Community Wants Investigation
-Coa tinned from Page l
the commissioners witftook into the
community's concerns.
"Yes, we will took into this," said
Robert Capps, chairman of the board
of commissioners
But Larry Leake, county attorney,
advised Gunter that he and his fellow
Revere residents should first take
their concerns to the Board of Direc
tors of the Madison County Depart
ment of Social Services.
The day-to-day operation of the
department is overseen by Anita
Davie, the director of the depart
ment, who in turn answers to the
department's board, Leake said.
The county's main responsibility
gver the department concerns
[y recommendation is that you
take it to the director of the Depart
ment of Social Services and allow the
director time to look into your con
cerns and address your concerns,"
Leake told Gunter.
"If you are not satisfied with the
response, then you go to the Board of
Social Services. If you still feel that
your concerns are not being address
[etary matters, he said.
ed, than you should acquaint this
board with them (the concert*)," he
said.
Gunter said he had already
with one of the members of the Social
Service* board, who told Urn that the
matter is out of the board's hands.
Gunter also asked if the Board of
Commissioners does not have the
authority to fire Social Services
employees. Leake said the commis
sioners do not have that authority.
"This board can establish positions
and eliminate them," Leake said.
"There is a difference."
Capps also told Gunter that the
Social Services board is the first step
he needs to take.
"They're the ones who need to get it
started," Capps said.
Gunter agreed to discuss his com
munity's concerns with the Social
Services board, but told the commis
sioners that he may be back if that
board does not act.
"We're going to go the board. If
we're not satisfied with the answer
we get, we'll be back," he said.
"I'm afraid that's been a problem
of the past. Nobody listened. They
SbS ttp sen**. US
that's a shame." Gunter said
Id other action at Monday '?
request from Dr. Fred Bentley, presi
dent of Mars Hill College, that the
county confirm an earlier commit
ment to give the college $30,000 for
renovation of a lodge and retreat
center.
The former board of commis
sioners, shortly before leaving office,
agreed to give the college the $90,000
for work on the Bruce Farm Road
Lodge and Retreat Center. But Mars
Hill College, which has completed
work on the center, has yet to receive
any county funds.
The center would be available for
use by Madison County government
and by Madison High School students,
Bentley said.
"The former commissioners told us
to proceed with the project, which we
did," he said. "We would like to know
the intent of the new board."
The current commissioners agreed
to keep the previous resolution intact
and to allocate the money to the col
""All they did was give you a raaelu
tion and tall u> to pay the coat,"
PH[ip said
In otbar action, Um board:
? Received 1M7-M fiscal
budget proposals from the Soil Con
servation Service, the Madison Coun- ;
ty Public Library and the Depart
ment of Social Serviceo. The commis- I
aioners will schedule budget
workshops to go over the requests 1
and formulate the new budget.
? Approved a letter of appreciation
to Wells County, Ind., farmers who
donated hay to Madison County
farmers during last summer's {
drought.
? Agreed to take over inspection
responsibilities from the town of
Mars mi.
? Granted the Soil Conservation /
Service permission to proceed wit}/
the aerial mapping of the county. /
? Approved a letter of thanks to
Paul Shelton for his role in locating
land for a Madison County campus of
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Col
[tege.
DA Says 'No' To Madison Financial Probe
-Continued from Page 1
the final months of office of the
former commissioners.
Gregg & Lasher, PA, an Asheville
accounting firm, had examined the
county's financial records from Dec.
1, 1985, through Nov. 30, 1986, and un
covered several "questionable" tran
sactions. Among those transactions
were $500 payments to then
commissioners for travel and ex
penses and a check for more than
$5,000 the former finance officer
wrote himself for vacation, sick and
holiday pay.
The new commissioners sent the
audit report to Rusher in February,
but made it clear that they were not
calling for an investigation. Rusher,
in March, told the commissioners
that without a formal request from
them for an investigation, there
would not be one.
Commissioner Reese Steen last
month drafted a carefully worded let
ter asking Rusher to investigate
anything in Madison County which,
"in his trained opinion," violated the
law.
Rusher said Tuesday that the
Gregg & Lasher report does not con
tain enough information for him to
determine whether the law has been
broken.
"To be sure, at all times we have
operated within the limitations of not
having a full statement of all the facts
supplied to us," Rusher said.
"The full statement of facts could
only be achieved by an investigation.
It is my belief that for me to
unilaterally start investigating coun
ty government when there does not
appear to be sufficient reason for the
investigation would have the effect of
interfering more than being helpful,"
he said.
Although the audit does show the
possibility of criminal activity, it
does not reveal sufficient evidence
for an investigation, Rusher said.
"The possibility of a criminal law
violation always exists, but in this in
stance I do not find that I am overly
suspicious of such a violation," he
said.
Rusher said he would revert to his
original statement of policy.
"Unless there is some evidence
showing that the commissioners, as a
whole, are engaged in some cover-up
activity, or unless it appears more
strongly than the appearances given
me now that criminal activity has oc
curred, this district attorney is not
going to intervene in what should be a
legitimate function of the Madison
County Board of Commissioners," be
said.
% Rusher said any problems un
covered by the partial audit could be
attributed to simple accounting er
rors.
"It appears that many of the mat
ters set forth in the Gregg & Lasher
report might well be explained by er
rors which are not uncommon among
the various boards of commission in
North Carolina," he said.
Madison County has lacked a stated
county policy, and that may be a
cause of some of the problems reveal
ed by the audit, he skid. The Local
Government Commission is currently
working with the commissioners "in
their efforts to bring their accounting
procedures and their policy up to a
level compliant in all respects with
state law and appropriate accounting
procedures," Rusher said.
If any overpayments to previous
commissioners or employees occur
red, it will be up to the current com
missioners to take action concerning
those overpayments, he said.
"To the extent that there may have
occurred some overpayment, if it has
occurred, then I feel that upon their
attorney's advice, the Madison Coun
ty commissioners would know how to
appropriately proceed," he said.
Bob High, an accountant with the
N.C. Local Government Commission,
confirmed Tuesday that he had
discussed the audit with Rusher and
that the audit itself is not enough to
justify a full-scale investigation.
"Based on what I see in that special
report, without more information, I
couldn't say that there are illegal
acts," High said. "There may be
things in there that are illegal, but it
would take more information than
what I had in front of me to make that
type of judgement."
Further examination of the
county's financial records could
possibly reveal additional informa
tion, High said.
"Hie more probing anybody does,
the more chances you have of finding
wrong-doing or additional mistakes,"
he said.
Homecoming To Begin
-Continued from Page 1
vice chairman Cecelia Champion.
"Everyone has worked so hard
and I think it will all pay off this
weekend."
The 10-member homecoming
committee has divided the chores
of the celebration into various
catagories, with each individual
responsible for his or her special
ty
From arranging for an ap
pearance by Miss North Carolina
to securing a reliable public ad
dress system, each detail has been
worked out and the committee
feels the weekend will go off
without a hitch, Champion said.
"It's been a lot of hard work, but
I know it will be a wonderful
weekend," Champion said.
Some of the scheduled events in
clude beauty pageants in age
groups ranging from 4 years old
through 18, a sock hop Friday
night, crafts and food throughout
the weekend, hot air balloon rides,
a Cub Scout derby Saturday after
noon, a street dance Saturday
night and the Golden Anniversary
Celebration of the Appalachian
Trail, Sunday afternoon.
Programs with the specific
times for each event are available
at the Trail Cafe and committee
members for 50 cents each.
Committee members feel the
purpose of the homecoming
celebration is to show support for
the community and give residents
an event for the entire family to
enjoy.
"We really hope to see residents
from all over the county come out
and celebrate with us," Champion
said. "We've got a little something
for everyone planned and it will be
a good time."
Anyone wishing more informa
tion may call Champion at 822-3227
or Hot Springs Mayor Kenny
Ramsey at 622-3234.
Tanks 'A Hazard'
-Continued from Page 1
Mars Hill's last rating was in 1M1.
On a scale of ooe to 10, Mart Hill
dropped from 8 to 7.
Available water supply determines
40 percent of the rating, Zink said.
Mars Hill, daring its last test, had S3
percent of the required water flow ot
2,250 gallons per minute, be said.
But in order to obtain that S3 per
cent level, all available water in town
would have to be drawn upon, affec
ting residences and businesses alike.
Zink said.
The ISO recommends that towns
have 6-inch water lines, and many of
Man MU'a Unas are 4-inch. Looping
? Construction of a water reservoir
in town.
? Larger water lines.
? Tbe looping of water lines that
currently deadend
The board took no action on the pro
Mem.
Child Sex Abuse
Charges Filed
-CwUmed tnm Page 1
torney for the 24th Judicial District,
said that Ricky Chandler is not an im
mediate relative of Andrew "Junior"
Judicial District
Plan Is Dropped
-Continued fratn Page 1
Watauga, Avery and Mitchell coun
ties. The party wanted to join Bun
combe County's district, now single
county, but that plan drew strong op
position in Buncombe.
The reason given for the proposed
move is that the 24th as presently con
stituted is too inconvenient for travel.
For example, the main office of
District Attorney Thomas Rusher is
in Boone, which is a long trip over
mountain roads from Marshall, while
Asheville is a half-hour freeway ride
away.
However, prominent Madison
Democratic leader Zeno Ponder, who
supports the move, has been indicted
on charges be illegally profited from
inside information obtained while he
was on the state Board of Transporta
tion - charges he claims were
politically motivated.
Rusher is a Republican, and the
U.S. Attorney's Office, also in GOP
hands, previously brought mail fraud
charges stemming from the same in
cident. Those charges were dismiss
ed by a federal Judge.
If Madison was removed from the
24th District, Rusher would no longer
have Jurisdiction to prosecute
Ponder.
Winner said he "was not necessari
ly hot" to put Madison in another
district, but said he felt obligated to
pursue any options available since he
is the county's representative Win
ner said he "didn't want to get into a
fight about this" and dropped the idea
when be found Hipps and Thomas op
posed.
He also said the ideas were not Us
own, but wouldn't say wfeoae they
*Tni not going Jo tell you that,"
Winner said.
But Hiomas said he thought the
push to leave the 24th District by
Ponder and the Madison Democrats
was clearly behind the suggestion.
"I don't see any point in creating
controversy to accomodate a political
leader in a county outside my
district," Thomas said. "Haywood
and Jackson don't want him
(Ponder), either.
Board Discusses
Snow Days
-Continued from Page 1
Saturday.
School board attorney Larry Leake
told the board its alternative would be
to take one mandated teacher work
day for class time and bring teachers
in on a Saturday.
Leake told the board there are 200
work days for teachers and that all
the days have been used.
"All of the teachers would have to
approve going past the end of the
school year in order to give another
day to the calendar," Leake said.
If the board decides to call teachers
in on a Saturday, teacher's aides
would have to be paid time and a half,
while vocational teachers could not
be called in, according to state law.
"We may ask for a Saturday work
day, but we would have to tell the
vocational teachers they don't have
to come," said Leake.
Madison County School Board
Chairman Jim Baker said that the
txyird must find an extra school day
"We're in violation of the law, and
as a prosecutor, I'm not anxious to do
that," said Baker, an assistant
Buncombe Prison Site Selected
CHIM fr*? page 1
Member* of the Coved of State said they feared ? federal takeover of the
M-_jl *? ? _ j ? i . a ?/ -A ? ? ' i i ? ? ? Jl I. I 1
twin ? aroimal overcrovKi*M prison system it sief* ate not immeciaiei\
tftken !? ' V.; 0] AML ''
Ite land that wtHh*lMM to thaaawprtaon will coat the state $1.3 million,
and that high price tag Is one reason behind some raaidnts'oppoattion to the
Other land hi Buncombe County, Including a tract near Interstate M, wa*
available for the priaon, and at a leaaar price, opponents said
State officials say work v the new Oaggy Prison within a i
CUSTOM POLYSTEEL
RADIAL*
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?The strength and durability of steel cord belts
?Strategically angled biting edges improve handl
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I Ori* O+rMi? trucks A can requiring Mac*wr?on Strut corr?ct?on
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?Inspect all tins 'Correct air pressure 'Inspect
steering and suspension -Sel front wheel canity ,
easier and road teat to proper alignment
Includes: "Flush cooling system 'Check
I hoses, thermostet and raditator
' ?Pressure test for leaks ?Fill with up to
jtwo gallons anti-freeze