News p*cord
Poison
coontv lIBr
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COIN
NC
82nd Year No. 19
2Q7? -
^a,im
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N C.
WEDNESDAY, /vu?, 11, 19>
15* Per Copy
Commissoners Vow
Crackdown On
Delinquent Taxpayers
Faced with the need to increase property
taxes to meet requests for additional funds, the
Madison County Board of Commissioners vow
ed to crack down on delinquent taxpayers at
their monthly meeting Friday night.
County finance officer David Caldwell spelled
out the bad financial news for the commis
sioners. According to Caldwell's figures, the
county is $110,000 short in collections for the
current fiscal year. Caldwell told board
members that the county tax collector had
received 88 percent of the total tax levy. The
$110,000 shortfall represents eight percent of
the total county budget.
Caldwell also told the commissioners that
past due taxes totalling $610,000 were owed by
county taxpayers. The additional $500,000 is due
from past years.
Board of Commissioners chairman James
Ledford told the Friday night meeting that the
ooard has received over $500,000 in requests for
budget increases in the upcoming fiscal year.
Most of the additional funding request has been
presented by the Board of Education.
Ledford said that the commissioners would
have to raise the present tax rate by as much as
thirty cents to meet the budget requests. Led
ford pointed out that additional collections of
back taxes would help reduce tax increase.
The commissioners approved a resolution
calling on County Attorney Larry Keake to
"take any and all legal steps necessary" to col
lect the past due taxes from county residents.
The commissioners also voted to instruct
county tax collector Harold Wallin to publish
the entire listing of delinquent tax payers for
the past ten years in next week's edition of The
News Record. A complete listing of delinquent
taxpayers for the current year appears in to
day's edition on Page 10.
Vocation Budget Approved
By ROBERT KOENKi
Money was the main topic of
discussion at last
Wednesday's meeting of the
Madison County Board of
Education. The school board
members heard requests for
funds from the Madison High
School vocational education
program, band director Harry
Overby and principal David
Wyatt.
The board approved a ten
tative budget for the voca
tional education program, but
delayed taking any action on
the other requests for funds.
Under the tentative budget,
the vocational education pro
gram for grades seven
FBEMC Awards
Dam Contract
The French Broad Electric
Membership Corporation of
Marshall has announced that
a contract for the construction
of the Capitola Hydroelectric
Project has been awarded to
Crowder Construction Com
pany of Charlotte. Crowder is
the low bidder of 21 -bids
received. The bid was within
the budget set for construc
tion.
Axel -Johnson Company of
San Francisco, California,
was selected as the low bidder
on the turbine generators last
faU.
Work will begin on the pro
ject abound the middle of May,
It is expected to be completed
within 18 months.
"We have been working on
the rehabilitation of this hydro
project for about three years
and it is now close to becoming
a reality," said Charles
ToUey, Co-op manager. "This
project will help FBEMC to
have some control over its
power costs and along with
our efforts to get some low
cost peaking, power from the
Southeastern Power Ad
ministration, we hope to keep
the cost of electricity from ris
ing as rapidly as it otherwise
would in the future," ToUey
said.
74 Give To
Blood Drive
Seventy-four people gave
blood May S while the
American Red Cross blood
mobile was at the Marshall
Presbyterian Church. Over
half the donors were Madison
High School students A
special thanks is given to Tom
Walhn, Jerry Plemmons and
Rickey Dixon. Eric i
Myra Wilde, Kenneth Worley
. Payne, John Merril.
DrVane. Hank Cunn
Chandlei Blane
J
Rice
M Mm
Ramsey, Julian Culvern, Pam
Edwards, Judith Major,
Calvin Chandler, Jimmy Grif
fin, Dale Wyatt, Claude Gard
ner, Cheri Murrah, Terry
Buckner, William Davis, Roy
Wallin and Cliford Schommer.
Donna Edmonds, Sheila
Wilde, Stephen Halula,
Timothy Rice, Jame Dadd,
Stevi? Tweed, Penny Flyon,
Paige Morria, Virginia
At kens Judy ( Tame. Dariene
Randall, James Craine,
3uVall Jr.,
through 12 will receive t
$118,886.11 in local funding, j
The county will pay 26 percent
of the program's $443,205 s
budget. State and federal s
funds will pay the rest of the t
program's cost. The budget c
approved at the meeting gives t
the vocational education an in
crease of $6,014 over the
ludget for the present fiscal
'ear.
Jack Cole, vocational in
tructor at Madison High
ichool, told the school board
hat if teache? salaries are In
Teased by one pay increment,
he local cost of the increase
Continued on Page 7
Man Dies In Car Crash
Elmer Waldroup, 64, of Hot
Springs died Friday night
from injuries suffered in an
automobile accident that
evening in the Shelton Laurel
section of the county.
Waldroup was a passenger in
the back seat of a 1973
Chevrolet driven by Calvin
Hill Thomas, 37, of Hot Spr
ings.
Thomas and two other
passengers in the car were
also injured. The injured
passengers were Pauline
Dockery, 47, of Marshall and
Helen Morelock, 38, of Haynes
City, Fla. They were taken to
Tacoma Venice Hospital in
Greene vi lie, Tenn. Waldroup
died at the hospital.
The car in which they were
riding went down an embank
ment on N.C. 206 about two
miles east of the state line
The car apparently left the
road and became airborne.
Highway Patrol Trooper T.E.
Dudley said the impact upon
landing crushed the roof of the
car.
Both Thomas and Dockery
were reported in satisfactory
condition at Tacoma Venice
Hospital in Greeneville Tues
day. Morelock was transfer
red to the Johnson City
Medical Center where she is
reported to be in serious condi
tion in the intensive care unit.
Funeral services for Mr.
Waldroup were held Monday
at the Zion Baptist Church.
Burial was conducted in the
church cemetery.
Beer Drinkers Litter School Grounds
BEER CANS LITTER the playground of the
Marshall Elementary School. Weekend
revelers on the island left dozens of empty
cans littering the playing field used by the
school children. School principal Fred
Haynie also reported that one window in the
school's main building was broken during the
weekend.
District Court Hears DUI Cases
Judge Phillip Ginn accepted
guilty pleas to a number of
charges Of driving under the
influence during Thursday's
session of Madison County
District Court.
The court accepted a guilty
plea to a lesser charge of
reckless driving in the case of
Ronald Charles Gentry. Ginn
sentenced Gentry to four mon
ths in jail, suspended for one
year, and ordered the denfe
nant to pay a fine of $100, court
costs, and attend Alcohol Drug
Education School (ADES) and
pay the school's $100 tuition
fee.
Bruce Mace, also charged
with DUI, pleaded guilty to
reckless driving and received
a suspended six-month
sentence and two years of ac
tive supervised probation. The
court ordered Mace to pay a
fine of $100 and to pay councel
fees of $250.
Harlon Bruce Slagel, found
guilty of second offense DUI,
was given a six-month
sentence which the court
suspended for 18 months.
Slagel was also fined $200,
ordered to surrender his
license and pay $200 for
councel fees.
The court dismissed
charges of reckless driving
and reckless driving after
drinking against Richard A.
Tweed.
Devtious Gosnell entered a
guilty plea to a charge of driv
ing under the influence. The
court sentenced Gosnell to
four months in jail, suspended
for two years. He was ordered
to surrender his license, pay a
$100 fine, court costs and the
$100 tuition fee for ADES.
The court continued charges
of DUI and assault against
Nickey Adams, rescheduling
trial for the May 31 session of
District Court.
The court dismissed larceny
charges against Gary Ball and
assault charges against
Darlene Hoyle.
The court issued a prayer
for judgement for Alisa Samp
son, charged with possession
of marijuana. Mark Freeman,
also charged with possession
of marijuana, entered a guilty
plea. He was prdered to pay
court costs, a (100 fine, attend
ADES, pay the schools $100
tuition fee and serve a special
probation.
The court continued DUI
charges against both Robert
B. Harris and Douglas David
Presnell. Harris is also charg
ed with carrying a concealed
weapon, and Presnell is
charged with driving while
license revoked.
Randy Allen Boyd pleaded
guilty to failing to report an
accident and was fined (50
plus court costs.
Donna Buckner, charged
with two counts of forging
checks, failed to appear for a
hearing. Judge Ginn issued an
arrest warrant in the felony
cases and ordered Buckner be
held under a $1,000 secured
bond pending her appearance.
Horry Arnold Cantrell
pleaded guilty to a charge of
communicating threats and
received a six month suspend
ed sentence.
James Lewis was found
guilty of larceny by trick and
received a five-day sentence
which the court suspended for
one year.
The court also found pro
bable cause for charges of
breaking, entering and
larceny against David
Lingerfelt and continued two
charges of assault against
Douglas Lunsford.
Calls For Price Support Stabilization
i
Farm Bureau Changes Position
<'.gg?fc
The North Carolina Farm
Bureau board of directors has
recommended that the price
support level for flue-cured
tobacco for the 1964-85 crop
years be stabilized at the 1983
la?n| -
1 " . -
The board further recom
mended that price supports be
stabilized for the 1M6 crop
year, provided the current
price support formula's cost of
This provides for an annual in
crease of 66 percent to 100 per
cent of the three-year average
as determined under the
regular formula.
In other action, the Farm
Bureau board recommended
that the leas* transfer pro
gram be phased out by crop
year 1MB. In ttemeantime, all
allotment holder! who lease
off the farm would be provided
an ample opportunity to share
>' the production of Mil
allotments within the county
to sttlw tobacco growers.
fi ? ?? . ? v;-!
legislative changes, beginning
in 1964, are proposed as
positive and constructive ef
forts to improve and stabilise
the current tobacco program
by encouraging domestic and
export buyers to increase |
their purchase* of American
tobacco." 4
According to Sledge, "Farm i
to |
Best "Ml cort'fl
commodity program. He i
that for MBS, growers will be
paying seven cents per pound
assessment, total of abo?
W million In addition, he
paying 55