Sports
South Brunswick athletes
won state championships in
the shotput and discus — 1C
Term
limits
Matter will be put
to November vote
By Terry Pope
County Editor
No one argued against placing the
issue of two-year versus four-year
terms on the November ballot at a
public forum Friday.
A bill will be introduced in the N.
C. General Assembly this week that
places the question back before vot
ers, who chose in 1992 by a two-to
one margin to nix four-year terms. All
five seats on the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners and school
board are up for election every two
years.
The bill staggers terms and auto
matically gives the three highest vote
getters for both the school board and
commission four-year seats this fall.
The lower two would face re-election
in 1998.
“Two years ago when the idea was'
discussed, I was sold on it,” said Bob
Miller of Long Beach. “But I guess
when you get older you get smarter. I
definitely feel four years is the way
to go. It wasn’t the way to go for a
long time.”
Both the county Republican and
Democratic parties passed resolutions
asking that the issue be put to refer
endum. The local legislative delega
tion met at the government center near
Bolivia to discuss the special bill with
the public.
It will be introduced to the State
House by 14th District representa
tives David Redwine (D-Ocean Isle
Beach) and Dewey Hill (D-Lake
Waccamaw) and 98th District repre
sentative rThomas Wright (D
Wilmington) Senator R. C. Soles Jr.
(D-Tabor City) will introduce the bill
to the Senate. It must be introduced
to the House by Wednesday, May 29.
“The only condition I have placed
on it is that 1 would not support it
See Term, page 12
^ ^ amm - ~ -* » —i.-sSsferfr"-', ,
_. . Phofo by Jim Harper
Youngsters were jumping for joy Saturday at the Festival of the Lakes celebration which also commemo
rated the 25th anniversary of the Boiling Spring Lakes Volunteer Fire Department. A 60-ijnit parade down
Boiling Spring Road got the festivities off to a noisy and colorful start, and then it was fun a bunch for voune
and old alike. ‘
Long Beach
budget seeks
same tax rate
■ But county’s
water increase,
computer costs
aren’t factored
into proposal
By Richard Nubel
Municipal Editor
“Continued improvement in the
community’s quality of life" is the
theme of a $5.44-million budget pro
posal submitted for 1996-97 this week
by Long Beach town manager Jerry
Walters.
The proposal calls for no increase
in the town’s tax rate of 36 cents per
$100 valuation.
“The services that are provided by
the Town of Long Beach contribute
greatly to the sense of community that
exists in concert with the environ
ment, the needs of the environment
which has drawn so many of us to this
place,” Walters wrote in his budget
message. "The budget addresses the
needs of the varied aspects ol our
community: year-round residents,
non-resident property owners and
visitors. Our continued vigilance in
meeting their needs will be the mea
sure of success in contributing to the
community's outstanding quality of
life."
But, this document and its accom
panying support material is just a
starting point for town council's de
liberations of a budget which must he
adopted no later than June 30. A pub
lic hearing on council's refined pro
posal is to be held June IS.
Although the lax rate of the last two
years is apparently retained in the pro
See Budget, page 9
Martin Marietta
Mine operation
facing deadline
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Martin Marietta C'orp. faces an
other deadline this week, but oppo
nents of the proposed mining opera
tion north of Southport are not relax
ing.
Wednesday, May 2d, is the dead
line for Martin Marietta to submit fi
nal data in support of its application
to mine for limestone on 1.000 acres
Educational 'summit'
Schools need
parents' help
By Holly Edwards
Feature F.ditor
Parent involvement is key to im
proving the quality of education in
Brunswick County, state school hoard
chairman Jay Robinson told a crowd
of about 160 people attending an edu
cational summit Tuesday morning at
Brunswick Community College.
Although every parent in the
county was mailed an invitation to the
summit, most of those attending were
school officials. Parent representation
was relatively low.
“There are hundreds of parents in
this county who think that if they drop
See Help, page 8
State school board chairman Jay Robinson, featured speaker at the
educational summit held Tuesday, said parent involvement is key to
improving the quality of education in Brunswick County.
County budget hearing
Planning has support
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Tuesday’s county budget hearing
turned into a pep rally to support
funding of three new positions in
the Brunswick County Planning
Department.
It was the dominant topic of the
90-minute session county commis
sioners must hold before adoption
of the 1996-97 budget.
As presented by county manager
Jim Varper, the budget keeps prop
crty taxes at 68.5 cents per SUM) of
\alue and adds no new personnel to
county government, a directive
commissioners gave before the pro
posal was drafted.
However, planning directoi Wade
Horne mailed letters last week to a
number of citizens outlining cuts in
his department, including S73.tl()5
icquested for three code enforce
ment officers and S5,d()() for travel
and training, supplies, punting and
advertising. The letters asked that
clizens attend the hearing "and
express your support tor planning
and controlled growth in Brunswick
County."
The funds are needed to complete
the Brunswick County Long-Range
Planning Committee's goals and
objectives drafted earlier this year
that outline needs over the next 2(1
years. But the battle entered the
media belore Tuesday's hearing and
left some residents confused about
proper protocol for department
managers and their response to
See Hearing, page 6
Schools 'acted in good faith'
By Holly Edwards
Feature Editor
Brunswick County school board members say they
acted in good faith when they requesteu a six-percent
increase in local funding for the I doo )7 fiscal year,
and were not trying to obtain more funding than a settle
ment agreement with county commissioners provided.
“We’re not trying to say the settlement didn’t work,”
said school board vice-chairman Glenda Browning. “We
only asked for what we thought the eroMh rate would
be.”
In the settlement, county commissioner agreed to allot
the school system an amount equal to - ' eents of the tax
rate. While the county finance office cm mated last year
that would amount to about Si3.3 million with antici
pated growth in the county, the estimate dropped to S 12 d
million this year
School board members said their SI 3.4-million local
funding request simply reflected prior county tiannee
office estimates.
Interim superintendent John Jones said the county fi
nance office may have underestimated the school sys
tem allotment.
"I'm not sure we're getting valid figures of growth,"
he told the board.
The school system w ill receive 23 cents of the tax rate
no matter how much the county collects, said school fi
nance officer Mary Hazel Small. Therefore, she said, any
See Schools, page 8
near the Military Ocean lermtnal
Sunny Point ammunitions depot.
All information must he in the of
fice of C harles Gardner, director of
the N. C. Department of [Environ
ment. Health and Natural Resources,
before the company's one-year exten
sion expires.
However. Martin Marietta mas
seek another extension with the N ( '
Mining Commission when it meets
next month. Letters of opposition are
already arriving before any appeal is
scheduled.
"I have written him (Gardner) two
letters already, and I've written to the
Mining Commission asking it to deny
the permit," said state Rep David
Redwine (D-Ocean Isle Beach). I
feel like a year was long enough for
them to get their act together and an
swer the questions Mr. Gardner's ol
fice had asked"
Last May, Martin Marietta received
an extension after state officials asked
for more data before making a deci
sion on the permit The issue is also
tied up with a recent court battle.
Superior Court judge Ronald
See Deadline, page 11
Forecast
A break Irom the hot temperatures
may be in store for the weekend. High
temperatures should be in themid to
upper SO's.
INSIDE
Opinion....... 4
Obituaries ..... 13
Church....._4B
Pilot TV.SB
Schools ........ 7B
Business.5C
District Court .. 7C
Classifieds ..... ID