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Kings
Volume 127 o Issue 18 © Werliontn May 6, 2015
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4903 04-17-16 0024A00
MAUNEY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
100 S PIEDMONT AVE
KINGS MOUNTAIN NC 28086-3450
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75¢
No increase in property tax in proposed county budget
ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald @ gmail.com
Nothing is passed and
won't be until after a public
hearing June 2 but county
commissioners took their
first look at County Manager
Jeff Richardson's proposed
$107 million dollar budget
Tuesday night and liked
what they saw.
“We're focusing on em-
ployees and services," said
chairman Jason Falls.
Taxpayers won't see any
increases in the tax rate. The
county's 800 full time em-
ployees
will see
a 5.4%
hike in
pay and
increased
insurance
benefits.
“We
haven't [Fs
been able
to give
raises in
four years
and now
we are
catching
up," said
RICHARDSON
Falls who said commission-
ers at their retreat set raises
to employees as priority.
- Falls said that employees
struggled through the reces-
sion with no cost-of-living
increase. He said a salary
study found that the county
was behind other municipal-
ities in rewarding their em-
ployees.
Richardson said the
county wants to keep its em-
ployees and next year has
budgeted $35,000 for col-
lege assistance, increased
employee health insurance
on a 80/20 insurance plan
for a total of $400,000 for
new benefits including part-
nership with the YMCA for
the second year to stabilize
health costs and keep em-
ployees healthy.
Falls said commissioners
set strategic goals, focusing
on the employee pay plan,
economic development,
public safety, community
education, customer service
outreach and fiscal sustain-
ability. All eight goals are in-
cluded in budget projections.
County schools and
Cleveland Community Col-
lege will be receiving addi-
tional funds in the budget.
Richardson said that work-
force development at the
community college brings
jobs to the county and has
been a key priority of com-
missioners.
“This is a well rounded
budget," said Falls. The
county will continue partner-
ships with Travel Tourism,
the LeGrand Center, Amer-
ican Legion World Series,
the Shooter complex which
is set to open in late fall
and a regional draw for the
area, Cleveland Chamber, M
useum archives, Broad River
and Gateway trail, and KM
Historical Museum.
“We will be maintaining
relationships in 29 projects
“and the big 5 economic de-
velopment incentive projects
are AT&T, Kings Mountain;
Clearwater Paper, Shelby;
Disney, Kings Mountain;
Duke Energy, Shelby; and
Southern Power, Kings
Mountain.
Public safety continues to
be a concern of commission-
ers who asked for $90,000 in
building upgrades, $125,000
See NO INCREASE, Page 4A
Two nights remain
in LT’s Mary Poppin’s
Alyssa Newton, left, as Jane, Stetson McDaniel as Michael
Banks. Nick Howell as.Bert and Jada McDaniel as Mary Pop-
pins are pictured in a scene from the Kings Mountain Little
Theatre play at Joy Theatre.
ELIZABETH STEWART
ib.kmherald @ gmail.com
A magic English nanny
comes to work for a cold
banker's unhappy family
and reconnects a ‘father and
mother with their, two kids
in 'Mary Poppins” which
plays for two more nights -
Friday and Saturday at 7:30
p.m. at Joy Theatre.
Photo by Nikki Wood
Mary Poppins, played
by Jada McDaniel, flies in
with her umbrella to help
the Banks children ( Alyssa
Newton as Jane and Stet-
son McDaniel as Michael
Banks) and they change
from very unhappy, unruly
children to happy young
people but it takes the Super
See MARY POPPINS, Page 3A
Child care program
gets S11M grant
A $2.2 million federal
grant for the next five years
ora total of $11 million dol-
lars has been awarded to the
Cleveland County Partner-
ship for Children.
The administrative of-
fices are in Kings Mountain
at the old Central School
building.
The Early Head Start pro-
gram is geared to serve 144
infants and toddlers to age
3 of low income families.
= The teacher-class ratio will
“be 4 students to 1 teacher.
ky
Si
5
3
8 y
98525 00200
Sharon Stack, chairman of
the Cleveland County Part-
nership for Children.
Nine new staff members
will be hired. and the grant
will designate funds to up
to eight child care enters in
Cleveland County.
* Several meetings are
See CHILD CARE, Page 4A
Wilson hired as Events Coordinator
my DAVE BLANTON
a dave.kmherald@gmail.com
Haley Wilson, who
served as an intern last year
for the City of Kings Moun-
tain, has been tapped to bé
the city’s new special events
coordinator, where she will
help organize the Over the
Mountain Triathlon, Beach-
Blast, Gateway Festival,
Fourth of July celebrations
and other events in town.
City officials in the past
several months decided to
fold the office of special
events and public relations
idto the Main Street Pro-
gram, which is headed by
Jan Harris.
“It makes sense because
promotion is one of four
points of a Main Street
program,” said Harris, in
explaining the restructur-
ing. The other three main
tenets of Main Street are
organization, ‘design and
economic restructuring.
“I’m excited to be work-
ing with Jan,” said Wilson,
who worked closely with °.
Ellis Noell last summer
during her internship.
“Happy to be back with
the city of KM. I’m very
community-based in my
outlook. The role is. re-
ally about helping to bring
quality of life to Kings
Mountain.”
Noell announced his
retirement from the city in
March.
Wilson; a Fallston na-
tive, graduated from N.C.
State University last year
‘with a degree in Parks,
Recreation, and Tourism
Management. She’s no
stranger to event planning,
having worked as a volun-
teer on many city events
held in Raleigh. She said
she bolstered that experi-
ence working under Noell,
a seasoned public relations
expert and event planner.
During her stint with the
city in 2014, Wilson was
asked to give input on the
The city’ s new special events coordinator Haley Wilson, at
left, is pictured next to Main Street Program director Jan
Harris.
redesign of the city’s web
site and helped the mayor
design and plan for an ad-
dition to the children’s park
that serves children with
disabilities.
After Wilson’s intern-
ship wrapped up last year,
she found work at Shelby’s
Earl Scruggs Center, where
she handled public rela-
tions, marketing and event
planning, ;
I’m impressed with her
level of knowledge and
her willingness to pitch in
whenever needed,” Harris
said. “We’ll be working on
a number of special events
in the coming weeks, in-
cluding the May 7 prayer
breakfast, Memorial Day:
commemoration and of
course the Triathlon.”
Mother’s Day is every day for Fonda Houze
Mother's Day is every
day that Fonda Houze can
hug a child.
This Sunday many fam-
ilies will observe Mother's
Day with their mothers.
Others were remember
special times with Mom or
Maw-Maw.
Mrs. Houze's mother
died on a Saturday before
Mother's Day some time
ago but she remembers
that her mother taught her
to love children and never
mistreat a child.
For nearly all of the 39
years that Fonda and John
Houze have been married
they have nurtured adopted
grandchildren.
They have four
KM to participate
in National Prayer Day
National Day of Prayer
is May 7 and Kings Moun-
in citizens will join in the
observance at noon in front
of City Hall.
The brief service is
sponsored by the Kings
Mountain Ministerial As-
sociation and will include
a welcome by Mayor Rick
' Murphrey, the pledge of al-
legiance to the flag, special
music and a time of prayer
for our nation.
The theme is “Lord Hear
Our Cry” based on I Kings
8:28.
“We invite the commu-
nity to join with us in prayer
for our nation," said Rev.
Ron Caulder, Ministerial
Association president.
grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren they
adore and over the years
they've added more — chil-
dren who came to Sunday
School at People's Baptist
Church who needed things
« the couple could give them-
whether it was just a hug
and a smile or food and
clothing.
“We take our vacations
with these grandchildren
and at least 11 or 12 of them
See MOTHER'S DAY, Page 4A -
FONDA HOUZE
National motto 'In God We Trust’
to go up in front of City Hall
The national motto,”In
God We Trust,” will soon
go up in bronze lettering on
the front of Kings Mountain
City Hall.
By 6-1, City Council
Tuesday approved the in-
stallation of the motto being
paid for and installed by
“Return America” and the
US Motto Action commit-
fee. :
The 18-inch $2400 anod-
ized ( dark color) motto will
be placed above the second
story windows of the main
government building, To
,See NATIONAL MOTTO, Page 4A
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