uUje Harren IRecorfo
Volume 87 25c Per Copy
Warrenton, County Of Warden, North Carolina
Wednesday, June 13, 1984
Number 24
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Large Increase In Sales Tax Receipts Seen
By KAY HORNER .
Staff Writer
The fiscal quarter ending March 31 saw
Warren County's net proceeds from the one
half percent sales tax increase by almost 50
percent over the previous quarter.
According to figures released recently from
the N. C. Department of Revenue, the tax,
which was enacted by county commissioners
last October, brought $80,788 into the county
treasury for the quarter ending in March over
142,649 for the quarter ending December 31,
1983.
The new sales tax, authorized by the
General Assembly last year, is distributed on
a per capita basis among all the counties in the
state that participate.
Mrs. Susan W. Whitley, county tax collector,
said the proceeds from that tax have in
creased as additional counties have levied the
tax.
The participation of larger, metropolitan
counties like Mecklenburg, Guilford, and
Wake benefits rural counties like Warren
because of the per capita method of
distribution.
Of the $80,788 most recently reported, the
following amounts were distributed among the
county's municipalities: Warrenton, $4,451;
Norlina, $3,907; and Macon, $658.
By law, 40 percent of the proceeds during
the first five years the tax is in effect must be
earmarked for county schools.
Warren County commissioners in October
voted to allocate a maximum of $115,000 for
fiscal 1983-84, which ends in June, represent
ing 60 percent of a projected $192,000 in
revenue based on the participation of 72 of the
state's 100 counties.
As of March 31, a total of $123,437 had been
collected.
The county also received $79,784 for the
quarter ending March 31 from its one percent
portion of the four percent sales tax. (Three
percent is a state tax and one percent is a local
tax with proceeds shared among county and
municipal governments).
Of that amount, Warrenton received $4,396,
Norlina received $3,858 and Macon received
$e49. |
Those figures represented only a slight in
crease over the previous quarter when the
county received $71,666 and the municipalities
of Warrenton, Norlina and Macon received
$4,445, $3,901 and $657, respectively.
Workers
Will Get
Pay Hike
The Warrenton Board
of Town Commissioners
at its regular meeting
Monday night adopted a
tentative budget of
$558,498, which includes
a 5 percent pay raise for
all town employees ex
cept the mayor and town
commissioners.
The tentative budget
compares with the 1983
84 town budget of
$543,098, a difference of
$15,444. This difference
is practically covered
by the across-the-board
raise for town em
ployees.
The contingency fund
in the tentative budget is
$18,188. While the tax
rate will not be set until
the regular - budget is
adopted, Pete Vaughan,
town administrator,
said it is not now.
believed that the tax
rate will be raised due to
a raise in the town's tax
base.
The tentative budget
was presented to the
board by Commissioner
Eddie Clayton, chair
man of the Finance
Committee, and read
over page by page with
Mrs. Carolyn Robert
son, budget officer. The
budget was passed by
unanimous vote of all
commissioners present.
Only Commissioner
Bobby Edmonds was
absent, and he was at
tending summer camp
with the local National
Guard unit. A copy of
the tentative Dudget is
(Continued on page 2)
Two New Ministers
Chosen For Warren
Bishop William R.
Cannon of the N. C. Con
ference of the United
Methodist Church has
announced the annual
ministerial appoint
ments for the 56-county
conference, including
appointments affecting
two churches in
Warren County.
Among the new ap
pointments, which are
effective June 10, are
the Rev. A. Gene Cobb
to Norlina Methodist
Church from Gillburg
Methodist Church in
Henderson, and the Rev.
J. Cameron West, who
has been on study leave,
to Wesley Memorial
Methodist Church in
Warrenton.
Two ministers are
leaving the Warrenton
area. The Rev. James L.
Summey of Wesley
Memorial has been ap
pointed to Nashville
Methodist Church and
the Rev. James A.
Williams of Norlina will
move to Troy Circuit.
V
WAITING ON THE CONVICTS - Rod Davis, 92-year-old resident of RL 2,
Warrenton, was one of many Warren County residents taking up arms during
recent days. Davis, shown with his double-barrelled shotgun, said he wasn't
nervous about the fact that six death row prisoners from Virginia made
Warrenton the first leg of their escape route. "I ain't scared as long as I have
my gun," Davis told a reporter this past weekend. Davis said his weapon was
loaded with number eight and number four shot. Four of the convicts have been
recaptured — two in Warrenton and two in Vermont—but the search continues
for James and Linwood Briley, brothers held in connection with eleven Vir
ginia murders. (Staff Photo by Carolyn Steele)
Command Post Abandoned
As Escapee Hunt Widens
Law enforcement of
ficers who assembled
here earlier this month
following the largest
escape of death row
prisoners in the nation's
history left Warren
County Monday after
noon, leaving only a
small contingent of state
highway patrolmen to
carry on the search
locally for the last two
escapees whose May 31
prison break enabled six
condemned murderers
to gain freedom.
For four prisoners,
the freedom was short
lived. Two of the
fugitives, Earl Clanton,
Jr. and Derrick Lynn
Peters were caught the
day after the six tricked
guards into letting them
leave a maximum
security prison near
Boydton, Va. The two
escapees were drinking
wine and eating cheese
at Willoughby Harris's
coin-operated laundry
on East Macon Street
when an FBI-manned
phone tap in Virginia led
to their discovery here.
Two other fugitives,
Lem Tuggle, Jr. and
Willie Leroy Jones,
made it as far as Ver
mont in a truck stolen
from Afton on the night
of the prison break.
Tuggle was caught
Friday driving the
pickup at a roadblock
after he robbed a gift
shop at knifepoint.
Jones, who made it to
within five miles of the
Canadian border, turn
ed himself in to Ver
mont state troopers
later that day after a
telephone conversation
with his mother. His
mother reportedly
urged Jones to give
himself up.
Both Tuggle and
Jones had been in the
Virginia prison system
for only three months
when they made genu
their escape. Their
records show each had
been convicted of double
murders in addition to
several other crimes.
The arrests left only
(Continued on page 8)
Tentotive Budget Presented
No Change Planned
In County Tax Rate
ByKAYHORNER
Staff Writer
Warren County com
missioners Monday
received a proposed
budget of $4,803,365 for
fiscal 1984-85 from Coun
ty Manager and Finance
Officer Charles J.
Worth.
The overall budget
represents an increase
of approximately 7.9
percent over last year's
budget, but calls for no
Increase in the county's
ad valorem property
rate of $1 per $100
valuation.
Worth said this week
that the proposed in
crease in appropri
ations, which includes a
six percent across-the
board pay raise for
county employees, was
made possible by
proceeds from the local
one-half percent sales
tax levied last October.
The tax is distributed on
a per capita basis
among all counties that
participate throughout
the state and is expected
to produce about
$350,000 in revenues for
the coming year, Worth
said.
Although the General
Fund appropriations in
the budget have been in
creased by about 10 per
cent, appropriations
from the federal Reve
nue Sharing Program
have been decreased as
a result of overall reduc
tions in the program
enacted last summer by
Congress.
Warren County ex
pects to receive $379,000
in Revenue Sharing
funds for 1964-85 as op
posed to $427,000 for
1983-84.
The budget calls for
this year's Revenue
Sharing funds to be
divided among the
Warren County Sheriffs
Department, the coun
ty's volunteer Fire
Departments and
rescue squad, and
Warren General
Hospital.
Warren County
Schools, which in 1983-84
were allocated $100,000
in Revenue Sharing
funds for capital outlay,
are slated to receive no
Revenue Sharing funds
(Continued on page 8)
For Operating Public Schools
Educators Express Alarm
Over Proposed Allocation
The Warren County
Board of Education,
faced with the prospect
of operating the county
school system next year
with almost (120,000 less
than needed, expressed
concern Monday night
over the amount of local
funding proposed by
county commissioners
in their tentative budget
for 1984-85.
Members of the Board
of Education were told
by Supt. Mike Williams
that the proposed
current expense ap
propriation of $903,807 is
$119,909 less than the
amount necessary to
fund the current ex
pense continuation
b. dget.
"This will mean that
we cannot fund any of
the current expense ex
pansion items and will
have to cut $119,909 from
the current expense con
tinuation budget,"
Williams said.
Board members were
told that the current ex
pense continuation
budget, the non-salary
items total $545,123.
"If we attempt to cut
$119,909 from continua
tion without terminating
employees, we will have
to eliminate 22 percent
of our non-salary items,
all of which are critical,
if not essential, to the
operation of the school
system," Williams said.
Included among these
items are such things as
fuel, electricity and
property insurance, he
told board members.
"This is a serious
situation,'-' Williams
said. "If the General
Assembly enacts a 15
percent raise for em
ployees and no ad
ditional support materi
alizes from either state
or local sources, we will
be faced with cuts of the
magnitude experienced
in the summer of 1961
when we had to cut the
continuation budget by
996,341," Williams said.
(Continued on page 8)
For State Senate Race In Warren
Voter Registration Deadline Nears
The deadline for voter registration for the July 17
special Democratic primary for state Senate is
Monday, June 18, which is also the deadline for
voters who have moved since the last election to
notify the Board of Election of their new address,
according to Ruby Jones, supervisor of elections for
Warren County.
A person may register to vote at the Board of
Elections office in the Hendricks Building at 106 S.
Front Street between 9 a. m. and 5 p. m., Monday
through Friday, or by appointment at the home
of his precinct registrar or Judge.
The primary election for state senate was delay
ed in several counties, including Warren, because of
legislative redistricting. Previously, all of Warren
County's precincts were in District 6.
With the restricting, all townships but Fishing
Creek and Judkins are in District 2. Those two
townships are now in District 10.
Any voter who will be out of the county on election
day or who will be unable to go to the polls because
of sickness or physical disability, may vote by ab
sentee ballot Voters may apply for such ballots
between June 19 and July 11 One-stop voting will
also be conducted during the same period.
For more information about registration, absen
tee ballots, one-stop voting, location of polling
places, and other election matters, call the Elec
tions Office at S7-2114.
School Programs
Are Given Funding
Warren County is one
of 12 school systems
statewide to receive
funding for a new pro
gram which seeks to
guarantee that effective
teaching practices are
used in the classroom.
Announcement of
receipt of a state grant
of $20,465 to Warren
schools was made here
Monday night by School
Supt. Mike Williams.
The notification was
given members of the
Warren County Board of
Education.
Williams said the
grant was among 59
projects submitted from
throughout the state for
funding.
"The ernphiuri.q of the
project is to train cen
tral office personnel,
principals and
mentor teachers to work
with teachers, especial
ly beginning teachers, in
assuring that effective
teaching practices are
utilised in the class
room," Williams said.
Williams also Inform
ed board members that
through the Kerr-Tar
Regional Council of
Governments and the
Jobs Training Partner
ship Act that the system
has secured $27,171 to
fund a full-time coun
selor position at Warren
County High School.
"This person will
work solely with 40
students identified as
potential dropouts in an
effort to keep these
students in school until
the completion of their
high school program,"
Williams said.
Board members were
also told that the North
Carolina Division of
Vocational Rehabilita
tion Services wanted to
enter into an agreement
with Franklin County
Schools, Franklinton
City Schools and Warren
County Schools to
provide one counselor to
work with handicapped
students in the three
school systems.
Supt. Williams tald
that the counselor would
work two days in the
Warren County system,
and one day each at
Franklinton, Loutoburg
and Bum high schools
Cost for Warren Coun
ty to participate in tha
program would be about
18,000. Tha local
systems are aspadad to
provide <7,04 whOa tha
STwJSTtafS