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Follow The Action
Follow Brunswick County prep
basketball action on the
sports pages. Complete
coverage Is on Pages 4-6B.
Roasting 'The Best*
South Brunswick High's Joe Best retires
from a 30-year career in education, but
not before friends and peers have fun
at his expense. See Page 3-B.
THE BR'
II i
HOAG & SONS BOOK BINDERY
12/31/99
PO BOX 16
SPRIN6P0RT MI 49284
Twenty-ninth Year, Number 14
?1981 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
Shollotte, North Corolino, Thursday, February 7, 1 991
Tying Ribbons
Local residents are writing, praying and
rallying in support for troops in the
Middle East. A partial list of local men
and women in the Gulf in on Page 7-A.
25?t Per Copy 32 Pages, 2 Sections, 2 Inserts I
BUDGET CRUNCH CITFD
County Denies DSS
Request; Leland Asks For Police Help
BY TERRY POPE
An anticipated budget crunch in June has Brunswick
County Commissioners hesitant to add employees to
the county payroll.
That's not what Leland resident and businesswoman
Kay Todd wanted to hear Monday night after she ad
dressed the commissioners, asking that the county beef
up patrols to help cut down on crime in the northern
communities.
It's also not what Department of Social Services
Director Jamie Orrock wanted to hear as commissioners
voted 3-2 to deny his department three additional work
ers and 10 computer terminals to help handle an in
crease in applications for assistance to the poor as the
economy enters a spin.
Board Chairman Kelly Holden, Jerry Jones and
Donald Shaw voted not to add employees to the DSS
payroll at this time, even though funds were already
available to cover the cost for the remainder of the fiscal
year. Board members Frankie Rabon, who is chairman of
the DSS board, and Gene Pinkerton voted to approve
Orrock's request It is the second time this budget year
that commissioners have voted down the request, 3-2.
"I think it's just a matter of, right now, everyone be
ing concerned about the budget process in June," ex
plained Holden. "What I'm looking at is down the road.
Any of these positions, we would have to fund next
year. It's a tough decision to make."
Holden said funding the added positions next year
would mean raising county taxes, which he says he
doesn't want to be forced to do.
Three Options Available
Brunswick County Sheriff John Carr Davis told com
missioners Monday that Leland residents have three op
tions available to help reduce crime there: 1) for the town
to form its own police force; 2) for the town to contract
with the county to hire off-duty deputies to patrol the
area; and 3) for the county to hire more deputies to work
the Leland area.
r
BRUNSWICK COUNTY SHER
IFF John Carr Davis could offer
little good news to I. eland business
woman Kay Todd, who asked coun
ty commissioners Monday night for
help in reducing crime in the
Leland area.
SWF rnOTO BY TERRY POfS
"I realize that Leland has a crime wave," Davis said.
"Brunswick County has a crime wave. North Carolina
has a crime wave.
"When you're calling for more manpower, you're
calling for more tax dollars," Davis added.
Davis told the board that when three detectives are
added to the staff next month it will put another man
working crimes in the Leland area, which incorporated
in 1989. Eventually, Lcland will have to organize its
own police force, he said.
"I realize that's a big step and it's going to be expen
sive," Davis said.
Ms. Todd owns a video store outside of the Leland
town limits that has been burglarized three times in the
past seven months.
"Something's not right," Ms. Todd told the board.
"We're not gelling the protection we desperately need."
She said the Leland residents were not trying to con
demn the sheriff's department.
"The crime wave of Leland now is astounding," Ms.
Todd added. "But I know that we're not the only ones."
Jean Speight, a member of the Leland Sanitary
District Board, also owns two businesses in the Leland
area. She suggested that a task force meet to discuss the
options that Leland residents have to improve police
protection.
"This crime wave exists from Belville to the
Columbus County line," Ms. Speight said. "If a task
force involving commissioners would work on this, I'm
sure the citizens would feel a lot better. I'm sure business
owners would, too."
Commissioner Shaw said he would agree to meet
with town officials from Leland, Belville and the
Leland Sanitary District.
Regarding his request Monday, Orrock said the cost
for the remaining fiscal year for the three workers and
computer terminals would be 516,306. The positions
would be partly funded by the state.
Orrock had asked for an additional worker in chil
dren's protective services, in the Medicaid unit and to
handle applications for Aid To Families With
Dependent Children.
In other personnel action Monday, the board ap
proved salary adjustments for County Manager/At
torney David Clegg and Assistant to the Manager Doug
Ledgett, who were both promoted to their present posi
tions at the last board meeting.
Clegg will earn 564,798 per year, an increase of
510,000 from his current salary, and Ledgett will also
receive an additional 510,000 per year, to 532,260 an
nually.
Ledgett also serves as the county's emergency medi
cal services coordinator and is in charge of operation of
the county's 911 system, which will begin in January
Holden Proposal Would Prohibit
Annexation Without Referendum
BY DOUG RUTTER
Holden Beach officials have set the
wheels in motion to request a state law that
would allow island property owners to vote
on all proposed changes in the town bound
aries.
Commissioner Judy Bryan, who has op
posed annexing mainland property in the
past, introduced the proposal at Monday
night's town meeting.
On a unanimous vote, commissioners in
structed Town Attorney Ken Campbell to
draft a resolution requesting that a local bill
be introduced in the N.C. General Assem
bly. If it is approved by the town board, the
resolution would be sent to State Rep.
David Redwine.
Mrs. Bryan said the resolution itself
wouldn't be either for or against annexa
tion. The purpose of it would be to request
a local act that would give Holden Beach
property owners the right to vote on pro
posed boundary changes.
Mainland annexation has been a contro
versial issue at Holden Beach for years and
proved to be the deciding factor in the
1989 town election, when four candidates
opposed to annexation were elected.
One year ago, those four town commis
sioners made good on their campaign
promises and voted to overturn an annexa
tion ordinance that had been adopted by a
previous board in the summer of 1989.
The ordinance would have brought into
the town limits about 67 acres of property
bordering the mainland causeway. The an
nexation was scheduled to take effect in
June 1990.
Commissioner Bry an said she would like
the legislation to be written so the town
board would be legally bound by the re
sults of any referendum. That way, the
commissioners couldn't change the town
boundaries if the majority of the voters
don't want them to.
In a handout distributed Monday night,
Mrs. Bryan said the resolution to be sent to
Redwinc should point out that Holden
Beach is a resort community, and the usual
rules of annexation should not apply.
She wrote that non-residents or seasonal
property owners, who don't have voting
rights, own at least 75 percent of the land
on the island and pay more than 75 percent
of the town taxes.
Commissioner Bryan also wrote that an
nexation of mainland property would have
an adverse effect on Holden Beach.
"Environmental protection of the fragile is
land could be put in jeopardy if mainland
voters did not consider the environment a
priority with their tax dollars."
She also pointed out in the handout that
Holden Beach is surrounded by water, and
future development is limited. "Approx
imately 400 voters reside on the island
which means mainland voters could easily
outnumber the voters on the island, in time,
due to the island's limited capacity to grow
because of its water-bound status."
Mrs. Bryan also wrote that Holden
Beach residents shouldn't be forced to elect
town officials under the present circum
stances. As it stands now, as few as three
commissioners can decide to annex.
Commissioner Bryan has asked that the
resolu'ion include a petition with the
names of people who support the proposed
legislation. The petition would be circulat
ed among island residents and be posted at
the town hall.
She also wants to include in the resolu
tion minutes from the 1989 Holden Beach
Property Owners Association meeting
when a majority of the members indicated
they oppose annexation.
Commissioner Gay Atkins, who has sup
ported annexation in the past, said she
would be in favor of the legislation as long
as all property owners, not just residents,
could vote on the matter.
Mrs. Bryan said she wants to give all
Holden Beach lot owners the right to vote
on annexation. But she said state legislators
probably wouldn't allow non-resident
property owners to vote.
Johnny Craig, whose family owns busi
nesses on the island and mainland, said
there needs to be a cooperative effort be
tween the two sides.
Mrs. Bryan said all mainland property
owners who spoke at the last public hear
ing on annexation were against becoming
pan of the town. "I don't think this would
bother them at all," she said. 'They'd prob
ably be happy about it."
(More Holden Beach Coverage Page 14-A)
Board Hears Suspended
Supervisor's Complaint
BY SUSAN USHER
A Brunswick County Schools fi
nance office employee who was
suspended without pay in Novem
ber aired her grievance before the
county school board Monday night
The school board conducted the
four-hour hearing in public at the
request of Payroll Supervisor Jewell
McCumbee of Ash.
Mrs. McCumbee was suspended
without pay Nov. 2 while auditors
investigated insurance payments that
had been made through the school
system for employees who were no
longer eligible for coverage.
According to school system offi
cials, the suspension resulted from
Mrs. McCumbee's failure to make
state and federal tax deposits on a
timely basis and failure to handle
group insurance matters appropri
ately.
Mrs. McCumbee is being repre
sented in the grievance process by
her son-in-law, local businessman
Ricky Parker.
Parker said Tuesday morning
Mrs. McCumbee has been em
ployed by the school finance depart
ment for more than 20 years and
that her workload and responsibili
ties had increased to the point
where she worked overtime regular
ly in an effort to keep up.
During the time frame in ques
tion, her responsibilities included
both the handling of payroll and
employee benefits. The school sys
tem has since created a new benefits
coordinator position.
Parker said the board had been
asked to fund the benefits position
previously but had not.
"One of our contentions is that
this would not have happened if
they had listened to her and provid
ed some help," said Parker.
Referring to the audit for fiscal
year 1989-80, he said, 'To me, the
audit if anything shows that the en
tire financial department needs to be
revamped. This is something she
(Mrs. McCumbee) has been scream
ing about for years."
"Our contention is that the entire
system has failed," he said. "If she
were fired, should not some others
be also?"
Further, Parker said that Mrs.
McCumbec's primary responsibility
was payroll and that payroll "was
always on time."
While tax deposits had been made
late on occasion, it was because she
had to wait for a check from the ac
counts payable unit after working up
a deposit. "If it was late that was the
reason and she was never penalized
by the state for that."
Parker also questioned the
board's decision to suspend Mrs.
McCumbcc without pay, given that
she had never received a letter of
reprimand until two days prior to
her suspension and thai, according
to his research, no other school sys
tem employee has ever been sus
pended without pay.
(See BOARD, Page 2-A)
STAFF PHOTO ?Y SUSAN USHH
TWO ANHINGAS or water turkeys bask in the sun at Twin iMkes
Tuesday morning on a sign with faded lettering that proclaims
"POSITIVELY NO SHOOTING."
Sunset Pledges Help To Owners
In Maintaining The Twin Lakes
BY SUSAN USHER
Sunset Beach Council members
Monday night stopped short of
pledging funds for care of the com
munity's Twin Lakes, but said the
town will work with property own
ers to maintain the mainland lakes.
Wording in the original resolution
drafted by the Twin Lakes
Residents Conservation Association
would have had the town "con
tribute in such amounts and manner
as determined by the Town
Council..." The more cautiously
worded revision states that the town
may, at its discretion, contribute.
The resolution is part of an on
going effort by the two-year-old as
sociation to protect and improve the
condition of the lakes. It provides
for improvements to be made under
the auspices of the town, which
would obtain any necessary permits
in its name.
It also recognizes the benefit to
the entire town in preserving and
improving the lakes, described as a
scenic asset, bird sanctuary, natural
area and potential recreational area
that also increases surrounding
property values. A portion of
Eastern Lake borders N.C. 179 near
Oyster Bay Golf Links.
"What the town needs to be care
ful of is that it doesn't get contrac
tually bound to do anything," town
attorney Michael Isenberg advised
the council. "This simply expresses
your intent to help in taking care of
the lakes, not ownership."
Councilman Mary Katherine
Griffith has lived on 1\vin Lakes for
18 years. During that lime she has
seen the lakes' condition deteriorate
rapidly at one point, then begin a
comeback last year.
"Up until the time the lakes used
to be pumped by the golf course we
had no problem," she recalled Mon
day night "We had water in the
lakes all year. 1 don't remember any
fish kills before then, though there
may have been some, or the ex
treme growth of algae we had."
But the water level in the lake has
begun to stabilize, she said, since
Oyster Bay Golf Links, after a
threat of legal action by the resi
dents association and others,
stopped drawing water from the
lakes to irrigate the course. "I think
we've seen great improvement in
it"
Councilman Ed Gore agreed,
suggesting that the addition of al
gae-eating carp to the lake and the
end of irrigation pumping should al
leviate most of the problems seen in
recent years. Most other needs cited
by the association can be addressed
as needed by working with other
government agencies, he suggested.
The association says ongoing
care is needed for the lakes because
of their nature ? shallow, with an ir
regular shoreline and no known nat
ural source of replenishment other
than rainfall, with plant growth and
eutrophicauon encouraged by a
steady diet of nutrients and sedi
mentation from the surrounding res
idential areas, warm water tempera
tures and light penetration.
(See SUNSET, Page 2-A)