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The
ews
If it happened, it's news to
Journal
No. 9 Vol. 96
Raeford
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Task force to voice concerns on Bragg buffer
Citizens group wants Hoke County to ‘sit at the table’ on regional issues
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
City councilmen voted to establish a
task force to voice concerns over a pro
posed one-mile buffer around Fort
Bragg.
The council took action after viewing
a multimedia presentation compiled by
a group of private citizens addressing
the land use plan put together by state
planners to protect the perimeters of
Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.
Once Steve Connell, chairman of the
Raeford Downtown Revitalization
Commission, completed the presenta
tion, councilmen voted to establish a
task force whose mission is to voice the
concerns of Raeford and Hoke County
to Fort Bragg, the governor’s office and
to the Legislators.
Both Hoke commissioners and
Raeford councilmen have rejected the
regional land use plan that calls for
controlled development of a one-mile
“greenbelt” as a buffer for military train
ing.
Connell proposes that Hoke and
Raeford negotiate for benefits for the
Raeford-Hoke Community. “All we
have is our land. What we have is dwin
dling away,” he said.
Connell began his presentation by
pointing out a shrinking Hoke County.
(See BRAGG BUFFER, page 3A)
City ponders 20 tax hike
Cites loss of revenue from Burlington bankruptcy
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
For the first time in four years, a budget
proposed for the City of Raeford contains a tax
hike.
Councilmen are studying the FY 2003-04 pro
posed budget totaling $5 million that includes a
two-cent tax hike. City Manager Mike McNeill
presented his budget at a special meeting Mon
day night.
The proposed tax increase would bring the tax
rate to 49 cents per $ 100 valuation and would add
$45,000 in revenues, McNeill said. In FY 1999-
2000, taxes were reduced from 49 to 47 cents.
The previous year, taxes had been reduced from
57 cents.
In his budget, McNeill cites an inability to
collect $100,766 in 2001 taxes from Burlington
due to their bankruptcy filing. He also said the
city has been unable to collect almost $58,000
from Burlington for water bills from September
-November 2001, also due to bankruptcy.
McNeill addressed an increasedcity employee
turnover rate due to low salaries, incentives and
benefits. He said the leave accrual policy rate
needs to be updated in order to be competitive.
Following a salary comparison with the county
and other municipalities the size of Raeford,
some positions need to be reclassified with re
sulting salary increases — “a slight amount of
money” — for some personnel, according to
McNeill.
McNeill proposes a cost of living allowance of
2.5 percent for each employee but no merit raises.
COLAs were not given last year. He is also
requesting one new position, customer service
clerk, be added to a full-time work force of 50.
Insurance premium rates for employees have
increased 36.4 percent for dental and medical
coverage, McNeill said. He added that there was
a $30,595 savings last year when 10 insured
members, including two counci 1 members, waived
the city’s medical coverage for other medical
coverage.
In lieu of previously frozen reimbursements
from the state, the Legislature has approved a
one-half cent sales tax and “Hold Harmless Funds”
as replacements. The city would receive $240,000
from this, McNeill said.
In proposed expenditures, the city added
$25,000 for a total of $75,000 for demolition —
if necessary — of the Raeford Hotel at the corner
(See TAX HIKE, page 3A}
i
Tense rescue
A relative is comforted as medics and rescue workers attempt to free a couple pinned in their smashed
vehicle Thursday at the intersection of US 401 and Palmer Street. Both survive. The story is on page 3A.
Extreme sport
comes to Hoke
page 4A
Man charged
with robbing
country stores
page 5A
Kidnap suspect's bail
reduction denied
page 4A
Births
....3B
Business/Farm
... 8A
Calendar
....2B
Classifieds
.7-8B
Deaths
... 5A
Editorials
... 2A
Legals
.4-6B
Public Record
... 5A
Religion
... 6A
Schools
.4,88
Socials
....3B
Sports
7A
Weddings
....38
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$20k incentive for Hoke superintendent gives board pause
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
County commissioners reacted nega
tively on Monday to a request in the school
board’s $4.4 million proposed budget to
provide a $20,000 incentive bonus for
Hoke Schools Superintendent Allen
Strickland next year.
Commissioners heard the 2003-2004
budget presentation by Strickland but took
no action. Their meeting was recessed
until 8 a.m. today to continue with a bud
get session.
“We are not trying to ‘nit-pick’,” Com
mission Chairman Bobby Wright said of a
$750,000 increase proposed over last
year’s school budget and the jump in
Strickland’s pay. “It makes us look hard at
the budget.”
School Board Chairman Russell C.
Smith, who attended the meeting, said
afterward his board fully supported
Strickland receiving a $20,000 incentive.
It would be partially based on the aca
demic performance of Hoke schools, he
added.
“Our superintendent supervises the larg
est departmental budget in the county of
$34 million, but he is probably one of the
lowest paid superintendents in the region,”
(See INCENTIVE, page 8A)
Businessman charged in alleged scam
By Pat Allen Wilson
Editor
The man Hoke officers say took the life savings
of some families has turned himself in.
Gerald Dixon “Jerry” Graham Jr., 49, is charged
with five felony counts of obtaining property by
false pretense and with two misdemeanor counts
of failure to deliver titles, according to Major
Freddy Johnson of the Hoke Sheriff’s Office.
“More warrants are forthcoming,” he said.
Graham is accused of accepting payment for
mobile homes he never delivered. He transacted
business at Circle G Trailer Sales, located at 752
Highway 401 South just outside of Raeford, al
though his son is listed as the CEO of the company.
The business closed af
ter Circle G was evicted
for nonpayment of rent.
“He and his business
partners, employees took
advantage of innocent
people,” Johnson said of
Jerry Graham.
Johnson said the HSO
had put a lot of energy
into a vigorous investi
gation. “We have two types of victims here. We
have victims with criminal cases and victims with
civil cases,” he said.
Johnson said some victims walked onto the lot,
(See CIRCLE G, page 4A)
Gerald D. Grahamjr.
Rockfish woman allegedly shoots,
kills husband who beat her
By Victoriana Summers
Staff writer
A Rockfish woman allegedly killed her husband early on
Saturday morning, shooting him once during a domestic quarrel,
according to Sheriff Hubert Peterkin.
Alton Reese Mozingo Jr., 46, was shot in the upper torso. He
was found dead, lying face up in the master bedroom at their 2597
Lindsay Road residence when deputies arrived at approximately
5:35 a.m.
Mr. Mozingo was employed as a civilian contractor at Fort
Bragg for 18 years. His wife, Susan Mozingo, 44, a former school
teacher at a private school in Fayetteville, admitted she shot her
husband, Peterkin said. '
(See SHOOTING DEATH, page 3A)
By Ken MacDonald
General Manager
Ever wondered what would happen if
everybody in Hoke County decided not to
pay his or her state income tax? Would
they arrest us all? 1 confess to such mental
rantings after reading the story last week
about John Merritt, a senior official in the
governor’s office, who reportedly threat
ened that the state would withhold funds
from counties that don’t go along with a
one-mile buffer around Fort Bragg. (He
later said he was joking. If he was, he
ought not quit his day job for stand-up
comedy.)
Merritt was speaking to military, state
and local government officials at a meet
ing held to celebrate the development of
(See JOURNAL, page 8A)
- A
Relay for Life scenes
Cancer survivor Evelyn Price and others walk the first lap (left) of this year’s Relay For Life, which benefits the American Cancer
Society; and a survivor adds his name and handprint to a poster. The event was held Friday and Saturday at Hoke High School.