Volume 48 Number 23
December 22, 1976
Southport, N. C.
10 Cents
24 Pages Today
A SOUTHPORT AREA MAN, Kirk Jerome
Galloway, shown here in a bank picture with gun
in hand robbing the Waccamaw Bank and Trust
Company office at Bolivia last Tuesday, has been
arrested on armed robbery charges. The
Sheriff’s Department has questioned another
man, believed to have been waiting in a car for
Galloway, but no charges had been made at
presstime. The $2,922 stolen in the bank robbery
has riot been recovered. Talmadge Willetts (left)
and John Kopp talk in the background, ap
parently unaware that the robbery is taking
place.
Hospital Tax Billing
Late, Penalty Added
Smithville Township property owners will
have to pay the new hospital tax before they
receive the bills to avoid the penalty, County
attorney John Hughes announced Monday.
Hughes told county commissioners at a meeting
on Monday that there is no way under law that
the county can provide relief — no penalty
charge — because Smithville residents don’t
receive their bills on time.
All penalty taxes collected after December 31
will go into the county general fund since the
hospital is only entitled to four cents per $100
valuation under law, Hughes pointed out.
County Manager Don Flowers, Jr., said the
county will not be able to mail the hospital tax
bills containing the four - cent per $100 valuation
tax to residents until around the first of the year.
All 1976 taxes are due before December 31.
Property owners who pay their taxes after
December 31 are charged a two-cent penalty
under law.
Hughes suggested that Smithville Township
taxpayers contact the county Tax Office before
December 31 to see how much money they owe
because of the hospital tax.
“They will have the information to enable the
person to pay the hospital tax and avoid the
penalty,” Hughes pointed out.
The county attorney said the law does not
grant relief from the penalty because tax notices
are not sent. In fact, he said that the law does not
even require that the county send out tax notices.
County Finance Officer Regina McKeithan,
who is in charge of computer operations in the
county, said it will take about four days to print
the Smithville Township hospital tax notices.
She said the computer program only arrived
on Monday. The bill forms were expected to
arrive before Wednesday.
Mrs. McKeithan said the Tax Supervisor’s
office was having to remove Boiling Spring
Lakes property from the Smithville Township
property cards.
Although Boiling Spring Lakes was placed in
Town Creek township in 1975, it has recently
been discovered that the property cards of the
residents are still in Smithville Township.
In addition, Mrs. McKeithan said her depart
ment will have to delete the Boiling Spring Lakes
information from the computer tape. She said
she expects the job to take about a day.
Smithville Township residents voted to ap
prove the four - cent hospital tax in an August
referendum. The vote was challenged in the
court and the county decided not to bill the tax
until a ruling was made. The court ruled in late
November that the tax should be collected,
although it has been appealed.
Holiday Closings
City and county offices will be closed Friday
and Monday, while the Clerk of Court’s office
will be closed Thursday and Friday. Financial
institutions will be closed Monday, while PS&L
will take an additional half - day, closing at noon
Friday.
The Southport - Brunswick County Library will
be closed Thursday and Friday.
One Of Estimated 300
Child Abuse-Neglect
Cases Not Prosecuted
By BILL ALLEN
How big a problem is child
abuse - neglect in Brunswick
County?
That was the question
Commissioner Marvin
Watson continued to raise
with officials in the Social
Services department during a
county board meeting on
Monday.
The Brunswick County
Youth Needs Report
estimated that the number of
child abuse-neglect cases
would increase from 144 in
1975 to 300 in 1976.
But Joyce Dowless, who is
in charge of the program in
the county department, said
only one case — reported last
week — had been prosecuted.
Sheriff Herman Strong told
Nothing Wrong With
Site, Board Is Told
By BILL ALLEN
There is nothing wrong
with the soil at the Brunswick
County complex site outside
Bolivia, county com
missioners were told Mon
day.
“It (the soil) is buildable,”
said Friday Hodges of LB
C&W, architects and
engineers on the project.
“There is no problem since
the soil is adequate.”
Hodges said he could see no
additional costs to the tax
payers to build on the soil
unless some problem
develops that has not shown
up in tests.
Basically, he said it was the
same type of soil found in
most areas of the county.
Hodges made the
statements in answer to
questions asked by Com
missioner Pearly Vereen
about the soil at the complex
site. It sounded like a repeat
performance of the meeting
the old board held prior to
purchasing the site.
Hodges also told Chairman
Cletis Clemmons that the
soils presented “no
problems” as far as road
construction on the site is
concerned.
“Although it was real wet
because of the rain last
Wednesday, we could have
driven all over the site with
no trouble if a couple of trees
(Continued on page 2)
the board that he knew about
only 25 reported child abuse
neglect cases in the county.
“I don’t believe the figures
(estimates) I see,” Watson
told Mrs. Dowless. “I don’t go
along with it.”
Mrs. Dowless told Watson
that the department had
about 144 documented cases
of child abuse-neglect in the
county thus far in 1976.
But she said she could not
provide the board with in
formation about the final
results on the cases in
vestigated by the depart
ment.
“We spent a lot of time in
juvenile court (with the
cases),” Department
Director Joel Webb told the
board.
The commissioners,
continuing to keep a close eye
on spending, delayed ap
proving the report until the
January meeting. They said
they needed more time to
obtain information.
Chairman Cletis Clemmons
expressed concern that the
county could be forced to hire
ten new employees at a cost
of $110,000 to $120,000 if the
(Continued on page 2)
Grand Jury Report On
Schools Bothers Judge
A Superior Court judge has
said that if Grand Jury
reports about some schools in
Brunswick County are true,
“this is as deplorable a school
situation as I have come
across in the State of North
Carolina.”
Judge Hal Hanner Walker,
presiding over the term of
court in Southport, com
mented that the Grand Jury
report “is almost frightening
in its implications.”
“I would strongly
recommend that you make
immediate investigation and
take immediate action to
remedy the situation," Judge
Walker said in a written
statement accompanying the
Grand Jury report.
“I would also further
recommend that you have a
detailed report ready for the
Honorable James H. Pou
Bailey prior to his arrival”
for a term of Superior Court
starting January 17.
Copies of the memo were
addressed to the county
Board of Commissioners, the
N.C. Superintendent of Public
Instruction, the Director of
the Health Department, the
Superintendent of Schools,
the Board of Education, the
District Attorney’s office and
Judge Bailey.
The report covered only six
schools. There was no in
spection at Northwest area
schools or the two in South
port “due to time element,”
the Grand Jury report stated.
“It must be noted,” the
Grand Jury statement read,
“that a large number of the
glaring discrepancies noted
pertain to the latest newly
built schools. Preservation
and a healthy living en
vironment must be main
tained in all our schools.”
The Grand Jury requested
that “the proper county
authority” be informed so
that an investigation could be
started and correction made.
The report included the
following discoveries at the
county schools:
BOLIVIA ELEMENTARY
Storm drain in front of
Bolivia School partially
stopped up. Water fills to
knee in school bus parking
area on rainy days, which is
health hazard to get from the
buses to school.
Windows out in girls
restroom.
Children’s playgrounds a
muddy mess, with heavy
equipment ruts ap
proximately 10-12” deep.
Windows in boys restroom
are out, glass panes cracked
and window frames about to
fall out.
Gutter on south side of
school building has holes
rusted through and needs to
be replaced.
Wall paneling inside of
auditorium — eight feet up
and about to fall down. It is
recommended that these
repairs be made immediately
before they fall.
Provisions needed for
storm drain in parking lot
and playground.
SHALLOTTE MIDDLE
Girls restroom on north
wing needs three tank lids to
be replaced commodes fifth
section needs repair. One
pane in room is out and three
door panes needed.
Boys restroom main
building needs cleaning.
Girls south wing—six panes
missing and one broken.
Fourth commode fixture is
lacking. Trash is in the
heating element, mesh is off
of the top and the element is
used to put trash in, which
(Continued on page 2)
Water System Rules Discussed By Board
By ED HARPER
Multi-unit customers will
pay the same minimum
water rate as individuals to
use the Long Beach water
system, town commissioners
decided during their regular
meeting last Wednesday
night.
The agreement came
during discussion of an
“Ordinance to Establish
Rules and Regulations for the
Operation of a Water System
for the Town of Long Beach,”
drawn from a Farmers Home
Administration model.
Town Manager John Berry
had presented a payment
scale in “an attempt to
resolve the inequities”
between owners of single and
multi-unit property, but noted
it was “the pleasure of the
Council” to make the
decision.
While every user will pay
the minimum of at least $8.92
per month, commissioners
felt multi-unit owners would
pay their share by increased
usage above 3,000, which the
minimum rate covers.
The discussion began when
commissioners talked
“customer” paying for a
multi-unit like a duplex, or
even a motel. Berry
suggested a $4.46 minimum
— half the individual rate —
for each unit. But only one
meter would be used, it
was noted. Therefore,
Commissioner Ellis Dudley
said, it would be impossible to
decide who would be
responsible for usage above
3,000 gallons.
Berry agreed that the
change from his recom
mendation would make his
office work easier. "I don’t
have any heartburns on
that,” Berry commented.
The board made several
other changes in the
oridinance before adoption.
The cost of regular tap-on will
be “cost plus ten percent,”
and complaints will not have
to be presented “in person”
as the draft ordinance stated.
The town will require a
water deposit equal to two
months payment of the
minimum rate then in effect.
Commissioner Pauline
Morgan said she was con
cerned about owners “being
stuck” if summer renters left
without paying. The or
dinance says that water could
be denied the next occupant,
commissioners noted.
Commissioner W.L. Jones
said that owners should “take
precautions” — like
requiring deposits — to see
that the water bill is paid. He
said that collection from
owners was the “only way” to
insure payment.
Commissioner Carroll
Adams said the ordinance
says the town is “not
required” to provide water to
the next occupant until the
balance - due is paid. This, he
said, gives the town manager
some lee-way to collect the
amount due.
In other business conducted
during the one-hour, 40
minute meeting, the board
decided to write a letter
commending former county
FHA Director Ed Johnson for
his effort in connection.with
the Long Beach water supply
system. The letter was
suggested by Dudley, who
noted that Johnson “showed a
great deal of interest” in the
local project before being
transferred.
Under the “new business”
heading, Town Manager
Berry noted that no one asked
to be placed on the agenda.
Berry did report he has
submitted to the board “for
study” the first draft of a
personnel ordinance. He said
he said conferred with the
state, which “will respond to
our needs” if necessary.
The board okayed a budget
amendment adding $820 in
federal Anti-Recession funds.
Town Attorney James R.
Prevatte, Jr., said he had
nothing to report, that in
formation for the board had
already been sent by mail.
The board received a
report from the Police
Department that three five
gallon fire pumps had been
purchased and one placed in
each patrol car. Chief James
Sloop said the pumps will be
“a great asset,” especially
with brush fires “that can be
controlled in many cases
before the fire truck
arrives.”
Sloop also reported that
Walter Ikner of Wadesboro
joined the department as a
patrolman on November 23.
He has two-years’ ex
perience, and is being paid a
starting salary of $138 per
week.
The board adopted an
agreement with the
Department of Natural and
Economic Resources for a
$4,800 planning grant —
(Continued on page 2)