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See Pages 6A & 7A
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VOL. 106 NO. 26
Budget committee named
City budget finally approved 7-0
Thursday, June 30, 1994
Randy Parker wants Mayor out
City post office employee Randy
Parker, of 103 Cameron Drive,
called publicly for Mayor Scott
Neisler's resig-
nation Tuesday
if the mayor
"can't work with
the entire board
and city admin-
istration."
Parker
accused the
mayor of "con-
tinually mislead-
ing and misin-
forming the
NEISLER
citizens and the media about the
state of the city's finances."
"This is now obvious to the
people of this town," he said and
held up the June 23, 1994 front
page of The Kings Mountain
Herald. :
"The Herald pretty much tells
the whole story about the city's un-
fortunate financial situation," said
Parker. The citizens deserve to be
led by a good, well informed vora-
cious leader."
"Due to the events of the past
month we would like for you to
work with the entire board and city
administration. However, if you
feel you can not, we would like
you to resign as mayor of Kings
Mountain," said Parker.
Parker said he was recently con-
tacted by citizens whose concerns
represent a large percentage of the
population of the town.
"I would like it noted that their
concerns are the same as mine. We
are very concerned about the pre-
sent condition of the city that has
taken several years or more to
reach."
Neisler said Parker was entitled
to his opinion.
"I am not a ceremonial mayor
and I plan to always stand up for
See Parker, 5A
Hearing set July 11
- GROVER - Former police offi-
cer Robbie Sides says he is eager
to tell his side of the story of his
fi llow council mem-
to consider Sides' request for a
hearing. The hearing will deter-
mine if Sides termination is over-
turned, as he requests.
Police Chief Paul Cash will also
give details of the incident which
resulted in Sides' leaving the de-
partment in March.
The closed hearing on the firing
was announced by Mayor Ronald
Queen after the board reconvened
the meeting at 8:45 p.m.
. Sides was fired after what Cash
called an internal investigation into
his role in a March high speed
chase of a man suspected of rob-
bing and assaulting a cab driver at
Cleveland Mall parking lot. The
chase ended in a wreck that sent
both men to the hospital and to-
taled Grover's police car.
After the meeting Sides was
hugged by supporters outside town
hall.
doors for two hours Mon ay night |
Grover budget adopted
in three minutes, flat
GROVER - Without fanfare,
Grover Town Board adopted a
$424,000 budget in less than five
minutes Monday night after a brief
public hearing in which no one
spoke.
The budget reflects a 27 cents
three full-time employees
"Has anybody looked at the bud-
get?" asked Mayor Ronald Queen,
who received no response.
The budget anticipates water and
sewer revenues of $125,000;
$20,000 from ad valorem taxes;
$2000 from water taps and $3,000
from reconnect and penalty fees.
The General Fund expenditures
project $17,601 for: administration
costs, $9600 for salaries and wages
of the mayor and five council
members, and total office operation
expenses of $46,756.
Town Hall operations, estimated
to cost $36,050, include $8000 for
legal and professional services,
$1500 for election expenses, and
$10,000 for insurance.
Total maintenance operations
will cost $67,160, including
$12,000 for equipment purchases,
See Grover, SA
Independence Day celebration.
City Council, still divided over
whether the city is in financial cri-
sis, finally approved 7-0 a $18.8
million budget Tuesday night after
over an hour of debate.
As a strong electrical storm rum-
bled outside City Hall, Mayor
Scott Neisler and Council bickered
over a budget which City Auditor
Darrell Keller says will restore
money reserves if the city holds the
line on spending.
After the adoption of the budget,
Keller asked the mayor to appoint
a first, permanent audit committee
of three Council members to serve
as a liaison committee between the
Council and auditor and to function
as an oversight committee for the
June 30 audit of the city's books.
Neisler appointed Councilmen
YMMM. GOOD. - Snes weather weuslly calls for ice cream and July ath
celebrations. Shannon Johnson, 4, enjoys ice cream, above. The Johnson family plans
to be in the crowd at the Community Center Monday for the annual community-wide
Rick Murphrey, Phil Hager and Jim
Guyton and insisted, although the
auditor did not specify, that the city
manager sit on the committee.
Keller suggested that members
rotate from the committee each
year so that eventually all Council
members would serve at some
point in the active audit of the
books.
Keller said he planned to hold
workshops with the new committee
so that the Council would be fully
informed.
"There's a lot of questions here
as to where we stand financially.
There's a lot of cash there we didn't
know we had, and yet we've been
told we're in a crisis financially,"
said Neisler.
"I just don't feel comfortable
Day.
Hardy.
is $2.
| Celebration
on July 4th
A community-wide July 4th celebration will be he.
Monday beginning at 11 a.m. at the Deal Street Park
complex and Community Center and culminated by a
+} fireworks display at 10 p.m.
| Bruce Clark, Director of the sponsoring Parks &
tion Department, said the fireworks display is
Concessions will be t y atio
Commission members and Keith Falls and Katherine
Jo Herndon is in charge of pony rides and Derice
Ellis will offer face-painting to kids.
Activities include:
11 a.m.- Horseshoe tournament with trophies
awards for singles and doubles competition. Entry fee
12 noon = Pool events, including innertube relays,
swimming relays, watermelon carry, big splash an lit-
tle splash. Ribbons will be awarded to winners.
3-5 p.m. - Music provided by Howell Brothers, DJ,
of Cherryville. Games, sack races, three-legged race,
| water balloon toss and dunking booths.
6 p.m. - Homerun derby. Registration fee $10.
Trophies to be awarded.
6-10 p.m.- Music by Howell Brothers.
10 p.m. - Fireworks display.
asking our citizens for a 4-cent tax
increase when our finances are not
that bad. I guess time will bear me
out."
The property tax-hike would
raise the tax about $30 for the own-
er of a $75,000 home, for example.
The average residential water user
would see an increase of $1.50 on
his monthly utility bill.
"I think the citizens understand
that when you have the situation
we have you have to do these
things," said Councilman Rick
Murphrey.
Councilmen Murphrey, Ralph
Grindstaff, Jerry White and Dean
Spears supported the budget which
also calls for an eight percent
across-the- boards water and sewer
See Council, 5A
d budget restrictions.
EE — EE ———————————
| Kings Mountain People
Christy Walker, 17, has been in
| a gospel singing family all her life.
So it's only natural that she was se-
lected in a "Star
Search" to audi-
ition for a major
§ record company
in Nashville,
Tennessee.
N ow
2 Hole, "Holy
a Jd Ground," is out
WALKER on the gos-
pel/country label of St. John
Records and she has been told by
Larry West of Genesis
Management Agency and West
Way Productions that her voice is
being aired in seven countries
abroad. :
Walker made the recording re-
West and engineer Ken Isham.
"I'm really excited because it's
been my dream to sing profession-
ally," said Walker.
Since the age of four, the rising
high school senior has sung for
small gatherings of family mem-
bers, at church, or to strangers as
the family vacationed and traveled
as "The Singing Hayes Family."
cently at Texana Recording Studio’
in Nashville with Producer Larry
"She would take every opportu-
nity to sing," said her proud father,
Jeff Walker.
"Christy realizes that her talent
is God-given and is dedicated to
using this talent to spread the word
of God though song."
This summer Christy is using
her time off from Kings Mountain
High School to work at Summer
Day Camp at West School and to
travel back and forth to Nashville,
Tennessee. Her back-up is a
sound track and she sings gospel
and country and hopes that her tal-
ent will take her to the stage of the
Grand Ole Oprey.
Christy's parents started singing
together when they got married and
members of Patsy Hayes Walker's
family joined in. Patsy's father,
Jonas, plays guitar and her broth-
ers, Michael and Lynn Hayes are in
the group with Patsy's mother.
Lynn Hayes is the bass player and
Jeff Walker is on keyboard.
Christy's brother, Jeffrey Walker,
13, applauds from the sidelines.
The two families practice to-
gether about twice a week. Christy
practices about six hours a day,
keeping her voice and physical
health in tip top shape.
Christy Walker sings from her heart
"It has been only three months
since I entered a Star Search con-
test in Gastonia and was among the
top five performers picked to audi-
tion in Nashville," said Christy.
Doors have continued to open
for the bright young woman who
plans to stick with gospel and in-
tersperse some of her numbers with
country.
"I really love Christian music
and I sing from my heart," said
Christy.
Walker says that Christy is
booking singing engagements such
as concerts, church services, chari-
ties and benefits and that he will be
happy to make the arrangements
for those interested by calling 704-
739-9368.
"Christy needs the experience
and with school out for the summer
she wants to sing for audiences as
much as possible," said Walker.
The Singing Hayes Family likes
to spread the word of God through
song and is elated that one of the
group is out in the music world on
her own.
If she ever makes it to the big
time, Christy says she wants to
give the credit to God and her mu-
sical family.
Leonard resigns city job
Denise Leonard is quitting her
job as Recreation Program
Supervisor at the Kings Mountain
Community Center effective today.
Leonard submitted her resigna-
tion June 16 to Recreation Director
Bruce Clark, Interim City Manager
Maxine Parsons, Mayor Scott
Neisler, Recreation Commission
Chairman Norma Bridges and
Most area plants to be c
A large segment of industrial
Kings Mountain will take a holi-
day next week, majority of the
city's textile plants scheduling July
4th week vacations and with pay.
Local financial institutions, the
Kings Mountain Post Office and
City Hall will be closed on
Monday.
Carolina State Bank, which nor-
Personnel Director Winston
Bagley.
Her annual salary is $19,952.
"Due to circumstances beyond
my control I find it in my best in-
terest to resign my position as
Recreation Program Supervisor ef-
fective June 30, 1994," said
Leonard. She requested on her last
day of employment that she receive
osed
mally opens on Saturday morning,
will also be closed this Saturday
for the holiday.
Eaton Corporation, Commercial
Intertech and Cablelink reported
shortest holiday, Independence Day
only.
Closing for the full week, and
with pay to their employees, are
See Closing, 5A
Federal funds to help recruit KM doctors
Kings Mountain Hospital has
announced that grant funds under
the Housing and Urban
Development Rural Health Care
Network project at the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Hospital Authority
will be made available to KMH for
physician recruitment efforts.
These funds will be used to
bring prospective physicians to vis-
it Kings Mountain. In addition,
funding will be provided to update
the hospital brochure.
In making the announcement,
Hank Neal, Administrator of the
Kings Mountain Hospital, said,
"Kings Mountain is a wonderful
community in which to live and
work, and we are hopeful that new
physicians can be attracted here to
add to our present medical work-
force. Working with the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Hospital Authority
See Funds, 5A
all earned vacation pay and "any
other pay due me."
Dale Greene, full-time athletic
director, has also resigned to accept
a job with Coca-Cola Bottling
Company. Greene has been re-
placed by Monty Deaton.
Rusty Bumgardner and Keith
Dixon have been hired full-time in
the maintenance department and
summer workers in outdoor main-
tenance are Rick Fortner and Mike
Smith. Kim Roper, receptionist,
will work part time beginning
Friday.
Leonard was acting director for
three months last year following
the resignation of David Hancock
who was succeeded by former
coach Bruce Clark. She headed up
Parks & Recreation's planning for
Mountaineer Day, July 4, and the
annual Christmas parade.
A 1976 graduate of Kings
Mountain High School, Leonard
came to the city as Recreation
Center supervisor in 1989 after
working for three years at Clyde A.
Short Company and before that as
a school system reading aide. In
her present position she headed up
athletic and special events and ar-
ranged programs at the Community
Center.
Leonard is married to Preston
Leonard and is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Hord Jr. She has
three children: Cameron Falls, 16;
Liza Falls, 14; and Tyler Falls, 11.