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Vol. 111 No. 09 Kings Mountain, NC eSince 1889 *50¢
ABC
_ Thursday, March 4, 1999
Mayor drafts bills for lake annexation
petition
to be out
Tuesday
“Citizens for a Better
Community” will kick-off a pe-
—— tition drive
against alco-
hol Tuesday
at 7:30 p.m. in
the gymnasi-
um of the
Kings
Mountain
Community
Center.
“We're
looking for a
big crowd be-
cause we
need 1800
valid signa-
tures of regis-
tered voters,”
— —————— SaidWard 4
City Councilman Gene White
who has spearheaded the orga-
nizational efforts.
Petitioners will have a month
to gather the names. The
timetable calls for the elections
board to validate the petitions
by July 3 and if validated to call
the election within 60-120 days.
“We're looking at September
15 for the actual election,” said
White.
White said the March 9 meet-
ing is a rally and kick-off
“against alcohol; drugs and
gambling in any form in Kings
Mountain.”
White reiterated that only
registered voters living in the
Kings Mountain city limits can
sign the petitions. He said,
however, that outside city resi-
dents are also encouraged to
turn out to help out in the cam-
paign.
“We need
1800 valid
signatures”
Gene White
KM man is charged
with murder attempt
Larry Lewis Carroll, 47, 213
Duke Street, faces charges of
attempted murder following a
domestic incident February 22.
Carroll was served the war-
rant by Det. Sgt. Lisa Proctor of
the Kings Mountain Police
Department at the Cleveland
County Detention Center
where Carroll was first jailed
without bond on charges of as-
sault with a deadly weapon in-
flicting serious bodily injury.
Carroll allegedly assaulted
Claudette Carroll.
Sgt. Andy Berry was arrest-
ing officer.
EE
DEATHS
Madeline Houser, 96
Mae Fleming, 78
Hubert Davidson, 88
Joseph Causby, 67
L.J. Black, 76
Lawrence Pruitt, 75
2A
i
INDEX
Bl... ...imtniiiesianes
Birthdays........:sssssesvseasnernssins 2A
Classifieds ......ces sc resssranssss 3-5B
Engagements ...c....ccuvueeeernanne 7A
OPINION Luveeeeerbienerssssunnnsaesnns 4A
POlCE .. sesiiisuhns suis ssivnntswavasrar 2A
SChOOIS ..sviaut ives Raaiennee 3A, 5A
SPOILS .. visas ese rssnnnssene 1-2B, 6B
This week's advertising sections:
Carter Chevrolet
Clark Tire
CVS
Food Lion
Fred Caldwell
Harris Teeter
Sterling Lending
Winn Dixie 3
3 percent hotel occupancy tax idea also to be sent to state legislators
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Of The Herald Staff
The city is seeking special
legislation to annex city-
owned property at Moss Lake,
create a two-mile extra territo-
rial jurisdiction area and as-
sess a hotel room occupancy
tax. ;
Mayor Scott Neisler has pre-
sented the three bills to local
legislators for presentation in
the N. C. General Assembly.
The mayor said the bills have
the blessings of all local legis-
lators.
The lake bill calls for volun-
tary noncontiguous annexa-
tion of the city owned water
treatment plant, Camp Creek
‘Road picnic area, boat landing
and dam up to 5 1/2 miles
from the city limits. ~~
The two mile extraterritorial
jurisdiction would allow the
city to plan for a growing area
already benefiting from city
services and city created eco-
nomic opportunities.
The 3 percent tax levy, a
room occupancy tax, would
bring in tax dollars to the city
for tourism development. If
approved, the occupancy tax
would be levied on any hotel,
motel, inn, tourist camp or
similar place within the city
that is subject to sales tax and
is in addition to any local sales
or state taxes. This tax does not
apply to accommodations fur-
nished by nonprofit, charita-
ble, educational, or religious
organizations when furnished
in furtherance of their non-
profit purpose.
General Assembly, would al-
low Kings Mountain to use at
least two thirds of the net pro-
ceeds of the occupancy tax to
promote travel and tourism in
the city. The city could contract
with Cleveland County for tax
collection services. The bill is
patterned after Senate Bill 585
which passed the General
Assembly last year for the city
of Lumberton.
Fun in the Sun
Enjoying a sunny afternoon on the North Elementary School playground are
ALAN HODGE / THE HERALD
kindergarten students, left
to right, Teanna Ross, Matthew Morgan, and Colby Gardner. The trio and their classmates were all
eagerly awaiting spring days when they could put on short sleeves instead of sweaters.
The Kings Mountain Board of Education will take
up the smoking on school campuses issue again at its
monthly meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at Central School.
The issue surfaced late last fall when KMHS student
Amanda Johnsonbaugh requested that the Board ban
all smoking on school campuses, including outdoor
sporting events.
At that time, Supt. Bob McRae checked out the pos-
sibility with the attorney for the State School Boards
Association and learned that local boards cannot make
any policy that is more restrictive than it was in 1993
when federal legislation was passed. :
Since Kings Mountain already has a policy allowing
use of tobacco products by teachers and staff in desig-
nated area - and by the public at sporting events - the
Board cannot ban smoking altogether.
But McRae said it is possible for the Board to try to
control smoking at outdoor stadiums. “They (the
board) could prohibit the use of tobacco in the stands
Board to discuss smoking issue
and basically request through signs and announce-
ments that people cooperate and move to an area be-
hind the stands if the want to use tobacco, or they
~ could designate a specific area behind the stands as a
tobacco use area,” McRae said.
Members of the Board had mixed reaction to the is-
sue when Johnsonbaugh made her request, some say-
ing that enforcing a smoking policy outdoors would
be almost impossible.
But, McRae said, the board will “try to make some
decision of what, if anything, to do with that.”
Also on Monday's agenda is probable final approval
of three sections of policy dealing with governing
principles, board operations and personnel; first draft
of the budget proposal for next year and scheduling a
budget hearing for the April board meeting; approval
of the 2000-2001 school calendar; approval of summer
school plans for 1999; and reviewing the long-range
facilities study.
Grover may send water to S.C.
The question of extending water lines into South
Carolina for new development along the Highway 29
service road was the focus of the town council meeting
in Grover Monday night.
To be located on approximately 10 acres of land
owned or previously owned by the Hambright family,
the new development would be the site of a possible
hotel, gaming room, and carry out restaurant.
Using a map that showed existing water lines, high-
way right-of-ways, and rail lines, Mayor Max Rollins
detailed the engineering options and requirements to
run the new lines. Also discussed were the legal dif-
ferences between Sounth Carolina and North Carolina
laws as they related to who would bear the cost of lay-
ing the pipe.
Other discussion on the water service issue re-
volved around who would bear the cost of meters,
what potential revenue losses or gains would be real-
ized by providing water service to the new develop-
ment, and how future highway construction would
impact the project should it be approved.
Couricil member John Higginbotham as well as sev-
eral citizens in attendance expressed concern over
whether the project should even be attempted until it
was proven that it would be profitable to Grover. It
was finally agreed to hold off on a decision concerning
the project until more research could be conducted.
In other business Monday night, the council heard
from member Jack Herndon concerning inappropriate
stone borders and other decorations in Grover's ceme-
tery. The regulations in question state that only a
headstone and flat footstone be used so that mowing
can be accomplished more easily. Two families had ap-
parently place raised stone borders around their plots.
Herndon asked city attorney Mickey Corry to look in-
to the situation.
See Grover, 3A
The act, if ratified by the
commission.
three-member
water user.
Spectrum and
Maney said.
says Maney.
Knitwear.
$20.
The status of the city
and Ingles progress on a
way to serve the pro-
posed super market with
sewer is on the agenda
for Thursday’
meeting of the city utility
A possible upgrading
of the sewer line at the
Spectrum plant to allow
Ingles to tap onto the
line and Spectrum to in-
crease the opportunity
for more production is
one avenue that the
KM Utility
Committee
to discuss
sewer pla
By ELIZABETH STEWART .
Of The Herald Staff
s 1:30 p.m.
“We want
to encourage
more industry
committee
of Councilmen Gene to come to
White, Rick Murphrey ntain”
and Clavon Kelly may Kings Mounia
explore. -Jimmy Maney
City Manager Jimmy
Maney said the updating
of the city’s master water/sewer plan is a high
priority of Council.
“We will look at the original 20-year plan for
capital improvements and try to break it down
into increments of five years,” Maney said. He
said a study developed by W. K. Dickson engi-
neers some years ago had mapped loops and
upgrades which are no longer necessary since
the closing of one of the city’ biggest plant and
By using more water and sewer, plants like
Anvil Knitwear, the city’s biggest
utility users, could mean more revenue for the
city and keep utility rates down for all users,
Industry is important to Kings Mountain,
Maney says he will push upgrading of a
master water /sewer plan to help industries to
expand, hire more people, and bring more rev-
enue into the city.
Maney said 50 percent of the city’s monthly
billing for water, sewer and gas is paid by two
industries in town, Spectrum and Anvil
“We want to encourage more industry to
come to Kings Mountain and keep our low
rates,” he said, noting that the average residen-
tial customer’s bill for water and sewer is $15-
Anvil Knitwear, with more than 500 employ-
ees locally, spent $1.4 million with the City of
Kings Mountain last year for utilities.
Spectrum Textured Fibers, with 675 employ-
ees at four plants, including Kings Mountain,
spent $1.2 million last year for utilities.
Maney said he will push for incentive pro-
grams targeted to increase usage by not only
the big plants but all others and will ask the
city council to review rates.
“With our rates as low as they are for residen-
tial users we can’t even qualify for a State Clean
Water Grant, so we need to address a capital
improvements plan that will help generate
more jobs, more industrial expansion and in-
- creased production,” he said.