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HEY KIDS! WIN A BIKE!
SEE AD INSIDE FOR DETAILS
THE THURSDAY EDITION KIMG9 MOUMTt^lh
AUGUST 4, 1977
VOL. 88 NO. 93
MIRROR-HeRf\LD
15'
IMUM
Commissioners Deny
KMPD Interference
ITuve city commlealonere —
Jon Chlldere, Oorbet Nlcholeon
and Humee Houaton — etrongly
deny commleeloner Interference
In the operation of the Klnge
Mountain Police Department.
CSilef of Police Eail Lloyd
resigned because of what he
termed commissioner In
terference and lack of money.
All three defended the city’s
new pay raise scale and charged
r
X
CXTY PAY SCALE
Hourly wages of city employes. Including a “one time
adjustment” and excluding an Increment five percent pay
raise beginning with the first pay check In September, are
listed below.
.. Part-time recreation employe, $3.80.
— Part-time recreation employe, $3.41.
-Trainee, $3.54.
.—Recreation general assistant, $3.86.
— Laborer, $2.79.
—Ttuck operator, $3.94.
—Sweeper Operator, $3.94.
—Container operator, $3.94.
—Meter reader, $3.94.
—Secretary, $8.08.
— Water-sewer pumping station maintenance operator,
$8.08.
-Waste water trainee, $8.08.
—Water treatment trainee, $8.08.
—General service mechanic, $8.34.
— Sanitation equipment operator. $8.34.
— Waster Water Lab. Tech., $8.34.
— Waster Water Operator, $8.34.
— Custodian police building, $8.40.
—Labor Supervisor, $8.40.
— Water plant operator, $8.40.
-Gas depsu^ent laborer, $8.40.
—Groundman-drlver for electrical department, $8.40.
—Recreation custodian, $8.67.
— Patrolman, $8.07.
— Equ4>ment operator, $8.07.
—Wuter water operator, $8.07.
—Water treatment operator, $8.57.
—Secretary public works, $8.07.
—Genersd department carpenter, $8.70.
—Water treatment operator, $8.70.
-Eng. codes secretary, $8.70.
—Adm. clerk, $8.98.
—Patrolman, $8.98.
—Fireman, V.98.
-Dog Warden, $4.18.
—Auto Mechanic, $4.18.
—Patrolman, $4.18.
—Fireman, M.18.
—Water-sewer maintenance labor supervisor, $4.18.
—Equipment operator, $4.18.
—Lineman, $4.18.
-Administration clerk, $4.88.
—Patrolman, $4.88.
—Lineman, M.88.
—Recreation supervisor, $4.40.
—Meter reader, $4.40.
—Gas department foreman, $4.00.
—Administration executive secretary, $4.78.
—Garage supervisor and mechanic, $4.78.
-Service and meter reading foreman, $4.78.
—Power line foreman, $4.78.
-Assistant tax collector and treasurer, $0.37.
—Police Sgt. Patrolman, $0.37.
—Police detective sergeant, $0.37.
—Labor Supervisor, $0.68.
-Fire Chief, $0.81.
-Water-sewer maintenance supervisor, $0.81.
-Water and Waste treatment plant supervisor, $0.81.
-Reereatton director, $6.91.
—Brick mason, $6.00
—Osmstery superintendent, $6.14.
—Assistant chief of police, $6.16.
-Chief of PoUce, $6.81.
-Eleotrloal dspartment superintendent, $6.43.
—Master brick mason, $8.43.
—Thx collector-treasurer. $7.04.
-City «iglneer-codes, $8.86.,
-Assistant superintendent of public works, $8.41.
-Admtnistratlon-mayor. $8.60.
-SupeHntsndent of pubUc works. $10.83.
that the Chief had not asked for
more money for himself and that
It was his responsibility as
department head to alert the
board of promotion in his
department that merited hike In
salaries.
Said Nicholson:
“Chief Lloyd has never ap
proached me about a raise,
either for himself or for any of
the policemen. I haven’t missed
a board meeting and the Chief
has never appeared before the
full board for more money, for
himself or for Ptl. Camp.
“The Chief Is always telling
we’re Interferrlng and I believe
the board should Interfere
because he overspent his budget
over $60,000 last year.
“We turned down his (the
Chief’s) request for the LEAA
grant because we learned after a
study of the contract that this
was a continuing grant with the
city responsible for funding after
the first year of the program.’’
Said Comm. Houston, "As
committee chairman of the
personnel committee W3 did not
get an official request for salary
Increase for the Chief. It was
after the budget was approved
that we received on July 33 a
memorandum from Chief Lloyd
that three of his men had
qualified for raises by July 1. In
the case of Ptl. Camp, the board
was not notified that he was
eligible for advancement In pay.
Nor were we notified that the
Pilot Creek Waste operator had
qualified for reclassification
which would have earned for him
a pay raise with his first pay
check Sept. 1. It was up to their
department heads to let us
know.”
Oomm. HousUm said he felt
that dty employes have had the
best opportunity they’ve had In
recent years to advance In their
Jobs In the new wage scale
adopted recently. He called the
plan fsilr and equitable and said
he thought ’’this whole thing has
been blown out of proportion.”
’Die Incentive pay raise program
Is scheduled to run for six years
with five percent pay Increases
each of those year. Houston
termed the program “the best
we’ve ever h^ tor city employes
and will work If we all give It a
chance!
Childers also strongly de
fended the city’s new pay raise
scale which was approved July
1st smd will give all city em
ployes a five percent pay raise In
Increments of six year period
beginning with their first checks
in September. City employes
have already received a “wage
adjustment” and the diart, on
this page, shows the wages by
hour that city employes are now
paid. Including the slight wagv
adjustment. ’Ihe raise comee In
September, says Chlldere.
Two weeks ago a Pilot Creek
Waste plant operator resigned.
Last ’Thursday the chief of
police and his secretary quit.
’The Mirror-Herald has also
learned that another dty patrol
man has made application with a
Gaston County law enforcement
office for a Job. He will be
making more money, he said.
Roy Pearsen, city recreation
director. Is still on the Job. He
denied Tuesday a rumor that he
was considering resigning.
Monday nl^t a week ago the
commission voted to deny the
chief’s ^plication tor an In-
service grant from the Law
Enforcement Assistance Agency
(LEAA).
Comm. Childers told the
Mirror-Herald he wanted to
clarliy several things “for the
record.” about the grant.
(Turn To Page 8A)
☆ ☆☆
Officer
Retains
Attorney
City Ptl. James Camp con
firm^ ’Iliesday that he haul
retained Mickey Cony, local
attomey-at-law, to represent
him In a dvll suit, “If neces
sary,” to “get my rlghta and
what’s coming to me.” from the
city.
’Ihe Kings -Mountain Police
Officer, who Joined KMPD one
year smd one month ago, says he
Is the only policeman of 33 “left
out of those receiving pay
raises” In the now-controverslal
pay raise scale adopted July 1 by
the city board of commlsslonero.
“I don’t understand It,” said
Camp. “I’m full-fledged
patrolman, there have been no
kickbacks on my work, I’ve kept
my nose clean and my kids have
to eat too.’’
Cony, said that he and Ptl.
Camp will confer with one other
person, whom he declined to
name, on Friday to "decide what
stspa to take next In the matter.”
If the suit Isn’t actually filed,
said Cony, “there are aome
tilings we hope to achieve.”
The attorney said that atten-
tkm to the matter had been
brought to the City’s personnel
committee by Chief of Police
Bsul Lloyd who said that “In the
new budget the commissioners
completely Ignored a raise tor
OfflcerCamp, ^o has been with
the city for over a year.” "At the
same time,” another officer who
has served less time on duty than
Camp, was given a raise. Camp
said that two other patrolmen,
one a lake officer who came to
the city after ha Joined the force,
are “making more money than I
am.”
Ptl. Camp waa hired at $140
per week and has been raised
one time, to $104, his present
salary.
’Ihe policeman said ho la not
“kicking about the one week
vacation time granted officers In
the new pay scale plan because
aU ths officers wars treated
aUke.” Attorney Cony declared
that the commlaslonera “taking
away the two weeks of vacation
time already granted officers
under fringe benefits under OEO
lawa la an Illegal act” and, ac
cording to the lawyer, "this mat
ter o^d really balloon Into
something else.”
(TVirn ’To Page SA)
Photo By Gary Stewart
NUMBER PLEASE! - After a long drought, the rains flnaUy
came down Tuesday and Immediately telephone lines In the area
began going on the blink. Jim Chrlstenbury, a Southern Bell
Uneman In Kings Mountain, donned his raincoat and hard hat and
went to the rescue. He didn’t mind the rain at all. In fact, he aald
he was glad to see It.
Property Owners
To Get Estimates
Larry Billings, the city’s new
director of business development
’Tuesday was given approval by
00 property owners, store
managers and businessmen In
the Central Business District to
proceed on cost estimates tor
refurbishing their properties In
downtown Kings Mountain.
’The motlcsi was made by Jo
seph R. Smith, seconded by Bill
H. Brown.
Mayor John Moss suggested
that the group investigate the
possibility of reactivating In the
city a Business Development
Ooipoi^tlo*' ^ Impetus In
the form of cash and muscle to
the Drogram.
Mr. Bluings Is to bring cost
estimates on improvements tor
the group as a whole and for In
dividual businesses.
He said Individual drawings
tor each buUdlng would be
needed but businessmen ex
pressed themselves as pleased
with the drawings exhibited at
’Tuesday’s night's dutch dinner
meeting at Kings Mountain Inn.
It was the local group’s first
chance to become acquainted
with the duties of the young man
who recently Joined the city staff
from Winston Salem. Mr.
Billings comas to his new Job, ex
cited about the potential tor
Kings Mountain, which he
labeled the “hub of the Pied
mont."
He said he hoped to have “a
couple good announcements,” In
the next few weeks about new
businesses which will be locrtlng
In downtown Kings Mountain.
To a question on a timetable
tor completion of the face-lifting,
Mr. Bluings said that “you’ve
got to move quickly or there wUl
be more dwindling of existing
buUdlngs and I would anticipate
you’d all move together In this
project.”
He suggested that Winter
Park, Fla., a town which also has
a railroad down ths center of the
downtown area, could show local
merchants Ideas on Improve
ments, suggesting shrubbery
and camouflauge existing
raUway with old-tlmey railroad
waiting stations to enhance ths
decor of downtown. He
suggested that “backs of store
buUdlngs” need badly to be
renovated to encourage shop
pers, adding to ths appsaranoe.
Lewis Dellinger, who has
recently constructed a beautiful
new Jewelry business, suggested
(’I\irn To Page kA)