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Wednesday, February 8. 1984The Daily Tar Heel3 Commissioners to hold sales tax hearing By MIKE GUNZENHAUSER Staff Writer The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to hold a special public hearing on March 13 on the proposed half-cent local op tion sales tax. The commissioners decided not to schedule the hear ing along with a regular meeting because an unusually large response is expected and because the League of Women Voters requested time to organize an educa tional forum on the issue. After the hearing, the board will decide how the issue will be resolved. The board may either call for a referen dum or enact the tax increase by resolution. Three of the board's five members have said in the past that they would not let the issue pass without a referendum, but commissioners were informed recently that the referendum could not legally be included on the May primary ballot. Commissioners view November's election a too late, so a spparntp votA wmilH need to h taken sometime between mid-July and early September. A summer referendum date, however, would be too late for the commissioners to include the tax revenue in next year's budget. Commissioner Don Willhoit said the referendum would be fairly expensive, including the cost of staffing the polls on the day of the vote. If the commissioners decide the issue themselves in March, the tax increase could go into effect as early as May 1. Noting the other commissioners' opposition to a resolution, Shirley E. Marshall said the board should not take quick action, so the public could have sufficient time to respond to the proposal. The commissioners also discussed how the projected $1.88 million in revenue from the tax would be spent. The money raised by the tax would be shared by Orange County and the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Mqbane. , The Schools Capital Task Force has recommended that the tax increase be implemented and all of the money be spent on the capital needs of the schools. But the board, while not rejecting the recommendation, recognized other capital needs outside those of the schools. Commissioner Norman Walker suggested that other sources of revenue could be found for other capital needs. Willhoit said a plan for the use of the expected revenue should be made before implementation of the tax increase. State law requires that 40 percent of the revenue raised by the half-cent local option sales be spent on the maintenance of schools. So far, 88 of North Carolina's 100 counties have passed the increase since the General Assembly passed it last year. In other business, commissioners heard reports on possible dam locations for a new Orange County reser voir, discussing the possibility of a public hearing on the matter in March. The board also advised members of the Orange Coun ty School Board, most of whom were present at the meeting, to go ahead with emergency measures to repair roof damage at Orange High School. The board ad vocated better long-range planning and cooperation bet ween the school board and the Board of Commissioners. NCAE refuses to endorse Hun t for Senate By DIANA BOSNIACK Staff Writer The N.C. Association of Educators' failure to endorse Gov. Jim Hunt in his race for the U.S. Senate reflects the organization's displeasure with Hunt, an NCAE official said last week. Though the state's largest teacher organization delayed its decision to en dorse, the move does not mean that Hunt's opponent, Republican Sen. Jesse Helms, will get the nod for the Senate race, said Jo Ann Norris, a political af fairs specialist for NCAE. "It's no secret that teachers have been disenchanted with Hunt," Norris said. The salary freeze Hunt imposed on teachers two years ago and his unwill ingness to increase taxes to repair schools and buy new textbooks are what the NCAE is unhappy about, she said. However, "That move (to delay en dorsement) in no way implies any support for Senator Helms." Helms' Senate record on education clearly opposes what the NCAE stands for, Norris said. Helms' declined the mandatory interview and failed to submit in NCAE question naire for endorsement consideration. The NCAE is scheduled to endorse a Senate candidate in June when the N.C. General Assembly meets for its off-year short session. The NCAE then will also present its proposals for improving education, including a 25 percent pay in crease for teachers, lifting the salary freeze with reimbursement for the lost pay and continued funding for teachers' medical insurance. Reported cases of Russian flu on the decline By RICHARD J. BOYCE Staff Writer The flu epidemic that has affected students at colleges across North Carolina for the past month is on the decline, health officials said this week. Only 62 cases of influenza were reported at UNC last week, compared with 225 the week before, said Dr. Newt MacCormack, acting head of the N.C. Division of Health Services. "We're on the downward slope of the epidemic," he said. At the 10 campuses from which the Division of Health Services pornnjJs ,Jh flu, the patient must have a. flu information, 557 casesSvere - -' temperature of 101 or morea,nd, must exhibit all flu symptoms, McUutehan said. The " number of . cases among elementary, junior nigh and high school students also is declining, said Susan Spaltr health coordinator for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city school system. 1977. It has mainly affected people of college age or younger because a similar strain of the flu hit the United States from 1947 to 1957. Most people born before 1957 have built up an im munity to the virus, MacCormack said. Dr. James McCutchan of UNC Stu dent Health Services said although the flu is slowing, "These things don't all stop they sporadically slow down." Monday's snowfall in the area pro bably will have no effect on . the number of flu cases, McCutchan said. "Cold weather doesn't cause illness. You catch contagious diseases from other people! A chief cause for the spread of the illness is that people gather together in crowds indoors," he said. To be reported as an official case of reported two weeks ago. Last week, the number declined to 263, MacCor mack said. Nine schools reported decreases, while at East Carolina University there was a slight increase. This particular strain of the flu A-Philippines is a form of the Rus sian flu, first isolated by scientists in ALL YOU CAN EAT SPAGHETTI with your choice of sausage, meatballs, meatsaUce Mon. 5-11 p.m. $2.95 Pizza Buffet $3.95 Thurs. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sal's Happy Hour 5:00-8:30 Sun. to Wed. with meals 5K draft $2.95 pitchers Eastgate Shopping Center (next to Food Town) Lunch Special Mon.-Fri. 11:00-3:00 Sail's IReste'ttfffsiimtt For special take-out orders call 9684642 now $2Q$30 f" Mill V 'rn. i t liiititti 5- y o J' iilpsllill Pi 1 4 vT r -1 n: - - - St i DATE: Thursday, Feb. 9 PLACE: TIldgNT STORES TIME: 9-0-2:00 rinnnPFJorms Division of Carnalon Company Hunt's policy has not been to set up programs that the NCAE wants, said Don Hobart, press aide for Hunt's cam paign staff. "We're not going out of our. way to win an endorsement," Hobart said. "If he doesn't get it, that's the breaks." Hobart said the governor was concern- ed about salary improvement and viewed education as a top priority. However, Hobart said, "He hasn't been able to (raise salaries) as quickly as teachers would like." In other action, the NCAE last week endorsed Tom Gilmore for governor. "He was very, very pleased the associa tion decided to endorse him," said Melanie Reid, Gilmore' s' press secretary. However, she said, Gilmore was not' suprised by the endorsement because he had always pushed for educational reform. "Tom Gilmore is not a Johnny-come-lately for education. Early reports stated that they (NCAE) felt his pro posals were identical to what they wanted done," Reid said. Gilmore, a'Democrat from Julian, in troduced as a state legislator 10 primary bills dealing with reducing class size, ad ditional teacher pay and funding for school libraries. "The NCAE went on performances, rather than promises, in its decision to endorse Tom Gilmore," Reid said. As governor, Gilmore would give education top priority, she said. He would create a special education budget to be voted on before the general budget to assure that education gets top priority. Carrboro in good financial shape From staff reports Carrboro is in good financial shape for the current year, but projected deficits for the next three years could cause prob lems for the town, Don Casper, finance director and interim town manager, said Monday. During a two-day work session held at Carrboro Aqueduct Center, Casper told the Carrboro Board of Aldermen that the town should have an $18,000 surplus this year, but that the future deficits could have an impact on the town's tax rates. Much of the projected deficit, however, could be offset by the proposed half-cent local option sales tax, Casper said. The increase will bring in about $125,000 for the town if it is passed, he said. OLJRJE J YOU TINE a perfect , match l-H 1 KV .tr wo cals disniwPf Itial love is a many splpmlourwi thing University Square Chapel Hill 967-8935 - ? I ft - i J-" f- lt s x f Vi)s A. is: v. .' i "aiL v DTHJeff Neuville Analyst Thomas Longstreth speaks Tuesday on arms control pro spects as part of the Great Decisions lecture series. decisions From page 1 In March, the Orange County Com missioners will hold a public hearing on the tax and decide whether or not to hold a referendum on the proposed increase. Aldermen also discussed the possible es tablishment of a citizen planning task force and additions to the fire and police departments. The town's staff will begin research on projects and should have some results by June, Casper said. Some of the items that the board discussed at the session will re quire more extensive research but others will be put on an agenda by this summer, he said. Casper said that, if possible, the task force would relay citizens' concerns that were not being discussed by the board. Longstreth said President Reagan's proposal that the United States build space weapons to stop Soviet -intercontinental ballistic missiles is a bad idea. Such a move would break three existing treaties, would cost up to half a trillion dollars, would spur military com petition in another technology and would not work. "Space weapons won't work. It is an alluring idea that you can provide for a nation a nuclear shield. (But) a system that is 50 percent leak-proof is not worth having." In the United States, growing interest among members of Congress and the U.S. public in arms control will improve the chances for success in future negotiations, he said. "I think this a constituency that has been established and will not go away." The Arms Control Association is the oldest nongovernmental, nonpartisan, nonprofit organiza tion devoted to educating the U.S. public on arms control issues, he said. nn n htm U la i Call Oays Evenings & Weekends :ji 5 U v. MU i Educational Center TEST PREPARATION SPECIALISTS SINCE 1938 2634 Chapel Hill Blvd. Suite 112 Durham, NC 27707 (919) 489-8720489-2348 or 1-800-672-5919 ALWAYS SUNNY SPRING BREAK '84 W m m M TAR HEELS TO IMVABI FORT LAI SPRING BREAK CAMPS SET UP AT TWO MAJOR HOTELS Sheraton Yankee Clipper Sheraton Yankee Trader ill -V 1 kO iriniiliriiii 'n y -. ' A o. wA It, 1 a"?r m.,m. Jz i St ' ' -M. -i- x 4( . WELCO?2 SPRING BREAKERS . 1 M 4 M Beach entertamment galore . . . right outside your door. (Mike and Dean of the Beach Boys - Spring, 83) Home of PENRODS, the hottest spot on the beach. 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Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 8, 1984, edition 1
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