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THE STATE PORT PILOT
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Volume 47 Number 29 February 4, 1976
Southport, TV. C.
18 Pages
10 Cents
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KINDEGARTEN STUDENTS AT LINCOLN PRIMARY SCHOOL ob
served the nation’s 200th birthday during January. The students made
candles, soap and a Bicentennial quilt. Shown above are (from left to right)
Dean Jeffreys, Maureen Roberts, Mary McMillan and Gregory Bush. All
classes observed the exhibits which included a kitchen, classroom and many
antiques that were loaned to the students.
Kids Reenact Colonial Life
The Kingergarten of
Lincoln Primary School in
Leland has spent the month of
January celebrating
America’s 200th Birthday.
The motive was to give the
children a realistic look at the
way things were in colonial
days. The children par
ticipated in many activities.
They made soap, dipped
candles, made a quilt, made
a replica of the flag designed
by the legendary Betsy Ross,
made straw brooms and corn
shuck brooms, quill pens and
colonial toys such as a
“humdinger”, corn shuck
dolls, marbles, slingshots and
a flipperdinger.
The teachers, aides and
children were dressed in
colonial style. Hats were
made for the children. The
girls wore long dresses and
mob caps. The boys wore...
white knee socks and dark
pants with three-cornered
hats.
Areas of interest were set
up in the rooms to display
items of colonial life style. A
colonial style kitchen, school
and store were set up. Many
people contributed to the
display. Teachers and other
school , personnel, parents,
and interested people in the
community helped to make it
a big success.
All children in the school
made a visit to the colonial
display during the day last
Thursday. They, were treated*.,
to a birthday cup cake. In the
evening parents and adults
were invited and were also
treated to a slice of a big
birthday cake.
Special guests included
Miss Diane King, Brunswick
County Bicentennial Queen,
Terry Maze of Moore’s Creek
Battleground, who set up a
tent and was dressed as a
colonial soldier, Bill Reaves
of the Star-News who was the
Town Crier, and Uncle Sam
himself.
Mrs. Mary Gornto from
Committee worked with the
teachers in co-ordinating this
unit and helping them to
locate items for the display.
Mrs. Lucille Blake of Leland
loaned many items such as a
butter churn, a whale oil
lamp, and a cradle. An
authentic Spinning Wheel
was loaned by Maye Spell.
Board Approves Plan
For Tax Interest Rule
Guidelines releasing the
interest charged taxpayers
on late payment of 1975
Brunswick County taxes were
approved by county com
missioners during a meeting
Monday.
The resolution
unanimously adopted by the
board acknowledged that
“certain taxpayers” were
unable to pay their 1975 taxes
due to complications caused
by the revaluation last year
and the law requires the Tax
office to add an interest
payment to the taxes due.
“The Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners
therefore deems it equitable
to release the interest on
taxes charged to these cer
tain individuals who comply
with requirements one
through four below to include
specific situations,” said the
Abstracts Go
Out This Week
I
All Brunswick County
taxpayers should receive
their abstracts needed to list
their 1976 taxes this week,
Tax Supervisor K.T. Bellamy
said Tuesday.
Bellamy said his depart
ment finished mailing ab
stracts to all townships in the
county except Smithville on
Tuesday. He said Smithville
abstracts, the last to be
proceeded, will be mailed
Wednesday and Thursday.
“We have been mailing the
abstracts as fast as they are
delivered to us by the County
Computer Department,”
Bellamy said.
County Finance Director
Regina McKeithan, who is in
charge of the Computer
Department, said Clerk
Rhonda Bowling finishing
running the Smithville ab
stracts Monday morning.
Bellamy said he recom
mends that taxpayers wait
until they receive their, ab
stracts before attempting to
list their taxes, but he said
that taxpayers who have not
received their abstracts by
Friday should contact his
office or their township lister.
Taxpayers who did not pay
taxes in Brusnwick County
last year will have to contact
the Tax Department or their
township lister since they will
not receive abstracts.
All owners of property,
both real and personal, are
required by law to list their
taxes. The deadline is March
2, which is one month later
than normal.
Bellamy said he did not
want to give the reasons
listing is late again in the
county this year other than
that the printer did not finish
the work on time.
resolution.
“The Board of Com
missioners through the
process outlined below will
afford remedy to the tax
payer by a release of the
interest charged,” the
resolution stated.
Taxpayers who have
already paid their 1975 taxes
can have their interest
payments refunded if they
follow the same requirements
provided in the resolution.
Taxpayers can pay their
1975 taxes without interest if
they meet four requirements.
The requiremens are that:
“The taxpayer must have
signed an abstract for the
year 1975.
“The Brunswick County
Tax Office could not, through
the complications of the
system, present the taxpayer
with a correct tax statement
within the appropriate time.
“The taxpayer made an
attempt to ascertain his taxes
and to pay his taxes before
December 31,1975.
“The taxpayer must show
proof of number three by an
acceptable method to include
the following: Evidence of
some correspondence in
dicating an attempt to
ascertain and to pay the
taxes. Personal recollection
of members of the tax
department. Affidavit
executed by taxpayer that he
had made an attempt, in
dicating dates and methods of
the attempts made.
The resolution lists six
areas “to indicate specific
situations in which the tax
payer should be afforded
relief by the release of in
terest”. They include:
“The taxpayer appealed to
the Brunswick County Board
of Equalization and Review
during its 1975 sessions; the
Board ordered a reduction in
he appraised value of the
taxpayer’s property, which
order appears in its minutes;
the value fixed by the Board
was not properly entered on
the official tax records
through clerical error.
“The taxpayer made an
informal appeal to a
representative of the ap
praisal company employed
by the county to conduct its
1975 revaluation; the ap
praisal ' company re
presentaive agreed that an
error had been made in the
appraisal and told the tax
payer that the value would be
reduced; the reduced value
agreed to by the appraisal
company representative was
not properly entered on the
appraisal company’s report
to the tax supervisor, with the
result that the tax supervisor
approved a value higher than
that which the appraisal
company representative had
led the taxpayer to believe
would be made; furthermore,
the tax supervisor did not
notify the taxpayer and the
appraisal company
representative.
“The taxpayer appealed to
the tax supervisor from the
value assigned to his
property by the appraisal
company; the tax supervisor
agreed to reduce the value
and so informed the taxpayer
orally; a notation of the
adjusted value was made on
the taxpayer’s abstract or
property record card, but the
(Continued On Page 2)
Discuss Plans To Help
Speed County Complex
Preliminary planning on
the Brunswick County
courthouse complex is
already running two weeks
behind schedule, county
commissioners were in
formed during their regular
meeting at the Hood building
in Southport Monday.
County Planner Johnny
Sutton told commissioners
that the office space needs
survey will not be completed
until around March 22
because of unexpected
delays.
Sutton said that LBC&W,
the Columbia, S.C., ar
chitectural and engineering
firm in charge of the cour
thouse complex project, will
need about 17 weeks after the
completion of the office space
needs survey to submit
preliminary drawings.
Sutton said that office
needs questionnaires have
been sent to all departments
in the county that plan to
locate facilities in the new
complex. “The survey is
needed to consolidate and
prevent the duplication of
services at the complex to
save money,” the county
planner explained.
Both Sutton and Louise
Pryor of J.L. Minton Com
pany, the firm hired to seek
grant funds for the county,
told the board that federal
money may be available for
the project if the county can
act quickly. ....... i-'j. :*
They reported that
Congress has approved a
public works bill which
President Gerald Ford is
expected to veto. Officials in
Washington believe,
however, that Congress will
override the veto and ap
prove the bill.
Miss Prayor said the bill
will provide 100-percent grant
money for public works
projects, but she said local
governments receiving funds
from the bill must be able to
start construction within
about 90 days to obtain the
money.
Miss Pryor told the board
that the county will have
extra time to prepare plans
because implementation of
the public works funds will be
delayed until Congress can
override the veto.
“I think we will have the
master plan for the complex
ready when the money is
available,” Chairman Steve
Varnam, Jr., told Miss Pryor.
Sutton said that a large
amount of federal funds from
the public works bill could
solve the financial problem to
construct the courthouse
complex “since no bonds and
very little local funds will be
needed.”
Storm Causes
Power Break
The Brunswick County
Sheriff’s Department was
without power for about 90
mintues during the storm
Sunday night.
Sheriff Herman Strong said
the dispatcher in the office
had to use a walkie-talkie to
contact a Sheriff’s patrol car
with a repeater to maintain
communications during the
blackout. The car was parked
in front of the Sheriff’s
Department.
Sheriff Strong said he had
been informed by County
Civil Defense Director Ellis
Stanley that the county has
generators which go on
automatically when the
electric power is knocked out.
But Sheriff Strong said he
was told by Stanley that the
generators are in crates in
the Agriculture building in
Supply. They have not been
hooked up yet.
The sheriff says his
department needs generators
at the department in South
port and at the radio tower at
Supply.
Commissioners W.T. Russ,
Jr., and Franky Thomas
pointed out that the board has
never given any indiciation
that “everything has to be
built at one time.” They said
the board has always planned
phased construction unless
federal funds can be obtained
to build the complex at one
time.
Sutton also reminded
commissioners that the time
has come to discuss financing
with the Local Government
Commission in case a bond
referendum is needed.
Sutton pointed out that the
re-location refrendum ap
proved by the people said that
“if bonds are to be issued for
the relocation, or a financing
agreement entered into, the
board of commissioners shall
apply to the Local Govern
ment Commission no later
than 10 months after the day
of the referendum.” The 10
months expires on May 19.
Thomas said that Harlan
Boyles of the Local Gover
nment Commission told him
last summer that the
discussion should begin early
in case a bond referendum is
needed. “We need to make
them aware of our plans,” he
added.
Sutton said one of the
problems he is having with
the office space needs survey
involves the Board of
Education. He said the school
officials want the county to
commit 25 acres of the
Brown-Knox site before it
completes the office space
needs survey.
Sutton called this “a back
ward approach” since he
believes that the county
should “at least” look at the
office space needs before
committing land.
County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., reported that he
had received a letter from
Supt. Ralph King requesting
a joint meeting between the
two boards to discuss the
matter. The board decided to
hold the joint meeting at the
Board of Education office
Monday night at 7 o’clock at
the suggestion of Chairman
Varnam.
“They (the Board of
Education) are holding us up
as far as that is concerned,”
Russ declared.
Sutton also said the com
missioners need to discuss
with the Board of Education
possible joint use of the
school bus garage^
maintenance facility. “Wfe
should at least be given the
opportunity to lode into it,
since there is nothing in th£
law that says it can’t be '&
joint facility,” he pointed ou£
out. £
Thomas said a joint facility!
was ruled out at joint
meetings held this faij’
because of the mixing of
funds since the school facility;
will receive federal, state and
local money. Sutton said h£
agreed, but still believes if
should be discussed with th&
school board. £
“This survey is real imj
portant to save money,” thd
county planner stated. “Wd
should know our needs and
their needs.” J
Sutton said another
problem that has developed
with the space needs survey
concerns court related
(Continued On Page2) %
Consent Judgement
In County Action
Brunswick County com
missioners and officials have
been “permanently enjoined
and restrained” from
spending certain amounts of
public money without calling
for bids, The Pilot learned
this week.
Superior Court Judge Jerry
Alvis issued the consent
judgment and injunction in
the lawsuit brought by Frank
Langner against county
commissioners and officials
concerning the purchase of
radio equipment without
asking for bids.
County commissioners and
officials were “permanently
enjoined and restrained from
making expenditures for
construction or repair work
requiring the estimated
expenditure of public money
in an amount equal to or more
than $10,000 or purchasing
apparatus, supplies,
materials, or equipment
requiring an exenditure of
public money in an amount
equal to or more than $2,500
without first having fully
complied with the provisions
of the law.”
Judge Alvis said that any
violation of the judgment and
injunction will be
“punishable by appropriate
contempt proceedings”.
The judgment also ordered
county officials to cancel and
rescind purchase orders to
Motorola Communications
Electronics, Inc., for radio
equipment, to advertise for
equipment and award con
tracts based on the bids, and
to make no further attempts
to purchase equipment under
the contract between the
Lower Cape Fear Planning
Unit and Motorola.
Langner, who operates
Southport Communications,
Inc., filed the complaint
seeking declaratory relief, an
affidavit motion for a per
manent injunction and a
motion for preliminary in
junction on September 8 and
the case was heard on Sep
tember 15.
The final judgment,
however, was not made a
part of the official records in
the Brunswick County
Superior Court until late
December because of
reluctance of Motorola of
ficials to sign it, reported
Attorney William Shell of
Murchison, Fox and Newton,
who represented Langner.
“Motorola consents to this
judgment only to facilitate
settlement of the suit by other
parties thereto, believing
itself to be an innocent
bystander with regard to the
matters alleged,” said
Attorney Thomas Link, who
signed the judgment for
Motorola and Local
Representative Richard
Edwards.
“This action is not to be
construed as an admission of
wrongdoing or liability on the
part of Motorola and its
consent is given merely to’
compromise a doubtful and
disputed claim,” Link con
tinued. “Motorola expressly
denies any wrongdoing or
liability in the matter.”
Since the judgment was
signed, the county has ad
vertised and awarded con
tracts for the disputed radio
equipment. Motorola was
awarded the contract upon
(Continued On Page 2)
THE OAK ISLAND POST 10226 LADIES AUXILIARY presented a checK
to the Long Beach Rescue Squad, with funds being raised through a com
munity project in which the ladies made cakes and cookies. Shown above isr;
Mrs . Jeannie Gallup, president Ladies Auxiliary, presenting check to Walter
•Johnson, Chief, Long Beach Rescue Squad. >