KINGS MOUNTAIN
The Herald
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Vol. 116 No. 8
Since 1889
at Bethware
Elementary
1B
50 Cents
Department.
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
both parties.
Local firemen fight a house fire during training exercise Saturday.
Saturday burn
helps prepare
younger firemen
Maintenance needs on an older home outpaced the
owners ability to make repairs. Local firefighters, espe-
cially new recruits, needed training. Using the home on
Carpenter Street for a practice burn Saturday benefited
“She gets rid of it and we get some practice out of it,”
said Kings Mountain Fire Chief Frank Burns.
The homeowner will be responsible for hauling away
debris left after the fire, according to Burns.
Saturday firefighters from Kings Mountain, Grover,
Bethlehem and Oak Grove gathered at 7:30 a.m. dressed
See Firemen, 3A
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Below is T.J. King of the Kings Mountain Fire
Four commissioners say
Hall on property revaluation.
GARY STEWART / HERALD
County Commissioner Jerry Self address-
es audience at Thursday’s meeting at City
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The four Cleveland County
Commissioners attending Thursday
night’s meeting at Kings Mountain
City Hall to discuss property revalu-
ation said they are committed to
lowering the county's tax rate.
Commissioners Mary Accor,
Ronnie Hawkins, Tommy Bridges
and Jerry Self, along with County
Manager Lane Alexander and
employees of the county's tax asses-
sor’s office were holding the third of
four town forum type meetings
across the county.
Approximately 40 area residents
attended and asked questions about
the revaluation process.
The county recently revalued
property for the first time since 2000.
State law requires revaluation at
least once every eight years, but
according to Tax Assessor Jerry
Green Cleveland and many other
counties have opted to revalue every
four years to keep assessments more
they want to cut tax rate
consistent with fair market values.
Green said rapid growth in some
areas and slower growth in other
areas, as well as zoning, can affect
value of property. He said about 3%
of property value decreased, 17%
remained about the same and 80%
increased. On average, the percent-
age increase from 2000 to 2004
would be in the “15 to 20 percent”
range.
Revaluation notices were sent out
in January and the deadline for
appealing was originally February
12. But, Green said the county has
opted to extend the appeal period
and will accept appeals until the
Board of Equalization and Review
adjourns. That Board usually begins
meeting April 1 and adjourns in
May, he said. Persons wishing to
appeal their value may do so by
returning the lower portion of their
revaluation notice. They can also call
the Tax Assessor's office.
The appeals process could take up
to three months, and will begin with-
See Tax, 3A
Gaston says no to redrawing lines
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
«* Staff Writer
A plan to change the Cleveland
County Schools lines to include the
Gaston County portion of Kings
Mountain has failed.
Gaston County Schools’ board voted
Monday night seven to two against the
measure.
The vote was the first step in what
many in Kings Mountain hoped would
be a vote by the General Assembly to
redraw the lines.
Before the General Assembly would
vote on what is considered a local mat-
ter, all members of the Gaston and
Cleveland delegations would have to
support it.
Cleveland County representative
Tim Moore said the Gaston representa-
tives he spoke to told him they would
only support the measure with the
approval of their school board.
“There is nothing the legislature can
do,” Moore said Tuesday morning.
“The legislators from Gaston County
have made it clear if the local school
board opposes the matter it won't sup-
port the legislation.”
Gaston Representative John Rayfield
did say last week that he did not see a
problem with redrawing the lines.
~ Before Cleveland County Schools
merged to include Kings Mountain
District Schools and Shelby City
Schools, KMDS encompassed students
living in the Gaston County portion of
Kings Mountain.
Under that arrangement, Gaston
County was required to funnel per
pupil money to KMDS for approxi-
mately 200 Gaston County students
living inside the Kings Mountain city
See Gaston, 3A
Mayor: Ponder
allegations
effort to get
severance pay
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain Mayor
Rick Murphrey has issued a
public
statement
saying that
allegations
the city /
forced City
Manager §
Phil Ponder
out of his
job are an
attempt on
behalf of
Ponder to
receive severance pay.
“Mr. Ponder’s actions are
an attempt to have the city
pay severance. It now
appears that the issues Mr.
Ponder is raising can only
be resolved by the city
agreeing to pay him sever-
ance pay to which he is not
entitled or to defend his
claim in a court,” Murphrey
wrote.
In the Feb. 5 edition of the
Herald, incoming council
members Brenda Ross and
Jerry Mullinax said that
Ponder told them members
of the previous council
made five demands.
Those demands include:
HM Ponder was releasing
too much information in his
weekly memo.
HM Ponder should not have
given an interview to
Channel 33.
BW Ponder should use city
funds to repair a drainage
ditch on private property.
BM Ponder should hire an
assistant city clerk without
interviewing anyone else.
HM Ponder should use city
funds to repair a car
allegedly damaged on a city
street.
PONDER
Ponder allegedly is leav-
ing because he felt forced by
the council to meet the last
three demands which he
deemed inappropriate.
Murphrey denies Ponder
was forced out. “On Dec. 1,
2003 I requested a meeting
with Phillip Ponder to dis-
cuss several areas in which
his job performance could
be improved. This meeting
was not held for the pur-
pose of terminating Mr.
Ponder. The primary pur-
See Mayor, 3A
Moore:
Meeting on
interim CM
set tonight
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain City
Council had planned to
vote on hiring an interim
city manager Monday night
but that meeting was
rescheduled because a pri-
vate citizen did not receive
notification.
Earlier this year, Wayne
King paid $10 to be placed
on the city’s “sunshine list.”
People on this list are noti-
fied 48 hours prior to all
meetings except, Smergency
meetings.
According to the city,
King was not mailed an
agenda for Tuesday's meet-
ing due to a clerical error.
‘When he complained, the
city rescheduled the meet-
ing until Thursday at 6:30
p.m., giving more than the
required 48 hours notice.
King said he did not
intend for the city to
reschedule the meeting but
merely wanted fo bring it to
officials attention that a law
had been broken.
According to North
Carolina General Statue
143-318.12 “The public
body shall also cause notice
to be mailed or delivered to
any person, in addition to
the representatives of the
media listed above, who
has filed a written request
with the clerk, secretary, or
other person designated by
the public body. This notice
shall be posted and mailed
or delivered at least
48 hours before the time of
the meeting. The public
body shall charge a fee to
persons other than the
media, who request notice,
of ten dollars ($10.00) per
calendar year, and may |
require them to renew their
requests quarterly.”
There are currently four
people on the list. King said
he requested to be placed
on the list because he wants
to know what actions gov
ernment is taking.
See Meeting, 3A
Firing
rumors bull’
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
During Monday's utility
committee meeting, newly
elected utility committee
chairperson Rick Moore
denied rumors that council
members are planning to fire
department heads.
“That’s a bunch of bull.
Council is not wanting to get
rid of any employees,”
Moore said. “Whoever said
that told something that’s
untrue.”
Former city Councilman
Gene White placed an adver-
tisement in last week's
Herald which discussed the
departure of City Manager
Phil Ponder and alleged
threats to jobs.
A portion of that ad read,
See Moore, 3A
‘Whoever said that
told something
that’s untrue.’
Councilman Rick Moore 3