The
ews
75zi
I ournal
Hoke Count3^s newspaper since 1905
No.l7VoL110
Raeford & Hoke County n.c.
Wednesday, July 1,2015
County settles on 20 tax increase
‘This time next year we’re going to be celebrating’—Leach
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Hoke County citizens will pay
a higher tax rate in the coming
fiscal year as part of a plan to ad
dress multiple issues with county
finances.
A two-cent tax increase will
bring the ad valorem tax rate to
75 cents per $100 valuation. This
marks the first time in about 15
years that the county has raised
property taxes for the sake of
paying for county operations. The
commissioners raised the property
tax by three cents in 2011 to pay
for building Sandy Grove Middle
School.
The tax increase was included
in the 2015-16 budget ordinance
that the Hoke County Board of
Commissioners passed 4-1 Mon
day morning. The total budget
came out to $49 million, down
from the $51.2 million 2014-15
budget.
Commissioner Bobby Wright
made the motion to approve the
(See INCREASE, page 7)
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This Week
Drug chaises filed
after traffic stop
Page 7
Man charged
with burglaries
Page 7
Calendar 7
Classifieds 10
Deaths 2
Editorials 3
Sports 5
Worship 7
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Some commissioners blame Johnson for mess
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Several Hoke County commis
sioners blamed former County
Manager Tim Johnson for finan
cial problems that have landed the
county in hot water. The board fired
Johnson in a 3-2 vote in January
and at that time refused to say why
they fired him.
Besides drawing up a budget for
the 2015-16 fiscal year, Hoke Coun
ty officials have been busy working
to clean up the 2014-15 fiscal year
budget and address “serious opera
tional problems” with its financial
management procedures.
Earlier this year, the Local
Government Finance Division and
the Local Government Commis
sion (LGC) with the North Carolina
Department of State Treasurer cited
(See BLAME, page 6)
Johnson
defends
himself
April King holds up the keys that she hope will unlock new possibilities for her family. (Catharin Shepard photo)
King gets keys to Habitat house
Hoke’s ninth house finished by mom, 3 boys, volunteers
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
April King held up the glittering
keys and shook them, smiling, at her
friends and sister as her sons Zecha-
riah, Jeremiah and Isaiah looked on.
The keys would open the door
to her brand-new home on North
Jackson Street in Raeford, and. King
hopes, open new possibilities for her
family.
“More like a final destination.
something that we worked towards,
something that we actually prayed
for this was like a goal that we re
ally wanted to conquer. It’s good for
me, as a single mother of three boys,
to actually have this,” she said.
This weekend King became the
ninth person in Hoke County to
receive a house through Habitat for
Humanity. The nonprofit organiza
tion relies on donations to help build
a house, with the new homeowner
required to put in hours of “sweat
equity” helping with the construc
tion. The homeowner pays back the
cost of the house, which then sup
ports future Habitat for Humanity
projects.
“You appreciate it a lot more
to see that this is something you
helped come here every Saturday
and build,” King said. Construction
started in August of last year and
wrapped up just recently.
King has been a Hoke resident for
(See HABITAT HOUSE, page II)
Johnson
‘They were
afraid their folks
wouldn’t get hired’
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
“If any
one thinks
I’ve done
anything
wrong at
all, they
should call
the SBI
and have it
investigated,” former Hoke
County Manager Tim John
son said after accusations
from some county commis
sioners that he caused the
county’s financial problems.
In January, the board
voted 3-2 to fire Johnson
and would not give a reason
for firing him, but last week
Commission Chairman
James Leach said now that
the county’s financial issues
have been made public,
citizens may “see the rea
son for it.” Commissioner
Harry Southerland com
mented that the financial
issues were “why we had to
do it.”
Johnson, who is now
(See JOHNSON, page 6)
Sheriff: Churches can’t assume they’re safe
Post someone at open doors, lock others, report suspicious people, Peterkin tells crowd
By Catharin Shepard
Staff writer
Churches can’t assume
their congregations are safe
while attending worship
services, Hoke County
Sheriff Hubert Peterkin
said.
“Should we pray with
one eye open and one eye
closed? Some of us do.
Some of us better,” he said.
“I’m being serious. Some of
us better be paying atten
tion at all times.”
Weeks after a 21-year-
old man walked into a
Emanuel African Method
ist Episcopal Church in
downtown Charleston and
shot and killed nine men
and women, including a
South Carolina state sena
tor, Peterkin met with faith
leaders in the local commu
nity to talk about keeping
places of worship safe.
More than 100 people
from Hoke, Cumberland,
Robeson and Scotland
counties attended the meet
ing Saturday at East Hoke
Middle School, where
Peterkin and some of his
staff members talked with
churchgoers and their pas
tors about how to keep wor
ship services and church
grounds safe.
“I wish I could stand
here and tell you that
everyone who walks into
a place of worship is there
for peace, for worship and
helping people and love and
tranquility. That is not what
(See CHURCHES, page 7)
Peterkin talks to a crowd of church leaders about security. (Catharin Shepard photo)