Father's Day
Dogs
This Sundav on patrol . Center
DAD The 16M y in Kings Mountain Holds Ground Breaking
11B 2A
Family Worship
Your Hometown \U J | BH “0 Me |
Newspaper | No 7 |
Since 1889 : : Pres Hob
fh "ESg |
VO a
L. 108 NO. 23 Thursday, June 18, 1991 Kings Mountain, Zax 0%
ZH ee
ZO O
@& @ =F
0 I |
o< HH
o|E ww
« =
>
| 3
i {i
_ The city's 160-plus employees won't get a cost-of- if a non-preferred provider is used plus a $500 per times $2.56, the cost to the city b ck
living raise in the proposed city budget of hospital admission charge if a non preferred provider up one cubic yard of garbage eact of
$17,392,639 for 1991-92 but taxpayers will see a js used. While the deductibles are higher, he said sav- $30.72 a month for that customer.
penny cut in the tax rate-from 37 cents to 36 cents ings to the city are significant. The budget reflects that water fic
per $100 due to property reevaluation. The budget also provides for a 12% hike in water revenues were down during the _ he
City Manager George Wood has placed the pro- and sewer rates which means the average customer unseasonably warm winter atid also due to plant lay-
posed budget "on the table" for public inspection at using 7,000 gallons of water a month will be paying offs and the sluggish economy.
GEORGE WOOD
city hall and a formal public hearing on the budget is
scheduled for Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at city hall.
Wood says that taxpayers may turn out to be the
winners in the budget, if approved by council. He has
made cutbacks to balance what he calls a "no frills"
and "hold the line" budget and will ask the council
not to budget big ticket items totaling $236,750.00,
including the renovation costs for this year of the
proposed new law enforcement agency.
"It's strictly a matter of dollars," said Wood, who is
recommending that city employees receive the cus-
tomary 2 1/2% merit increase on their anniversary
date if they qualify for it. Faced with 19% increase in
costs in medical insurance, the city is also increasing
the prescription drug card cost to employees from $4
to $5 and increasing the per person deductible from
$200 to $300 if a preferred provider is used and $500
$1.47 per month more effective July 31. In addition,
the city will begin charging a $1.40 per month sanita-
tion fee effective June 30 when the county starts
billing the city for a tipping fee of $19 per ton of
garbage taken to the county landfill. Wood said the
landfill costs are being passed along to the customer
and city commissioners chose to attach the monthly
fee to utility bills instead of raising taxes. Wood said
commercial customers can pay the same fee if they
use the 90 gallon roll out containers which can be or-
dered through the city and picked up twice a week
by sanitation workers. The commercial disposal fees
will be much higher due to the larger volumes of
waste per customer and the limited number of cus-
tomers to share the cost. For example, if a business
had a 6 cubic yard container picked up twice a week,
the charge would be 6 times the number of pickups
For the first time since 1986, the electric rate will
probably go up in November to customers because of
new rates being imposed by the city's supplier, Duke
Power Company which has applied for'a wholesale
rate increase, said Wood.
The budget reflects an increase of .3 of 1% when
you compute that the additional proposed revenues
$512,272 (up from $16,880,367.00 last year) is for
"new money" to come from the increased costs to
customers for water and sewer ($360,000) and
$96,000 from sanitation fees or a slight increase from
last year's budget of $56,272.00, explained Wood. In
addition, Kings Mountain has budgeted $502,000 as
the city's half-year cost to Crowders Creek Waste
Treatment Plant for treatment of sewage and
See Budget, 12-A
i
fo
ew! probably cut $236,750.00 because |
|
Budget
priorities
proposed
City council has labeled
$759,517.00 to be spent for "priori-
ties" in the new budget and will
of unavailability of funds due to
the recession and what City
Manager George Wood terms non-
critical projects.
The council pinpointed the pri-
orities at a planning retreat-budget
workshop at Cleveland Community
College with Wood and department
heads in early spring.
Not funded in the budget Wood
will present to council Tuesday
night are $90,000 for police depart-
ment renovation, a 10-year contin-
uing project; $4,100 for dredging
of swimming area; $10,650.00 for
a K-9 patrol officer; $7,000 for a
trencher borer; $40,000 to upgrade
two regulator stations; and $75,000
for Cansler Road tie-in project.
Funded in the general fund:
$10,000 for downtown wall/park
project; $24,000 for Gold Street
traffic signals project; $25,000. 3-
year lease purchase for a new
garbage truck; $70,000 for
Woodside/Monroe drainage pro-
ject; $13,505.00 for finance depart-
ment equipment; $4,000 for K-9
program; $3,762.00 for a copier for
the Police Department, lease pur-
chase; $500 for two mowers for
Moss Lake; $20,000 for park
equipment.
From the Powell bill fund
$80,000 is funded for street over-
lays.
From the Cemetery perpetual
care trust fund $10,000 is ear-
marked for the Dilling Street en-
trance and $15,000 is earmarked
for tree removal and trimming.
See City Budget, 11-A
Bob Wilson is no stranger to the
blood bank when the regional col-
lecting unit comes to town. In fact,
he's usually the first donor to ar-
rive.
Tuesday Wilson was the first to
give a pint of blood which brings
his record to 13 gallons and two
pints since he first gave blood for
former city commissioner Humes
Houston's father back in 1954
2 Sg
when both Humes (who headed up
the local N. C. National Guard
Unit) and Wilson were active in the
Guard. Wilson is a retired
Lieutenant Colonel after 34 years
service.
Sandi Shockley, bloodmobile co-
ordinator for the Cleveland County
Red Cross Chapter, says Wilson
runs a race with Scottie Yarbro to
each bloodmobile visit and usually
BLOOD DONOR-Bob Wilson has donated over 13 gallons of blood during bloodmobile visits since
1954 and Thursday cheerfully and gladly gave another pint. Wilson is usually the first donor at local
blood give-ins. He is assisted by nurse Carol Reynolds.
Bob's always first in line
is the first in line.
Blood is badly needed at this va-
cation season ofthe year when the
number of wrecks is on the in-
crease, says Shockley.
At Tuesday's visit at Boyce
Memorial ARP Church sponsored
by Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce, 62 people gave a pint
of blood.
See Wilson, 12-A
Board delays decision
on employee drug tests
Kings Mountain Board of
Education put on hold a decision to
drug test bus drivers and possibly
other categories of employees
Monday night.
Associate Supt. Larry Allen says
the board wants to look at other in-
formation from the State
Department of Public Instruction,
recommending substance testing of
bus drivers, and wait for action by
the legislature on possible funding.
In other actions of the lengthy
session, the board:
+approved agreement between
Kings Mountain Middle School
.and Whittle Communications to
begin the Channel One program in
the school next year.
+ reviewed a new high school
attendance policy committee which
would give students the opportuni-
ty to makeup missed school in two
periods after school and give re-
wards for perfect attendance.
Making the presentation from the
committee were Betsy Wells and
Grace Costner. The board will take
action on the policy in July.
+Appointed Vice Chairman
Priscilla Mauney to the
Educational Foundation Board suc-
ceeding Chairman Billy King.
+Reappointed Howard Bryant,
retired Superintendent of Public
Instruction, to the board of
Cleveland Community College.
See Drugs, 12-A
VOLUNTEER OF YEAR-Lexie Horton, center, who has volun-
teered more than 200 hours to the Meals On Wheels program at the
Kings Mountain Senior Center, is congratulated by City of Kings
Mountain Aging Program Director Monty Thornbury and Senior
Center staffer Sharon Eaker at a volunteer brunch Saturday in
which Horten was honored as " Volunteer of the Year." Sixty volun-
teers were honored with certificates recognizing their community
service.
Nurse practitioner
approved for KMHS
A full-time nurse at Kings
Mountain High School was ap-
proved 4-1 by Kings Mountain
Board of Education Monday night
but only after two hours of debate
and over strong objections of some
parentsiand niinisters.
The rniew nurse practitioner pro-
gram would be implemented in the
fall with the county footing the bill
in a cooperative effort with the
schools and Cleveland County
Health Department.
The action came during what
was probably the school board's
longest session, which began at 7
p.m. with a reception honoring Dr.
Jane King, who recently earned her
doctorate degree, and ended after
midnight. :
The plan, which provides ex-
tended health care services for stu- °
dents, has already been implement-
ed at Shelby High School with
good success, according to officials
present at the meeting.
Four of the five school board
members and Supt. Bob McRae
went on record saying they were in
favor of the plan and the board
voted, with Chairman Billy King
voting "no" with the understanding
that if the program doesn't meet
their expectations, it would be ter-
minated. The board added clauses
to the contract for the program to
prevent the nurse from distributing
contraceptives and to prohibit the
giving of information or advice on
abortion, an outcry of opponents in
the standing-room-crowd who said
the new program would promote
more sexual activity at the high
school and middle school levels.
"We ought to at least have an
open forum with parents to discuss
this," said parent Larry Burns. "A
consent form isn't enough," said
parent Keith Miller who said the:
See Nurse, 12-A
contracts
- comes available.
-the people who were working this
‘teachers Sandy Shaffer, Grover;
55 get
Fifty-five of 59 probationary
teachers got the good news
Monday from the Kings Mountain
Board of Education that they have
a job next year.
The board reinstated probation-
ary teaching and counseling posi-
tions it cut two weeks ago due to
state budget cuts and indicated the
four remaining positions funded by
the Basic Education Plan will be
renewed as soon as money be-
Contracts were issued to 23 ca-
reer teachers and 32 probationary
employees. The four remaining po-
sitions affected by the budget
crunch are those of Grace Mitchell,
elementary Spanish; Florrie
Hamrick, home school coordinator;
Jamie Lackey, dance; and Rita
Baker, exceptional children.
Since last week news from the
state capital has been more encour-
aging, said Supt. Bob McRae and
Asst. Supt. of Personnel Ronnie
Wilson. They anticipated that by
July board meeting they may be
able to offer contracts to the re-
maining staff working this year.
"Our main goal was to keep all of
year. We are really pleased we can
bring them back," said McRae.
Contracts were issued to career
Allison Carswell, Pat Davis,
Bobby Grigg, KM Middle School;
Michelle Sivy, Craig Mayes, Cindy
Hovis, KM High; Barbara Hart,
See Contracts, 12-A
Campbell won't run again
Doyle Campbell, a member of
the Kings Mountain Board of
Education eight years, says he
won't be a candidate for reelection
this fall.
Campbell, who also served one
year as chairman of the board, said
he plans to step down to devote
more time to his family and busi-
ness. He is a partner with his broth-
er-in-law, John McGinnis, in the
family business, McGinnis
Department Store.
"I have enjoyed working with
the board and my service to the
community," said Campbell whose
daughter, Emily Campbell, will be
a senior at KMHS next year.
Another daughter, Anne, is a col-
lege student. Mrs. Campbell is
guidance counselor at the high
See Campbell, 11-A
DOYLE CAMPBELL