Shallotte
BY SUSAN USHER proximate 1,600 n
True to earlier predictions, cast ballots, inch
Shallotte voters quietly defeated viceman by absente
three proposals to expand the sale of of Shallotte's
beer and wine by a ratio of more than registered voters, 1!
two to one Tuesday. cast votes in the ah
Long Beach residents, on the other control referendu
hand, readily approved the idea of a County Board of Ele
non-partisan municipal primary Orie Gore said Tues
election by a vote of 373 for to 155 Nearly double the
against. That means the filing period Tuesday than in the
for candidates will open August 16. referendum, held Ja
About one-third of the town's ap- outcome was marke
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Budget Propose
BY SUSAN USHER
All county employees would receive a pay increase
during the coming year under a budget proposal agreed
upon by county commissioners Tuesday during their second
in a series of budget meetings.
A proposed budget must be available for public inspection
by June 1 and a public hearing to follow. The actual
county budget must be adopted before July 1, when the
next business year begins.
Commissioners couldn't settle on whether to give all
employees the same amount of money or to award raises
for reasons of merit only as they hashed out their first
policy decision relating to the 1985-86 preliminary budget.
They compromised on a combination of the two after
hours of discussion spread over several meetings.
They propose to give each employee covered under the
county pay plan $200, at an estimated cost of $52,000.
Salaries cost the county about $4.3 million annually.
Finance Director Wallace Harding indicated. Commissioners
propose to set aside two-thirds of 5 percent of that
figure, or $145,000, for merit raises that would include
automatic step increases for certain employees
Those who have been employed at the same Oracle and
Step 1 of the county's play classification plan for 12 mon- i
ths will automatically advance to Step 2, for a pay in- t
crease of about 5 percent.
Employees who have been employed in the same position
for two years will be automatically advanced to Step
3, regardless of whether they were at Step 1 or Step 2
previously.
Beyond those automatic steps, employees would be
eligible for merit pay increases based on outstanding
work performance.
County Manager Billy Carter said these automatic pay
increases will affect most county employees since the i
majority arc at either Step 1 or Step 2. 1
Meanwhile the county is proceeding with plans to I
restudy the entire classification plan. The study was
completed in 1979, implemented in 1980 and needs review, 1
Carter said. Staff members called Tuesday morning to 1
solicit proposals for state and private consultants. Any
BRUNSWICK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS and social
services board members met jointly Monday In private
to discuss the handling of a legal matter. From the far
left are Unda Green, clerk to the social services
board; Mary Easley, attorney to the social services
board; Bobby Brown, social services board member;
David Oegg, county attorney; BlUy Carter, county
manager; Jim Poole, commission vice-chairman;
Shallotte t
BY SUSAN USHER it will probably
Motorists traveling through little prior to the Bo
Shallotte should have a smoother predicted
rtde come early June and may be In addition to sir
able to bypass downtown traffic en- face of U.S 17 throe
tireiy four years from now. State the left turn lane t
Board of Transportation member will be extendi
Tommy Pollard of Jacksonville an- --sometime this sum
nounc-ed Tuesday Pollard said tl
At an afternoon news conference at ministration, T
Bolivia. Pollard said he had been Secretary James Ha
able to move construction ci a pro- transportation d<
posed ShaUotte bypass ahead in the "vitally interested'
state's Transportation Improvement County because of I
Plan by another six months. That plosion and raptd ec
means It should be completed We plan to give )
sometime in fiscal > ear 1988 Hon in Brunswick Ct
.
LONG BEACH TC
? Voters Deh
!gistered voters That year 68 of the town's 300-plus
jding one ser- voters similarly defeated all beer
e vote. and wine issues on the ballot 2 to 1.
estimated 334 Of the 127 voting Tuesday, 61 per!7,
or 38 percent, cent or 77 people voted against the
:oholic beverage sale of unfortified wines for offim,
Brunswick premises consumption. Unfortified
ctions Chairman wines are those with an alcohol conday
night. tent of 6 to 17 percent and include
votes were cast standard table varieties such as
town's last ABC chablis and burgundy,
n. 6,1976, but the A slightly lesser margin, 57 perdly
similar. cent, objected to the sale of unformm
bai B
"" IIMbW
rth Carolina, Thursday, N
I Would Give All
0
BRUNSWICK COUNTY MANAGER BIU.Y CARTER
makes a point during commissioners' first budget
workshop Monday night as Finance Director Wallace
'evamping of the plan recommended could be Imrlemented
at mid-year, with study results expected in the
all.
This study is one of three put on hold last year partly
recause of extra expenses incurred during Hurricane
Diana and partly because of a change in finance officers.
The county also plans to conduct a study of indirect
11
If' JwM!. ^
jtai* rw3to|fVAM(u??
Chris Chappell, commission chair man: Herman Lose,
commission; Grace Beasley, commissioner; Regina
While, clerk to the commissioners; Frankle Rabon. a
member of both boards; Fdna Crouch, social services
board member; Barry Frtak, social services vicechairman;
and at center foreground. Betty Varnam.
social services chairman.
ars Some Good I
be completed a through the efforts of a Republican
livta bypass." he transportation task force and other
citizens
nothing the sur- While disappointed the bypass
igh town, he said couldn't be moved even farther
hrocgh ShaUoite ahead. ShalloiU Mayor 8ean>or.
?d southward Hewett was pleased with Pollard's
imer.'* announcement
ie Martin ad- if they'll do it by the time the Bell
ransportatton Swamp to Si^piy section is done." he
imngton and the said, "maybe we can hold out until
partment are their
m Brunswick "But I can tell you right now. if we
ts population ? grow tn the next two years like we've
J..VWU. grown over uie i&sx rwo years, rr>ou
kX <rf atteiv stead erf 15.000 cars a day U will be
nunty." he added. 25.000 to 30,000. We will have a bottle
<
) HAVE PRIMARY
?af Beer,
tified wines for on-premises consumption,
as with a meal in a
restaurant.
Fifty-six percent of the voters, or
71, opposed the sale of beer and other
malt beverages for consumption on
the premises of Class A restaurants,
hotels and motels.
A summary of the Stiallotte results
is as follows: Malt beverages, 47 for,
71 against; on-premises sale of unfortified
wines, 41 for; 72 against; offpremises
sale of unfortified wines, 39
_ujm ii_
RAW
lay 16, 1985
County Em
% V
I >
t *
ItAI
Harding looks on. Commissioners pin
times weekly to prepare a prellmlnai
1 (or public inspection and a hearing
costs and another on user (ecs, which
county's experience with existing user
potential for other user fees.
Commissioner Herman l,ove had p
employees a raise of the same amoun
would help lift the county's lowest sala
acceptable level.
Ronrrl Wnn
vwvai vi w < vai I
BY SUSAN USHER
A former Brunswick County Social
Services director says he is disappointed
in a decision by the social
services board Monday not to rehire
him.
The Brunswick County Board of
Social Services rejected a state
recommendation to rehire former
director Jamie Orrock Monday
night, instead directing its attorney
to pursue "further settlement"
Contacted Tuesday at home, Orrock
said he was "somewhat disappointed"
with the board's decision.
"I had hoped it could end and
everything get back to as near normal
as possible for me and the
employees," he said. "My taking action
in the first place was for the purpose
of obtaining reinstatement and
just compensation. Nothing has hap
pened since then to change that position."
But, he added, it would be
"premature" to discuss a settlement
when he has not heard the terms of
S/ews A bou
neck."
He noted that under this schedule
the bypass would be completed
within Gov. Jim Martin's term at office.
as Martin had proposed as a
candidate
Pollard said that six months was
the most the bypass could be speeded
up
Twenty-five percent of the rightof-way
has been purchased. It will
la ice another 12 months to purchase
the remainder and 12 months to construct
it There's no way to move it
up any quicker than that "
Construction of the Bob via bypass
is part of the iJ i-trale Bell Swamp to
Wine Iss
for: 77 against.
Beer and malt beverages will continue
to be sold in stores for offpremises
consumption. Fortified
wines and wines produced in North
Carolina are available through the
Shallotte ABC Store and through
area merchants. Ocean Isle Beach,
Sunset Beach and Calabash are the
nearest communities to Shallotte
where unfortified wines are sold.
The towns of Ixing Beach and
HE ft!*!
L?L,nvi
25c Per Copy
ployees Pa^
When across-the
percentage of salnr
poor get poorer" la
widens.
"Regardless of tl
titled to a living foi
work," said Love,
same, but that the
Commissioner Fi
merit plan, proposi
' Chappett, Poole a
merit increases mo
levcLs and reward
also forces supcrvu
under their respotu
But. warned Ian
employee you wa
By hiring worke
tinued, the county c
Hp suited for promotic
^ B' Adopting an ap]
Rv several hrnuri
.. tZr,,o < iuvaxU?~.. delving Into specif
in to meet several on Monday, coi
ry budget by June county's financial |
an overview of di
quests in all urea:
quested new positii
i would look at the Given the obje
fees as well as the complish with the
Carter projected "|
roposed giving all day. However, if al
t, saying the move crease would be ch
ry levels to a more
(See
ts To Settle V
the offer or discussed them with
Fairley.
Member Louis "Bobby" Brown
motioned that the board reject the
recommendation to rehire Orrick
issued by the State Personnel Commission
last month. His motion
directed board attorney, Mary
Easley to contact Orrock's attorney,
Wiiliam Fairley, "for further settlement."
Commissioner Frankie Kabon,
who cast die one dissenting vote Monday,
said the board would consider a
possible cash settlement of an
unstated amount on condition that
Orrock agree not to pursue further
legal action against the board.
"We'd have to be cleared of any
farther action down the road." he
said.
County commissioners met with
the social services for the first halfhour
of a 1 Vhour closed door session
called to discuss "personnel and pending
litigation."
Kabon said the commissioners had
left it to the social services board to
t U.S. Highw
Supply four-lamng project on which
construction is slated to begin in
fiscal year 1987 and paving in 1988
The 4.2-mile Shallotte bypass is
part of the longer 17 1-rnile Supply to
the South Carolina line four-laning
project. Under the transportation
plan adopted in December 1984, coo
sirucaoo was to hegin in 19BB
A thin layer of asphalt, called a
"skin patch." wili be applied within
the next several weeks as a temporary
remedy for rough grooves
created akog a three-fourths mile
section of U.S. 17 when Department
of Transportation crews ground the
roadway in March The patch will be
ues
Shallotte will share the $1,200 to
$1,500 tab for the dual election Tuesday,
Gore said. Long Beach will payany
extra expenses associated with
absentee voting. Shallotte did not
allow absentee voting because of the
extra expense involved. The Board of
Elections had to meet once to approve
the absentee ballot requested
at I>ong Beach and then had to meet
again 5 p.m. Tuesday to count the
ballot.
"It was a yes," Gore said.
V|
%ll
M
26 Pages
f Increase
board raises are given based on a
y, he said, "the rich get richer and the
jcausc the gap between their salaries
ic job they're in, any employee is en
his family if he's doing a good day's
"I'm not saying pay everyone the
lowest is too low."
rankie Rabon also objected to an allng
a combination so that "everybody
lething."
L'happell, on the other hand, viewed a
lomatie step increases for employees
"the most economical and feasible"
?s next year.
md County Manager Carter nr?t?H tHot
tivalc employees to perform at higher
extra work. Poole said a merit plan
>ors to examine the work of employees
dbility more closely,
re, "You will never get the level of
int unless vou offer them Enough
rs at too-low salary levels, he consuls
up with lower-quality workers not
in.
proach to salaries was the first of
sions the board plans to make before
Ic ports of the tnulget.
nmissioners heard a report on the
position, while on Tuesday they began
opartment-by-departmcnt budget re5
except salaries and personnel. Reons
will be taken up separately,
ctives commissioners hope to ac198S-86
budget, County Manager Billy
xtssibly a five cent tax Increase" Mon1
requests were met, he added, the in>ser
to IS cents to 20 cents on the rate.
BUDGET, Page 2-A)
Vith Orrock
decide whether to rehire Orrock or
not.
Orrock was fired by the board Nov.
30, 1983, after another former DSS
employee accused him of sexual
harassment.
He appealed that dismissal. In October
1984 Commission hearing officer
Barbara Coward recommended
Orrock be reinstated with back pay,
an opinion upheld in April by the
Commission. However, that recommendation
is not binding.
Chairman Betty Varnam, Vice
Chairman Barry Frink and member
Kdna Crouch voted in favor of
Brown's motion.
The social services board had
originally asked to discuss the Orrock
case and that of another former
DSS employee, Alinda Meares. But
on advice of their attorney, David
Clegg, commissioners asked that
communication relating to the
Meares case be kept between the two
attorneys because of their "adversary
party" status
/ay 17
in place before the summer tourist
season begins
"This U not a permanent answer,"
Pollard said of the patch, "but It will
make the road ride a lot better "
After the end of the tounst season
the roadway will be completely
resurfaced with funds included In the
lSte-W proposed budget
The "skin patch" will be applied by
DOT workers in-hous* as "an accommodation,"
Pollard said, rather than
creating further delays by letting the
project for bid
"It needed immediate correction."
he added
(See HIGHWAY. Page irk)