THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 46 NUMBER 20 24 PAGES, TWO SECTIONS SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA DECEMBER 4, 1974 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
A NEW BOARD of Commissioners for Brunswick County
was sworn into office Monday by District Court Judge Giles
Clark. Left to right are Willie Sloan, Chairman * Franky
Thomas, W.'J'. Russ, Jr., Steve Vamam, Jr., and Ira Butler, Jr.
An organizational meeting of the board was held Monday but
little action was taken on matters of county business.
Bowman Is Chief Deputy
New Deputies, Policies
In Sheriffs Department
i*! ■•-. lit, : U1' ,■ ■ ' ’ ' & ' ; '■t-V • «■' ■..:■ ‘ "•' •:. ‘
By BILL ALLEN
Herman Strong, a veteran
law enforcement officer, took
command of the Brunswick
County Sheriff’s Department
Monday morning.
After receiving the oath of
office in the courtroom in
Southport during morning
ceremonies, Sheriff Strong
walked down the stairs and
into his office at the cour
thouse.
Strong, a Democrat,
defeated Veteran Incumbent
Harold Willetts, who was
seeking his third four-year
term, in the November
general election.
“It is hectic around here
since we are just getting
organized,” Strong said
Tuesday.' “But we are
making progress, and people
are going to see the results.”
The sheriff announced that
Julian Bowman, who has
been serving as chief of police
at Holden Beach, has been
named chief deputy in the
department.
Other new deputies include
Phillip Perry of Leland, a
former member of the New
Hanover County Sheriff’s
Department, Carolina Beach
Police Department and
member of the Wilmington
Police Department drug
squad; Marty Folding, for
mer police chief at Boiling
Spring Lakes; Jim Moyer,
former Long Beach and
Southport police department
officer; and John W. Bowen,
former Southport police
department officer and
A.B.C. officer.
Ear lie Gore, George
Ballard, Robert Wayne Long,
and Douglas Padgett, who
served as deputies under
Sheriff Willetts, have been
renamed deputies in the
department.
In addition, Nelson Eddy
Adams and Raphell Frink,
who served as jailors under
Willetts, have been promoted
to deputies.
“Our deputies are working
three shifts a day,” Strong
said. “We are keeping two
cars on the road all night.”
The sheriff said that
Deloris Varnam has been
Too Cold, Too Much Discipline
More Bolivia Problems
Claimed By School PTA
By BILL ALLEN
Bolivia school problems
and lighted baseball fields
were discussed during a
regular monthly meeting of
the Brunswick County Board
of Education Monday night.
Everette Hess, James
Woods and Charles Brown,
representing the Bolivia
P.T.A. Grievance Com
mittee, asked the board to
look into problems Involving
lack of heat and excessive
discipline.
Hess and Woods said the
school was cold most of the
day Monday because the heat
was not turned on until 8:30
ajn. and it took six hours to
warm the classrooms.
Woods reported that the
building was so cold Monday
morning that some parents
came to the school and took
their children home. He said
teachers and students had to
wear heavy dotting while in
dass.
Supt. Ralph King said the
school was cold Monday
because the heat was cut off
for the Thanksgiving holidays
and cold weather came. “The
school (heating system)
needed an earlier fire-up
after the holidays,” he stated.
Woods said he went to the
school Monday morning and
discussed the lack of heating
with Principal Wade Duncan.
He said that Duncan did not
know where thermostats in
the school were located.
“If there is an operative
thermostat in the building to
control the Bolivia school oil
furnace, I do not know of it,”
said a note reportedly signed
by Duncan and produced at
the meeting by Woods.
Supt. King said the school
had temperature control
devices. But he said he did
not know where the devices
were located when
questioned by the committee.
Woods reported that the
heating system in one mobile
classroom at the school was
blowing cold air Monday and
the students stayed in the
unit. Supt. King said policy is
to move students to another
room when the heating
system in a mobile home does
not work.
Woods reported that
Duncaai said the heat would be
cut off at 2:30 pjn. Monday
afternoon and would not be
cut on again until 6:30 Board
members instructed the staff
to look into the matter.
After the committee
members left Member
Barbara Yount said she
visited the school Monday
morning about 11 ajn. after
hearing complaints about the
lack of teat.
She said she and Duncan
visited every classroom at
the school. None of the
teaches told them they were
cold, Mrs. Yount said. She
reported that she saw none of
the teachers or students
wearing coats in the
classrooms. “Teachers said
it was no different from any
other Monday (as as heat
was concerned,” she added.
Hess expressed concern
about teachers using too
much force to discipline
students at the school. He
said the problem was worse
in the sixth, seventh and
eighth grades.
Hess and Woods pointed
Out that one teacher has
recently been charged with
assaulting a student following
disciplinary action. They
charged that one present
Bolivia teacher has been
(Continued On Page 2)
employed as a clerk in the
office. Two other members of
the department under Sheriff
Willetts, Matron Deputy
Jeanette Roach and Clerk
Matron Joyce Cox, also will
work in the office.
Frances Hewett, Sarah
Owens and Edwin Walker
have been appointed
dispatchers. Walker held the
same post under Sheriff
Willetts. .
Billy Gurganus, who has
been serving as office deputy,
has been named chief jailer
at Southport and Shallotte. In
addition, he will serve as
court officer at Shallotte
District Court.
New jailers appointed
include Lewis Edward
Medley, Johnny Delmar
Smith and Kelus Thomas.
Homer Best, who served
under Sheriff Willets, was
renamed a jailer.
David O’Neil, who served
under Willetts, was re
appointed a jailer by Sheriff
Strong. However, O’Neil
turned in his equipment late
Monday afternoon and an
nounced his resignation.
Sheriff Strong said he was
still taking applications for
deputies, jailers, dispatchers
and other posts to find the
needed employees to staff the
department.
County records show that a
total of 22 members, who
were employed as of Dec. 1
under Sheriff Willetts, were
not given the oaths of office to
serve in the new ad
ministration. The total in
cludes 11 men who served as
field deputies.
Sheriff Strong said he plans
to make several changes in
the department to provide
better law enforcement in the
county. He said he was
especially interested in
improving “com
munications.”
“The radio com
munications system will be
set up according to federal
guidelines,” he declared.
“One central dispatch office
will handle all radio com
munications for the Sheriff’s
Department, the police
departments in the county
and the Civil Preparedness
department. All calls and
messages received will be
logged.”
He said he is working on a
plan to allow all Brunswick
(Continued On Page 2)
Charge Filed
Vs. Teacher
A Bolivia school teachei
has been charged with
assault and battery on a
minor following a
disciplinary incident, it was
learned1 this week.
Van Galloway, who teaches
the seventh and eighth
grades, was charged with
assaulting Jeffery Hinson, 13,
by striking him with a board,
one-inch thick and about 11
inches long, about the thighs
and buttocks Nov. 25.
Galloway was charged
after Verna Ellis of the
Bolivia Motor Lodge signed a
complaint with the Sheriff’s
Department.
County School Supt. Ralph
(Continued On Page 2)
Town Meeting
A variety of topics were
discussed during a public
meeting conducted by the
Southport Board of Aldermer
Tuesday night at the Cour
thouse.
Mayor E.B. Tomlinson, Jr.
fielded <]uestions asked bj
about 20 residents who at
tended the public meeting
Questions dealt with drain
age, mobile homes, pre
constructed buildings
traffic, etc.
The meeting was about 5(
minutes old before the first
question dealing with the
hospital was asked.
S*
Least Feb. 1
*
AV.O
Brunswick County
residents will not have to list
their 1975 • 76 taxes until
February, members of the
Board of Commissioners
were told Monday.
Regional Director Bob
Davis of Allied Appraisal said
that his company was behind
schedule in re - evaluating
and mapping property for tax
purposes.
The job, which should have
been completed Dec. 1 under
the contract, will not be
finished until the middle of
January according to present
projections, Davis reported.
“We know we are going to
be late,” Davis told the
board. “We are late. But we
are going to do the job. We
will get it done, but we don’t
want any penalty.”
Under the contract Allied
signed with the county, Tax
Supervisor Charles Mills
said, the company could be
fined $100 each day the work
is late during the month of
December. The penalty
jumps to $300 a day every day
it is late after January 1.
It was the first time
members of the Board of
Commissioners — old or new
— have been told at a public
meeting that Allied could not
meet the Dec. 1 deadline. The
company is being paid more
than $369,000 to re • evaluate
property for tax purposes as
required by state law.
Davis and Monty Black
mon, county company
director, said that Allied bid
on the project on the basis of
Brunswick County having
about 25,000 parcels of land.
But they said they found out
this summer that the county
has over 40,000 parcels of
land.
Davis said he did not blame
anyone after he discovered
that the county had more
parcels of land than an
ticipated. The tax office, he
said, estimated that the
county had around 25,000
parcels of land. “It was
stupidity on my part for
taking someone else’s word,”
he stated. “I have no excuses,
just 15,000 extra parcels of
land. We just got more than
we bargained for in the
contract.”
Roger Ellis of the North
Carolina Department of
Revenue said that taxpayers
inmost counties list property
in January. But he said
listing can be done until the
end of March under state law.
“It looks like February 1 is
the earliest possible date you
will be aide to mail out
notices and start listing
property,” Ellis said. “You
will start one month behind
and you will never catch up.”
Davis said he knew it was
“very rare” for a county to
start listing property in
February. “But it is also rare
to find 40,000 parcels when
(Continued On Page 2)
Despite Economy
Tax Collecting
Is Okay Here
Although some counties
and municipalities are fin
ding tax collecting slow the
problem has not developed in
Brunswick County, said Tax
Collector Homer McKeithan.
A spot check made last
week showed that tax
collections are up between
$15,000 and $20,000 over the
same period last year,
McKeithan reported.
"I made the spot check
because I was afraid
collections might be off due to
the state and national trends
to postpone paying taxes,” he
stated. “I have looked for it,
but I have not seen it yet.”
Tax collections are running
behind in most counties and
municipalities this year due
to general slow economic
conditions. When money is
tight, experts say that people
postpone paying their taxes.
“We should know for sure
how collections are going
after the notices of penalty
are mailed,” McKeithan
stated. “We should be able to
tell by the middle of
December if we are doing as
well as previous years or if
inflation is causing the
postponement of payment.”
McKeithan, who has served
as county tax collector since
1966, ranks high in the state
based on tax collection
percentage. According to a
report from the Institute of
Government, McKeithan
ranked third in the state last
year based on percentage
collected.
He said he is pleased with
the collection rate at the
present time, “We are run
ning $10,000 to $12,000 ahead
of last year on money
collected from average
taxpayers,” he pointed out.
“Our bigger taxpayers and
companies have not paid
their taxes yet.”
McKeithan said that after
notices were mailed in
September, the payment
response was better than
anticipated. “Collections
have slowed down some from
the first payments, but we
are holding our own since it
leveled off,” he explained.
The veteran county official
said collections always pick
up after notices are mailed to
citizens. “The notices remind
citizens to pay their taxes,”
he pointed out.
McKeithan said his office is
in the process of mailing out
final tax notices to all citizens
who have not paid yet. The
notices about penalties will
go out in early December.
"We try to get the final
notices to taxpayers before
the penalty period starts,” he
pointed out. “We try to give
them a 30-day notice.”
Residents pay taxes'
without a penalty between
September 1 and December
31. They are charged a two
percent penalty for paying
taxes in January. The penalty
goes up three-quarters of a
percentage each month they
don’t pay their taxes.
Thomas New Chairman;
Hospital Meeting Is Set
The new all - Democrat
Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners elected
Franky Thomas chairman
and set - up a hospital hearing
during the organizational
meeting Monday in South
port.
Thomas, who is associated
with Coastal Mobile Home
Sales In Leland, was
unanimously elected
chairman of the board. He
was the only man nominated
for the post.
Steve J. Varman, Jr., a
Lockwood Folly Township
seafood processor was
unanimously elected vice -
chairman of the board
without opposition.
The board decided to hold a
special meeting next week to
hear the Smithville Township
side of the hospital question,
1/
which has been the topic of
much discussion in recent
times. Southport Mayor E.B.
Tomlinson, Jr., and members
of the Board of Aldermen will
be invited to attend the
meeting tentatively
scheduled for Thursday
night, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at
the courthouse.
The board moved the
meeting up to next Thursday
afternoon at 3:30 o’clock at
the commissioners’ room.
No more than four mem
bers of the Southport
governing board will be
asked to form a panel and
present the Smithville side of
the hospital question. It will
be an “information only”
meeting.
In other business, com
missioners unanimously
appointed to represent the
board on agency committees
included Varnam, Council of
Governments; W.T. Russ,
Jr., Lower Cape Fear
Hanning Unit policy board;
Ira Butler, Jr., Southeastern
Mental Health Commission;
and Willie Sloan, Brunswick
County Board of Health. Law
requires that one elected
official from member
counties serve on the agency
committees.
Sheriff Herman Strong was
appointed to serve on the
Lower Cape Fear Planning
Unit. Law requires that a law
enforcement officer hold the
post.
Southport Attorney James
R. Prevatte, Jr., was
unanimously appointed
county attorney. He asked the
board to pay him a monthly
retainer plus the normal per -
hour rate. He said he would
submit a detailed bill each
month and attend all
meetings.
County Manager Neil
Mallory will investigate the
rate of payment other county
attorneys receive and report
back to the board before
Prevatte’s compensation is
set. Prevatte suggested the
approach in setting the
payment.
Mrs. Carole Greene was
unanimously re - appointed to
serve as clerk to the board.
The board voted
unanimously not to pay any
bills from county depart
ments without purchase
orders “without exceptions.”
The action was taken
during a disucssion of the
budget with Financial Officer
(Continued On Page 11) f s
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