The Cherokee Scout
and Clay County Progress 15< per Copy
Volume 80 ? Number 45 _ Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 - Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina ? Thursday, June 4, 1970
Cap-And-Gown Time
Miss Kathy Green, left, is shown
receiving her diploma as 70 Seniors
graduated at Hayesville High School
Tuesday night. Mrs. Josephine
Thurman handed out the diplomas as
Superintendent Hugh Beal was sick. It
was a typical scene as Seniors graduated
this week also at Murphy and Andrews
and schools closed for the summer.
(Staff Photo)
County Ambulance Service
Threatened By Unpaid Bills
The Cherokee County
Ambulance Service is in a
financial bind, due to an
in?upsing number of
cuatomrs who won't pay their
ambulance bills.
DeWitt Sharp of Andrews,
who o perates the
county-subsidized service, told
county commissioners Monday
that he has more than $5,000
out in uncollected bills. Of the
total, $2,000 has been billed
and unpaid in the last four
months.
Sharp began his ambulance
service in 1968, with a $10,000
subsidy from the county each
year. Commissioners discussed
the situation with him Monday
and suggested that many
ambulance customers may
think Sharp's firm is just
another department of the
Automatic Addressing Installed
The Cherokee Scout this week has
installed automatic addressing
equipment, capable of imprinting
wdMcribers' addresses on folded papers
atC-':the rate of 12,000 per hour.
IMPnining the new machine are, left to
right, Lonnie Britt, graphic arts
pressman; Jimmy Simonds, Scout
production manager; and Hugh
Carringer, compositor and
photographer.(Staff Photo)
Commissioners Work Out $1.5 Million Plan
Tentative Budget Leaves Tax Rate Unchanged
By Wally Avett
Staff Writer
The Cherokee County
Board of Commissioners
Monday worked out a county
budget for the fiscal year
beginning July 1 which would
keep property taxes at the
present level.
And County : Accountant -
Mrs. Barbara Stalcup explained
Tuesday there is a chance the
county tax rate could even be
cut back a penny.
Employes of the Tax
Supervisors office are now
tallying the tax listings, she
says, and in about three weeks
will have a total figure on the
tax valuation of all property in
the county. Last year's total
was $33,700,000 in appraised
valuation and the tax rate was
$1.58 per hundred, paid on 60
per cent of appraised value.
"This year if we find that
the appraised value of all
property in the county
increases by a million dollars,
we could actually cut the rate
back to $1.57," Mrs. Stalcup
says. "And although they're
not through yet, they've
already found an increase of
$700,000 over last year's
figure.
That means, she pointed
out, that the tax rate will at
least remain the same, unless
the budget is drastically
changed by the commissioners.
The tentative budget hashed
out Monday will be published
in The Scout and also posted
on the courthouse bulletin
board for examination by
county citizens. Anyone who
wants to discuss it with the
commissioners can appear at
the July meeting, at which
time the budget will be
officially adopted and the
1970-71 tax rate fixed.
The commissioners worked
practically all day Monday on
the tentative budget, which
totals $1,506,457 as compared
to last year's $1,325,411.
Revenue for the county
spending will come in large
part from the property tax,
which will produce roughly a
third of the total, $547,031
plus tax penalties. TVA also
will pay the county $46,000 in
lieu of taxes, to make up for
taxes lost on lands covered up
by Hiwassee Lake. The Clerk
of court's office ($6,000) and
the register of deeds ($10,000)
will also bring in revenue for
the budget. The Forest Service
is also expected to pay in
about $15,000 as the county's
share from timber sales.
And well over $700,000 will
come from state and federal
coffers as money for Cherokee
County's welfare program, the
Social Services department.
The welfare program is
explained as roughly paid for
in the ratio of 10 per cent
county, 10 per cent state and
80 per cent federal.
Cherokee County's Social
Services Department for the
coming fiscal year has a budget
of $926,853. This is almost
two-thirds of the total county
budget of $1.5 million, yet the
county share of the welfare
budget, the money which must
come from Cherokee, is only
$135,960. The rest comes to
the county as state and federal
checks, which are then
administered through the
county Social Services
department. The $135,960,
however, is an increase from
the $110,045 the county paid
last year as its share.
One of the largest
increasesin the total county
budget is in the welfare budget,
due to the Medicaid program
which began this year. It
county government.
They suggested that he
change the name and Tuesday
Sharp announced that the
name will be changed, to
DeWitt's Emergency
Ambulance Service.
The commissioners also
suggested that Sharp consult a
lawyer and see bow non-paying
customers can be made to pay
their bills. He said mo6t of the
$5,000 is owed by "people
who just don't pay their bills,"
adding that the ambulance
service so far has not turned
anybody down. "We've
handled every call that's come
in as best we could, money or
not."
John Caninger of Townson
Funeral Home and Peyton Ivie
of Ivie Funeral Home appeared
at the commissioners meeting
with Sharp and urged that
Sharp be given any help needed
to keep him in business. "The
private funeral homes can't
afford to go back into the
ambulance business," Carringer
said.
The two funeral directors
also said that people need to be
reminded to telephone the
ambulance service when they
need an ambulance, and not
the funeral homes. Carringer
said in Murphy about 75 per
cent of ambulance calls are still
made through the funeral
homes.
Sharp said he can maintain
the ambulance service with the
present county subsidy, if the
unpaid bills can be collected.
He added that if the bills can
be collected, he will also be
able to add a standby
ambulance for Murphy.
He recently purchased two
new ambulances at a total cost
of more than $11,000, he said,
one for Murphy and one for
Andrews.
Gib!
sons
Convicted
In Tax Case
Roy Gibon and his son
Virgil, both of Andrews, were
convicted in federal court
Monday in Bry9on City of
filing false income tax returns.
Roy Gibson, 65, was given
five years in prison, suspended,
put on probation for three
years and f.ned $4,000 and
ordered to pay $11,966 in
back taxes, plus penalties.
Virgil Gibson, 31, drew the
same prison sentence,
suspended, and was fined
$2,000 and ordred to pay
$5,349 in taxes plus penalties.
The Gibsons were indicted
by a federal Grand Jury in
Asheville last November, the
father charged with filing
fraudulent returns in 1962
through 1965, the son charged
with false returns in 1964 and
1965.
MHS Raises Money
For Danny Forrister
Students and teachers at Murphy High School
raised $438 a? < ng themselves during Class Day
last Friday, ra ming the event Danny Forrister
Day. 1. '
Forrister is the school principal's brother, a
23-year-old Western Carolina University student
now served by an artifical kidney machine as he
waits for a kidney transplant operation to be
arranged.
Student Body President (Catherine Cole
presented the money to Principal Charles
Forrister, who was unaware that the fund
raising effort was being made.
provides free medical service
for needy people on welfare
who cannot afford it and it is
jumping from $72,160
budgeted last year to $263,350
for next year. State and federal
checks, however, will take care
of $226,725 of it.
The other obvious large
item in the county budget this
time is the money for a new
evaluation of all property in
the county, required by state
law once every eight years.
Commissioners estimate the
job, which will be bidded on
by appraisal firms, will cost
more than $35,000.
In working out the budget
Monday, the commissioners
stuck firmly to a decision they
reached several months ago
that no county employes
would be given raises in pay,
although several department
heads requested raises.
The General Government
budget went up from $54,430
last year to $55,201 for fiscal
1970-71, the increases mainly
due to costs of elections,
auditing the county books and
a water line laid recently from
the Town of Murphy to the
new Levi's plant. Levi's agreed
to pay for a six-inch line and
the county paid for the
difference to make it an
eight-inch line, allowing for
future development.
The Courthouse and
Grounds budget went up
slightly, from $15,650 to
$15,972, the difference
attributed to rising cost of fuel
required by the courthouse and
county jail.
The County Accountant's
department budget went down
from $13,111 to $12,262, the
cutback in the money alloted for
supplies and equipment.
The Register of Deeds, at
$15,099, was unchanged from
the amount budgeted last year.
The County Jail went up
from $13,560 last year to
$18,234. The hike was said to
Racks Stolen;
Reward Offered
Two new paper racks,
owned by The Cherokee 9?ut
and valued at more than $60
apiece were stolen last week.
One was located at the A&P
Store in ANdrews, the other
was taken from the A&P in
Murphy. Law enforcement
officers are investigating.
The Scout is offering a $100
reward for information leading
to the arrests and convictions
of those responsible for the
thefts.
Democrats Set
Precinct Meetings
Democrats in Clay and
Cherokee, as in all other
counties of the state, will hold
their precinct meetings on
Saturday afternoon at 1
o'clock.
The meetings will be held at
the regular voting places in
each of the seven precincts in
Clay and the 17 in Cherokee
County. Precinct officers will
be chosen, as well as delegates
and alternates to the county
conventions, which are set for
1 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.
Galloway Fined
0a Liquor Count
Frank Galloway of
HayesviUe, a former Clay
County Justice of the Peace,
was fined $500 in federal court
in Bryson City last week on a
non-tax-paid liquor charge.
Galloway was arrested at
Peach tree on Feb. 20 by Chief
Cherokee Deputy Sheriff
Glenn Holloway and federal
Alchohol, Tobacco and
Firearms officer Koien Flack.
The officers found 12 gallons
of non-tax-paid liquor in
Galloway's car.
be due to the increased jail fee the meeting and they had In the School budget, the
now being paid, $3 per day, as agreed to the raise. The health appropriation for Tri-Tech will
ordered by the last state department is run jointly by remain the same as last year,
Legislature Clay, Cherokee and Graham $14,800. The remainder of the
The Sheriff's department counties. school budget jumped from
dropped slightly, from $27,525 The Nantahala Regional $158,000 to $175,000. The
last year to $27,284, Library, which is also a raise, it was explained, will be
commissioners cutting back on three-county organization, had needed to pay for repairs to
the money earmarked for radio requested last month that the several county school buildings
repairs. Cherokee commissioners and also for boilers, which are
The Tax Supervisor's office increase their share of the breaking down in several
budget was cut back from the library's budget from $8,167 schools at a rapid rate.
$15,876 of last year to to $12,251. At that time the For the county' debt
$14[696. It was explained that commissioners said they would service, the tentative budget
$1,250 had been included in raise it if Clay and Graham calls for a payment during
this budget each year to lay would agree to and it was fiscal 1970-71 of $102,155 as
back money for the thought that the raise would be compared to the payment last
countywide appraisal and this made. year of $107,146. Mrs. Stalcup
was not done this year. However, Monday it was explained that the county now
In the special purposes learned the the Clay owes $910,500, the bulk of it
accounts, the commissioners Commissioners were not going for airport and school bonds
did agree to raise the public along with the raise for the approved several years ago. The
health department from library and the Cherokee payment in the coming year
$32,343 to $33,489, as Clay commissioners held their share will reduce the principal by
County commissioners were of the library budget at $65,750, she said, the rest is
contacted by telephone during $8,167. interest.
Work Begins On Cannery
The groundbreaking was
scheduled Wednesday morning
for a self-service cannery at the
John Campbell Folk School at
Brasstown.
Dr. John Ramsay, head of
the school, said bulldozing
work at the site would
probably begin soon. Bergen
Moore, chairman of the
fund-raising committee, said
the cannery should be in
operation this season.
The cannery will be housed
in a cement block building,
measuring 34 by 58 feet. The
equipment is being donated by
the Ball Corp. and will be
operated similar to a
laundromat or supermarket,
each canner paying a small fee
and then canning his own
produce, moving from machine
to machine and sealing the
food in either glass or tin
containers.
Moore's committee
estimates that between $8,000
and $10,000 will have to be
raised locally, in cash, or
donations or skilled labor and
building materials. A plaque to
be placed inside the finished
building will list the names of
all donors.
Moore, Mayes Behrman of
Brasstown, ASCS bead Bass
Hyatt and Fred Reeves, the
Ball Corp. official in charge of
the equipment program,
appeared before the county
commissioners Monday to ask
for money from the county for
the cannery, which will serve
both Clay and Cherokee
counties.
The commissioners told the
group to go ahead with the
fund-raising drive and come
back at the July meeting, when
the county budget will be in its
final form and the
commissioners can see how
much the county could
provide.
Ladies Night
Mrs. Waldron McAfee, right, is
teaching pool to interested members of
the fairer sex every Wednesday night.
The McAfee poolroom, usually a male
domain, is closed that night to men as
the girls come in to learn rotation and
eight-ball. "After the girls have learned,
we plan to have man and wife teams,'*
Mrs. McAfee says. "Only couples will
be eligible to play in particular games."
JUK 1970
I M t W I ? f
- 1 2 3 4 5 6
7 ? 9 to n 12 13
14 IS 16 17 ? 19 20
21 22 23 24 2S 26 2>
26 29 30 - - - -
Will Speed - son of
Mrs. Nancy Spend. Lori
Anna Fisher - daughter of
Mr. A Mrs. HaroM Fisher.
Joseph Raavls ? Son of
Mr. A Mrs. Donald
Reavis.
JUNE WEDDING
Com pitta Auto Servlct
Fret Pick Up and Oolivory HICKS
Tins ? Batteries
Accessories
MECHANIC ON DUTY
ROAD SIRVICI
TUNE UP - BRAKE SERVICE VaMay Rtaar
- Clina Hicks ? Ownar - Murpfcy, N. C
GULF
SBRVICI
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