Page 2-A?THK BRUNSWICK BEAC
j Holder
BY SUSAN USHER
Holder: Beach commissioners compromised
last Thursday on a request
to rezone a tract of land between
Rothschild and Quinton streets.
On a motion by Hal Stanley, they
rezoned all but one block (oceanfront)
of the tract from residential to
commercial during a special meeting
that preceded a budget workshop.
"We compromised, 1 think,"
Stanley said after the vote.
Commissioners also asked the
planning and zoning board, which
met later in the day, to consider revisions
to the zoning ordinance that
would allow residential coastruction
in areas zoned commercial, a concern
raised at a public hearing the
Planning E
Recomrru
Two Cb
HY TERRY POPE
One sentence may inakc nil the difference
in the world to property
owners included In the 'JO or more lots
le/.oned for commercial use by
llolden Iteuch commissioners lust
Thursday morning.
following the commissioner's request,
planning hoard members
agreed last Thursday that amending
the C-l commercial district ordinance
to allow "one-family, twofamily
and multi-family homes, excluding
mobile homes" would solve a
lot of problems.
At a public hearing on the proposed
rczoning of all lots lying between
Itotlischild and Quintan Streets last
week, several residents questioned if
they would be allowed to rebuild their
homes In a commercial zone if they
were destroyed. Commissioners
agreed to ask the planning beard to
reword the ordinance so the property
owners would lie allowed to construct
buildings other than commercial
buildings in the ('-I zone.
Commissioners voted to rezone the
entire area between Itotlischild and
Quintan streets commercial last
week, eyeept for tots tying along the
ocennfronl.
At the planning board's meeting
iivoimj . iiiniiin n vtiit (I in iri uiii
idoikI (luit two lots lyln({ In tin- ocennfront
(tlstrli't In- re/oned to commorNO
DROUGHT RELIE
1Normal' M<
Is Week's F
Normal Into May weather continues
In the forecast for the South
lirunswtek Islands, without the extra
rains needed to boost low water table
levels.
Shatlotte Point meteorologist
.lackson I'mindy said the area should
sco average temperatures in the low
to mld-tiOs 11! mkIiI ranging to the low
to mid-AOs during I ho i toy. with about
a half-inch of rain
"It looks liko a fairly normal late
May weather pa Item," lie said
While tluit means generally good
weather, it doesn't offer much hope
of general drought relieving rains
t'aiuuly aililed
" Hiere could bo some local rebel
through soattereil thundershowers
Karmers liavo had some relief will
the rain m recent weeks. but tlH
water table is still several Inches
Is-low what It sltould tie
Turnout 5
iCnallmml From t'a*r l-Al
Island* Chamber of Commerce, mh<
(I*- delegation nuute an improvooi
on other* at the meeting
"I think the\ rcalired we were get
ltn?! attention We were wel
represented "
Aiut, she aikteil. ''Kver\ txnty wn
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,-ON, Thursday, May 30, 1985
) Beach Cor
previous week.
"Block A," the area omitted in thi
rezoninii. is the oceanfront block bet
ween Cole and Quinton streets. At thi
time of Thursday's meeting, no re
quests to rezone the area commercia
had been received and none of thi
property owners involved had spokei
for or against its rezoning.
Several persons at the public hear
ing, however, had questioned the con
gestion that might be created if addi
tional oceanfrontage was rezone<
commercial, particularly near thi
foot of the bridge. Yet, Commissionoi
Jim Griffin said, because of the lots
proximity to the bridge, "R-l is no
the highest and best use of ttia
land."
ioard
l_
snas
anges
cial if the town attorney determines
the request to be legal. Boyd H. Ford
Jr. of l/iris, S.C., lias filed a petition
to have lots 4 and 16 on the oceanfroni
rezoned commercial.
Although the two lots lie in the
same area the commissioners refused
to rczone for commercial use last
week, changing the commercial ordinance
to include home construction
may now make u difference, the
ijtitti'u ajircvu.
"One of the main reasons this was
not rezoned at tluit time," said board
member Jack Scarborough, "was
some of the residents were afraid
they could not rebuild. That has been
recommended to be changed."
"That was definitely one reason,"
added commissioner Jim Griffin.
"Another was because of the mass of
lots and misunderstandings of how
the rezonings were consistent with
the land use plan."
In making the motion to recommend
the rczoning of the two lots,
Scarborough suid there was "no
reason to hold him (Fordi up lie's
gone through the proper channels."
Griffin added there would be n?
"great big rush to do the other tuts,'
but tluit approving this one petitioi
tumid "li'f mil' nf (lit* hliM'ks L'i'f nut til
Ilii' way. There's no doubt in anyone'!
mind tluit one dny tluit whole h!o< V
will he commercial."
;f in sight
3y Weather
orecast
"The dryness of the topsoil has
been temporarily relieved in some
places. We're not as laid as we were,
bal the rainfall luisn't made that
(water table lassl up We've not a
ways to i;o."
Durinit the period May 21 throiiKh
27. for instance, Cunady recorded on
ly eight onc-hundredlhs o( an inch of
ram with his gauge at Shallotte
Point, while other areas of tlie county
received "considerably more" rainfall
I For tlie period he recorded a nutx'
Inium tiitih reading of % decrees on
. the 27th, and a minimum low of S]
decrees that same day
! An average itaily high of 91 degree;
and an average daily low of 6<
i degrees combined for u daily
> average temperature of 75 degrees
i winch Canady said was aboul thrci
degrees above norma!
>aid Good
saying '17' from one end of the coas
j to the other."
1 Brunswick County's delegation ir
eluded county and municipal official
. and representatives of the tw
1 chambers of commerce, as well as
number of Brunswick Count
, ttrpubhean Party leaders
UBSCKIBfc TO
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nmissioners
Commissioner Graham King, the
2 only member to vote against the mor
tion, questioned the size of the pro2
posed commercial zone, particularly
along the oceanfront. "I agree with
1 the block approach, but not with the
2 size of the block."
l When Commissioner Ha! Stanley i
noted that more than half the propos- I
ed area was already in commercial I
use, King replied, "fully 75 percent of 1
the oceanfront is not." i
He added, "I'm not sure we'd be
doing these people a favor rezoning |
r it." (
King suggested the rezoning might
t actually lower property values, mak- i
t ing someone hesitant to build a nice i
residence if they thought a "hotdog
1983 Soci
Df/>UI
I I ULfl
BY SUSAN USHER c
An audit of the Brunswick County a
Department of Social Services for the a
business year that ended June 30,
1983, raises questioas about the "ade- r
qu.icy and accuracy" of the agency's c
financial record-keeping. t
Among other things, the audit
report suggests the agency owes the a
state a refund of $5,172 for ad- i
ministrativc expeases for which it c
shouldn't have sought reimbursement.
In turn, the state owes DSS a o
similar sum for reimbursements the n
agency was due but failed to request. 8
The balance due the state?$851 for t
administrative expeases, plus $35 for a
daycare overpayments, and $479 for 1;
tax refunds for which other reim- n
burserncnt was also received tots!- u
ing $1,365. J
At the request of Commissioner/board
member I'rankie b
Kabon, Brunswick County Board of i:
Social Services members plan to 11
discuss the report at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday,
meeting in the county commissioners'
chambers will) their at- v
torncy present. c
"I don't know about you," he said
to fellow board members, "but I have I:
, a lot of questions about this. a
i ncrc are n 101 ot miiigs in u," ne
, continued..."That aren't quite
f kosher?" Chairnuin Betty Variuun
. volunteered.
At their meeting Tuesday night,
board members met with their attorney
(or about 70 minutes to discuss
"personnel and legal" matters.
They also urged filling of the vacant
fraud investigator's pusition as
soon us possible, approved the
dispo.su! of outdated fiscal records by
the clerical supervisor, and advertising
to fill several more vacancies in
the department.
Chairman Betty Varnam noted the
need to keep a close watch on the
budget, since the salaries category
was overspent in relation to the proportion
of tlie year that lias gone by
Reimbursement (or overtime incurred
during Hurricane Diana luid
been taken from the department's
salary line items as provided by a
policy adopted by commissioners
about a month ago. Only if tlie expenses
exceed the departmental
funds available were they to be paid i
from the contingency fund i
Audit Krport l
Audit findings range from minor to I
i serious and include repetitions of
I problems noted in the 11181 audit that I
tuid not been corrected. I
, In its 17 pages of "findings ami I
) recommendations." the N.C. Depart- i
I mcnt of Human Resources Audit Service
offers 20 specific reeommenda- <
. lions for changing procedures ami/or
policies at the departmental or coun- I
ty level in which apparent
weaknesses were found. I
Finance personnel in the state I
agency should, the audit reports i
states, "continue to monitor ami '
,t assist the department with problems l
i:
Tttrut&unt,
m
| ON TNI CAUStWAY
8 IM.I NACH
| 579-6279
Reach Rezc
stand might be built next door." To
T..W..V.V, L- * i: i
wnn.n . iavjl rveiuici rtinu^ lepiieu,
"It (a commercial district) has to be
somewhere."
The proposed rezoning conformed
to the town's 1980 land use plan.
Based on requests from property
owners, the planning and zoning
board had first proposed rezoning the
tract from Rothschild to Cole streets,
but then expanded the proposed commercial
area to conform with the
land use plan.
Most board members said they had
ihought the zoning of an area R-2 or
rommercial would not prohibit construction
of single-family residences
n r?..* :* j ?
ii iiic Mine m cet. Dm 11 uoes, ai least
ight now.
Under amendments proposed
ia I Services
ems !r. Bex
ncountered relative to the adequacy
ind accuracy of financial records
ind expenditure reports."
It also recommends routine interlal
auditing and auditing by the
ounty's independent auditing of cerain
accounts.
Auditors suggested a review of the
dequacy of the agency's food stamp
nventory and of its insurance
overage.
They questioned the large number
f Food Stamp coupons ($1.29
nillion) located in the ccunty on May
, 1984, when insurance in force at the
ime covered lasses of $500,000. They
lso questioned the department's
urge inventory of coupons when
nonthly issuances averaged only
bout $184,191 for the months of
anuary through April 1984.
Some of the changes proposed have
icen implemented between 1983 and
jsuancc of the audit; others liave
lOt.
Auditors' findings include that:
"Disbursement practices were at
ariance with generally accepted acounting
practices."
For instance, checks were issued
ascd on information prepared by
igency personnel, rather than on the
lasis of invoices or requests for pay
Iicm generated outside the agency.
\lso, there was no system for mainaining
accurate mileage logs and
naintenance records for county
eludes used by the department.
Expenditures shown on the
ieneral ledger and |>aid invoices
should he. hut were not,
systematically checked against
eimbursement reports before they
ire submitted to the state for payncnt,
resulting in both under- and
iver-reporting of expenses. The
igency can apply for state and
isleniI reimbursement of a share of
ts expenses in numerous programs,
irovided filing requirements are
net.
In several instances the departnent
failed to obUiin competitive
mts as required for construction or
epairs exceeding $30,000 or equipnent
purchases exceeding
110,000 including lease-purchase
igreements.
It also failed to comply with bid
requirements in purchasing equipiwiitf
m inctullnuilit culixc ourua.
J "R?*vment,
listing the payments as equipment
rental.
C'ontraets made in violation of tfie
bid statutes are considered void, the
auditors said. Therefore state and
federal money expended for those
items should be refunded
Several contracts did not reflect
either a prvaudit certificate or the
signature of the department's
finance officer
Written contracts were not
prepared for all independent contractors
who provide services to the
agency A contract with each provider
should be maintained in a permanent
file.
Many Weil-Known
Nome Broods
/ ft lomps Pictures
ar?d Accessories
ff Special Ordering
AvoilobJe
Come m and check out
our tow prices.
?ning
Thursday night by the planning
board, single-family, duplex and
multifamily housing, but not mobile
homes, would be allowed in
commercially-zoned areas in tne
future.
In regard to Block A, board
members also said that because they
were excluding it from the rezoning
now didn't mean they would
automatically agree to rezone lots in
the area commercial in response to
future requests from property
owners.
Proposing a Jordan Boulevard
cutoff line for the rezoning, King had
suggested, "If these people want to
be commercial all they have to do is
ask for it."
>Hr?i?inInn
? us a awj f
In one instance, personnel costs
for an employee assigned to the lowincome
energy were assigned to that
program for three months after the
employee had returned to the
Medicaid section full-time.
lack, as of 1983, of an adequate
system for maintaining a detailed inventory
of fixed assets as required by
state law of public property.
Reporting Differences
The $5,172 difference in what the
county requested in reimbursement
and the state determined was due fell
into four categories: salaries and fringe
benefits, equipment rental, profppc
anH inHirorf fnctQ
On two occasions?once in 1982 and
again in 1983?employees were out of
compliance with state personnel
policies and regulations. In the first
instance, the agency hired an
employee as a 60-day emergency appointment
and then paid him or her
Bridge Hei
(Continued From Page 1-A)
businesses. One family, not knowing
of the proposed route, lias since
bought property and built a home
directly in the line of the bridge approach.
They would have to be
relocated.
A replacement span for the Sunset
Beach Bridge is included in the
state's current Transportation Improvement
Program, with $500,000
estimated for right of way acquistion
that should begin in fiscal year 1986.
"Construction is still further off,
1988 or 1989 even," (iarrett continued.
Alternate 2, as revised, calls for a
shortened bridge length of 2,595 feet.
It would cross the waterway east of
the existing span and would
"straighten" the N.C. 179 approach
to the bridge.
With revision, its cost also lias
decreased slightly, from an
Our South Brunsi
4
y ocnnis
KHUil SHfFflflO
DA vC
I
...always read,
CALL 7
: JMrHH
I k'i?!lll!l?!l|-7
I
>romise
But Stanley pointed out, "That's
what we're trying to get away from."
In other business, commissioners:
Denied a request from Jimmie
and Hazel Monroe to rezone the property
at 137 Ocean Boulevard West
from residential to commercial. The
planning and zoning board had
recommended against the move, saying
it would not agree with the land
use plan and would also be an instance
of "spot" zoning.
Heard a request from Karen
Moshoures, director of operations for
the South Brunswick Islands
Chamber of Commerce, to include
$1,000 in the town's 1985-86 budget for
the chamber, to help in its promotion
of the area and provision of hospitality
and information to visitors.
m
H n
Pnlirioq
for days more than allowed
because credit was given for
holidays, with $231 in out-ofcompliance
pay. In the second, a
60-day emergency appointee continued
to work without an extension
of the appointment or a reclassification,
resulting in $1,672 out-ofcompliance
personnel costs.
The state felt $2,694 in legal fees
paid for services provided to recipients
for custody, adoption, protective
services, paternity and divorce
matters should be disallowed.
Federal reimbursement is allowed
only if an hourly rate is included in a
current work agreement on file at the
agency.
It also wanted to disallow $750 in
monthly retainer fees?unless DSS
can document that the hours worked
by its attorney equaled or exceeded
the minimum hours covered by the
retainer.
ring Set
estimated $7.33 million to $7,046
million.
Alternate 3, a medium level
drawbridge with 30 foot vertical
clearance, would cost an estimated
$6.94 million. Alternate 4, a medium
level drawbridge with 40 foot vertical
clearance, would cost $6.32 million,
while Alternate 5, with 14 foot vertical
clearance, would cost $7.28
million.
Although community opinion on
replacement of the bridge is sharply
divided, the state says the existing
Sunset Beach Bridge is obsolete as
well as costly to maintain because of
its mechanical parts and the need for
full-time operators.
Opponents of a high-rise bridge
have argued it would promote
development and greater density in
the beach community and have a
deleterious effect on the natural
beauty and family atmosphere of the
beach
vick Islands team
m r
ST* j .
i*n
KIATON
y to serve you!
54-4488
rrnm?
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