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THE STATE PORT PILOT
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Volume 47 Number 34 March 2 J, 1976
Southport, TV. C.
22 Pages
10 Cents
‘Tighten Belts,9 Board
Tells County Agencies
PRINCIPALS IN THE TOWN MEETING held Monday night at the
Brunswick County Courthouse in Southport were Dr. High Holman, principal
speaker (center); Charles Trott, drummer (left), and William Crowe, Town
Crier. A portion of the audience is shown in the background.
Town Meeting Series
Opener Draws Crowd
More than 100 Brunswick
County residents participated
Monday evening in a Town
Meeting — complete with a
bell - ringing Town Crier in
costume, and a Drummer
Boy also decked out in
clothing typical of the
colonial period.
The scene was the county
courthouse, a building more
than 100 years old, situated
one block from the Cape Fear
River and tucked in beneath
the live oaks.
This was the first of three
such meetings which have
been arranged as part of the
Bicentennial observance and
Dr. C. Hugh Holman, Kenan
Professor of English at UNC -
Chapel Hill, was the speaker.
Also participating were
Ray H. Walton, Southport
attorney who served as
moderator, and a panel which
included Mrs. E.M.
McEachern, historian from
Wilmington; Mrs. LaVerna
Hargrove, member of the
faculty at West Brunswick
High School; J.T. Keziah,
principal of Shallotte Middle
School; and Joseph Wescott,
member of (he junior class at
South Brunswick High
School. Dr. Holman was
introduced by Mrs. James M.
Harper, Jr.
Subject of his address was
“The Idea of America,” in
which Dr. Holman explored
the ethnic and historic
background of the early
settlers in an effort to explain
some of the paradoxes which
(Continued on page 2)
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
The Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners took
action to “tighten the belt on
spending because anticipated
revenues are down” during a
special meeting Tuesday
night.
The board voted
unanimously to create a
capital reserve fund of
$1,536,300. The money will
come from revenue shading
trust funds in six depart
ments, capital improvement
and general improvement
fund money.
County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., said county
departments wishing to
spend the money placed in
the new fund will have to
receive board approval.
The board unanimously
adopted a new county policy
on purchase orders designed
to maintain existing levels of
service at the March 15
period. Departments wishing
to make additional purchases
will have to obtain board
approval.
The board discussed
breaking down the Board of
Education budget into per
line items, but took no action
until the school board, can
consider it. Supt. Ralph King
expressed concern about the
proposal during the meeting.
After conducting the
business on the special
meeting agenda, the board
members decided to discuss
other items with the approval
of all commissioners.
The board voted
unanimously to approve a
"concept” concerning plans
for the courthouse-complex,
especially the school bus
maintenance garage.
The board voted
unanimously to hold a closed
"personnel” session at the
request of Chairman Steve
Varnam. The press was
excluded and the board held a
71-minute meeting behind
closed doors.
When the doors were re
opened, Chairman Varnam
said the board “discussed
personnel under our direct
supervision. No decision was
New Census For Long
Beach, Workers Sought
Long Beach will soon find out just how much it
has grown since the last Federal Census in 1970.
A Special Federal Census, being taken at the
expense of the town, will begin March 29, it was
announced this week by Mayor H.S. Crain. Mrs.
Mary F. Garris, a regular U.S. Census Bureau
employee from the Bureau’s Charlotte Regional
Office, has been designated to supervise the
Census and will set up headquarters in Long
Beach on March 29.
The Census will be taken by Long Beach
residents, under the training and supervision of
Mrs. Garris, and applicants for Census Takers
are needed. Town Manager John J. Berry asked
that interested persbns come by the Long Beach
Town Hall and complete an application.
He said he was advised that those employed
could expect to earn between $16 and $24 a day
through diligent work during an eight-hour day,
to include evening calls. The availability for
evening work is a prerequisite to employment.
Census Takers may expect to work about a
week; they will need a car for which 15 cents a
mile will be paid in addition to salary. Per
manent residents of the town are preferred,
although all within a reasonable community
distance will be considered.
Berry said he has also been informed by the
Census Bureau that all information gathered will
be held in strict confidence, as required by
Federal law. “No information regarding any
individual may be released,” he pointed out.
Questions on this Special Census will be limited
to: Name, age, race, sex and relationship to the
head of the household.
Mayor Crain urged the cooperation of all Long
Beach citizens with the Census Takers, who will
be sworn in as Bureau of the Census employees,
and may be identified by an official red, white
and blue identification card.
The same rules will apply for this Special
Census as for the National Census. Excluded
from Long Beach’s resident population will be:
Students away from home attending college,
person stationed away from home in the
military, visitors and vacationers, and those
maintaining a residence in Long Beach on a part
- time basis, but who spend the greater part of
the year elsewhere.
The 1970 U.S. Census, taken as of April 1,
reported 493 persons who called Long Beach
their permanent residence. Local officials
estimate that the town population has increased
greatly in the past six years. “Just how many
persons now call Long Beach their year - round
home will be revealed shortly by this Special
Census,” the mayor noted.
made,” he added.
During the financial
discussion, Flowers said
“further tightening of the belt
or management control” is
needed in the county. He said
the action is needed because
revenues are down and the
county needs the capital
reserve fund.
The capital reserve fund is
being established for the
acquisition and construction
of new buildings and grounds,
acquisition of new equipment
scheduled in an approved
capital improvement budget
and acquisiton of other
capital items scheduled in an
approved capital im
provement budget.
The board adopted a budget
amendment to place
$1,536,300 in the new fund. A
total of $826,300 will come
from the revenue in depar
tment budgets and capital
improvements, all under the
revenue sharing trust fund.
The transfers include civil
preparedness, $4,000; tax
supervisor, $1,500; tax
collector, $1,000; sanitary
landfill, $15,000; recreation,
51,650; jail, $3,150; capital
improvements, $800,000.
The other $710,000 to place
the total at $1,536,300 in the
fund will come from the
general improvement fund.
County Planner Johnny
Sutton said the new fund is
needed “to put capital im
provement assets in one fund
to get a handle on it,’’ and for
future planning.
Although the cost of the
complex has not been
Tax Collections
Are Catching Up
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Brunswick County’s 1975 tax
collections are running behind last
year’s level, County Tax Collector
Homer McKeithan reported this
week.
The county department had
collected 91.51 percent of the 1975
levy on February 27 as compared to
96.62 percent collections at the same
time last year.
But McKeithan said the depart
ment is rapidly “closing the gap”
between the 1975 and 1974 tax
collections. “We were eight percent
behind in January and only five
percent behind last month,” he
pointed out.
The department has “accounted
for” $4,598,508.74 of the $5,025,330.09
levy for 1975, according to the
February monthly report.
The total accounted for includes
$4,267,687.12 in cash collections.
Releases totaling $330,698.72 and
$122.90 in discounts were allowed
and included in the total collection.
The department deposited in the
bank $93,483.87 in February to bring
the total during the fiscal year to
$4,298,753.26. The report showed that
the department collected $88,661.09
in 1975 taxes and an additional
$1,827.98 in penalties for late
payment. The department also
collected $328.47 in pre - paid taxes
for 1976.
According to the monthly report,
the remaining amount outstanding
for the department to collect in 1975
in $426,821.35.
McKeithan said the department
was in the process of sending out
notices to people who have not paid
their 1975 taxes. The notices will
inform the delinquent taxpayers
that the county will advertise their
names and amount owed in April if
they have not paid.
“This usually helps collections
since most people don’t like their
names to appear in the tax ad
vertisements,” McKeithan pointed
out. “It impels payment.”
McKeithan, who is one of the top
tax collectors in North Carolina
according to state records, said his
job has been harder this year
because of the revaluation which
sent property values skyrocketing in
the county. He has ranked in the top
three in collections in the state the
past several years.
He reported that some people have
said they have not paid their 1975
taxes ,to protest the increased
valuation. But he said the law
requires all taxpayers to pay their
taxes.
Under law, protesting citizens who
have not paid can demand release
by submitting to county com
missioners a written statement in
defense of payment and request
release of the tax clain.
The law also allows protesting
property owners to pay their taxes
and, within 30 days, to submit a
written statement in defense and
request a refund.
Upon receiving a taxpayer’s
written statement of defense and
request for release or refund, the
county commissioners have 90 days
under law to act on the matter. The
acttion taken must be recorded in
the minutes.
determined, he said the
estimated $4 million
discussed during the
referendum campaign “is a
heck of a big expenditure
even over a period of time.”
He said the county was
facing other major capital
expenditures, including
putting more money in Phase
2 of the water system than
was originally anticipated.
He said the county tax
base, which is smaller than
believed at first, is “a long
way short of anticipated
revenue” the county had
planned to receive.
irit economic situation is
not bad, but it could be worse
without belt tightening,”
Sutton declared.
“Economizing and belt
tightening is needed to get a
handle on things.”
Supt. King told the board he
was concerned about the
proposal to break-down
current expense and capital
outlay in the Board of
Education budget, based on
the little information he had.
“The budget was approved
last July,” King pointed out.
“Now you want to change line
items. No other board has
wanted to do this in the 11
years I have been superin
tendent”
King said he was notf.
familiar with the changes
since he was only informed
about the proposal minutes
before the meeting started,
although he had talked with
county officials during the
day. Sutton said King was
informed about the proposal
once it was accepted to be
presented to the board.
Flowers and County
Finance Officer Regina
McKeithan said the proposal
makes no change in the
amount of money the school
board will receive.
King said it appeared that
the county decreased line
items and increased capital
improvement funds in the
school budget.
The superintendent told the
board that work has started
on the Lincoln project, plans
are being developed for the
new Leland school and an
architect has been employed
for the maintenance garage
at the complex.
Chairman Varnam pointed
out that the proposal contains
no funds for the garage and
equipment — new buildings
section. But he said money
can be transferred when
construction is ready. He said
the money is in the capital
reserve fund.
Supt. King asked the board
several times “why” the
proposal was being made, but
(Continued on page 2)
Mrs. Irene Hankins
Mrs. Hankins
In State Post
Mrs. Irene B. Hankins,
counselor at South Brunswick
High School, was chosen
president-elect of the North
Carolina Personnel and
Guidance Association at the
organization's 49th annual
convention in Raleigh,
February 27-28.
As president of the 1,300
member organization, Mrs.
Hankins’ major duties will be
program planning, securing
nationally-known speakers
for the 1977 convention, and
presiding over the 1977
convention.
Mrs. Hankins has been
active in NCPGA for several
years. In 1975-76 she was
instrumental in the formation
of the Southeastern Chapter
of the NCPGA and served as
a member of the executive
council during its first year of
existence.
A native of Wilson County,
Mrs. Hankins received a B.S.
degree in mathematics for
Shaw University and a
Masters of Arts in guidance
and counseling from Atlanta
University. She has served
Brunswick County schools as
a teacher and a counselor for
27 years.
She actively participates in
numerous church, civic and
fraternal organizations, and
is married to Jonathan
Hankins of Brunswick
County.