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North Carolina Press Association
Vol. 109 No. 23
Thursday, June 5, 1997
Public hearing on the city's
proposed $22,725,655 budget
for 1997-98 will be conducted
by City Council Tuesday at 7:30
p.m. at City Hall.
The proposed budget reflects
a $1.3 million increase over
1997-98 but includes provisions
for capital outlay for the first
time in several years.
The budget reflects the same
tax rate of 40 cents per $100 of
property evaluation with no in-
creases in electricity, gas, sanita-
tion and water and sewer un-
less the City of Gastonia ups the
city's cost of wastewater treat-
ment at the Crowders Creek
plant. City Manager Jimmy
Maney said if the city's cost of
treatment of sewerage goes up
that the sewer cost would have
to be passed on to customers.
When City Council takes a
look this week at the proposed
budget they will see some
changes to the traditional bud-
get. For the first time planning
and economic development will
be itemized together; codes and
Public hearing on budget set for Tuesday night
inspections will be together in a
separate category; and the Moss
Lake budget will be separate.
Maney said expenditures and
revenues will be identified in
each of the individual budget
categories.
The sanitation portion of the
new budget has also been re-
aligned with all expenditures
reflected in one budget along
with collection and disp-
osal/tipping fees. Heretofore,
sanitation has been grouped in
See Hearing 8-A
After 52 years, KM Marine
gets his canteen cup back
by ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
: After 52 years World War II veteran Lee A.
Sellers, 75, got his canteen cup back which he lost
when he was wounded on Sugar Loaf Hill on
Okinawa April 1, 1945.
Sellers got the unexpected package containing
J the cup and a medal in the mail several days ago
from Bill Pierce of Mount Pleasant, SC. :
~~ "This rusted aluminum hunk of metal might
: ean much to anyone but me but it brings
i id the former Kings i
Local schools and Mauney
Memorial Library got more
money from county commis-
sioners in the new $79 million
budget approved by the county
commission Tuesday night.
Kings Mountain citizens will
see a one cent supplemental tax
increase, from 18 to 19 cents per
$100 of valuation, to give the
KM District Schools $94,743. In
addition, commissioners raised
the per student allocation from
$501.10 to $516.13 per child that
"The enemy fired a hand grenade at us when
three of us took cover in an artillery hole and I
was hit in my neck and arms," said Sellers, who
ountain
$585,626.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae and
Librarian Rose Turner were
among local people attending
the commission meeting and
public hearing on the budget.
They took the occasion the
thank the board for their budget
consideration and approval of
more funds.
Cleveland Community
College was also approved for
bond money voted by
gives the three school systems
is called "Am" by his Kings Mountain family.
Sellers said the canteen cup was probably run
over by a tank and was found on the northeast
side of Sugar Loaf Hill by Marty Black, a US
Navy Pilot and Squadron Commander whose
hobby now is to explore all the hills, caves and
battlefields and as a result of his efforts has col-
lected numerous artifacts of the war.
Pierce traced Sellers through the Internet and
contacted Sellers’ daughter, Roxie Trammell.
Cleveland County voters r
cently and got a four percent
funding increase.
Citizens will see a .007 of a
percent increase in the tax rate,
from 62 to 62.7 per $100 of
property valuation, to pay for
the bonds. For a valuation of
$50,000, that means an increase
of about $4.
A four percent increase went
to libraries plus $26,000 for
funding of books.
Included in the budget is a 3-
Money for a new fire truck
and to start the building pro-
gram for a new law enforce-
ment center is included in the
proposed 1997-98 city budget.
In addition, several depart-
ment head requests for in-
creased expenditures for capital
improvements are expected to
be approved for the first time in
several years.
"For the first time in years the
city is able to address the capi-
tal improvement needs and still
maintain the fung balance re-
quired by the Local
Government Commission,” City
Manager Jimmy Maney said
this week.
raise for county em-
~ ployees and money for step in-
creases on the county's merit
pay system. One-third of all
employees will be paid on a
scale of step four or higher.
The Cleveland County
Sheriff's Department and coun-
ty jail got an increase in funds
of $282,343 and the sheriff's de-
partment got 13 new vehicles, a
6.6 percent increase for Sheriff
Dan Crawford's department
See County, 8-A
Margaret McGinnis' goal in
life has been to glorify God in
her music.
The 20-year veteran choir di-
rector at St. Matthew's Lutheran
Church retired Sunday but not
before she directed her choirs in
special anthems and the church
sang for her the hymn, "When
In Our Music God is Glorified."
A handmade navy, beige and
burgundy quilt decorated with
musical notes and embroidered
with a cross design and her
name and years of service was
presented to McGinnis during
the 11 a.m. service by Rew.
James Dougherty. The quilt
was a four month labor of love
by churchwomen.
The widow of Dick McGinnis
joined St. Matthew's on her
wedding day in 1956. A music
major at Appalachian State
University and a graduate stu-
dent of Peabody/ Vanderbilt in
Nashville, TN., she taught pub-
lic school music in Kings
Mountain before the consolida-
tion of schools and joined the
Gaston County System in 1961,
retiring in 1992 after 30 years in
education.
McGinnis says her whole
family is musical thanks to her
: | father, the late Dee Christopher
Cole, band director of Cool
Springs High in Forest City for
a number of years.
Margaret and her three broth-
ers and sister grew up on musi-
McGinnis glorified |
God in her music
cal notes. Her sister, Helen
Krause, retired from Shelby
High School after many years
as choral director and also re-
tired recently at First
Presbyterian Church in Forest
City after many years as choir
director.
Now the two friends take to
the road and enjoy traveling to-
gether. They visit their brother,
J. Owen Cole, who has homes
in = Annapolis, Md. and
Camden, Maine. Brothers
Roger and Benjamin Cole of
Forest City round out their
close-knit family.
Margaret has two children,
Myra Hamrick of Shelby, who
is married to Rusty Hamrick
and Greg McGinnis of
Charlotte who is married to
Karen Morton. McGinnis is a
budget analyst for the City of
Charlotte and Hamrick is exec-
utive director of Cleveland
County Hospice. McGinnis has
two stepgrandsons, Charley
Hamrick, a junior at UNC at
Chapel Hill, and Blanton
Hamrick, a senior at Shelby
High.
The musical family extends to
a third generation. Chris Cole,
nephew of Margaret, directs the
band at Kings Mountain High
School and is his grandfather's
namesake.
"Dad could play almost any
See McGinnis, 8-A
ESA
CHURCH MUSICIAN RETIRING - Margaret McGinnis' love fors
music is reflected in the decorations on the quilt presented to}
her by St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. She is retiring after 20
years as the church choral director.
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Some of the projected ex-
penses in the new budget year:
New communications equip-
ment for the police tower, three
new police cars and $251,658
from the general fund to be ap-
plied toward costs of building
the new law enforcement center
are included in the police de-
partment budget nf $1.2 million
up from $1.1 million last year.
Maney said the $251,658 antici-
pated refunds from Duke
Power Company has been allo-
cated to start work on the new
facility.
Included in the fire depart-
ment budget is $55,536, the first
lease purchase payment for a
Capital outlay money in proposed city budget
new fire truck.
Sandblasting and painting
the 30-year-old water tank at
the Public Works Building will
cost about $60,000 and other
capital improvements in the
water/sewer budget include
$15,625 for a water line on
Floyd Street, $24,000 for a sewer
line on Jackson Street, $70,000
for a sewer line on Floyd Street
and $200,000 for a Northside
“30-inch project” which will en-
able the city to fill up storage
tanks at night when electric
rates are cheaper and use the
water during the day to save on
costs of electricity.
See Budget, 8-A
Mayor says city's serious
about closing Moss Lake
'
"It's no scare tactic,’ says
Mayor Scott Neisler of the city's
threat to Moss Lake property
owners that city-owned Moss
Lake will be closed to recreation
if a majority of lake residents do
not pay the increased user fees.
Neisler wrote to Rep. John
Weatherly, with copies to other
area legislators, that the lake us-
er fees go up July 1 but he
promised that the city would
make an increased effort to col-
lect back fees from delinquent
roperty owners which could
The mayor said the city has
not had the manpower to push
the collection of back dues in
the past several years and is just
now beginning to "get a handle
on it."
"We've been told that some
property owners put up piers
without getting the necessary
permits,” he said.
"It's an economic situation, if
See Mayor, 8-A
| ing with Ingles on placement of
City, Ingles working
on parking lot plans
Mayor Scott Neisler said
Tuesday that city officials and
Ingles Markets representatives
are hammering out adjustments
in the city's ordinance regard-
ing trees in parking lots.
Ingles presented an amend-
ment to the new ordinance at
the recent Planning & Zoning
scaped nicely but we are work-
trees so that we won't be mak-
ing an exception and set a
precedent,” said the mayor.
Neisler did not indicate when
the ordinance change would be
on the agenda of City Council.
"We're trying to get things
worked out so Ingles can
for parking lots to be land~{
build," he said.
Grover Council adopts
a 'hold the line' budget
GROVER - Town Council
adopted a "hold the line" bud-
get for 1997-98 Wednesday
night which reflects no increase
in the tax rate of 29 cents per
$100 valuation and no increase
in services.
"We expect a good year," said
Mayor Ronald Queen who took
the occasion to announce that a
new police car had been pur-
chased at cost of $19,870 and
paid for in last year's budget.
He said plans for progressing
for a Grover Library with land
negotiations underway.
The city anticipates revenues
of $230,305, up from $212,795
last fiscal year. Included in this
projection is $60,500 for ad val-
orem taxes, $64,000 for state
franchise taxes, $40,000 in local
sales taxes and trash truck pro-
ceeds of $12,825.
Office operations are expect-
ed to cost $28,360, down from
$31,780. The board approved a
401K retirement plan for em-
Yioyees. Salaries and wages
(ill account for $16,250.
ke snses of elected officials to-
al ,600, including salary for
the ayor and the five commis-
ir Town Hall supplies are
> 00 gto cost $2,000 and le-
% PC Mare expected to cost
Mal fees
%55,000.
: nce operations are
Mai cost $15,135, includ-
i ’ salary for one employee of
Fa400.
The Police budget totals
$60,000. Salaries department
will account for $42,180 in the
budget with $1900 added for
401K fringe benefit plus $2,390
for retirement benefits, $$2,050
for insurance and $3,250 for FI-
CA and Medicare. Telephone
and police supplies account for
$900 and $2,000 is budgeted for
gas and $1,000 for vehicle main-
tenance.
Water and sewer revenue is
expected to be $196,000 includ-
ing $68,000 for water and
$68,000 for sewer plus $2500 for
reconnect fees and $3,000 for
penalties. Water and sewer taps
are estimated to bring in $7500.
Salaries in the water and sew-
er department total $16,250 plus
insurance and benefits with
$26,000 budgeted for bond pay-
ment interest and $9,325 bud-
geted for bond payment princi-
pal.
Water and sewer mainte-
nance is expected to cost
$38,725, including salaries of
$25,500 plus benefits.
Grover is expecting to spend
$36,000 for water from Kings
Mountain and $12,500 for sewer
testing. The water and sewer
budget is expected to total
$83,035, down from $103,000
last year with expenditures
$196,800, up from $191,457 last’
year.
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