THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 45 NUMBER 46 22 PAGES TODA V SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA JUNE 5, 1974 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDA Y
NOW OPEN FOR CLAMMING is the eastern
side of the Cape Fear River near Southport, and
much of the credit goes to Corncake Inlet,
reopened last fall by storm action. Corncake,
here shown from the river side of the inlet, allows
ocean water to flow into marshes and creeks
behind Bald Head Island, creating a flushing
action that keeps the salt water marshes fresh.
Also contributing to the cleaner water, fisheries
spokesmen say, is the reduction of pollution
flowing from Wilmington area plants.
No Tax Rate Hike Projected
Council Plans Study Of
Proposed Beach Budget
The Long Beach Town
Council heard Town Manager
Frank M. Kivett. present a
$604,511 budget proposal with
no tax increase for 1974 - 75
during a special meeting
Friday.
The total budget includes
an 87.5 - cent - per - $100 tax
rate at 100 percent valuation,
which is exactly the same as
the current year, Manager
Kivett stated. Last year, the
tax rate was $1.75 per $100
based on 50 percent
valuation.
The commissioners will
study the proposed budget
until June 20, when a hearing
will be held at 7:30 p.m. to
discuss it.
In presenting the budget,
Kivett said “several matters
of significance are included
that represent a new concern
for the citizens of Long
Beach. These items reflect
‘people concerns’ in the fields
of recreation, public service,
public safety and responsive
government.
“Much consideration has
been given to the needs of the
town government and the
condition of town equip
ment,” he noted.
Kivett said the budget
provides for ‘‘a reasonable
increase” in salaries for all
town employees since “a fair
and liveable wage is essential
if the morale and interest as
public servants is to be
maintained.”
He reported that the
proposed budget also shows a
“renewed interest in the field
of training for employees and
educational opportunities for
both the employees and the
commissioners.”
Proposed 70 Cents At Full Valuation
Yaupon Reportedly Cuts
Budget, Rate Unchanged
By BILL ALLEN
The reading of the proposed
1974 - 75 budget and the ap
proval of the controversial
condominium project
highlighted a spirited
meeting of the Yaupon Beach
town board Monday night.
Commissioner Bill
Smalley, the town budget
officer, presented the $45,225
budget to the town board. It
-reportedly will keep the tax
rate at 70 cents per $100
valuation based on 100 per
cent assessment.
Last year, Yaupon Beach
operated on a *01,000./a
budget with a tax rate of $1.50
based on 50 percent
assessment.
The major reason for the
decreased budget, Smalley
said, is that last year the town
had $6,440 in unpaid taxes.
This year, he noted, the town
only has a little over $700 in
unpaid taxes.
“If we can operate on this
budget this year, the
reassessmer' property due
in 1975 will aid this com
munity and enable us next
year to give more con
sideration to the fire and
police departments,”
Smalley said in presenting
the budget.
Under the proposed budget,
the police department will
receive $12,455 and the fire
department $1,500.
“If we adopted the budget
of $24,849.85 from the police
department and $5,075 from
the fire department, we
would add $31,270 to our total
budget,’’ the commissioner
(Continued On Page 21
Nye Wins Election
Senatorial Candidate Edd Nye won in Brunswick
County on Tuesday, edging challenger Frank
Grady 361 to 225, and gaining victory over Grady in
both Columbus and Bladen counties.
The two Bladen County candidates were vying
for the Senate seat held by retiring Arthur
Williamson. Nye had a sizeable lead over Grady in
the May 7 primary, establishing a large margin in
Brunswick County.
In drawing up the proposed
budget, the town manager
told commissioners that he
gave consideration to town
facilities and provided funds
in the budget to enlarge the
Town Hall, to have a two cell
lock - up at the police station
and two new and enclosed
stalls at the town garage.
Since he said he found town
vehicles in “poor condition,”
Manager Kivett included
funds to purchase two cars, a
pick - up truck for the street
department, and the first of
three annual installments
toward the purchase of a new
motor grader.
Funds in the budget are
proposed for a fense around
the baseball field, park
benches, picnic tables and
bleachers for the field
because of the “considerable
progress” the city has made
in the field of recreation in a
very short time.
The manager included
funds in the proposed budget
to pave about 2.5 miles of
streets, $20,000 for a new well
for the water system, a new
detective in the police
department and equipment
for better communications
within town offices.
The proposed budget in
cludes funds to meet all
current obligations, such as
payments for the fire and
garbage trucks and recent
land purchases. Funds also
are provided to repair and
modernize the city - owned
boat landings.
Kivett suggested that the
board consider funding other
matters that are not included
in the budget this year.
“One item the com
missioners should consider
financing “through the
$20,000 in the general fund
contingency is for a full - time
employee to serve as fire
chief,” he pointed out.
“Perhaps the commissioners
would like to consider
(Continued On Page 2)
Water System, Hospital In Total
County $15 Million Budget
Reflects 2-Cent Rate Drop
By BILL ALLEN
While other local govern
ments are having to raise
taxes because of inflation,
Brunswick County ap
parently can adopt its largest
budget in history — over $15
million—and still reduce last
year’s rate.
County Manager Neil
Mallory, budget officer for
the county, made the an
nouncement at the regular
monthly meeting of the Board
of Commissioners on Mon
day.
Mallory proposed that the
county adopt a $15,274,682.10
budget for the 1974 - 75 fiscal
year. “It is the largest
amount of expenditures ever
proposed for Brunswick
County within a single
operating year,” he declared.
In order to generate funds
to balance the budget,
Mallory proposed that the
county set the tax rate at 70
cents per $100 valuation. The
tax rate for the current fiscal
year is $1.42 based on 50 -
percent assessment.
“The recommended tax
rate is a reduction in the
current tax rate of two cents,
“the county manager stated.
“Although expenditures are
proposed to be increased, all
requested expenditures can
be satisfactorily met and at
the same time reduce the
burden on our taxpayers.”
Although the board took no
action on the proposed 1974 -
75 budget, commissioners
seemed pleased that the
county could meet its
financial obligations in this
period of rising inflation and
cut the tax rate at the same
time.
“We will have plenty of
time to review and discuss
the budget with department
heads before we take final
action on it,” Chairman
William Kopp, Jr., an
nounced. “We will see what
the final outcome is when we
get through sticking our
finger into it.”
“I have been reading about
the proposed budgets of other
counties and places and this
is the first one I have seen
that reduced the tax rate,”
the chairman stated. “During
this time when inflation is
eating into everything, this
budget can be met with a two
- cent reduction in the tax
rate.
Chairman Kopp and
Commissioners Vardell
Hughes and Robert Simmons
all commended Mallory, Mrs.
Regina McKeithan, assistant
auditor, Mrs. Carol Greene,
Injunction Suit Progresses
Further action is expected Friday in the Open
Meetings lawsuit brought by Southport and
Shallotte newspapers against the Brunswick
County Board of Commissioners.
Judge E. Maurice Braswell heard from plaintiff
and defense attorneys on Monday and issued a
tentative ruling that there were no issues of fact in
the case — nothing that would necessitate a trial
by jury. He announced he will review numerous
pages of testimony submitted in the case, with an
announcement due Friday.
The action that seeks to enjoin the com
missioners from holding secret meetings was
commenced last July 25.
clerk, department heads and
staff members for the work
they put into the budget.
The board voted
unanimously to hold
meetings at 2 p.m. on Monday
and Wednesday afternoons to
discuss the budget with
department heads. The
commissioners will hold a
series of meetings between
June 13 and June 25 to review
the budget. A public hearing
on the budget will be held
June 26 at 10 a.m.
Although the proposed
expenditures in the 1974 - 75
budget are larger than last
year, Mallory said the
amount of ad valorem taxes
required constitute only 27
percent of the total revenue
needed to balance it.
Other revenue needed to
balance the proposed ex
penditures and the per
centage of the total revenue
required include grants, 17
percent; bonds, 16 percent;
Farmers Home Ad
ministration loan, 13 percent;
project reserve, nine per
(Continued On Page 2)
Kopp Tells Commissioners
Hospital Letter Read;
“No Time” To Answer
No action has been taken
yet on Southport Mayor
Eugene Tomlinson’s letter
about hospital services in the
county, members of the
Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners were told at
their regular meeting on
Cites Business Pressure
Harrelson Out
Of House Race
Rep. Thomas J. Harrelson
has requested the Brunswick
County Board of Elections to
withdrawn his name as a
Republican candidate for re
election to the North Carolina
House of Representatives.
The two-term state
legislator stated that in
creased business pressures
forced him to withdraw his
candidacy. He is in the
grocery business in South
port.
“I reached a decision about
ten days ago that it would be
impossible for me to mount
an aggressive, person-to
person campaign lasting at
least three months and then
to serve an additional six
months next year in Raleigh
while at the same time
devoting enough time to my
business interests,” he said
Monday.
‘‘In my two terms I have
attempted to represent the
needs of the average citizens
of our district — the farmers,
fishermen, school teachers
and small businessmen.
Meanwhile in devoting this
amount of time to my
legislative work, I have had
to suffer great personal and
financial sacrifice and over
this four-year period it has
taken its toll.”
Harrelson said, “I certainly
appreciate the opportunity
the people have given me for
the past four years to serve
them, because despite the
financial and personal
sacrifice, I have enjoyed this
opportunity. This has been a
very difficult decision to
make but I believe that the
people of Pender and
Brunswick counties will be
better served if they elect a
representative who will be
able to devote the time that I
have devoted over the past
four years — time which I
will not have available during
the coming two years,” the
representative said.
Harrelson would have
opposed Allen Ward in the
November general election.
No decision of who will
replace Harrelson on the
ballot has been made.
Monday.
In answer to a question
from Vice-Chairman J.T.
Clemmons, Chairman
William Kopp, Jr., said he
had not had time to reply to a
letter from Mayor Tomlinson
about the Dosher Memorial
Hospital board of trustees’
voting to phase out acute care
service upon the opening of
the new Brunswick County
hospital.
Kopp said he wanted to
make copies of Mayor
Tomlinson’s letter to send to
each commissioner.
“I want to prepare an
answer to the letter and let
each commissioner see it
before sending it to Mayor
Tomlinson,” the chairman
said. “I want our board
members to contribute to the
letter if they desire.”
“From reading the letter in
the local newspapers, I
gather it is not clear in the
good mayor’s mind who owns
or controls Dosher hospital,”
Clemmons said. “We should
dig back in our minutes to see
if this board had not voted to
close the acute care section.”
“I know he (Mayor
Tomlinson) understands
business better than I do, but
it is a tremendous job just to
operate one hospital in a
county,” the vice-chairman
stated. “I hope in the answer
to the good mayor that we
bring out the tremendous
hardship on people in this
area to maintain Dosher
(Continued On Page 2)
Wants 4 More
Sheriff: ‘Cars
Reduce Crime’
The decision to put more
Sheriff’s department cars on
the road is helping to reduce
the crime rate in Brunswick
County, Sheriff Harold
Willetts stated this week.
Sheriff willetts released
figures that reportedly show
crime had decreased 40
percent since the con
troversial cars were put on
the roads more than three
months age.
"I think the cars are ser
ving as a determent to
crime,” Willetts said. “When
people see the cars, they
know the Sheriff’s depart
ment is in the area. Would -
be criminals see the cars and
know the area is being
watched.”
According to the statistics,
the number of breaking,
entering and larceny crimes
totaled only 34 between
March 15, when the cars hit
the roads, and May 15, the
last reporting period. Other
crimes, such as larceny,
domestic troubles, traffic,
assaults, drugs, etc., num
bered 354 during the same
period for a total of 388.
“Before the cars were put
on the road, crime in Brun
swick County was increasing
at a rate of 19 percent,” he
pointed out. “Now crime is
going down after the cars
have been on the road. That
tells me something about how
the cars are helping to reduce
crime here.”
He pointed out that
breaking, entering and
larceny crimes totaled 76
cases between January 15
and March 15, the three
months before the cars’were
operating. Other crime
(Continued On Page 2)