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Twenty-fifth Year, Number 13
C»W illl ttUMSWICR MACON
Shollotte. North Carolina, Thursday, February 5, 1987
25c Per Copy
28 Pages Plus Insert
surr fHOio it susah ushi it
COMMISSIONER JIM POOLE, whs nioUcBcd to adept
the opUonal half-ccnt sales (ax Monday night, said he
plans to use the revenue to cut property (axes at budget
time.
County Adopts Added Holf-Cent Soles Tax
BY SUSAN USHER
Brunswick County followed the example of 97 other
counties Monday night, adopting o local option haii-cent
sales tax increase on a 44 vote, with Commissioner
Benny Ludlum absent.
I.,ocal shoppers could begin paying the tax as early
as April.
In other business, commissioners met behind clos
ed doors for 49 minutes at the request of County At
torney/Acting County Manager David Clegg, to discuss
persviuiel matters and propervy acqusssuun. toA
no action on either.
Last October following a public hearing, commis-
slcners tanied consiuciauun vT uic Uia uT,mi Ilf^
meeting in February. Approximately eight persons
sp^c ct that hssrisg, their opinions divided.
*T don't think you could call it either way," Com
missioner Jim Poole recalled before motioning to adopt
the tax. "It was a dead heat.”
According to Linda Randall, administrative officer
for the Sales and Use Tax Division of the Department of
Revenue, the earliest the county can begin collecting
revenues from the tax is April.
"They have io give us 30 days' noti\,«," she said.
"The March list Is already together.”
As of the March list, Brunswick. Wilson and Clay
counties arc Uie only ones that have not adopted the tax.
Adding the half-ccnt sales tax will generate an
estimated (900,000 yearly in new revenues. The tax
revenue Is distributed on the basis of population.
"I pbn to use this to cut taxes at budget time,”
Poole pledged.
Conurissioners adopted the tax with no discus.sion,
but with comments from Chairman Grace Beasley and
Commissioners Chris Chappell and Poole.
While Uic decision adds another tax to the public.
Poole said it abo provides a way for the county to col
lect a tax people already pay. "You uun'i pay $i.04Mi,
you pay $1.09,” he said.
Pliui. he added, visitors who come here from all
over the .state and elsewhere are accustomed to paying
tlie higher rate.
Beasley noted Uie tax is a way to help build a new
scliool In the Supply area proposed by the Brunswick
County Board of Education without increasing the pro
perty tax.
A portion of the tax revenues will go annually to the
schools for capital outlay projects or to retire debt for
capital outlay projects, though that portion decreases
on a regular schedule.
During the first two years, the schools receive 6u
percent of the revenues and Uie county receives 40 per
cent. During tiic second Iwu years, the money is divided
50-90. ITien, over Uie eitsuing four years, the (*i)iinly geLs
60 percent and the scliooLs gel 40 percent. 'Hie figure for
the schools then drops to 'M pei cent and two years Inter,
to 20 percent, indicated Handall.
At least one person at Momluy’s meeting wa.s
unluippy with the commissioners’ vote. Audience
member Peggy Jaynes advised cominl.s.sioncrs before
the vole to "be brave," and not adopt Uic tax. Hefcrrlng
to a large electric bill error that was overlooked, she
continued, "If you’re not going ti> woriy alHiul how the
!Roney la spent and where U goo®. ihe-» you sisould think
twice about adding another tax."
To Meet Jointly
Comiiubsioners agreeu lo u«vct juintly uii reh. 4 it 7
p.m. with county planning board y-i the lami
use plan upuaie oiiii uuivt uf uuminun mtcrfnt
such a.s the subdivision ordinance.
Delayed until Uiat mcoting w as a r(xpi‘st to hire a
part-time consultant, at a fee of up to $i0,(K)0, to help
planning department staff mem'ncri complete the up
date.
Planning Board member Alan Holden, one of Uirce
members interviewing consultants, said the boat'd
iVqSii*! for ®^*^'***^*'** liiclxitc ttsc
(Sec HALF-CENT, rngc2-A»
Sunset Accepts Gore's 35 Acres
For Public Parking Project
BY TERRY POPE
The town of Sunset Beach Monday
night became owner of a 35-acre
oceanfront tract that promises to
eliminate parking shortages on the
island.
Town council members voted
unanimously to accept a deed from
. felJow oouncibnan and deyelc^r Ed
Gore, whose TahibjF l^s donated' the
west-end tract prOTldw It is used as a
public parking facQity and beach ac
cess area.
Gore made his offer last year, but
it was tabled after board members
could not agree on the wording of the
deed. The wording was clianged
again Monday night before it was ac
cepted on a moUon by Donald Safrit.
Minnie Hunt seconded the motion.
"Well, we’ve been kicking this
thing around for a long time now,”
Safrit said. 'T think the wording is
what we’ve been seeking.”
At Us Jan. 5 meeting, the board
asked Town Attorney Mike Isenberg
to reword the deed to state that if the
town begins coastrucUon on the park
ing lot within a certain number of
years, ^en its ownership would per-
roanenUy go lo the towh- At previous
boai^ meeting, W Hunt had ei-
pMsaaH Ihftt fl ClaUSe WOUld
aiiow ihe pn^fty to revcit back to
the Gore family under certain condi
tions.
under the deed accepted Monday,
the town must construct the parking
lot within Uu'ee years for the town to
retain ownership. A minimum of 100
parking spaces must also be built.
If the town fails to construct the
parking lot within three years, the
Gore family would nave ihe right io
recover the property, the deed states.
Gore asked the board to replace the
words "shall begin constnicUon" on
the deed with "shall construct” to
eliminate "vagueness.”
"My counsel says for it to be ab
solute, it must be very clear and
definite,” Gore said.
—The town must purchase an ocean-
front lot to gain access to the west-
end tract At the Jan. 5 meeting,
Julia Shambaugh, of the N.C.
Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development public
access program, told the boatxl ihat
the west-end project would be eligi
ble for state grants.
The town plans to construct a park
ing tot, elevated walkways across Uie
dunes and public restroom faciiiUes
on the tract
Drainage Concerns
The town continues to suffer from
poor drainage of its streets while
awaiting an engineer’s report on ex-
acUy what work needs to be done,
Town Administrator Linda Flucgel
said.
Several re.ddents living on 29th
Street attended Monday’s meeting
asking for help In draining rain water
from the street At the Jan. 5
meeting, the board voted to seek an
engineer’s report on how to eliminate
standing water on the island. That
report has not been completed.
The
aacau
set aside $3-5,000 for
sidewalk construction along Main
Street, but those funds may now have
to be converted to pay for street
drainage, said Ms. Hunt, the town’s
finance officer.
(See DRAINAGF., Page «-A)
Hearing Officer Recommends DSS Rehire Fired Secretary
BY SUSAN USHER
Alinda Meares moved one step
closer last week to regaining her
former job as an administrative
secretary with the county.
Hearing Officer WUliam Lawton
propel Friday that Uie State Per
sonnel Commission recommend
Meares be reinstated In her old job
with the Brunswick County Depart
ment of Social Services or placed in
an equivalent position with the coun
ty. with similar responsibillUes and
salary commensurate with what she
would have been earning with across-
the-board raises.
AioatAT. Is scheduled to
cofisids' Uie case w Feb. 28 in
Raleigh, at which time defense
iawyeni for the county and for DSS.
Director Jamie Orrock plan to ap
peal findings of the hearing officer.
Lawton also recommends the com
mission find that Meares was fired
without just caure on Sept 8, 1981,
and that Sodal Services Director
Jamie Orrock did not comply with
pn^r procedures in his handling of
her dismissal.
According to Margaret Errlngton,
an associate of Meares’ civil rights
attorney, Leslie Winners of
Cliarlotte, Lawton also asks the com
mission to recommend full back pay
to the day Meares obtained other
cxnpioyiucfit, r^Myiiicnl for iiieuicai
expenses iiunir^ while uninsured,
and accumulated annual, sick and
petty leave.
She said Uie commissiGu rarely
overrides the recommendaUon of a
hearing officer. “It’s very rare," she
said. "I haven’t heard tell of it hap
pening.”
In any case, both parties have a
right to appeal to the state’s Superior
Court
Meares' local attorney, Dennis
Worley of Tabor City, and Meares
could not be reached for comment
Friday. However, Errington said
Meares has advised she would accept
a job with the county.
This is the third time Ms. Meares’
case has ctxne before the commis
sion.
I.awton’s proposed findings are the
result of an Oct 27-28 hearing held in
Brunswick County after all parties
consented to have the case heard by
the commission and to generally
abide by its recommendation. Both
sides, however, retained the right to
apped findings of fact and other
points of law.
Mimday night County Attorney
David Clegg said he would join Bill
Fairley, attorney for DSS Director
Jamie Orrock, in an appeal of
Lawton’s recommendation.
'T was employed In 1984 by the
commissioners and told to prosecute
this case,” he said. "They have not
told me to do otherwise.”
He and Fairley met for several
hours Friday after the recommenda-
Uon was made public. They plan to
file exceptions to the proposed
recommendation and to request the
right to make oral arguments when
the commissiori cixisidcrs the recom
mendations on Feb. 26.
Specific findings by Lawton in
dicate, among other things, that Or
rock did not give a required oral war-
nb;g and did not have written warn
ings in Meares’ personnel file as of a
certain date.
Ongoing Case
Meares was dismissed by Director
Jamie Orrock for alleged "failure to
maintain a harmonious working rela
tionship, participation in actions that
soiously disrupt or disturb the nor
mal working (^rations of the agen
cy ... and attempting to undermine
my authority.”
•nie former secretory contends =:e
was wrongfully fired and Has spent
the past years trying to win back
her job. Those efforts have taken
Meares, now working in real estate in
South Carolina, to both the courts and
the commission several times.
She withdrew her first appeal to
the State Personnel Cormkssion
voluntarily in 1982 after learning its
recommendation would not be bin
ding on the county.
She then sought a court order to
force the county to rehire her, only to
be told in Brunswick County Superior
Court to exhaust all administrative
remedies before seeking judicial
redress.
Then, In 1W4, ihe Stoic
CoTnn:.‘'Jon approved a settlement
readied between Ideares and the
Brunswick County Board of Social
Seix’ices that would have returned*
her to her old job. with full back pay
and benefits. The job, however, no
longer existed and would have had to
be created by the county commis-
sionera, who never accepted the set
tlement.
Later, both Wake County Superior
Court and the N.C. Court of Appeals
held that the social services board
did not have the authority to
negotiate such a settlement The case
was sent back to the commission for
a new entry of judgement in keeping
with the court’s findings.
Meares also had filed wnmgful fir
ing suits in both state and federal
court against the county, county
rommissloners, Orrock and the
social services department
The suit in Brunswick County
Superior Court seeking her reinstate
ment on the basis of the 1984 settle
ment was dismissed voluntarily.
The consent agreement stayed the
federal civil rights suit pending the
outcome of the State Personnel Com
mission appeal. Until then, said Err
ington. "it will just stay in limbo.”
Jamie Orrock, tlie social services
director who fired Meares, was
himself fired in November 1983
following allegations by a former
employee of sexual misconduct.
Following a ruling by the Stale Per
sonnel Gomniiasion, he was
reinstated in August 1985 by the
Brunswick County Board of Social
Services.
Charges Dismissed Against One; Two Others Sentenced
STAfF FHOIO BT (ItA SMItM
STATE SEN. R.C. SOLES JR. (center) asks for a halt in both annexation
and Incorporation attempts involving the Holden Dench causeway Saturday
ss be speaks to an audience of about SO people in the Seafood Rnrn
Restaurant. Among those Ilsteniog arc restaurant owner and former county
commissioner Cletis Clemmons, right, and Rep. E. David "Butch" Redw inc,
left.
t I s fO f^or*s Want
Causeway Status
Put On Hold
Breaking, entering and larceny
charges were dismissed against one
man^while two others were given
three years’ probation last Friday In
connection with a series of break-ins
at Holden Beach.
Judge D. Jack Hooks Jr. dismissed
four charges of breaking, entering
and larceny against Arthur E. Carter
Jr., 42, of Kannapolis, In Brunswidc
County District Criminal Court.
He also ordered Melvin C. Roark
Jr., 33, of Kannapolis, and Randy E.
Sloop of Concord to serve three years
probation and pay restitution to the
victims of their alleged crimes. They
are to jointly pay approximately
$2,185 In restitution within a year.
One viunge Ot larccT.y c! a flreann
was dismissed against all three men.
The men were arrested by Holden
Beach Police officers on Dec. 6 In
ccKinection with a series of break-ins
that had occurred that same week.
BY ETTA SMITH
Two state legislators said Saturday
they would stall further attempts to
either annex or incorporate the
Holden Beach causeway area.
Sen. R.C. Soles told about bo people
at a public meeting that if Holden
Beach doesn’t discontinue the pro
cess of annexation of the area—and if
opponents don't end their effort to in
corporate it first—he and Hedwine
will stop them when the state
legislature convenes Feb. 9.
"There are good people on both
sides of this issue, but things are
moving too fast. You need to sit down
together and work this out,” said
Soles.
"Elach side Is wanting to outrace
the other,” he continued. "But
there’s some solution that will satisfy
the majority of the pe^ie.”
listened to audience com
ments fOT and against annexation
before he made the announcement.
'The meeting was one of several
held recently at the Seafood Darn
Restaurant on the causeway to
discuss incorporating the area to
avoid its being annexed by the town.
/'lovTV-
mmia pieacnUu Rcdwlnc sr.d Soles
petitions Saturday, asking them to in
troduce A hill to incorporate North
Holden Beach.
The move to Incorporate the town
began for a second time after Holden
Beach commissioners voted Jan. 5 lo
prepare a letter of intent to nnne.x the
area.
The first effort to incorporate the
new town failed tost June.
Holden Beach Commissioner
William Williatmon said Uie town
had looked at the urea and voted to
consider annexing it. However, he
said no decision hnd been made.
"I played with J.W.’s (Robin.son)
children on Holden Beach when it
was just a bunch of sand dunes. I feel
like tills is a community. I’m sure
when anybody asks J.W. where he’s
from, he says Holden Beach,” said
Williamson.
Williamson added that Holden
Beach can provide things like gar
bage pick-up and police protection if
the area is annexed, something North
Holden Beach couldn't do on an
11-cent per $100 tax valuation.
Causeway rc.sident Walter Willetts
said tlial in 1968 when causeway
residents were raising money for a
rescue squad (now CoasUine VRS)
they were called by Uie Holden Beach
police chief and restricted from rais
ing funds on the Island.
"Things like that are the biggest
reason this side is against Holden
Reach unnexing us.” he said. He also
asked if Uie cmiseway residents
would have any say-so on the fire
(See I.KGISLATORS, Pagc^A)