Report From The
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Hot Springs Board Plans Meetings
The Hot Springs Board of Aldermen will meet on the first
Saturday of each month from June through November at 8
a.m. in Town Hall. The next monthly meeting will be held on
June 1. The public is invited to attend.
Marshall American Legion Post
Plans Memorial Day Parade
The Marshall American Legion post is planning a Memorial
i Day parade for May 25.
\ The Ladies Auxiliary ask that all veterans of the Vietnam
War contact Bea Banks at 649-2436 or Faye Reid before May
23. Veterans with pictures, medals, uniforms or other military
equipment are asked to bring them to the library.
Job Search Training Offered
The Opportunity Corporation will offer a five-day jobsearcg
training program at Walnut Elementary School beginning on
May 20 at 9 a.m.
For more information, contact the Opportunity Corp. at
649-3g?>^ .
Coon Hunters Bench Show Set
The WNC Coon Hunters Association willl sponsor a UKC
licensed bench show and night hunt on May 18. Deadline for
entering the bench show is Saturday at 2 p.m. Entries in the
night hunt will be accepted until 6 p.m. The events will be hed
at the American Enka Union Hall south of Asheville. For more
information, call 645-6423.
Democrats Plan June 1 Picnic
The Madison County Democratic Party is planning a picnic
on June 1 at Rocky Bluff. Democrats are invited to bring the
family and enjoy hot dogs at Madison County's most beautiful
park. There is no admission charge, but donations will be ac
cepted.
Nuclear Dumping
Hearing Planned
Eleventh District Congressman
Bill Hendon has announced that a
public meeting with U.S. Department
of Energy officials will be held Fri
day in Asheville to discuss plans for
the disposal of high-level nuclear
waste. The DOE is considering
Western North Carolina, for a perma
nent dumping site.
The meeting will be held at 10 a.m.
Friday in the Lipinsky Auditorium on
the campus of the University of North
Carolina at Asheville.
Hendon has announced his opposi
tion to nuclear waste sites in WNC. In
announcing the Friday meeting, Hen
don said. "This issue is of great im
portance to the people of Western
North Carolina. I have invited of
ficials from DOE to come to our
district, listen to our concerns and
answer the questions we all have
about the disposal of nuclear waste.
This is an excellent opportunity for
our citizens to let their feelings be
known on this issue."
Hendon said he has also invited
several experts in the fields of
geology, enviornmental health,
meteorolgy, physics and nuclear
engineering to address the meeting.
For more information on the
meeting, contact Hendon's Asheville
office at 253-3406.
Martin, Democrats
Seek Tax Cut
Compromise
BY RUB CHRISTENSEN
The News and Observer
Negotiations are underway bet
ween Republican Gov. James Q.
Martin and Senate Democrats to
craft a compromise bipartisan tax
cut package, it was disclosed Thurs
day.
Both Martin and Democratic U.
Gov. Robert B. Jordan III said the
two sides were still far apart on the
size and shape of the tax cut package.
But the talks appeared to be a
sharp departure from the partisan
bickering that has marked the rela
tionship between the governor and
the Democrat-controlled General
Assembly during the past month.
Martin has made repeal of the in
tangibles tax his price for backing i
bipartisan ~
for a proposal," said Martin. "It re- j
mains to be seen whether we will get '
that."
Jordan, in a separate interview,
told reporters that "we have made
progress" toward adopting a com
promise package, but cautioned that
major differences remained.
"There has been a definite change
on the part of the executive branch to
compromise," said Jordan. "We
hadn't seen that until last week."
"We are trying to negotiate with
the executive branch to see how close
we can get." said Jordan. "There is
no guarantee the House will bo
alone."
There was little cooperation bet
ween the two branches last month.
SERVING THE PEOPLE Of A/ftD&ON COUNTY SINCE 1901
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Marshall To LtfaCK uown
On Water, Tax Delinquents
By ROBERT KOENIG
Faced with increasing pressure on
a budget already over its limits, Mar
shall officials ordered another
crackdown on delinquent taxpayers
and water customers Monday night
during their monthly meeting.
Following the presentation of the
monthly financial statement by. town
secretary Linda Dodson, Mayor Bet
ty Wild asked the aldermen to
authorize town crews to remove
water meters from the homes of
delinquent water customers. Mrs.
Dodson told the board that outstan
ding water bills totaled more than
$9,000.
On a motion made by Ed Niles and
passed without opposition, the
aldermen voted to order town crews
to remove water meters from
customers who are two months over
due on payment of their water and
sewer charges. The same motion also
authorized Mrs. Dodson to "go after
back taxes with any means at our
disposal."
Mrs. Dodson told the aldermen the
town can proceed with action to gar
nish wages, savings or seize vehicles
owned by delinquent taxpayers
The latest crackdown comes in
response to financial statements
which show Marshall nearing fiscal
disaster.
With two months remaining in the
current fiscal year, the figures
released Monday night show that
Marshall's general fund is already
$13,570.34 over budget for the entire
year. The town secretary told the
alderman that every department ex
cept streets has exceeded the budget
for the current fiscal year. The town's
Sanitation Dept. is also below budget,
but only because of a $35,000 state
grant which was used to purchase a
new garbage truck.
The town's administrative ex
penses are $7,852 over budget. The
Recreation Dept. has exceeded its
budget of $5,000 by $1,074, while tax
collection accounts for an additional
deficit of $909. The Marshall Police
Dept. is also over its $32,000 budget by
$2,949 and fire protection is $3,871
over budget.
In addition to the various depart
ments included in the general fund
budget, the town's Water and Sewer
Dept. has accounted for much of the
present financial troubles. The report
delivered to the aldermen Monday
night showed that the town's general
fund has contributed some $44,646.44
toward the Water and Sewer Dept.
operations in the current fiscal year.
During April, Marshall's general
fund contributed $4,837.85 to the
Water and Sewer fund.
? ?? 1 1 """J-1 ? ? ? ? * ^ ^
WORK ON THE MARS HILL SEWER PROJECT CON
TINUED THIS WEEK. In photo above, Manuel Briscoe, right,
oversees ditch digging near Mars Hill Elementary School.
Graham Proposes That
State Bans Sulfites
North Carolina Agriculture Com
missioner Jim Graham today propos
ed a ban on sulfites for fresh fniits
and vegetables at the retail and
wholesale level. Graham, speaking to
the Southern United States Food and
Drug Officials Conference in Raleigh,
said he would ask the N. C. Board of
Agriculture to review the tale of
sulfites
preservative including allergic reac
1 1 oris in certain asthmatic patient*
"We (eel that some action must be
taken to prevent the debate from con
tinuing any longer. This propoaed ban
which falls under the Food, Drug and
Comestic Act of North Carolina would
regulate the uae of sulfites." said
Leonard F. Blanton, director of the
state Food and Drug Diviaon of the
North Carolina Department of
Agriculture
If the monthly financial report was
bad news, an updated report
delivered by the town secretary was
more of the same. Mrs. Dodson told
the board members that the most re
cent financial statements from banks
holding the town's deposits indicates
that Marshall has $18,966.50 in its
general fund, with some $4,427.50 in
accounts payable, leaving only
$14,539 remaining in the general fund
account.
The Water and Sewer Dept. ac
count is also nearly depleted, with
$12,702.35 remaining on deposit and
$5,492.56 in outstanding bills due.
leaving only $7,209.79.
The town's savings have been
reduced to $32,000 in a certificate of
deposit and some $18,000 in federal
revenue sharing funds.
The town secretary said the town
has $15,501.14 in outstanding property
(Continued on Page 8)
Wild Defends
$120 Contribution
Marshall Mayor Belty Wild defend
ed her decision to foro $120 in town
funds for six ticket%nna dinner honor
ing Liston Ramse^The mayor's
comments were made at the close of
the monthly meeting of the Board of
Aldermen on Monday night. The
mayor responded "No," when asked
if she would reimburse the town's
general fund for the purchase price of
six tickets to the October dinner
honoring the Speaker of the North
Carolina House of Representatives.
"I'll gladly write the check for $120
when the county commissioners give
back the $8,000 they gave away," said
Wild, referring to a contribution
made by the county commissioners to
Team Madison, a group of Madison
w*o art scheduled to
tour Europe later this year.
The mayor defended the $121) con
tribution made in October, saying
that it has been a common practise
among past administrations. "I don't
think we did anything illegal. I think
it was only right to honor someone
who has done as much for Marshall
as Liston Ramsey."
In a telephone interview with The
News Record last week, state Board
of Elections director Alex Brock said
he believed that the dinner at
Madison H.S. honoring Ramsey may
have constituted a political dinner
because it took place before the
November general election. North
Carolina attorney general Rufus Ed
misten, then a candidate for gover
nor. was the principal speaker at the
dinner.
If the dinner was a political event,
the town's contribution would be in
violation of state election law Brock
said, however, that he would not
order an investigation of the contribu
tion unless his office received a writ
tea complaint.
Asked who used the six tickets pur
chased with town funds, the mayor
said that she attended the dinner
along with, .former Marshall police
ehtef Jw W.- flHfftjy. J?*., atAiiiiun'
Sammy Lunsford. former town
employee Peggy Loom is, town
secretary Linda Dodson and her hus
band, Doug.
Alderman John Dodson also attend
ed the Ramsey dinner, but purchased
a ticket with his own funds. Board
member Sammy Lunsford said he
had also purchased his own ticket,
but gave it away and used one pur
chased with the town's funds. Alder
man Ed Niles did not attend the din
ner.
Tobacco Tax Bill
Delayed In Senate
BY A. L. MAY
The News and Observer
Tobacco-state senators bought
some time in protecting a scheduled
decrease in the federal excise tax on
cigarettes Thursday night by
defeating two budget amendments
The Senate voted 49-47 to rebuff a
proposed budget trade-off by Sen. Bill
Bradley, D-N. J., to make permanent
the current It centsper-pack federal
tax in exchange for eliminating pro
posed cuts in the federal Medicare
program. Later, it defeated by 50-46
an amendment that simply would
have continued the cigarette tax at 16
cents.
The Bradley amendment was
defeated with the help of (he
Republican leadership of the Senate,
which has fought to keep out any tax
measure from a three-year $300
billion deficit-reduction package.
Buyvf? same '-raters wh-\ helped
defeat Bradley predicted that
cigaret{e -tax would be before the
Senate a^ain before Oct. 1, when the
tax is scheduled to revert to the
pre- 1982 level of 8 cents per pack
The vote was a victory for Sen
Jesse A Helms, R-N.C., who before
the vote had voiced doubts that the
politically popular Bradley proposal
could be defeated. And Helms pro
mised a major fight for the "real
test" on the cigarette tax issue later
this year.
The Bradley amendment was pro
posed for a budget resolution, which
the Senate was working into the night
attempting to complete The resolu
tion sets spending targets for the 1986
fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. Con
gress must still pass appropriations
and tax measures, if any, to meet
those targets.
The defeat of the Bradley proposal
at 10:90 p.m was followed a hour
later by the 50-46 defeat of a second
cigarette tax amendment by Sens.
Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Alan J. Dix
on. D-Ill. The Levin-Dixon amend
ment was a simple extension of the
cigarette tax to use the $5 billion,
three-year savings to the government
to help reduce the <*
The vote