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Vol. 109 No. 26 Kings Mountain, N.C. « 28086 ¢ 50¢
Council
approves |
budget
The wave of rate hikes in area
municipalities missed Kings
Mountain as City Council by
vote of 4-2 Tuesday adopted a
$20.8 million budget that in-
cludes no tax increase and no
increases in water, sewer, gas or
electrical rates.
New City Manager Jimmy
Maney's first budget reflects ex-
penditures - particularly those
related to the operation of Moss
Lake - a priority.
i He told Council the city
door would try to absorb a projected
10.35 percent increase in sewer
service the city of Gastonia
iA ‘charges for sewer treatment at
the Crowders Creek plant un-
der an agreement inked be-
i tween the two municipalities
i some years ago.
In: a
Councilman Ralph Grindstaff
asked that the city take steps to
initiate compromise talks to
renegotiate the cost since Kings
Mountain pays for more
sewage treatment than it uses
Clevemont Plant and the
demise of what Maney termed
"wet industry."
But Mayor Scot
Neisler said
JE Election season '97 is only 10
Lrg hit days away:
~~ The Fall political season
swings into high gear July 7th
with the opening of filing for
eight seats up for grabs.
November 4 on the Kings
Mountain City Council, three
seats on Grover City Council,
and three seats on the Kings
| Mountain Board of Education.
gir Director of Elections Debra
Blanton says the official begin-
ning of the filing period for can-
didates is July 4th but her office
will . be closed for the
Independence Day holiday
To file for municipal or school
board office, candidates must
file at the Board of Elections,
310 East Dale Street, Shelby,
during office hours from 8 a.m.-
5 p.m. The filing period closes
at noon on Friday, August 1.
In Kings Mountain the two-
year terms of all city commis-
sioners and the mayor are up.
The terms of Mayor G. Scott
Neisler and Council members
Phillip Hager, Ward I; Jerry
Mullinax, Ward 2; Ralph
Grindstaff, Ward 3; Jerry White,
Ward 4; ; Rick Murphrey ]Jr.,
Ward 5; and Dean Spears and
Norma Bridges, at large, are ex-
piring.
In Grover the four year terms
of Tim Rowland, Robbie Sides
related motion,"
‘with the closing of the big
Filing to begin for fall elections
and Noel G. Spivey are expir-
ing. : ;
The outside seats of Ronnie
Hawkins and Connie Allison on
‘ the Board of Education and the
at-large seat of Billy Houze are
expiring. :
The filing fee for Kings
Mountain mayor is $60; for
Kings Mountain city commis-
sioner $35; for Grover commijs-
sioner $5; and for the Board of
Education $20.
Blanton said all 15 municipal-
ities will be conducting town
council elections this fall and
the Board of Elections will han-
dle all but the Town of Boiling
Springs which conducts its own
elections. This is the first year
that the county elections board
has conducted Kings Mountain
elections.
The City of Shelby and Town
of Kingstown election is
October 7 and all other elections
are on November 4 from 6:30
a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
These include: Towns of
Belwood, Casar, Earl, Fallston,
Grover, Lattimore, Lawndale,
Mooresboro, Patterson Springs,
Polkville, Waco, City of Kings
Mountain, Cleveland County
Sanitary District, Kings
Mountain Board of Education
and Shelby City Board of
' See Filing, 2-A
. SUMMERTIME FUN - What better place to get in the shade on
board at Pine Manor Apartments
LISTEN TO CONCERNS - Paul Neisler, Mike Bennett and Twyla Robinson, left to right, listen to
concerns of citizens about needs for summer activities for children at Monday's meeting of the
Parks-& Recreation Committee at the Community Center.
Council
ives Ingles
green light to build
By 4-2 vote City Council Tuesday night gave
Ingles Markets Inc. the green light to begin con-
struction of a $3 million grocery store on Oak
Grove/Scism Road that is expected to bring 90
new jobs to the community.
"I'm siding with Ingles because we need Ingles
and I feel like they were caught between the old
zoning ordinance and the new zoning ordinance
and giving them this amendment won't affect
other building down the road," said Councilman
Ralph Grindstaff who made the motion, seconded
by Councilman Jerry Mullinax.
Voting for the limited amendment to the city's
new zoning ordinance were Councilmen Dean
Spears and Rick Murphrey. Council members
Jerry White and Norma Bridges voted against the
amendment, saying they felt they should side
with the city's planning board which had unani-
mously voted last week for the second time to de-
ny the amendment and Ingles revised site plan
because "it is unfair to other developers.”
City Council had passed the amendment back
to the planning board with a recommendation to
negotiate. Three members of the Planning Board,
Lou Ballew, Jim Childers and Jim Guyton were in
the audience but did not comment.
Mayor Scott Neisler said Kings Mountain had
not been unfair in the landscaping requirements
and said Ingles should not let four more trees
hold up their progress.
But Mullinax said the new Ingles store will be
located more than two miles from Kings
ountain. "Perhaps if that store were locating on
levelan
‘Smith spoke against a change to four years and
discuss the issue and check public opinion.
ent ew here the. ney Doct or s Office | . tion and not a special election Ae wel. have
Only four speak at public hearing
City Council's public hearing Tuesday night for
public opinion of a two year versus four year
term of office for elected officials attracted only
four speakers.
Gene White, Wayne Worcester and Michael
Becky Cook, former elections board supervisor,
spoke for another vote by the public.
"We don't need a four year term, if you do a
good job after two years we'll reelect you," said
the three men who asked but didn't get an an-
swer to their question of who initiated the item
on the agenda
"The vote in 1995 followed about 10 months of
publicity and a petition with the required signa-
tures," said White, who initiated the petition for a
vote that changed the charter.
"I trust the voters, I believe they really meant it.
Are we saying that the people who signed the pe-
tition and exercised their voting rights in a
democracy were just kidding, didn't know what
they were doing and were less smart than the
present city council," he asked.
White asked if there had been an outcry to
change back to four year terms and wanted to
know if the mayor appointed any committees to
Cook said that 834 people voted out of a total
registration of 4,602 in 1995. "If that vote had been
at the same time as the school board or city elec-
had a better turnout, " she’ said.
to anne
The City Council is moving
to annex 857 acres or 1.34
square mile in four areas of the
city to take in 592 people, 231
dwellings and 20 establish=
ments.
Public hearing will be held
July 29 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall:
Tuesday night Council
adopted unanimously the sers
vice area and resolution of ins
tent.
Friday notices of the upcom-
ing hearing and maps of the ar-
eas will be mailed to property
See Annex, 2-A
Maney calls for long-range pool plans
With nearly 1,000 kids partici-
pating in the city baseball pro-
gram at the Community Center
that's a priority in recreation,
said City Manager Jimmy
Maney Tuesday night.
Maney was responding to
question of Councilwoman
Norma Bridges who asked for
a plan to increase the budget for
more recreational needs and to
elementary teacher Mike Smith
who appeared at his second city
meeting to push for a new pool
at Deal Street Park and renova-
tions to the Community Center.
"We need to quit reacting
and make long-range plans
with the help of pool experts to
give us advise on whether to
spend $50,000 on pool repairs
or what direction to take,” said
Maney.
Smith said at Monday's Parks
& Recreation Commission
meeting chaired by Bridges that
he isn't satisfied with the Parks
& Recreation budget of $395,249
which includes only $30,000 for
painting of the Community
Center.
He asked for'a commitment
from the Parks and Recreation .
board to support funds for a
pool in the new budget and also
for upgrading of the
Community Center which he
called a disgrace to the commu-
nity. Smith said he had been
told that plans are underway to
cover the pool area and use it
for another ball field.
"We don't need another ball
field," he said.
Smith said kudzu is taking
over the tennis courts at
Davidson Park, where the pool
is also closed, and kids who
don't play ball have no other
outlets..
"Mike has a leuitimate gripe,"
said Parks member Twyla
Robinson at Monday night's
meeting. which also included
concerns expressed by member
Charles Smith about criteria for
selection of kids to all star
teams. He said every kid should
have an opportunity to play on
a team.
"Everyone in the city is affect-
ed by the recreation department
See Pool, 7-A
(Ed. note - This is the second in a series of
weekly articles on local leaders of the Jay
Strack Crusade to be held August 24-28 at Bf John
Gamble Stadium.)
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of the Herald Staff
Mary Accor's ministry is her voice and she
plans to use it in the music program of the up-
coming Jay Strack Crusade.
~The Bethware School Principal sees a change
coming in the overall community with the
August 24-28 religious crusade at John Gamble
Stadium.
"It's a chance for each of us to renew our rela-
God as their Saviour to get to know Him and it's
a time for the community to come together," said
the popular educator who is a a member of the
tionships with God and for those who don't know
Accor to use her voice for crusade
choir for the Crusade and is promoting atten-
dance as a member of the board of directors.
Accor invites people who like to sing to join the
choir for the Crusade and she invites the general
‘public to become involved on prayer teams and
as worshippers in the audience,
As a member of the prayed team, Accor will
join other members of her committee in praying
before the Crusade and during the Crusade as
people come forward to make a profession of
faith.
"This is an important aspect of the Crusade,"
she said.
Accor also plans to involve young people in the
Crusade, encouraging them to get involved both
on prayer teams and in the Choir.
"We will need a lot of voices and a lot of hands
every night of the Crusade and volunteers are
welcome," she said.
"Kids have always been my whole life,"said
Accor, 40, who started her educational career 18
for her seat.
years ago at Grover School as a teacher in the mi-
grant education program. Before coming to
Bethware as principal three years ago, she was
the first principal of Parker Street School for two
years and before that was an assistant principal
and former seventh grade teacher at the Kings
Mountain Junior High/Middle School.
"I love to see the children enjoy school and suc-
ceed in life and I always encourage kids to do
what is right and I try to do that in my own
life,"said Accor.
Accor, a new member of the Cleveland County:
Board of Commissioners, says she finds serving fi
on the county board a challenge. "If you have the §
right faith you don't have a problem making any
decisions as long as you do what you think is
right," she said.
Accor was appointed to her present position on “
the board but she says she plans:to run next year
See Accor, 2-A
FREON REE SE
MARY ACCOR