Thursday, May 13, 2004
Councilmen not happy with proposed budget
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Two Kings Mountain City
Council members are objecting to a
proposed $26.9 million budget
submitted by staff last week,
despite that budget being $1.25
million less than last year.
“I'm not real happy about it;”
said Councilman Rick Moore.
Moore said he opposes increases
in water and sewer rates and con-
tinued funding for some social
activities offered by the town.
The increase in utility rates
would cost the average consumer
$1.68 more a month, according to
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 116 No. 20
finance officer Lori Hall.
The rate for city residents would
increase six percent for availability
and six percent for volume. The
rate for industry inside the city
would increase six percent for
availability and 3.5 percent for vol-
ume.
The draft budget appropriates
$109,713 for the public
relations/special events depart-
ment which coordinates concerts
and other public events. That
department is down from last
year’s $110,062.
“I support quality of life as long
as we can afford it,” Moore said.
“We've got to take some of the
mr _
Since 1889
cherries out.”
Moore would also like the coun-
«il to consider eliminating the
insurance coverage available to
city council members.
The councilman is also question-
ing if the city should continue its
support of the Kings Mountain
Crisis Ministry. The city con-
tributed $10,000 in fiscal year 2003-
04. That same amount is budgeted
for next year.
“Go back to the old days where
neighbors helped neighbors,” he
said.
City Councilman Jerry Mullinax
shares Moore’s opposition to the
draft budget.
du tb SBN pata di I nthe
50 Cents
“I don’t think a whole lot of it,”
he said.
Mullinax said he gets the most
complaints from constituents over
the vehicle tag tax. It is $5 per auto
and brings in approximately
$42,000 annually. That money
helps fund street maintenance.
He's also opposed to the
increase in water and sewer rates
and the city continuing to pay 100
percent of health premiums for its
employees.
The councilman is questioning if
the city should continue to support
“the Kings Mountain Historical
Museum, an annual triathlon and
See Budget, 3A
the cher-
iries out.”
-Councilman Rick Moore
said. :
Hutchins joins
9-person race
for commissioner
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
When filing ended Friday, nine peo-
ple had thrown their names into the
running for Cleveland County
Commission.
In addition to the three Kings
Mountain incum-
bents, local resident
Johnny Hutchins, a
57-year-old
Republican, is making
his first political bid.
A self-described blue
collar worker,
Hutchins is cam-
paigning on a plat-
form of no increase in
property taxes.
“People have spent
: a life time working
generally in mills and then bought their
mill house. Taxes and rising prescrip-
tion drug cost really makes it hard on
them,” he said.
Part of his campaign involves meet-
ing county department heads to learn
about their budgets and look for places
cuts could be made.
“Less and less people are working but
our taxes keep going up,” Hutchins
HUTCHINS
Hutchins said he is concerned about
the county having resources to fight
drugs.
“That’s an area that really needs to be
looked at,” he said.
The candidate is also studying the
impact of schools using styrofoam
plates on the county landfill.
Hutchins is a Cleveland County native
and attended Grover School and Kings
Mountain High School. After serving
three years in the Army, he worked at
See Hutchins, 3A
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Dillion Heaton, age 4, picks berries Tuesday morning at Lineberger’s Killdeer Farm on
Goforth Road. Dillion visited the farm with his grandfather Allen Heaton of Woodbridge.
Testa wants to develop interchange
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
lodging which would include
meeting rooms. :
Testa said the motel could cre-
ate 100 jobs, though it will not
become a reality unless the town
passes liquor by the drink.
Larger motels will not consider
A Kings Mountain business
man hopes to develop approxi-
mately 50 acres around.the
interchange of Dixon School
Road and Interstate 85.
Jim Testa, who owns Kings
Mountain Truck Plaza, would
like to see a motel built on the
north side of the interstate.
While Testa would not say
which motel he is recruiting he
did describe it as higher end
ate revenue from alcohol sales,
according to Testa.
Testa, who is running as a
Republican candidate for the
46th District State Senate seat,
would not be able to call for a’
vote or referendum.
Staff Writer
stood close by.
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Danny Willis prays during a National
Day of Prayer service in Grover.
& ¥
group.
a location unless they can gener- -
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
GROVER - Heads bowed, hands folded,
eyes closed - 14 people gathered at Town
Hall on Thursday to pray. Most sat in folded
chairs arranged in a circle, a few late comers
Mayor Robert Sides and Rev. Tony
Fulbright of First Baptist welcomed the
“The city fathers and voters
will hopefully vote for it,” Testa
said.
The area, which is not inside
the city limits, is served by
municipal water. Testa said he
thinks the land would have to
be annexed before the city
would be willing to run sewer
and gas lines.
“I would think they (City of
Kings Mountain) would want
some way to recover their
investment,” Testa said.
Any building construction
would not happen until after fall
of 2005 when road construction
in the area is completed.
Testa said he believes the
three area parks make the area a
prime tourist destination. He
believes a series of planned
trails connecting the City of
Kings Mountain with the Kings
Mountain National Military
Park and two state parks will
continue to drive up the number
of visitors to this area.
Pausing to Pray
Grover, Kings Mountain citizens
join in National Day of Prayer
Gayle Fulbright led the first prayer, thank-
ing God for freedom and security. Some oth-
ers offered their own prayers, leaving short
pauses between each one.
Government leaders were lifted up. Other
prayers were said for people serving in the
military and their families, local law
enforcement, forgiveness, evangelism, an
end to abortion, protection of Jerusalem and
concern over homosexuality.
See Pray, 3A
on KM’s proposed budget
Hall of Fame
ceremony
is Saturday
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The 17th annual Kings Mountain Sports
Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremo-
ny is slated for Saturday, May 15 at 6 p.m. at
the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and
Conference Center.
The event promises to be one of the the
biggest and best yet. It is expected to draw
people from at least eight states and Japan.
All pre-sale tickets have been sold but a
limited number of tickets will be available at
the door. ;
This year’s inductees are baseball player
Bobby Biddix, football player Guy Fisher,
basketball standout Ken Mitchem, and the
1989-90 KMHS men’s basketball team.
In addition, the Hall of Fame will pay spe-
cial recognition to John Dilling and Bill
Grissom, who have been active in sports in
the community for many years. Dilling has
been involved in duckpin bowling on the
local, state and national level for about 50
years and is a member of the National
Duckpin Hall of Fame. Grissom has been
involved in youth sports for many years,
first as a coach and for the past 36 years has
filmed KMHS football games.
Special achievement awards will go to
KMHS swimmer Michael Allen for winning
the state championship, and the KMHS
men’s basketball team for winning three
straight conference championships.
Five deserving KMHS seniors will be pre-
sented scholarships. Scholarship donors
include the City of Kings Mountain, KMHS
Booster Club, the Hall of Fame, and Carl
and Pat Champion.
Bobby Biddix was an outstanding pitcher
for Bethware High School, American Legion
Post 155 and Wake Forest University in the
late fifties and early sixties. He posted a
combined 39-12 high school/legion record
and was 15-5 at Wake Forest and played on
two ACC championship teams. He now lives
in Reston, VA and is a budget technician for
the Arlington, VA Police Department. Biddix
will be inducted by his high school /legion
catcher Jerry Morris.
Fisher was a football standout at KMHS,
in the U.S. Army, and at Lenoir-Rhyne
College, where he was an All-Conference
defensive end and helped lead the Bears to
four straight North State Conference cham-
pionships. He played at KMHS in 1949 and
‘50 under Shu Carlton, and in 1951 under
Art Weiner. He now lives in Lewisville, NC
and is retired from RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.
Fisher will be inducted by Jack Sink of
Charlotte, who was an assistant football
coach and baseball coach at KM in the early
fifties and was a long-time successful base-
ball coach at Myers Park High in Charlotte.
Mitchem was the first Black basketball
player at KMHS in 1965-66. He started all
four years in high school and made the All-
Conference team three times. He played four
years at Pan American University in Texas
“and played ten years of semi-pro softball.
He was a two-time All-American for the
Pharr Yarns Reds and was the National
Tournament MVP in 1972. He lives in
Springs, TX, where he works for a medical
laboratory. Mitchem will be inducted by his
sister, Carolyn, who was also a standout bas-
ketball player at KMHS.
The 1989-90 KMHS basketball team,
coached by Larry Sipe, compiled an overall
record of 26-3. The Mountaineers won the
Southwestern Conference, Sectional and
Western NC Regional championships before
falling to DH Conley in the State
Championship game at Chapel Hill. One of
the team members, Quan Smith, will be
coming all the way from Japan for the
induction ceremony, and another team mem-
ber, Mark Byers, will be coming from New
- York City.
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