Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / July 2, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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W IS" . K Independence Day Weekend Serving The People Of Our Communities Since 1901 ? ? Vol.87No.27 Thursday, July 2, 1987 I ? 25c County Board: $1.01 Tax Rate 'Too High' By BILL STUDENC Utter Madison County commissioners say they still have work to do on a proposed $9.8 million budget for 1967-88 - a budget that would cost county taxpayers an additional 26 cents for every $100 in taxable pro perty. According to a proposed budget, submitted to commissioners Friday by finance officer Ralph Rice, it will cost $8,856,675 to run Madison County during the 1987-88 fiscal year. In order to generate sufficient revenues to pay that bill, county of ficials would have to raise the ad valorem tax rate from 75 cents per $100 assessed valuation to $1.01 per $100 assessed valutation. Rice told the commissioners. It appears unlikely, however, that commissioners will raise property taxes that much, and the board Wreck Kills Driver From Staff Reports An 18-vear-oW-Marstiall resident was killed in a single-vehicle traffic accident Monday morning when his 197S Jeep went off a steep embank ment on Bailv Branch Road. David Allen Blevins of Zadie Ponder Road was pronounced dead on the scene when his vehicle left the road, roiling 44 feet down a bank before stopping against a tree, said State Trooper Jerry Tappe of the N.C. Highway Patrol, investigating of ficer. The first rescue workers to arrive at the scene worked for about 20 minutes to free the body and pull the vehicle up the steep embankment. An eyewitness to the accident, W.D. Norton of Baily Branch Road, said Blevins did not appear to be traveling at an excessive speed prior to the crash. "I had pulled over and he passed me and just drove straight off in there," Norton said. r agreed Friday to took again at the budget to try to reduce spending "This might be an inappropriate time to say it, but I don't believe the people of Madison County can afford to pay said Robert Capps, chairman of the Madison County Board of Commissioners. "We need to go back and work on the budget some more and cut some more departments. I just don't think the people of the county can afford that high a tax rate," Capps said. "That's a 26-cent jump over what they're paying now." The former Madison County com missioners. shortly after losing in last year's Democratic primary, lowered the property tax rate from 90 cents per $100 to its current level of 75 cents per $100. Current commissioners have said they will have to raise the tax rate back to at least its previous level. $ 50,000 Interim Budget Adopted By BILL STUDENC Editor The Madison County Board of Com missioners, facing a July l deadline for the adoption of a budget for the 1987-88 fiscal year, approved Friday an interim budget of $50,000. The interim budget is designed to help the county pay its employees and meet operating expenses until a com plete budget can be adopted later this month. State law require* that county governments hold a public hearing on a proposed budget no earlier than 10 days after that proposed budget is made available for public inspection Work on the the proposed budget was not completed until Friday mom ing. And that made it impossible for the county commissioners to hold a public hearing and adopt a budget before July 1. "According to state law, we must have some sort of budget in place Ju ly 1," said Larry Leake, Madison County attorney. "It does not take a mathematician to realize that even if The News Record put out a special edition tomorrow, we still would not be able to hold a hearing prior to July 1." Commissioners agreed to set aside $50,000 from the county's reserve fund as an interim budget to meet salaries and operating expenses until a budget hearing, set for July 13. The adoption of an interim budget 1 will give the commissioners time to 1 go over the proposed budget, submit ted Friday by Ralph Rice, county i finance officer. ] The proposed budget of more than ; $9.8 million is based on a property tax 1 rate of $1.01 per $100 assessed valua- I tion - a rate that commissioners > ?Continued on Page 8 The commissioners adopted an in terim budget Friday (see related story), and that gives them time to look for other places to reduce expen ditures. But it won't be an easy job. * "I agree you (about the tax rate)," Commissioner Reese Steen told Capps. "People in poor counties sure ly can't afford to pay exhorbitant pro perty tax." But, Steen said, county officials have already decreased spending in several departments, allocating several thousand dollars less than re quested by county department heads. The county ambulance service re quested some $357,000, but, under the proposed budget would receive (307,221, Steen said. The health department asked the county for (223,000 and will receive $185,070, he said. -Continued on Page 8 k. w ^ if wrr- ? ANNE KITCHELL PHOTO Rescue workers stuggled for 20 minutes to pull a Jeep ap a steep embankment after a fatal accident Monday morning on Bally Branch Road 1b Marshall. David Allen Blevins of Marshall died In the one-vehicle accident. Madison County Chief Deputy Dai Peek said there was no sign Blevins tried to use his brakes. No skid marks were seen where Blevins' vehicle left the road. Peek said. According to investigators, Blevins had recently married and moved to the area from Weaverville. He was the son of Robert Lewis and Eula Henslev Blevins of Weaverville and the husband of Annette Woody Blevins. Ramsey's Bill May Appropriate Landfill Funding By BILL STUDENO Editor House Speaker Liston B. Ramsey has introduced a special appropria tions bill that, if approved, would give his home county of Madison $200,000 to help construct a new landfill. That move conies as Madison Coun ty Officials recdved state approval of a plan tljat will give the county anothet- year at its current landfill site. Ramsey introduced the bill in the House of Representatives with Rep. Charles Beall, D-Havwood, at the re quest of the Madison County Board of Commissioners. Madison's commissioners have been struggling with the problem of what to with the county's garbage ever since they took office in December. i The current landfill is fast approaching capacity, and officials expected the landfill to be full by this 1 spring. But the N.C. Department of Natural Resources and Community Development recently gave Madison officials permission to place addi tional dikes or lifts at an older section of the county landfill. And that should extend the landfill's life by about a year, said Jim Brown, director of the county landfill. "If we'd not gotten permission to do that, we'd have really been in a bind," Brown said. "Our situation now is not quite as critical as it had once looked." Although the reopening of the older landfill site will give the county some time to locate property for a new landfill, officials say they have no time to lose. "H takes about a year to get a new site located, approved and ready to go," Brown said. "We're still trying -Cmitiaiied on Page 8 Area Residents Prepare For 4th 's Fireworks , Festivities By ANNE KITTHEIX Staff Writer Area residents will have plenty of patriotic-flavored activities from which to choose this weekend as communities gear up for a variety of Fourth of July celebra tions. Everything from rodeos to parades, from street dances to fireworks displays will be part of the annual Independence Day festivities in Madison County. Just over the county line in Weaverville, North Buncombe County residents will not only be celebrating the 211th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but also the town's own 200th birthday. Here's a look at what activities are scheduled for the July 4th holi day. WKAVKHV1U.K The Weavervijle community has extra reason to celebrate the Fourth of July this year as the town reaches its bicentennial the same year the U.Si Constitution turns 200 years old. " 1 The town will kick off the holi day weekend with a street dance Friday starting at 7 p.m. on Main Street. On Saturday, festivities start at 9 a.m. with a parade from Weaver Boulevard to Weaverville Middle School, followed by a street fair with games and concessions in the post office parking area. There will also be a country fair featur ing crafts and refreshments. Topping off the evening will be a fireworks display. The special bicentenntial ac tivities commemorate the arrival the first white settler in the Reems Creek Valley -- John Weaver, who would later give his name to the community that evolved there Weaverville's bicentennial ac tivities will continue throughout the month of July, culminating with the tribe ?f Jacob Weaver family meeting, including all descendants of John Weaver, in August. MARSHALL Marshall will host the annual rodeo on the Island sponsored by 4 the Marshall Volunteer Fire Department Friday and Saturday starting at 7 p.m. Scheduled events include bareback riding, calf roping, bar rel racing, bull riding and saddle bronc riding. The admission price is $5 for anyone 12 or older; $3 for ages 6 to 12; and, free for children younger than 6. There i* a $25 fee for campers. Fireworks will be displayed at dark on the Fourth. HOT SPRINGS >! In Hot Springs, the Lions Club, working with the Hot Springs Entertainment Committee, will sponsor a day long celebration on Main Street beginning at noon Saturday. Games and food will be available throughout the day with a street dance scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Fireworks will begin at dark. MARS HILL Hie Mars Hill Lions Club is sponsoring its annual July Fourth -Continued on Page 7 Hot Springs Budget Illegal, Attorney Says ByANNEKITCHELL wii forced to call u emergency an interim budget for the 1M7-M fiscal Town attoorey Larry Leake adviaed city official* that a " ? waa not to compliance with a North Carolina general atatuta repairing (I i scum a proposed budget before it ii approved. The board had met Tuesday night and adopted a $175,582 budget for the new fiscal year, which began Wed nesday. State law requires that local governments have aome type of bud get in place by July 1 . If Hot Springs officials do not ap prove an interim budget at the Wednesday night meeting, no ex penditures n,M legally be made, ac cording to state law. That would present a probem for town workers, who are scheduled to receive pay cheeks today (Thursday). According to J.D Faust, secretary of the N.C. Local Government Com mission, to be in compliance with state law, the town must adopt an interim budget until all requirements for the new budget have been met, or town officials cannot spend any Municipal officials were expected to approve an interim budget ? H K". U jjgjjfc! The budget is $33,340 less than the year-ending budget P~ than the boartl in June 1906. I nents usuallj their budgets at ~^ Uil tl'i mm*' yW" to r,flecl budget, with no increMM in the ratpN currently paid b;. amwge The general fun<ibudget, used to pay for the <1ay-t<Ki?y eperationg of the town, includM *60.000 lor the J Local Man Building HarpsichordM For State By AN ME K1TCHELL SUrf Writer C j i local artisU-in tome good on* of a letter art North Cfcrbfta* m build a
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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