The News-Tournal
Established 1928 ^ ^ ?* ? ?
. Budget accepted
with tax rate hike
After six weeks of debate, a five cent ad valorem tax
rate hike was given unanimous approval Tuesday night
} as members of the Hoke County Commission passed
the largest operating budget in the county's history.
Although the approval of the S3 .46 million budget
raises the county's tax rate from 70 cents per $100 of
evaluation to 75 cents, the move also provides for in
creased funding for schools, a 7.5% pay hike for coun
ty employees, the hiring of three new sheriff's deputies
and additional money for industrial development.
School funding
P In the final plan, the schools will receive just over
$1.1 million in local funds, which is down $60,000
from what had been proposed earlier.
The new school local budget is about 12% or
$118,000 higher than last year's.
Under the budget, a proposal for improving the
schools was left intact and will be funded by using a
larger share of the county's portion of the one-half
cent sales tax rebates.
The Board of Education will receive $200,000 to
repair roofs on Hoke High School and at South Hoke
^ School from the sales tax funds.
' Bids for the jobs were recently taken and came in at
$125,000. The extra money will be earmarked for the
reroofing of other school buildings and should help
the school board get ahead on a 10-year rehabilitation
plan, Commission Chairman John Balfour said Tues
day.
"That gives them the money for year one. They
could proceed to another roof which is part of the year
two plan," Balfour said.
The money cannot be legally used for any other pur
pose other lhan roofs, County Manager James Martin
&-said."~
The county discovered that the roof bids were lower
than the proposed $200,000 through an investigation,
and not because the information was volunteered by
school officials, Martin said.
An additional $129,100 will also be given to the
schools from the county's federal Revenue Sharing
funds. The schools had requested $171,100.
After considering a proposal for the revenue sharing
funds which would have required school officials to re
quest money for the exact item proposed in the school
budget, the commission voted to give the board of
education the "lump sum without strings."
"The school board is elected. They should be the
ones who know the needs of the schools best," Com
missioner Wyatt Upchurch said.
Commission Vice Chairman James Albert Hunt ob
jected to $22,000 targeted for paving the parking lot at
South Hoke School.
The paving was not needed and the funds could be
used for other school improvements, Hunt said.
"There could come a flood like Noah, and that
parking lot wouldn't hold water." Hunt said.
Paving the lot would improve the value of his own
property which adjoins the school, Hunt said, but
noted that he did not believe taxpayers should pay for
increasing his worth.
"I don't want taxpayers paying for improving my
little shack," the commissioner said.
Giving the school board the unencumbered revenue
sharing funds was approved unanimously, but
Balfour, Upchurch and Hunt all expressed reserva
tions and said they hoped the funds would be used for
budgeted purposes.
"We have put the trust in the school board in the
past, and we have not always been satisfied," Balfour
said.
"Let them spend the $109,000 where they see fit, but
if the taxpayers jump on me, I'm going to put the shoe
where it fits on the school board," Hunt said.
(See DEVELOPMENT, page 11)
Making waves
The going has been tough for motorists lately in
Hoke County because of torrential rains and
thunder showers. This vehicle on Main Street in
Raeford is making waves as he passes another stall
ed car during a storm Friday evening. From 2.5 to
six inches fell in about an hour as the storm passed
over the county. Raeford Police officers attempted
to stop traffic on this North Main Street stretch, but
their efforts seemed to add another obstacle as
drivers ignored flashing blue lights and pulled
around the blocking police car. By noon Tuesday
an additional five inches of rain had fallen in
Raeford, bringing the total for the four days to 7.2
inches, according to National Weather Service
Observer Robert Gatlin said. Some areas of the
county received more than 10.5 inches for the same
period.'
?Raeford not meeting
state sewer regulations
I By Warren Johnston
Less than six months after a
sewer moratorium was lifted, the
City of Raeford is not meeting
state-mandated treatment com
pliance standards and could face
tougher expansion guidelines if
discharges into Rockfish Creek are
not cleaned up, a spokesman for
state Department of Natural
Resources and Community
Development (NRCD) said Tues
' day.
Testing by the state has shown
that during the last six months, the
city has been "out-of-compliance"
half of the time, NRCD Depart
ment of Environmental Manage
ment Regional Supervisor Mick
Noland said.
A six-year ban on additional in
dustrial use of the city treatment
system was lifted by NRCD in
January, but since that time,
Raeford's compliance has been
"bouncing around," Noland said.
The city was in compliance in
January, April and June, but fail
ed to meet the standards in
February, March and May.
Raeford is not in an immediate
danger of having the moratorium
re-imposed, but a strict signed
guideline agreement would have to
be instituted if the problem is not
corrected soon, Noland said.
However, as a result of the pre
sent compliance record, the
regional office would not recom
mend allowing a new industry to
tie on to the Raeford sewer,
Noland said.
A new firm would probably be
allowed to tap on, if agreements
were signed by the city outlining an
immediate and specific cleanup ac
tion, he said.
Because of the violations, some
industrial users are now being
fined, City Manager Tom Phillips
said.
Additional pre-treatment
facilities are also being installed at
the House of Raeford to help the
city meet the standards, the city
manager added.
"We're just on the borderline of
being in compliance, and any little
thing can knock us out," Phillips
said.
Since the first of the year, the
city has had a strong pre-treatment
ordinance. That law is being used
to fine local industries which do
not meet the discharge standards,
Phillips said.
Fines have or will be levied
against both the House of Raeford
and Faberge, Phillips said.
Raeford officials received a let
ter this week from Noland inform
ing them of the city's failure to
meet the standards.
That letter is being answered,
and the city will detail plans for
future compliance, the city
manager said.
The Raeford sewer plant is cur
rently treating about 2.7 million
gallons of effluent per day.
The plant has a capacity of
about 6 million gallons per day,
but to reach that level, additional
equipment would have to be in
stalled, Phillips said.
"That's what we are going to
have to do to meet future
demands," he said.
Members of the Raeford City
Council are considering the pur
chase of additional land at the
sewer plant which would allow
enough room for future expan
sions.
Raeford needs to not only ad
dress the current non-compliance
problem, but also to plan for im
proving the facility's future expan
sion, the city manager said.
"We need to stop reacting to
problems, and start planning for
them," Phillips said.
Around Town
By Sam Morris
The hot weather last week final
ly brought forward the afternoon
thundershowers last Friday after
noon in Raeford and Hoke Coun
ty. According to reports approx
imately 2.5 inches of rain fell in the
city beginning about six o'clock
and lasting for something over 30
minutes. Water was coming down
? so fast that the storm drains could
? not take the water away and it was
knee-deep in the streets. (Look for
pictures elsewhere in the paper.)
There was anywhere from four
tenths in the Antioch section to ap
proximately six inches at Rockfish.
There were many stalled cars and a
few fender benders during the
short span of time.
Even if the downpour was so
2 fast it was a much needed rain and
M helped the crops. We were still
having thunderstorms Monday
afternoon.
No damage has been reported as
far as I can find out at this time.
MHOT?- ??iVW* ' * . - -'^'V > MHr
Uplifting performance
yolces, flags and the spirits of the audience were
raised Friday and Saturday nights as members of
the Summer Youth Theatre performed " Broadway
Our Way" at the Upchurch Junior High School
auditorium. Here members of the cast perform the
opening number on Saturday. The production was
directed by Alamance County teacher Marshall
Quails and lasted about 45 minutes each night.
Martin resigns post,
heading for Robeson
By Ed Miller
Following an executive session
Monday night, Hoke County
Manager James Martin made
public his resignation and an
nounced plans to take a post in
Robeson County.
The resignation was unanimous
ly accepted with "deep regrets."
"My resignation is effective
August 31," Martin said.
All commissioners had nothing
but good to say to Martin who has
been on the job in Hoke County
for over six years.
"I don't think anyone can say he
didn't work well with
everyone. ..with all three races in
the county," Vice-Chairman
James Albert Hunt said.
Martin will be moving to
Robeson County to assume the
position of County Manager there,
he said Tuesday.
"I was not seeking the position;
it was offered to me," Martin said,
adding that he had been seriously
considering the change for only a
few weeks.
"I've enjoyed it here in Hoke
County, and I'm happy here," he
said,
"1 think (the change) is a good
opportunity for professional
growth," Martin said.
Martin, 36, has been County
Manager since January of 1978.
Although he did not cite any
specific accomplishments, Martin
said he is pleased with the job he
has done in Hoke County.
In other business, the County
Commissioners were read a letter
from the U.S. Department of
Labor Audit Program Manager
which said Hoke County owes
$10,396 in dissallowed federal
(See COUNTY, page 11)
School board
approves roof contracts
The corn crop seems to have had
rain just at the right time and most
folks have been freezing all the
corn they wanted to put up. There
are plenty of tomatoes,
cucumbers, peas, etc. for the peo
ple who want to freeze vegetables.
Butter beans are. coming in and the
supply should be ample for all
folks to put up what they so desire.
For the first time in three years,
peaches are now available in an
abundant amount. You don't have
to go out of the county, for there
( (See AROUND, page 12)
With Hoke County Commis
sioners approval of funding for
roofing repairs at Hoke High and
South Hoke gym, students should
be drier.
A new type of "single ply rub
ber" may be providing a Hoke
County school with an inexpensive
covering and leave money leftover
for other roof repairs.
Proposals for new roofs on the
South Hoke Gym and two
buildings at Hoke High School
were heard at Tuesday night's
meeting of the Hoke County
Board of Education meeting.
The proposal for the roofing at
the high school is of the more
traditional "tar gravel" type and is
estimated to cost about SI 19,590
for both buildings.
This type of roofing is proven to
stand up to the elements and last
better than any other type, School
Superintendant Robert Nelson said
at the meeting.
The newer type roof is proposed
for the roof of the South Hoke
gym.
It is made of a single thick sheet
of rubber that is applied with a
blow torch and literally melted on
to the roofing surface, Nelson
said.
The cost for re-roofing the gym
is estimated at $3,013.
According to Nelson, he and
school Finance Officer Don Steed
saw a roof of this type applied in
Red Springs after the tornadoes.
From all that could be found out
about the new type of roofing, it
works well; however, there are not
many of these roofs around and
the ones in place in the area have
not been in use long enough to pro
ve themselves over time, Nelson
said.
The School Board accepted the
bids for the new roofing to be con
tingent upon the County Commis
sioners approving funding for the
construction.
In acion Tuesday night, the
county sliced $60,000 from a pro
posed school budget and $147,000
from what was requested by the
Board of Education.
(See SCHOOL, page 1 1)
i SS
Supt. Robert Nelson
... Cuts could hurt