The News record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
80th Year NO. 24 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N C. THURSDAY. June 11, ]?! ISC Per Copy
Assessed Value Rises $70 Million In Madison ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
County May Ask 80 Cent Tax Rate
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Editor
With the 1961-82 departmental
budget requests to the county total
ing $1,765,000, the Madison County
commissioners indicated Friday
night they would have to levy a tax
rate of 80 cents per $100 of assessed
value on property to remain solvent
and fulfill obligations through essen
tial services to residents.
But, County Finance Officer
David Caldwell said it would take "a
flat one dollar tax rate" to get the
$1.7 million needed to meet all the
budget requests. Caldwell based his
figure on a 90 percent tax collection
on the re-appraised property valua
tion which totals $181.5 million.
The new assessed value of
Madison County real estate is up $70
million over the county worth listed
a year ago at $111.6 million after a
round of property revaluation.
"We're not going to get a dollar,"
Commissioner Ervin Adams told the
board. And board members agreed
that the higher the levied rate, the
lower the percentage of collection.
With the fiscal year ending in two
and one-half weeks, Caldwell said,
"as of right now the county has col
lected 83 to 84 percent of taxes."
Commissioners chairman James
Ledford recommended an 80 cent
tax rate and explained he would like
to see the ambulance service, the
landfill and capital outlay fund each
receive 10 cents, and the school bond
debt fund receive five cents of the 80.
"That would leave 45 cents to
operate the rest of the departments
of the county," he said.
?
Acknowledging a 70 cent tax rate
would provide the county with the
same amount of money it budgeted
last year, Ledford said, "There's no
way we can keep the budget the
same as last year on account of in
flation."
Even at Ledford's recommended
80 cent rate, the county will have to
shortchange some departments on
their requests. "The only way to cut
a budget is to cut the people who are
on the payroll, and we're down to
minimum personnel now," Ledford
said.
The commissioners decided to
hold off setting the new rate until
after a public hearing this Friday
night at 7:30 at the courthouse dur
ing which they hope to obtain public
comment to help them make the
final decision on the issue.
At County Commissioners Meeting
Group Seeks Paving Of Highway 212
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Editor
Twelve highly vocal and
somewhat angry residents
from White Rock and Shelton
Laurel marched into the coun
ty commissioners meeting
Friday night to And out what
the commissioners could do to
help get a five mile portion of
Highway 212 leading into Ten
nessee paved.
County attorney Larry B.
Leake told spokesmen for the
group he would personally
make an appointment with
N.C. Department of Transpor
tation district engineer Earl
McEntire in Asheville so that
the group could make him
aware of the condition of the
road.
The commissioners listened
to the group's grievance, and
then told the residents that
they have no control over what
roads get paved or when. Our
priorities are set by the
state, the commissioners
said.
Philip Franklin, one of the
group's spokesmen, told the
commissioners that a Mr.
Martin and Mr. Crumpler
from the NCDOT district
engineer's office "were sup
posed to be here tonight, but
where are they?"
"I'll meet with McEntire.
I'll go down to Raleigh, I'll go
to Washington," Franklin
said, indicating his willi
ing'ness to do something to get
the road paved. >
Gladson Cutshall told the
commissioners it would take
gravel "three feet deep to
cover up the rocks in that
road." He countered the com
missioners contention that
there were worse roads in
Madison County wjth a blunt,
"You're dead wrong! "
The residents contend they
have waited for years for
something to be done about
the road, and that "the people
who own land on the head of
Shelton Laurel don't even get
the crumbs from the state and
county taxes they pay."
Commissioners chairman
James Ledford explained to
the residents that Madison
County gets a certain amount
of funds per un paved mile
each year and the commis
sioners determine where the
money is spent at a hearing
with a representative from the
highway department. Then
the state decides what to do
with the money, Ledford said.
"We really want to help you,
so we're going to set you with
the people who ve got the
authority,." Ledford said.
In other business the com
missioners:
? Heard a report from ac
ting CETA director Darlene
Cody who said the Summer
Youth Employment Program
proposal had been approved
with a budget of $78,969 to pro
vide 51 in-school job positions
and five dropout positions.
The commissioners approved
the hiring of 56 employees in
the program for 24 job sites.
Cody said the Public Service
Employment program would
end June 30 leaving three bus
drivers and three ambulance
EMT personnel without jobs.
The Youth Work Experience
program will resume when
schooj starts and will provide
47 job positions on $82,190,
Cody said.
Ledford told the board that
he had received word that
Madison County will ex
perience an 11 percent cut in
CETA funds for the next year,
giving the county $141,256 in
CETA funds.
? Heard a report from
Esther Franks, director of
senior citizens program, and
approved the hiring of Wanda
Goslin as site manager at the
Shelton Laurel meal site.
? Approved the hiring of
Steve Metcalf as a bus driver
Money Matters
Dominate School
Board Meeting
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
Editor
Money matters occupied much of the time
at last week's board of education meeting as
board members adopted an amended 1960-81
in order to finish out this year, were told they
would have to take some positive steps in
order to secure a $2.5 million Farmers' Home
Administration loan, and decided to table a
proposal to submit a community schools pro
ject to Raleigh ? a project, if approved,
would cost the board $8,000 to get $25,000 from
Raleigh.
In approving the amended budget, the
board acted on the advice of its accounting
firm, Green, Skidmore, Smith and Company,
and voted to transfer a U.S. Department of
Agriculture grant of $135,000 to the Madison
High School erosion project fund in the capital
outlay category at the budget.
In a similar action, the board consolidated a
1973 federal flood disaster grant and flood in
speculated they would be making several
budget amendments during the coming year.
Larry Merrill, district director of the
Farmers' Home Administration, appeared
before the board to find out if the board plann
ed to take positive steps toward securing a
$2.5 million FHA loan that was obligated to
the county for a local school bond referendum
in 1979.
The loan obligation will be cancelled on
June IS (Monday) unless the board shows the
FHA that steps are being taken to obtain the
loan, Merrill *aid. However, he indicated the
FHA would give the board 30 days within
which to notify the agency of its intentions.
Merrill said essentially that FHA would ex
pect the board to hold another school bond
referendum by Dec. 31 of this year.
Board chairman Bobby Ponder told Mer
rill, "Thirty days will give us enough time to
talk to key people in the county to see how
they feel about it (a bond referendum).''
The board told Merrill they would report to
him by their July 6 meeting.
A bond referendum for the money was
defeated by voters In 1979. The ?2.5 million
for the construction of the
of the
ir> schools
PAUL FRISBY, 13, learned Monday that it
pays to "Get That Pepsi Spirit" ? to the tune
of $1,000. Paul, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Frisby of toute 4, Marshall, said he had been
collecting Pepsi bottle caps for about a
month trying to completely spell our P-E-P
S-I S-P-I-R-I-T with the single letters found in
the caps. Monday he found the elusive letter
R, and he and his dad make a quick trip to
Asheville to pick up the 91,000 check from
GLADSON CUTSHALL makes a
point during the county commis
sioners meeting Friday night as he
pleaded his case to help get a five
mile stretch of Highway 212 paved.
Cutshall was accompanied by 12
Shelton Laurel neighbors to the
highly vocal meeting.
for the Greater Ivy Day Care
Center and meal site, on the
recommendation of Day Care
director Luanne Roberts.
? Signed a contract to
release the recreational
facilities on Blannanhassett
Island to the Town of Mar
shall.
? Acknowledged the receipt
of a $25,000 grant from the Z. transported through the coun
Smith Reynolds Foundation ty.
for the renovation of the Ebbs ? Approved moving am
Chapel School building. bulance service director
? Agreed to pursue a pro- Mildred West's office into the
posal to hire a person to serve Marshall ambulance service
as an emergency headquarters.
preparedness coordinator for ? Appointed commissioner
the county in regard to hazar- Ervin Adams to the Social Ser
dous materials which are vice Board beginning July l.
School Biz Rivals
Madison Burley
It's been said education is big business in
Madison County. With some 300 employees on
the payroll last year, the public school system
is probably the county's largest single
employer, other than county government
itself.
In terms of cash flow in the local economy,
the system was responsible for handling $6.5
million, according to the amended 1900-81
fiscal year budget approved by the school
board at its meeting last week.
In comparison, the county 's burley tobacco
crop ? long considered the economic
backbone of Madison ? produced $7 million
for the county last year, and on the average
brings in between 97 and 18 million annually
for the local economy, according to W.B. Zink
of the Agriculture Stabilization and Conserva
tion Service office.
The amended school budget was presented
to the board for approval by school
superintendent Robert L. Edwards who said
the system's auditing firm, Greene Skidmorv
Smith and Company, had suggested the board
amend the budget to include amounts of
money appropriated by state, federal and
local sources.
monies and $50,000 in capital outlay funds for
a total Of $747,939.56
The amended budget lists allocations made
to the local system by state, federal and other
sources in seven main categories.
The updated local current expense fund
showed a total of $1,176,422. Primary revenue
sources in this category were the state
($470,330) and the county appropriation
($525,000).
The state public school fund contributed
$3,507,119 to the system for instructional pro
grams and various supporting services.
The federal grant fund category totaled
$570,958 with revenues coming from ESEA Ti
tle I. Title IV and Title VI allocations.
School Food Service monies totaled $530,250
with $437,250 supplied by United States
Department of Afp-i culture grants, $6,000
allocated by Non-Pood Assistance, and
$17,000 made through lunchroom sales.
The system's capital outlay fund totaled
$751,029 with some of the major expenditures
being $190,000 for the Madison High School
erosion project and $512,009 for the new
Marshall- Walnut elementary school. Three of
the larger revenue sources in this category
? a USDA grant ($155,000), a 197S state