The News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 1901
Vol. ?4 NO. 23 PUBLISHED WEEKLY !N THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSH,
COUNTY LIBRARY Y. H i IRC
Marshall Tables
Budget Decision
By ROBERT KOENIG
The Marshall Board of
Aldermen tabled a final deci
sion on the proposed budegt
(or the upcoming fiscal year
during their meeting Monday
night. The decision to table the
budget was reached after
some questions regarding the
proposal were raised.
Mayor Betty Wild said the
board will hold a special call
ed meeting with the town's ac
countant, J. Donald Williams,
to discuss particulars of the
proposed $227,147 budget.
The decision to table the
budget was made at the end of i
a two and a half hour session.
Town secretary Linda Dod
son told the board that she
prepared the budget with
Williams' assistance. The pro
posal presented to the board
Monday calls for no increase
in the present property tax
rate of 85 cents per $100 of
valuation. It forecasts proper
ty tax collections totalling
$113,147, based on a 96 percent
collection rate. Marshall is
also expecting to receive
$42,000 in revenue sharing
funds and $17,000 in Powell
Bill funds for street im
provements.
Questions regarding some of
the other sources of listed
revenues were questioned dur
ing the meeting. The proposed
budegt listed $10,000 in
revenue from "Sales and ser
vice." The budget also listed
an additional $10,000 in ex
pected revenues from
"miscellaneous" sources.
Asked what "sales and ser
vice" constituted, Mrs. Dod
son said, "I'm not sure where
that came from." The 910,000
listed in "miscellaneous"
revenue included, Mayor Wild
said, "That's anything that
comes in over and above the
above."
Board member Ed Niles
asked for a line item budget
detailing planned expen
ditures and recommended
tabling a decision on the
mdget.
Wild said that the board will
iieet with the town accountant
>efore voting on the budget
which must be approved
>efore the board's July
nee ting No date form the |
nee ting was set at Monday's I
neeting. S i
The boai^ralso tabled a deci- I
ion on a request from the I
Marshall Boosters Club to in- i
stall a gate at the entrance to
Blannerhassett Island. The
club sought the gate to prevent
vandalism to the island's
baseball field.
The board also approved a
proposal presented by
Richard Kingston concerning
the Main Street program
operated by the N.C. Division
of Community Assistance.
Kingston, who has spearhead
ed the latest downtown
revitalization effort, said the
program can offer Marshall
assistance in planning both
the economic revitalization
and historic preservation of
Marshall's Main Street
business district.
Kingston also said he believ
ed that Marshall's application
to the Main Street program
would show that the town is
serious about revitalization
and could improve the
chances of the town's block
grant application reeiving ap
proval.
Part of the Main Street pro
gram requires that the town
hire a full-time director to
coordinate the program.
Kingston volunteered to take
the position at no charge to the
( Continued on Page 8)
County Schools To Receive
Half Cent Sales Tax Funds
By ROBERT KOENIG
Madison County schools will
receive between $125,000 and
1150,000 for new capital pro
jects during the 19B4-85 school
year. The funds will come
from the half-cent sales tax in
crease enacted by the
Madison County Board of
Commissioners last year.
The county commissioners
held their regularly scheduled
monthly meeting Monday
night and approved a budget
resolution giving the school
system the funds. The resolu
tion was passed after it was
recommended by county at
torney Larry Leake.
The legislation which
created the addltonal tax
mandates that at least 40 per
cent of funds generated by the
tax will go towards schools.
Leake pointed out, however,
that the enabling legislation
allows the county officials to
use the revenue to retire past
bond issues.
The resolution passed by the
commissioners Monday,
however, states that the funds
will be used for new capital
projects. The county's debt on
the bonds will be paid from
general fund revenues this
year.
The commissioners took no
other action on the 1985 budget
during Monday's session.
They received a budget re
quest for $33,962 for the
Madison County Board of
Elections from chairman
Herbert Ponder, but took no
action on the request.
The commissioners also
heard a request for assistance
from Wade Huey on behalf of
the French Broad Baptist
Association. Huey asked the
county commissioners for
their help in paving a section
>f State Road 1361 on which
the association is building a
new office and chapel.
Huey said that the associa
ion will pay the costs of kwer
ng the road and reinstalling
(ravel, but asked that the
lommissioners help in
tlacktopping the 790-foot sac
tion of the road that leads to
U.S. 213.
DOT board member Zeno
Ponder suggested that the
road could be repaved quickly |
if property owners effected i
would contribute part of the
cost of the paving. The alter
native, both Ponder and Leake
told Huey, would be to hold a
public hearing to change the
already established priorities
for secondary road projects.
Huey said that he doubted
that property owners along
the road would contribute to
the paving and suggested that
the association may have to
seek another location for their
offices. He will meet with
committees working on the of
fice project and get back in
touch with the commissioners
next week at a public hearing n
scheduled for MOnday at 5:30 s
p.m. C
Newly appointed Mara Hill A
fire chief Eddie Fox also g
presented the commissioners si
with a series of proposals to in
sure that the Madison County <
MORE THAN 40 VOLUNTEERS
SET out from Barnard Monday mor
ning on a clean-up trip down the
French Broad River. The trip was
sponsored by French Broad Rafting
Co., Carolina Wilderness Adven
tures and the Nantahala Outdoor
Center. The volunteers were unable
to remove many oil barrels
deposited along the Norflok
Southern right-of-way.
EMergency Medical Service |
and volunteers for the Mars
Hill Rescue Squad work
together effectively. The com
missioners took Fox' proposal
under consideration.
The commissioners also ad
journed twice during
Monday's session for ex
ecutive sessions. The board
net behind closed doors with
)ept. of Social Services direc
or Anita Davies and oounty
ittorney Larry Leake. Com
n issioner Erwin Adams an
lounced that no action was
aken after each closed ses
ion
The commissioners also
igned a deed giving the newly
ormed Upper Laurel
Volunteer Fire Dept. a half
cre lot on which to build a
ew fire house. The deed must
till be signed by the Madison
ounty Board of Education,
pproval is expected to be
iven at today's meeting of the
chool board.
At Leake's suggestion, the
Continued on Page 3)
(Photo by Robin Rtovto)
GOV. JIM HUNT
3>y ? - - ?
N. f 267 f f til
ITlttl ? Hill
Studies
'84 Town
Budget
By STEVE FERGUSON
The Mars Hill Town Council
reviewed the proposed 1984-85
budget Monday evening,
which totaled $406,000 in ex
penditures. The budget in
cluded no raise in property
taxes, which is currently 70
I cents per $100.
Representatives fron CEN
COM Cable Co., which serves
I the Mars Hill area, were also
at the meeting, and told coun
j cil members that Mars Hill
customers who lost use of
some channels last month
could get an adjustment on
. their bills.
Town manager Darhyl
Boone presented the proposed
! budget to the council, and was
commended by Mayor Bill
Powell for having $112,100 in
unexpended funds from last
year's budget. Powell also
commended town employees
for efficiency in helping create
the surplus.
The largest portion of the
budget would go to the police
department, which would
receive 185,350. Administra
tion costs were next, with
predicted expenditures total
ing (72,150. The sanitation
department would receive
$63,805 under the proposed
budget.
Powell said this year's
budget contained no surprises.
"It is in line with the past
year, and with the past few
years," be said.
The proposal also contained
figures for the new sewer
system, which has a projected
cost of $3,535,800. It will be
paid for by federal and state
grants, a grant from Mars Hill
College and general obligation
bonds.
( Continued on Page 3)
Gov. Hunt Offers
Medicare
Proposal
By STEVE FERGUSON
Gov. Jim Hunt presented a
plan last Thursday in
Ashevilie to cut the federal
government's cost of
Medicare $176 billion by 1996
by eliminating what Hunt call
ed the "blank check" health
care facilities now have in bill
ing Medicare patients.
Gov. Hunt spoke at the
Senior Citizens Opportunity
Center and criticized Jesse
Helms, his opponent in the up
coming senatorial race, for his
voting record on issues con
cerning the elderly.
Hunt said he would present
his plan to the Senate if ;
elected, which would keep the
Medicare program solvent
without cutting back on the ]
quality of health care or rais- i
ing taxes.
"Instead of just filling in a
fee, hospitals would be put on
a budget for the first time, and
they would have to stick to
that budget," Hunt said. "In
other words, hospitals would
get what they don't have now
-- a real incentive to hold down
health care costs."
"Without bold action soon,
the Medicare program will go
bankrupt by MM," Hunt said.
The Hunt plan calls for three
basic steps.
It proposes that Congress
pay states for holding down
the rate of increase in
Medicare payments to
hospitals.
Also, commercial insurors
would be made aware of
Medicare's pricing srategy for
the next year, to encourage
( Continued on Page 10)
Jim Allen Is Named Farmer Of The Year
The Madison County Soil
and Water Conservation
district has named Jim Rex
Allen III of Gabriel's Creek
the Madison County Farmer
of the Year for 1964 Allen is
the son of Dr. J.R. Allen. He la
operating four farms covering
some IM acres in the
Gabriel's Creak section.
A former sleet i kal engineer
with a degree from the
University of Wisconsin, Allan
returned to Madison County to
farm his family's property
Dividing the strips on
Alton'* farm is a pass water
way that also acts to reduce
erosion. The pastureiand in
which Alien now farms corn
was p-ianted in feecue grass
until Allen plowed it up over
the winter. He has also
planted some seven acres in
alfalfa. i
Allen said he would have
planted no-$l corn In the field,
but a special plun'? 1 needed
for sow {the seed was
unavailable.
The former electrical
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