The Tar Heel Thursday, June 9, 19889
Business
Martno to make foydget cyfe
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From Associated Press reports
RALEIGH Gov. Jim Martin
acknowledged today the state's
revenue surplus for 1987-88 will be
$44 million to $60 million lower than
had been forecast, forcing him to
make cuts in his budget proposal for
next year.
After being briefed on the shortfall
by Revenue Secretary Helen Powers,
Democratic legislative leaders said it
confirmed their contention that
Martin's spending plan for fiscal
1988-89 is $137 million in the red.
"I could have told you that," said
Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-Harnett,
chairman of the House Base Budget
Committee.
Martin, however, told reporters the
Census Bureau counting down
From Associated Press reports
CHARLOTTE U.S. Census
Bureau workers are scanning thou
sands of maps from North Carolina,
four other states and the District of
Columbia in a process that will use
computers to map every home for the
1990 census, officials said.
The bureau's regional office in
Charlotte, one of 12 nationwide,
deployed its first wave of field
workers last week. They will use
neighborhood maps generated by the
computers to verify the addresses of
more than 10 million homes in North
Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Virginia and the District
of Columbia.
"It strikes to the very heart of what
N.C. is still
From Associated Press reports
RALEIGH A divided Council
of State allocated $90,000 Tuesday
to keep North Carolina's bid for the
superconducting super collider on
track, a move Attorney General Lacy
Thornburg likened to "pouring
money down a rat hole."
The council, comprised of 10
elected state officials, voted 7-3 for
the expenditure requested by Gov.
Jim Martin after a lively debate that
reflected growing skepticism in some
OVER-SIZE, COLORFUL, COTTON
University Square Chapet Hill 967-893S
Democrats were continuing to over
estimate the shortfall. He said there
was no need to scale back his
spending proposals except to pare up
to $60 million from the $239.9 million
worth of capital projects in the 1988
89 plan.
The governor, who denounced as
"a charade" the Democrats' claim last
month that he had over-budgeted,
was unrepentant at an impromptu
news conference, saying his critics
could not have known about the
imminent shortfall at the time.
The shortage, he said, resulted
from surprisingly low tax collections
in May. Preliminary estimates are
that revenue intake for the month
declined 3.3 percent from the same
we're all about in this country," said
John Lewis, a member of the North
Carolina Economic Development
Board. "It is literally one of the largest
peacetime mobilizations in the free
world."
"We have about 75 people working
here now, but that will grow to
perhaps 200 as we produce maps of
the entire region for our enumerators
to use," said William Hill, regional
director.
Although the bureau has used
computers since 1950, this is the first
count using the sophisticated map
ping method, which took six years
to design, Hill said.
The bureau produces data and
reports every year, but its most
in the running for super collider project
circles about the wisdom of North
Carolina's expensive pursuit of the
collider project.
He and Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan said
politics likely would be the decisive
factor in the federal government's
selection of a host state. Jordan noted
that Texas, represented by powerful
House Speaker Jim Wright, was one
of seven states in the running for the
$4.4 billion scientific project.
Wright "may decide it needs to go
to Texas," Jordan said.
month the previous year a drop
that C.C. Cameron, the governor's
executive assistant for budget and
management, said "blew us out of the
water."
Martin said the state budget office
is standing by its revenue forecast for
the fiscal year beginning July 1, and
that there is no reason to reduce his
proposals to increase spending for
programs that will continue from year
to year, such as the 4.5 percent pay
raise for state employees.
Democrats disagreed, saying the
slump in May collections likely would
repeat itself next year and that cuts
also would have to be made in the
governor's proposals for ongoing
programs.
important function is the census
taken every 10 years as required by
the Constitution.
For the 200th anniversary of the
nation's census, first taken in 1790,
most people will return question
naires they get by mail on April 1,
1990. Others will be visited in person,
including those who fail to return
questionnaires by mail, officials said.
No one is overlooked. In March
of 1990, for example, workers taking
the big count will visit shelters for
the homeless and check under high
way bridges frequented by vagrants.
The next month, they will visit
boarding houses, hotels and similar
places where people without perman
ent residences may live, officials said.
Thornburg added: "We might as
well be realistic. WeVe got about the
same chance of getting this project
as the snowball in the proverbial bad
place."
There also are doubts Congress will
fund the project after a site is chosen,
he said.
Jordan, a Democrat running
against Republican Martin in the
gubernatorial race, voted for the
allocation despite expressing reserva
tions about tapping the state's con
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feeds a starling nestling as part
tingency and emergency fund for the
purpose. Thornburg voted against it.
The emergency expenditure was
among three requested by the Martin
administration during the Council of
State's monthly meeting leaving
a $138,902 balance in the $1,125,000
fund for the fiscal year that expires
Jan. 30.
Bill Dunn, director of the state's
super collider project, said the
$90,000 was needed to cover unfore
seen expenses this month a crucial
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psychology from High Point,
of his vocal mimicry research.
point in the federal government's
process of choosing among seven
states vying to host the $4.4 billion
scientific operation.
It brings out
the best
in all of us."
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