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RT IPI Kings Mountain,
(Garbage issue to go back to City Council
Mayor Scott Neisler ¢verruled motions by two
councilmen to rescind the city's prior action on
privatiation of garbage, siding with City Attorney
Mickey Corry Tuesday &nd sending the hot issue
back to Council next month.
Councilman Ralph Grindstaff attempted to get
the motion on the floor and Councilman Jerry
Mullinax was unsuccessful several times in get-
ting the subject squashed.
Councilman Phil Hager withdrew his second to
Mullinax's attempt after Neisler would not call
for the vote. At the beginning of the lengthy
meeting Mullinax asked that the privatization is-
sue be included on the Tuesday agenda and the
board approved the 30-plus item agenda which
included a discussion of privitazation.
"Everyone knows I am against privitazation
but I agree with the attorney that this should be
an agenda item next month and we can keep it
clean by doing that."
"In view of all the controversy and calls I
have received I want us to rescind our former ac-
White calls for investigation
of city's bidding procedures
Retired ciy planner Gene
White, who Tuesday night
called for an investigation into
the city's bidding protedures
and the city's purchase of com-
puters, said he will make a for-
mal request to Cleveland
County Attorney Bill Young for
an investigation.
White asked Mayor Scott
Neisler to call for an SBI investi-
gation but the mayor said he
knew of no criminal activities
and perhaps the city could pur-
sue an internal investigation of
both concerns.
Councilman Jerry White said
any citizen may requiest the
Cleveland County District
Attorney to look into such mat-
ters and suggested that White
do that.
White asked Council to re-
scind its former action on
awarding of a contract for pri-
vatization and said the city's
problems stem from manage-
ment, not workers. "It comes. holes in the recent bidding pro-
cedures but let's do it right from
from the top down and there
have been some terrible mis-
takes made," he said.
White said that until three
years ago sanitation service
was excellent in | Kings
Mountain and citizens got back-
yard pickup twice a week.
GROVER - As expected, to
help ends meet this budget
year, Grover Town Board ap-
proved raising water ancl sewer
rates 20 percent in the 1996-97
city budget approved by vote of
4-1 Monday night.
For the typical user, the
monthly bill for water, sewer
and trash pickup will rise from
the minimum of $16 to $18.40.
The water rate will rise from
$1.62 per 1,000 gallons to $1.94
which town officials is among
the lowest rates in the county.
"Now we don't know what
day the sanitation crew is com-
ing," he said.”
But White said he wasn't at
Council to debate the garbage
issue. He said there should
have been a public hearing for
citizens to give input into
Council's decision and public
information.
"This is a multi-million dollar
business and we need to delay
the bidding until a complete
reevaluation ."
White called "suspicious" the
city's bid processes and the
city's purchase of computer
equipment over the past two
years.
He said the savings estimates
for privatization versus back-
yard pickup is full of false as-
sumptions and that recent pur-
chases of computers are not on
the city's inventories.
“You can be thankful for loop-
now own," he said.
The packed City Hall Council
Chambers erupted into ap-
plause twice during and after
White's 10-minute presentation
but the mayor silenced them
with his gavel.
Town clerk Barbara Barrett
said that for several years trans-
ferring the water/sewer fund
was subsidizing the general
fund and the Local Government
Commission, as it had directed
Kings Mountain City Council to
do, had written them a letter
suggesting that no transfers be
made and each fund be self-
supporting, suggesting that an
increase in water/sewer rates
would help do that.
Barrett said the board look at
rates of other municipalities
No more 'Trot to Trott' because
Tomdrott announces retirement
Thomas L. Trott, Kings
Mountain insuranceman for
nearly 40 years, developed a
unique slogan for his business
when he opened on King; Street
in Kings Mountain.
This week Trott took down
his familiar sign, "Trot to Trott
for Insurance."
Trott is retiring from busi-
ness but not from his activity in
the community, the Kings
Mountain Rotary Club which
he founded, his family and St.
Matthew's Lutheran Clhurch.
He plans to enjoy bird watch-
ing, a longtime hobby, and
spend more time with his
grandchildren.
His family gathered Saturday
at Lake Montonia to honor Trott
on his 80th birthday and pre-
sent him with a "This Is Your
Life" video, binoculars, bird
feeders and sunflower seeds.
The family also cut a horse-dec-
orated birthday cake and re-
leased colorful balloons with
birthday messages in them.
See Trott, 6-A
tion and expunge privatization," Mullinax said
on more than one occasion.
Councilman Rick Murphrey called for the mat-
ter to go before the utilities committee at the next
PAINTING LIBRARY - Dwayne Yarbro, left and Butch Cathey,
meeting for an indepth look at it, including pro-
jected revenues the city expects to receive.
Mullinax strongly disagreed, saying that a pub-
lic hearing should have been held on the issue
and citizens were kept in the dark.
Hager said many questions need to be an-
swered and also called for e public input. He said
he wanted to see contracts.
Earlier in the meeting, retired city planner
Gene White questioned the city's bidding proce-
dures and asked each individual council member
if he or she had seen a contract for privatization
of garbage. Council members said they had not
right, along with Curtis Foster, behind the tall pillar, are busy
painting Jacob S. Mauney Memorial Library. Scraping the nine-
year-old paint from the pillars. is the biggest job, according to the
painting crew from B&D Contractors. Librarian Rose Turner said
the beautification project will take several weeks and includes
planting of shrubs donated by garden clubs.
Grover hikes utilities to make ends meet
and water service agencies and
found that Grover's rate by
comparison was very low.
Councilman Robbie Sides
cast the only dissenting vote,
saying that he appreciated the
work which had been done on
the budget but disagreed on
some items in the budget. Sides
had proposed the town buy a
new police car this budget year
but members scrapped the idea
during the recent budget work-
shop which Sides missed. Sides
had also opposed an increase in
water rates.
The increases are aimed to
offset falling revenues and to
buy water from Kings
Mountain.
Included in the budget is
paid retirement to employees
and no increase in the 29 cents
tax rate.
The budget totals $538,695
which Mayor Ronald Queen
said is slightly up from last
year. It proposes general fund
See Grover, 6-A
| ose LLUACALORE
INSURANCE
TAKING DOWN SIGN - Thomas L. Trott is pictured taking down
his "Trot to Trott" sign on King Street. He is assisted by his grandchil-
dren, Molly Blanton and Adam Trott Blanton.
VERA BLACK
Vera Black, 80, just can't stop dancing
At 80 years of age Vera
Sanders Black goes dancing ev-
ery week.
"I love to dance and I love my
job," says the petite great-
grandmother who went back to
work seven years ago for
Kentucky Fried Chicken after a
winding job at Mauney Mills
that spanned 36 years.
Her morning shift in the din-
ing room at the local restaurant
takes her in contact with many
Kings Mountain people and she
takes the occasion to encourage
senior citizens to join her and,
her friends in participating in
local dances. :
Black, a Kings Mountain na-
tive, went to work at 16 at the
Margrace Mill as a spinning
hand.
"There wasn't much time or
money to go to dances during
those days and I really didn't
get in the habit until later in life
but I found that it's good exer-
cise," says Black who doesn't
dance the popular line dance or
the fast paced dances because
she's "short winded."
But she enjoys sitting out
some of the dances and just
watching the people.
And no, she isn't a wallflow-
er. Most times she's on the
dance floor for a major part of
the evening.
Vera Sanders and Bill Black
married in 1939, each at age 24.
Mr. Black built the first two
houses on Monte Vista Drive
and over the years the area has
expanded. Back then, the lots
sold for $25 and Vera recalled
that the couple's first house cost
$1600, a far cry from today's
prices. Mr. Black died in 1975.
Atter she retirea twice from
the cotton mills, Vera worked
for about eight years at the local
Holiday Inn. Her job was in
See Black, 6-A
seen a contract but had been given a letter from
the city attorney who reviewed the bids and
made the recommendation on awarding a con-
tract for privatization.
"We come in here and rush through these
things and then the telephones start ringing and I
want it on the record that I oppose what we are
doing," said Mullinax.
zation matter.
Murphrey said city staff was only looking for
ways to save taxpayers from paying higher taxes
and more utility costs in researching the privati-
See Garbage, 6-A |
Council delays approval
of city manager's budget
By vote of 6-1 City Council
Tuesday night put off for one
more month the adoption of the
proposed 1996-97 $20 million
budget, sending it back to inter-
im City Manager Gary Hicks to
be put in proper format.
Councilman Jerry Mullinax
proposed the 30-day temporary
budget which other Council
members agreed to except
Councilman Rick Murphrey.
"What's wrong with the bud-
get as it is?" asked Murphrey.
But Mullinax said he received
a worksheet rather than a final
budget on Friday. Hicks said
the only difference between the
worksheet and the budget were
cosmetic.
"Tell me in what form you
want it and I'll do it," said
Hicks.
Murphrey said Hicks proper-
ly put together the budget and
there would be no bottom line
changes in the dollar figures.
hos
in chastising Hicks for poor
work on the budget.
"The numbers are different,"
said Grindstaff, holding up a
copy of the May 30, 1996 and
June 321, 1996 budget work-
sheets, "I have a problem," said
Grindstaff.
"If the bottom line doesn't
change why do the numbers
change?" asked Grindstaff refer-
ring to differences in salaries for
temporary help at Moss Lake
(from $4,000 in one budget
sheet to $14,000 in another) and
in salaries listed for the Public
Works Department.
Grindstaff pushed to rescind
his original motion last month
to approve privatization, ques-
tioning if figures in the budget
. supported the Council's prior
vote on privitazation of city
garbage.,
See Budget, 6-A
jor Mullinax and joined him
Council approves
thoroughfare plan
City Council adopted a thor-
oughfare plan map Tuesday
night, deleting the closing of
Hawthorne and Baker Street
railroad crossings from the plan
if Gold Street is realigned as one
of the possible components.
Anna Brigman, of NCDOT's
Planning Branch, who gave an
update during a public hearing,
said the plan is a projection of
Kings Mountain's transporta-
tion needs for the year 2020.
She said it is a guide for the
development of an urban street
system to. meet changing traffic
demands.
Councilwoman Norma
Bridges said that residents are
strongly opposed to closing
railroad crossings.
City planner Steve Killian
said that potential use of the
line asa condor
rakes the closing of some
crossings a permanent issue.
Councilman Phil Hager's re-
marks that "Kings Mountain is
not geared to high speed trains"
brought loud applause from a
crowded City Hall Council
Chambers and Mayor Scott
Neisler rapped his gavel for or-
der.
Killian said that two dozen
people attended an informa-
tional meeting on the thorough-
fare map and plan June 13.
Specific concerns were raised
about the impact of the Dixon
School Road Extension, the
speeding and littering on York
Road, the impact of widening
York Road and the need to con-
nect the two schools on Phifer}
Road directly to US 74 so as to |
lessen traffic congestion.
Brigman said there is support
for a recommended exclusive
See Thoroughfare, 6-A
Woman claims KM policeman
An internal investigation is
underway in the Kings
Mountain Police Department
which may lead to disciplinary
actions involving the alleged
misconduct of Sgt. Derek
Johnson, Chief Bob Hayes said
this week.
Hayes said Johnson is being
accused by Letitia Wallace, of
89 Pine Manor, with giving her
15-year-old daughter a flier
with a sexually explicit mes-
sage.
In her formal complaint,
Business News.....7-A
Classifieds.......... 8-9B
Editorials............... 4-A
Military News........ 2-A
Obituaries.............. 3-A
Police News..........8-A
School News.......4-7B
SPOIS.....ccovnnvnnnsns 5-A
Weddings.............. 1-B
J gave her daughter dirty cartoon
Wallace alleges that Johnson
drove through the complex
while on patrol and handed her
daughter a piece of paper with
a cartoon drawing of a space
alien in the right hand corner of
the page and a joke about sex.
"They don't need more trash.
We've got enough problems out
here without giving our kids
things like this," Wallace said in
her complaint.
A statement from the teenag-
er, also included in the police
See Officer, 6-A
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