a
“grass roots” level in the Model Neigh
borhood and welcomes new active
members from that area.
AVOID DUPLICATION
City-wide task forces will meet once
a month. By combining the resources
of all organizations in the city, duplica
tion of funding and projects can be
avoided, planners feel. Through co
ordinated efforts, programs related to
the betterment of High Point will be
strengthened.
A recent example of the search for
a common solution for a problem
which had city-wide impact was that
of the Ad Hoc Health Committee.
This committee, organized by Model
Cities, was made up of people from
all over the community who wanted to
set up an outpatient cHnic at High
Point Memorial Hospital.
Through their cooperative efforts,
and that of the hospital administration,
a clinic is on the way.
Once task forces research their in
formation, and make recommendations
on their findings, the Model City Com
mission and City Council in turn will
review their proposals. Particularly in
the coming Community Development
money can be earmarked for any num
ber of programs; it is citizens them
selves who can have a big voice in
how this money is spent.
The input of these new, larger task
forces will determine the direction of
Model Cities’ own Fourth Year Action
Plan, to be implemented August 1,
1973.
WHATS HAPPENING is publkhed
bimonthly by the Model City Com
mission of High Point, North Carolina,
William S. Bencini, Mayor; Dr. Otis
E. Tillman, Commission Chairman;
Don J. Fomey, Past Director; Wayne
S. Pray, Acting Director; Cecil A.
Brown, Information and Evaluation
Specialist. Offices of the agency are
located at 609 S. Main St, High Point,
N. C. 27260. Telephone 885-9081,
The preparation of this magazine
and its free distribution were financially
aided and made possible through a
federal grant from the United States
Department of Housing and Urban
Development under Title I of the
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan
Act of 1966.
Editor
Emily Hedrick