t i ? * ' v Wi'iif ' ? ? ? ffir5. ? tjj/ct V ** wwt ,y% , ' ; jntMB >? Ln . jm.jii',-. Jirf -'At: -S J" ii . ? . r; . ? y,? ??* *v ** j
Commissioners Ignore Auditor's Warning
Continue Doing Business With Ledford-Owned Service Stations
By ROBERT KOENIG
Part One In A Series
Despite a warning from the county's auditor, Madison
County Board of Commissioners chairman James T. Ledford
has continued to conductbusiness with the county in what may
be a violation of state law. Ledford Is the owner of Ledford
Enterprises, which operates three Exxon service stations in
the Mars Hill area.
The audit of the county's 1984 fiscal budget revealed that
Madison County purchased $5,247.35 in goods and services
from Ledford Enterprises during the year which ended June
31,1964.
In his report, auditor Jim Skidmore of the accounting turn
of Greene, Skidmore, Smith and Co. warned the com
missioners that the practise was in not in compliance with
state law.
The auditor's report, delivered to the commissioners in
December, 1964, states: "During the year ended June 30, 1984,
the County purchased $5,247.35 in goods and services from a
member of the County Commission. The Commission failed to
ratify these actions as required by approving them in public
meetings, recording the approval in its minutes, and having a
list of transactions i
Vol. 85 No. u
Marshall, N.C.
1965-86 School Calendar Approved
-See Page 6
Tobacco Production Meeting Set
The annual Madison County Tobacco Production meeting
will be held on March 14 at Madison H.S. at 7 p.m.
March 24 is Deadline For Ordering
4-H Club Shrubbery
March 24 is the last day for submitting orders for shrubbery,
fruit trees and berry plants from 4-H Club members. Orders
will be delivered on April 4 and 5 at the Marshall Recreation
Center. Order forms camn be obtained from 4-H members or
the county Extension Service office. Call 649-2411 for further
information.
Mars Hill Beautification Meeting
A public meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March
14, at Mars Hill Town Hall to discuss the planting of dogwoods
as a community beautification project and as a way of joining
in the 400th anniversary celebration of the founding of the first
English colony in North Carolina. Nurseryman Bill Penland
will present a program, including slides, on planting and
caring for shrubs and trees and landscaping. ,
Art On Display At MHC Library
An exhibit of sculpture, collages, and paintings by Earl an<
Lou Stressing will be shown at Memorial Library, Mars Hi!
College, during the month of March. Library hours are Mon
Thur. 8 a.m.-ll p.m.; Fri.-8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat.-Noon-5 p.m.
Sun- 2 p.m. -11 pjn.
Merchants' Association Sponsors
Bake Sale Saturday
There will be a bake sale on Saturday from 9 ajn until 5 p.n
in front of Ingles on Marshall By-pass sponsored by the Mai
Street Merchants Asociation. Proceeds from the sale wi
benefit file Marshall Christmas Pageant.
North Carolina General Statute 14-234 prohibits electe
officials from making contracts for personal benefit wil
agencies of state, county or city governments.
Madison County, however, is not covered by the la
prohibiting such practises because the law exempts tow
with fewer than 7,500 residents and counties in which there
no town with a population of more than 7,500.
While Madison County officials are not prohibited from
doing business with the county, the law does limit the amount
of business they may do in a 12-month period to $5,000. The law
also requires a vote in open session on any contracts with
public officials and requires the county to conspicuously post
the amount of business being done with elected officials.
The Madison County Board of Commissioners have not
taken a vote on doing business with Ledford Enterprises. A
check of the Madison County Court House bulletin board also
revealed that there has not been a notice of the amount of
business being done by the county with Ledford Enterprises.
A review of the county's General Fund ledger prompted by
the award of $8,000 to Team Madison '85 revealed that the
county has continued to conduct business with Ledford En
terprises despite the warning from auditors.
(Continued on Page 3)
MARS hti.1. EXXON STATION. One of three such stations
operated by Ledlord Enterprises.
The NEWS RECORD
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY SINCE 19 01
WEDNESDAY, March 13, 1985
Marshall Board Ponders
Town's Budget Troubles
By ROBERT KOENIG
Marshall's dwindling assets were
the prime topic of discussion during
Monday's meeting of the Board of
Aldermen at Town Hall.
The financial debate was opened by
Cecilia Ward when she delivered her
monthly report on the town's General
Fund and Water and Sewer Depart
ment budgets. According to the
figures released Monday night, the
town has exhausted the Water and
; Sewer budget and is within weeks of
i breaking the General Fund budget as
well.
' The Water and Sewer Dept. budget
was originally set at $70,000. Ex
penses through February 28 show the
department operating with a deficit
of $23,332. The department's
operating expenses for the previous
1 fiscal year were more than $120,000.
1 Forced to makeup shortfalls in the
Water and Sewer budget has put a
strain on the town's General Fund,
? Ward said. Although anticipated
revenues are running $9,669 ahead of
projections, the General Fund has
less than $32,000 left with the fiscal
year still four months from com
pletion. The additional revenues were
the result of a grant from the North
Carolina General Assembly for
in thepurchase of the town's new gar
[2] bage collection truck.
" We're between a rock and a hard place.
-Alderman Ed Niles
Averaging both the total Water and
Sewer Dept. and General Ftind ex
penses over the past eight months of
the current fiscal year shows the
town has had average monthly ex
penses totalling more than $37,000.
The current balance of $30,000 in the
General Fund will mean Marshall
will again be forced to tap into its
savings in order to meet expenses.
Asked what funds the town has at
its disposal, town secretary Linda
Dodson reported that Marshall
currently has two certificates of
deposit on acount with First Union
Bank totalling $50,000. The town also
has a $32,000 CD with Wachovia
Bank, $20,000 in federal revenue
sharing funds and is expecting some
$38,000 in refunds on sewer bond
payments from the Farmers Home
Administration. The board
authorized Mrs. Dodson to open a CD
with the expected $19,670 refund from
FmHA. The funds will remain on
deposit until the town must make its
next bond payment in May.
Mayor Betty Wild called for a
crackdown on delinquent taxpayers
and water customers to help meet the
fiscal shortfall.
At the mayor's suggestion, the
board approved cutting off water
customers on March 22. Letters
warning of the cutoff were to be sent
out on Tuesday. The town will also be
sending a final warning to delinquent
taxpayers this week, warning of
further legal action if back taxes
aren't paid.
Linda Dodson said that many
taxpayers shown as delinquent on the
town's books have produced receipts
showing the taxes have been paid.
The aldermen considered ordering
Mrs. Dodson to proceed with at
taching delinquent taxpayers' bank
accounts, but reconsidered when
learning of the many 'delinquents'
who were producing receipts.
Upon a motion made by Ed Niles,
the board voted to ask all residents
who can do so to produce the receipts
so that the town can clear up its
records.
The mayor also called for
tightening the town's purse strings by
requiring all payments to be ap
proved by the town board. Wild asked
twice during the meeting for a motion
on the matter, but the board never
voted on the measure.
Because of the impending fiscal
crisis, the board tabled a decision or
hiring a police officer to replace
former police chief Joe Griffey.
Mayor Wild had suggested hiring
former Marshall and Mars Hill
policeman Bill Lisenbee, but was
opposed by Sammy Lunsford
Lunsford suggested working out a
schedule with the two remaining
members of the force. The town of
ficials will meet with Larry Davis
and Ed McLean in an attempt to work
out a schedule that would permit both
men to take an occasional day off.
The two have been ordered to work
seven days a week since Griffey was
placed on suspension on Feb. IS.
Mayor Wild criticized a decision to
purchase a used service truck for the
town's Water and Sewer Dept.
Earlier this month, the town pur
chased the truck for 14,500 from Cody
Motor Sales on the recommendation
of board members John Dodaon and
Sammy Lunsford.
Wild criticized the aldermen for oat
notifying her and Ed Niks of the
purchase. She told Dodaon and
Lunsford, "I'm not saying we didn't
need the track. I don't like the way it
was done." Niles echoed the mayor's
(Continued on Page 5)
Grapevine Dems
Elect G.D. Mace
County elected local precinct official*
and county convention delegates las
Thursday night
In one of the more
races, G.D. Mace won electioi
Grapevine precinct chairman I
wssible margin.
election tgr a one-vote margin over
Dr. Bobby > unofficial
tally indicated Mace wen by a 7V74
Jimmy Wyatt, Irene Rice and
Howard Norton.
Mace was also elected as one of
Grapevine's delegates to the April 13
AAnttAniinn n4 \ jf H J in /\n 1J C
count> convention at Madison H.JS.
Other delegates, each with one-half a
vote, were Joe Randy Wilson,
Deborah Carver and Ronnie Camr.
* ? . ? ? . Tt "" i - ' I
If his election is certified. Mace wUl
School Board Approves 1985-86
Calendar, Budget Request
By ROBERT KOENIG
The Madison County Board of
Education approved a schedule for
the 1MM6 school year and a fl?9
million budget request for the school
year during Wednesday's meeting in
Marshall The proposed budget will
be sent on to the county com
missioners for approval.
The school calendar, a complete
copy of which appears on Pag* ?. was
approved following a vote by the
county's school teachers. The
- With two
Sanid*
changes to the present year school
calendar. Snow days have closed
county schools for 17 days during the
current year, forcing the board to
make a decision regarding students'
Easter holiday. In a compromise
agreement, the board voted to waive
three days of school In order to
provide both teachers and students
with a brief Easter holiday and
create an additional work day (or
teachers at the end of the school ytor
the end of the school year.
The board also approved a
resolution required by state taw
regarding oversized ctasaec Two
classes at Walnut Elementary School
are currently over the state limit of %
students per class. A combined
kindergarten-first grade claas has a
students and a combined flrst-and
second grade class has 29 students.
The board tabled a decision
regarding insurance for the schoofs