The News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTS
82nd Year No. 28 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL,! GENERAL DELIVERY 15* Per CODV
MARSHALL NC ?R7?STj rc'
MADISON
COUNTY LIBRARY
County Begins
Tax Crackdown
By ROBERT KOEN1G
Madison County officials
stepped up the promised
crackdown on delinquent tax
payers Monday. County at
torney Larry Leake told The
News Record that the county
has sent orders to three
Madison County garnishing
the deposits of delinquent tax
payers.
Leake said that county tax
collector Harold Wallin sent
the garnishment order to the
First Union Bank in Marshall,
the Northwestern Bank in
Marshall and to Wachovia
Bank branches in Marshall.
Mars Hill and Hot Springs.
The order freezes deposits in
savings and checking ac
counts up to the total amount
owed to the county in property
taxes.
The first of the garnish
orders were sent to 75 delin
quent taxpayers in the North
Marshall precinct. Leake said
the 75 delinquents owe $25,507
in back taxes dating back as
far as 1973.
Delinquent taxpayers have
10 days in which to file a writ
ten protest of the county's ac
tion, Leake said. At the end of
the ten days, the banks will
turn over the garnished sav
ings to the tax collector.
Leake emphasized that this
latest action is only the first
step in collecting an estimated
half million dollars in delin
quent taxes. "It's time people
realized that we are serious
about collecting these taxes.
This is just the first step. We
also intend to ascertain
employment in some cases
and' we can also garnish
wages. One way or another,
the county is going to get these
tax dollars."
Monday's action against the
delinquent taxpayers was
taken after the North Mar
shall residents were advised
by letters from Wallin. Leake
said that the letters to the
delinquent taxpayers were
sent out some six to eight
weeks ago. The attorney add
ed that action will next be
taken against South Marshall
tax delinquents.
CAR RAISES spray on Main
Street in Marshall during after
noon downpour last Thursday.
District
! Court
Holds
1 Session
A number of charges were
dismissed during a busy ses
sion of District Court in Mar
shall last Tuesday.
Judge Robert H Lacey
dismissed charges of assault
against Danny Joe Baldwin.
Charges of assault with a
deadly weapon against
Howard Hodler were also
dismissed, as were charges of
disseminating obscene
material to a minor against
Ralph Davis. Damage to pro
perty charges against Ben
Conger were also dismissed.
The court sentenced James
Wagner to spend four
weekends in the Madison
County Jail after Wagner
(Continued on Page 8)
Weaverville Council Approves Zoning Change
By ROBERT KOENIG
In what Weaverville mayor Lawrence
Sprinkle called, "a brief but important
meeting," the Weaverville Town Council ap
proved a zoning change for Weaver Blvd. and
awarded a construction contract Monday night.
Fourteen residents were present as the
council considered a request from W.R.
Buckner to have a seven-acre tract along the
north side of Weaver Blvd. changed from a R-l
residential zone to a C-2 general business zone.
A public hearing on the proposed zoning
change was held July 5 in the Town Hall. At that
meeting, developer Robert Small of Greenville,
S.C. said that he hopes to build a small shopping
center for a supermarket, drug store and other
stores on the site owned by Buckner. The
developer told the meeting that Bi-Lo stores
will locate in the planned shopping center. Bi
Lo presently operates a store in the Tri-City
Shopping Center.
In a telephone interview last Friday, Bi-Lo
spokesman Mary Stone declined to say if the
supermarket chain would open a store in the
proposed shopping center. She told The News
Record, "Bi-Lo is committed to bringing a
modern facility to our Weaverville customers.
At this time, I can't say what our plans are for
Weaverville." She explained that the super
market chain leases space in shopping centers
and referred questions to Robert Small of Small
Associates of Greenville. The developer was
unavailable for comment Monday night.
At the July 5 meeting, Weaverville
residents Henry Lasher and Dick McPhail ex
pressed their opposition to the zoning change.
The seven-acre site is adjacent to a residential
area on Weaver Blvd.
A vote on the zoning change was postponed
for five minutes Monday night while an attempt
was made to locate absent council member Bill
Shope. Mayor Lawrence Sprinkle told the coun
cil, "The mayor doesn't normally vote unless
there's a tie. With only four members present,
it is possible that we will have a tie. Before we
take a vote, I want to disqualify myself because
there may be a conflict of interest."
The council considered the contract for the
town sewer project while attempts were made
to contact Shope. Town Manager Larry
Sprinkle told the council that six bids were
received at the bid opening conducted on July 7.
Terry Bi others Construction of Leicester sub
mitted the low bid of $168,019 for the project.
Sprinkle told the council that the engineer
ing firm on the project, Butler-McGill
Associates of Asheville has worked in the past
with the company and recommended that the
town accept the low bid. The council voted
unanimously to accept the bid submitted by
Terry Brothers.
The town manager told The News Record
that the contract on the project should be
awarded within 30 days and" that work on the
project should begin within 45 days.
The council then returned to the zoning
change after attempts to locate Shope proved
unsuccessful. One member of the board asked if
the change would provide for a buffer zone bet
ween the business property and the residential
area. Sprinkle said that the town's zoning or
dinance provides for a buffer zone assured the
council that the town has the' power to insure
that the area in buffer zone is kept clean of lit
ter.
Councilman L.A. Weaver, Jr. moved to ac
cept the proposed zoning change. The council
approved the change unanimously with Mayor
Sprinkle abstaining. Sprinkle then adjourned
the meeting at 7:15 p.m.
Ramsey Opposes Senate Bill
By ROBERT KOENIG
The North Carolina General
Assembly may pass a sales increase as
it prepares to adjourn this week, but it
won't be the version of the bill that pass
ed in the State Senate last week. House
Speaker Liston B. Ramsey will see to
that.
Ramsey served notice of his disap
proval last week when the Senate ver
sion of the sales tax increase was pass
ed. The speaker told reporters, "We
sent them a good bill, one that the coun
ty commissioners and mayors wanted.
The Senate has sent back a substitute
bill. The House will not concur and con
ferees will have to be appointed. The
Senate will have to back off and change
their position or the bill will be dead."
The Senate version of the tax bill
would raise the sales tax half a cent
beginning on Aug. 1. Proceeds from the
additional tax would be dispensed to
counties for school and water and sewer
construction projects. The Senate bill
would give each county $180,000 next
year to be divided equally between
school and water and sewer projects.
Remaining revenues from the sales tax
increase would be divided between
North Carolina's 100 counties on the
basis of average daily school attendance
and the present state water bond for
mula.
In the second year of the tax, 40 per
cent of revenues would be used for
school construction, 40 percent for
water and sewer projects and the re
maining 20 percent would be used for
other capital expenditures by county
government.
The House version of the sales tax in
crease calls for each county to decide
whether to charge the additional tax,
either by a referendum or by vote of the
county commissioners. The Senate ver
sion of the bill would increase the sales
tax statewide. Ramsey also disapprov
ed of the Senate bill's statewide ap
proach to the tax increase. In a Friday
interview with The Waynesville Moun
taineer, Ramsey said, "The General
Assembly is not going to have a general
increase in the sales tax. There'll be an
option, a referendum or something, an
amendment of some kind that will allow
(Continued on Paget)
Hot Springs Endorses
J Water Saving Plan
| The Hot Springs
Aldermen approved
poMl to purchase
ing devices at its
meeting held on July
Uw approval. Hot
Joins with Marshal).
the program to MbUU the
saving devices is
'
county officials. the money
will purchase kits to save
water in household showers,
faucets and toilets. The Health
Department will coordinate
the sate of the kits thr finest
the county The Hot ; ;
approved the MOO
loan on the
apr? n to t?
repaid alter the tale ot U*
HMnpl
the town Stony Jackson of
Alcoa. T?m.. explained the
terms of the sale of the fran
chis rights from Wckory Hili
( abifi im'mi hepn-sent fran
chise holder, to Hot
gable TY Oo The aldermen
*> M the requost
to ubmlt
written e?jue*t fo; h<
The
Bus
Drivers
Named
School bus drivers [or the
1963-84 school year were ap
proved by the Madison County
Board of Education at their
monthly meeting July 6.
Three drivers, Clyde Webb,
Betty Wills and Carol
Ramsey, were approved for
Hot Springs Elementary
School.
Four drivers were approved
for Walnut School. They are
Mack Boyd, Clark Boyd, Jeter
Sherlin and Harry Norton.
Four drivers were also ap
proved for Marshall Primary
School. Those named were:
Michael Baldwin, Donna
Ward, Terry Shetley and
William Thomas. Four drivers
were also approved for Spring
Creek School. The four are Joe
Woody, George Rollins,
Richard Dicker and Wayne
llAlf
noii.
?
MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL CALENDAR
1983-1984
August 5, 1983 ? School term begins ? Teacher Work Day
? In-service
August 8, 1983 ? Teacher Work Day ? In-service
August 9, 1983 ? Teacher Work Day
August 10, 1983 ? Beginning of First School Month (First
Day for Students)
August 11, 1983 ? Teacher Work Day (No Students)
August 12, 1983 ? Second School Day for Students
September 5, 1983 ? Labor Day ? Holiday
September 8, 1983 ? End of First School Month
September 16, 1983 ? NCAE Meeting 1/2 Day Teacher
Work Day, 1/2 Day Annual Leave
September 23, 1983 ? End of First Six Weeks
September 26, 1983 ? Teacher Work Day
October 10, 1983 ? End of Second Month of School
October 17, 1983 ? End of first Nine Weeks
October 21, 1983 - Teacher Work Day
November 8, 1983 ? End of third Month and Second Six
Weeks
November II, 1963 ? Veterans Day ? Teachers Work Day
November 23, 1983 ? Schools Dismiss at 1:30 p.m. for
Thanksgiving Holidays
November 24, 1483 ? Thanksgiving Holiday
November 25, 1983 ? Thanksgiving Holiday
December 9, 1983 ? End of Fourth School Month
December 20, 1983 ? Schools dismiss for Christmas
Holidays at 1:30 p.m.
December 21, 1983 ? Annual Leave Day
December 22, 1983 ? Christmas Holiday
December 23, 1983 ? Christmas Holiday *
December 28, 1983 ? Annual Leave Day
December 27, 1983 - Annual Leave Day
December S. 1983 - Annual Leave Day
29, 1983 -Annual Leave Day
Years