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THE STATE PORT PILOT
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Volume 47 Number 46
June 2. 1976
Southport, N, C.
24 Pages
10 Cents
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS members from Post 10226, (OaK
Island) and Post 10400, (Boiling Spring Lakes) honored their comrades in a
Memorial Day ceremony, held Monday at the old Southport cemetery.
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No Bargain Hunt
In 6Tissue Issue9
V
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Why are Brunswick County
taxpayers being charged a
higher price for toilet paper
in Wilmington when a better
grade can be purchased for a
much lower price in the
county?
That is the question Sheriff
Herman Strong raised after
seeing prices the county was
being charged for toilet paper
and other cleaning materials
used at the county jails.
After seeing the invoice for
the supplies, Sheriff Strong
said he compared prices in
the cunty and was “shocked”
at what he found.
Sheriff Strong said his
check showed that the county
was being charged 34 cents
per roll for the same type of
toilet paper that can be
purchased in a grocery store
here for 18 cents per roll. The
best grade toilet paper can be
purchased off the shelf for 21
cents.
He said the same com
parison found that the county
was also paying higher for
trash can liners (25 cents vs.
10 cents) and furniture polish
($2.20 vs $1.75).
“There is no sense in the
world paying those kinds of
prices when you can buy it
from local county stores
cheaper than that,” Sheriff
Strong declared.
Brunswick County Pur
chasing Director David
Swain said he believed that
the company — Spirritine of
Wilmington — made a
mistake on the billing charge
to the county for the toilet
paper.
Swain, who lives in
Wilmington, said he had been
to the company headquarters
and seen samples of the toilet
paper. “The man showed me
a toilet paper which was dual
ply,” he stated. “It is a good
grade toilet paper. ”
However, the toilet paper
that Spirritine delivered to
the Sheriff’s Department was
one-ply. Sheriff Strong
showed a roll to The Pilot.
(Continued on page 2)
44 Seek Elected
Offices In County
Brunswick County voters
will have a wide choice of
candidates when they go to
the polls this year in both the
primary and general elec
tions.
A total of 44 candidates,
including Democrats,
Republicans and non - par
tisans, signed up to run for
public office before the
deadline at noon Friday,
Executive Secretary Linda
Babson of the Brunswick
County Board of Elections.
All the present incumbent
office holders — with one
exception — will be running
for re - nomination and - or re
- election to their posts in
county government. Com
missioner W.T. Russ, Jr., of
Shallotte had announced
earlier he would not be a
candidate for re - election.
The largest number of
candidates — a total of 18 —
will be running in the
Democratic primary for the
five seats on the board of
commissioners.
Ten candidates, including
the two incumbents, have
entered the race for the two
seats at stake on the school
board in the county.
Democrats also will hold
primaries to nominate
candidates for the General
Assembly, coroner and
register of deeds. Two can
didates are running for each
of the three elected posts.
Republicans will be in
volved in primary voting only
to nominate candidates for
two seats on the board of
commissioners.
A total of 18 candidates.
(Continued on page 2)
Would You Believe . . .
85-Cent County Rate?
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Brunswick County tax
payers face a tremendous
47.37 cent tax increase on top
of last year’s revaluation if
the proposed 1976-77 county
budget is approved without
change.
The proposed $12,254,387
budget, which was presented
during a special meeting of
the Brunswick County Board
of Commissioners on
Tuesday, called for a tax rate
of 85.87 cents per $100
property valuation. It is
based on a $1.2 billion tax
base.
Last year, Brunswick
County only had a tax rate of
38.5 cents per $100 property
valuation while operating
with a $7,371,279 budget. The
tax base was $1.5 billion last
year.
rne major reason tor me
increased tax rate, according
to information provided by
County Manager Don
Flowers, Jr., is the $6,577,531
request made by the Board of
Education which is included
in the proposed budget. The
school request alone
represents 60.91 cents of the
,proposed tax rate.
Incidentally, the proposed
budget contains no additional
money for the construction of
the new courthouse-complex.
The $1,687,537 already on
hand for the project will be
placed in the budget before it
is adopted.
After hearing Flowers, who
is the budget officer, give the
budget message, com
missioners indicated that the
tax rate will be cut before it is
approved.
Commissioners im
mediately began their
department - by- department
review of the budget. They
cut less than two cents off the
proposed tax rate after
spending about four hours
reviewing the budget. Some
of the major requests for
funds were not heard
Tuesday. (See related story
in this edition of The Pilot.)
Flowers told the board that
$9,273,484 is needed from ad
valorem taxes, based on the
estimated tax base of $1.2
billion, to supplement other
revenue to total $11,445,591
and balance the proposed
1976-77 as required by state
law.
He said that one penny of
the tax base valuation
represents $108,000 in
revenues. “Therefore, an
increase or decrease in the
proposed budget in the
amount of $108,000 will in
crease or decrease the tax
rate by one cent,” he pointed
out.
Flowers said the proposed
85.87-cent tax rate is based on
the revenues requested for
the departments in county
government. The levies
required by the proposed tax'
rate include general fund,
10.02 cents, debt service, 5.20
cents; public health, 3.22
cents; revaluation, .58 cent;
social services, 3.39 cents;
Resources Development, .76
cent; school fund, 60.91 cents,
which includes 21.20 cents for
current expenses and 39.71
cents for capital outlay;
capital improvement, .93
cent; and hospital authority,
.76 cent.
The percentages of the total
includes general fund, 11.79
percent; debt service, 6.06
percent; public health, 3.75
percent; revaluation, .68
percent; social services, 3.95
percent; resources
development, .89 percent;
school fund, 70.94 percent,
including current expense
24.69 percent and capital
outlay 46.25 percent; capital
improvement, 1.08 percent;
and hospital authority, .89
percent.
Flowers broke down the
general fund requested ex
penditures by departments.
The breakdown, including
budgeted for 1975-76 and
recommended for 1976-77,
follows:
Governing Body, $49,300,
$49,000; Administration,
$39,642, $38,443; Personnel &
Purchasing, $25,947, $36,190;
Board of Elections, $53,550,
$144,760; Planning, $87,811,
$114,342; Finance, $91,524,
$79,158; Bicentennial, $31,550,
$7,487; Tax Supervisor,
$205,002, $207,039; Safety &
Housing, $116,579; Tax
Collector, $82,078, $86,727;
Legal, $10,000, $10,000;
Register of Deeds, $147,790,
$144,901; Shoreline Protec
tion, $14,441, $12,788; Public
buildings & Grounds, $46,330,
$58,282; Sheriff, $386,228,
$612,825; Jails, $121,250,
$118,024; Veteran’s Service
Officer, $11,291, $13,515;
Outside Poor, $600, $600; Civil
Preparedness, $23,379,
$25,414; Soil & Water Con
servation, $17,849, $20,746;
Agriculture Extension,
$45,098, $50,040; Sanitary
Landfill, $132,407; $193,976;
Medical Examiner, $5,375,
$8,500; Non-Departmental,
$246,700, $326,100; and
Donations, $237,910, $371,033.
According to the ex
penditure information
provided by Flowers, general
fund spending will increase
only $733,417 if the new
budget is approved. The
figure is based on the
$2,113,052 budgeted last year
and the $2,846,469 requested
this year. The general fund
expenditures include $116,579
in the Safety and Housing
department through all the
money is grant funds.
Reasons for the general
fund increases, Flowers said,
are: Elections, voting
machine request; Planning,
increase in personnel;
Sheriff’s Department,
request for new cars and
personnel; Agriculture
Extension, increased costs;
Non-Departmental, increases
in Social Security and
retirement insurance; and
Donations, airport authority,
SENCland, and hospital no
longer funded by Revenue
Sharing.
He said that departments
showing a decline include
Governing Body,
Administration; Finance;
Bicentennial; Register of
Deeds; Shoreline Protection,
Jails and Recreation.
The county manager said
total change in non-grant
departments in the general
fund amount to $616,838. The
general fund changed 30
percent, he noted.
The percentage of change
over three per cent in non
grant departments of the
general fund included
Elections, 14.79 percent;
Planning, 4.31 percent;
Sheriff’s, 36.75; Sanitary
Landfill, 9.99 per cent; Non
Departmental, 12.88 per cent
and Donations, 21.59 per cent.
Flowers also broke down
the expenditures of other
funds beside the general fund
in the requested budget. The
breakdown, including
budgeted for 1975-76 and
recommended for 1976-77,
follows:
(Continued on page 2)
43-Cent Tax Rate
Proposed At Beach
The Long Beach tax rate
will drop to 43 cents per $100
valuation if the new 1976 - 77
budget is approved.
The “good news” about the
decreased tax rate — down
from 61 cents last year — is
contained in the proposed
new budget which Town
Manager John Berry
delivered to commissioners
last week. The board was
scheduled to hold its first
meeting Wednesday night to
review the document
Berry said the tax rate can
be cut to 43 cents because of
an above - normal fund
balance.
He said the higher fund
balance resulted from not
expending the full ap
propriations from the 1975 - 76
budget, receipt of revenue
other than taxes not an
ticipated and surplus tax
money from a low estimate of
property valuation during the
eight - year revaluation.
“This low rate is in lieu of a
suggested rebate for 1975 -
76,” Berry stated. “Court
costs and administration
costs, plus any rebate, would
require a significantly higher
rate for 1976 - 77. The portion
of the fund balance to be
appropriated is required to
achieve a balance. This
allows us to maintain a level
of service equal to prior
years, and in essence,
provides a rebate for the 1975
-76 surplus.”
Last year’s tax rate of 61
cents has been a topic of
much concern among Long
Beach taxpayers. The rate
was based on information
from the county which
showed that the town has a
tax base of $30 million.
Revised figures later showed
that the town had a total tax
base of $80 million.
Berry said in his message
that the total budget is
proposed to be $482,082 for the
coming fiscal year. The total
includes $482,082 budgeted for
the general fund, $35,000 for
the water fund, and $72,957
for the Powell Fund. “This is
a decrease from last year’s
total budget of two percent,”
he pointed out.
He said revenue estimates
have been based on last
year’s experience and
projections presented by the
League of Municipalities on
state - shared revenue. Ad -
valorem revenue anticipated
is based on an $80 million
valuation with a collection
rate of 90 percent.
Expenditures of all funds in
the $604,407 budget include:
General Fund — ($82,082) —
Governing Body, $14,756;
Administration, $90,433;
Election, $1,000; Planning,
$2,600; Police, $181,300; Fire,
$17,138; Rescue, $6,640;
Inspections, $14,574; Street;
$37,975; Streetlights, $8,232;
Sanitation, $64,012; Mosquito,
$10,691; Recreation, $19,502;
Non - Departmental, $13,229;
Water Funds ($35,000) —
Operations, $25,638 and
Capital Outlay, $9,317;
Powell Bill — ($72,957) —
Operations, $48,127 and
(Continued on page 2)
Aldermen Propose
City Tax Reduction
By ED HARPER
News Editor
City of Southport taxpayers
will pay a rate between 50 and
53 cents per $100 valuation,
following a Board of Alder
men budget - trimming
session Tuesday night.
A proposed rate of 58 cents
had been presented by the
Budget Committee but
$17,572 — about 8 cents levy
— was eliminated. The final
rate could increase to 52 or 53
cents, it was noted, because
police department salaries
may ha ve to be increased.
The 1975 - 76 tax rate was 68
cents.
The major cut was $9,000
taken from the Health and
Sanitation budget by a 5-1
board decision to pay for a
new trash truck over a two -
year period. Also, $3,572 was
stricken from the
Administration budget
(earmarked for City Hall
painting), and an “erroneous
figure” was corrected by
adding $5,000 under ABC
revenue.
The public hearing on the
proposed budget will be held
June 23 at 7.30 p.m.
Revenues expected by the
city total $450,819, including
$121,220 in ad valorem taxes,
$157,249 to be derived from
the sale of electricity, and
$40,000 in unexpended
electricity - sale funds from
the 1975 - 76 fiscal year. Other
major sources of revenue
include ABC funds $19,000,
Revenue Sharing $28,000 and
sales tax refunds $25,000.
The Administration budget
will total $113,095, up slightly
from the $112,736 budgeted
for the previous year. The
only change from the
proposed budget was the
reduction in City Hall
painting funds from $8,572 to
$5,000. Administration
salaries total $71,913.
The Police budget totals
$101,853, up from $97,280 this
current year. Most of the line
items are standard, except
for $3,500 earmarked as
capital outlay. The budget is
subject to change, following
investigation by Budget
Officer Alvin Kornegay and
Finance Officer Harold
Aldridge to determine if pay
hikes are mandatory.
The Fire and Rescue
department budget of $21,650
(up from $12,525) includes
$15,000 for the purchase of
two ambulances.
The decision to pay for the
new trash truck over a two -
year period reduced the
Health and Sanitation budget
to $58,812, down from the
$61,061 budgeted for the
current fiscal year. Of the
total, $34,301 is designated for
salaries.
The Street department
budget is proposed to be
$48,043, up from $41,674 this
year. Of the total, $29,849 will
be salaries.
Under General Govern
ment, which includes
donations, major ex
penditures include Dosher
hospital (including legal
(Continued on page 2)