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VOLUME 91 - mMBER 48 - TUESDA Y, JUL Y 1,1980- KINGS MOUNTAIN, NOR TH CAROLINA
Patrolman Harry Honeycutt
Turns In Resignation Thurs.
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Co-Editor
City patrolman Harry
Honeycutt, 30, stormed out of
City l^all Thursday night at 9
pjn. after a second confronta
tion with the city board of com-
tmissioners resulted in no addi
tional pay for policemen and
after he tendered his resignation
to Mayor John Henry Moss.
Otherwise, the hearing on the
proposed S9 million plus city
budget for 1980-81 was a
relatively mild one and resulted
in formal approval by
unanimous vote.
The $9,429,671.00 budget
represents a five percent increase
over last year and is based on a
tax rate of SO cents and includes
a five percent pay raise across-
the-boards for tdl city employes.
Honeycutt maintained that
the five percent pay hike was in
sufficient and questioned a pay
plan scale which has been in ef
fect for six years and allows for
merit raises upon recommenda-
timi of the Chief of Police.
Honeycutt also maintained that
other cities of comparable size to
Kings Mountain, for instance
Forest City, pay starting
patrolmen considerably more.
Police Comm. Norman King
disagreed with the figures
presented Honeycutt and
both he and Cotimt. Jtm Childers
said there is only a $10 dif
ference in the pay in cities of
similar size. Childm also main
tained that the starting pay for
city patrolmen has also been in
creased since the new pay scale
went into effect. Honeycutt ad
mitted that he had been ‘treated
fairly” and acknowledged that
he had received three raises since
he joined the force but that his
take-home pay was never more
than $6 after deductions were
made.
Honeycutt also complained
that policemen are unable to
take their vacation period all at
one time and wanted to know
why another detective and a
chief of police has not been
hired. ”1 dmt blame Sgt. Banett
(Acting Police Chief Jackie Bar
rett) for not taking the Chiefs
job,” said Honeycutt. We have
had five chiefs in 16 years and
that means there is something
wrong with the city administra
tion. He declared that the con
troversial pay scale merit pay
plan was outdated from the
beginning and told the board
that he had “gone against Chief
Barrett’s orders in failing to let
him see these statements before 1
present them to you tonight. 1
believe in freedom of speech,
however, although Chief Barrett
says some things are handled
better within the department.”
Mayor Moss acknowledged
that the proper way for an
employe to resign is through
department heads and replied to
Honeycutt that two of the
former chiefs of police retired
Effective
Lew! Friday
Police Officer! Harry
Honeycutt, who resig^ Thurs
day night at a meeting of the city
boind of commissione s, was in
formed Friday momigg that his
resignation had beeri accepted
when he completed the third
shift at 6 ajn. Friday morning.
Acting Police Chie J.D. Bar
rett said Honeycutt’s esignation
became effective whe the Chief
received it. Chief Bar ett said ci
ty policy gave him th i option of
receiving the ’^esigna ion at the
beginning or end of this week.
Honeycutt h'id [rfanr td to work
until July 2, when he
to work on a weldini job with a
Charlotte constructic i firm. His
resignation becamt
quicker thim he inter led but the
JO-year-old patrolma i is leaving
the local fxolice depa
18 months “with n
ings”, he said.
ment after
hard feel-
bec'iuse of health ani that Chief
Thomas McDeviti now of
Forest City, served i that posi
tion for nine years, irhe Mayor
pointed out that tl; city pays
retirement benefits' hich match
those paid by empk :es.
Comm. Hume! Houston,
responding to Hon< icutt’s ques
tion as to when a cl ef would be
hired, said that appi lations have
been taken and in irviewing is
underway for the chiefs job.
Houston, chairmat of the pay
scale study commit x, said that
each applicant woi i) be screen
ed and given a c ance to sit
down and talk w th commis
sioners. “I don’t kn w how long
that will be, but 1« II notify you
personally when I e choice is
made,” s^ Houst( i.
Apparently um tisfied with
the answers to 11 questions,
Honeycutt conten kd that “you
mean that if 450 people a^y
youYe going to wal^until you in
terview each one?^t means it
will be six monthslne year, two
years before a chiiis hired?”
Continuing, Htpycutt asked
Houston if the b^d had nar
rowed down the aplicants who
had applied for t|' Chiefs job
and Houston repi d that when
the job is filled "yt 11 be the first
to know.”
A heated iterchange
developed at sevc J pewts dur
ing the excha ;e between
Honeycutt, King id Nicholson.
And Comm. Bill 3rissom sug
gested that “we al 10 to work for
a company that w I let you have
three weeks vaca bn off at the
same time.”
Said Honeycui “I work for
the police depai uent but the
only place I can ford to live is
in the county. 9 i have people
County Bloodmobile Visits
^ '^^J^ted below is the schedule
bloodmobile visits in
CHeveland County during July:
July 10 - Pittsburgh Plate
Glass On plant) at the PPG
Shelby Plant. Hours 12:30 until
t A 6 pjn. Goal 200 pints.
^ July 30 - Lafayette Street
Methodist Church in Shelby.
Sponsored by
Softball League
e Fellowship
id the Frater
nal Order of Pol :. Open to the
public. Hours U 0 until 6 pjn.
Goal ISO [mts.
July 31 - Dc tr Elementary
Schod in Shdb Sponsored by
Dover Mills. He is 11 pjn. until
3 ajn. Goal I(X lints.
Two KM Youths Cha
Kings Mountain Police ar
rested two Kings Mountain
youths Thursday morning and
- charged them with bre^ng,
a entering and larceny at Wade
Ford on Shelby Rd.
Police chargi
19. of 1301
David B. DeV4:
Wales Rd.
Reported stol \
from a car.
Red
Lee Bickley,
es Rd., and
, 18, of 1308
was a battery
who live in South Carolina and
work for the city. I don’t hear
anyone saying anything about
that. King replied, “We haven’t
said anything about you living
outside the city.”
Honeycutt said he is not the
only police unhappy at his job.
He knows of at least four who
would leave the department if it
were not for family and friends.
He also maintains police morale
is low and pointed to the sanita
tion department, which he said is
also underpaid, who will get a 10
percent raise in the upcoming
year’s budget. ’They (the sanita
tion workers) might get bit by a
dog but they are not in physical
danger everyday,” said the
policeman.
Honeycutt, as he did in his
first appearance before the
board, said equipment is not up
to par. Gunbelts and holsters are
worn out, he said, and guns were
purchased about 10 years ago.
Policemen go to target practice
once a year and that’s to qualify.
“We need target practice every
three months,” he said. “When
we do a good job who pats us on
the back?”
PtI. Honeycutt said his
resignation will be effective July
2.
Charging that city commis
sioners are running the cHy at a
cost of $10,000 per person,
Clayvon Kelly, of Woodside Dr.,
said that taxes levied in the new
budget represent a 23 percent m-
crease over the current year.
Citing new tax re-evaluation
figures of real property of local
citizens, including those sitting
on the board of commissioners,
Kelly said residents will be pay
ing from 26 to 48 percent more
in taxes. “My taxes from 1970
increased 88 percent but we still
have the same tax rate. It’s
misleading when we say that the
city has maintained the same tax
rate (65 cents for the past 16
years and now 50 cents because
of the new countywide re-
evaluation) because we are not
talking about the same amount
of money.” Kelly also cited
figures that showed that the
budget went from $1 million 15
years ago to almost $10 million
today. “We still don’t have a
population of 10,(X)0 people,”
said Kelly, “ and this new tax-re-
evaluation is going to affect us
all but really hurt widows, those
on social security and fixed in
come, citing cases of several
senior citizens whose property
had doubled in value even after
substracting an allowable $7400
tax base, the amount had doubl
ed over last year.
“Your salary, Mr. Mayor was
$450 a month back in 1965 and
15 years later it’s $1968 a month
and $23,625.00 annually,” said
Kelly, who added, “That’s over a
300 percent increase. Why can’t
our city employees get more
than a 5 percent increase?” he
asked.
The Mayor corrected the
salary figure and said his present
salary is $2033728 annually.
Ckxnm. Jim Childers noted that
“we’d like to give everyone a 10
to 15 percent raise in the new
budget but we just don’t have
the money.”
Mayor Moss said he was
delighted to see public concern
about the budget. “We’re having
a good meeting tonight, folks,”
said the Mayor, during the 90
minute discussion of the budget.
The Mayor said that “we have a
very tight budget-money wise,
and we have attempted to take
into consideration the immediate
needs.” In a prepared budget
message prior to the adoption,
the mayor outlined various im
provements in the city during
the past year and said that
because of inflation several pro
posed considerations would have
to be moved to the 1981 budget,
mentioning specifically the im
provements at the old City Hall,
which is to be renovated into a
law enforcement cemcr.-
In other actions Thursday
night:
•Southeastern Consulting
Engipeers of Charlotte was hired
to do an electric rate study after
Engineer W.H. Little Jr. told the
board that Duke Power Co. has
applied for a 9.1 increase in elec
tric rates effective Aug. 20 to
wholesale customers. Little ex
plained that the state utility com
mission could delay the increase
until September or October but
suggested that a study should be
made to determine how much
the costs will go up to city
customers. Saying that he is sure
Duke will get an increase. Little
said he does not know how
much the increase will mean but
that the base rate is going up
24J percent.
•Set July 14th as date for a
public hearing on street
assessments for Princeton Drive.
•Awarded contract to the low
bidder. Mill Power Supply Co. of
Charlotte, at $10,469.64 for six
50-KVA pad mount trans
formers and awarded the low bid
to Phillips Utilities of Gaffney,
S.C. at $140,426.00 for exten
sions to the KM sewer line to
serve the new Canterbury Road
industry. Commercial Shearing
Co.
RECITES PLEDGE — As ths notion prsparos to colobrots In-
dopondonco Day on Friday throo-yaar-old John Forrost Tsor,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L Tsor. rocitss ths plsdgs of
allogiancs to tho flog. Young Tsor Isomsd ths flag plsdgs cmd
wos on ths program for a rscsnt mooting of Colonsl Frsdsrick
Hombright Chaptsr DAR ot ths homo of Mrs. HJL Goforth.
Icdin's mothsr is a formsr DAR Rsgsnt.
Grover Town Board
Adopts 1980-81 Budget
GROVER — A budget of
$125,403.51 for 1980-81 was
unanimously adopted by Grover
Town Board in a special meeting
Thursday night.
The board also gave all
employes a five percent across-
the-boards pay raise and set the
tax rate at 23 cents per $100
valuation.
Absent from the meeting was
Commissioner Edward Philbeck
who was on vacation.
The new budget is $8,928.88
more than last year and the tax
rate is 12 cents tower than the
current year’s rate due to the re-
evaluation property.
All actions at Thursday’s
meeting were unanimous.
Comm. Quay Moss made the
motion to raise salaries. At last
Monday night’s budget meeting
the Council voted 3-2 not to give
employes raises but changed
their minds later in executive ses
sion and rescinded the action 3-2
for more discussion Thursday
night.
The big winner at this week’s
budget hearings was the Police
Department which received
$22,481.06 which includes the
cost of a new Chevrolet Malibu
for Police Chief Steve Walker
and where $2,0(X) is budgeted
for a fingerprinting machine, fire
extinguisher, first aid kit and
walkie-talkie. The Fire Depart
ment received $1,000 for capital
improvements and street im
provements are budgeted at
$14,099.00 with sidewalk con
struction expected to cost $1,000
and new street lights expected to
account for $3J)27.W. The
Sanitation Department is ear
marked to receive $11288.86,
the cemetery department will
receive $1,000 and recreation
and city beautification is ex
pected to cost $3492.(X).
In other actions: The board re
tained Kings Mountain lawyer
Scott Neisler as town attorney.
'f •
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VISIT WITH CX>NGRESSMAN-CongrMHnaB lomM To
BroyhllL contor. It thowa with Mrt. Suo Payno. tocond from
loft, adminlttrator of Klagt Mouatala CoBvalotcoat Contor
and curront Prooldont of tho Ncoth Carolina Hoolth Coro
Focilltiot Atoodatloa. la tho aatioa't copltol. Othort aro, I.
Craig Souia of Roloigh. Exocutlvo Vico Prooldont of tho
Aaooclatlon, and Mr. ond Mrt. BUI Rogort of MGR, Inc. of Spo^
tanburg. S.C. Tho group ottondod a conforonco of tho
Amorlcan Hoalth Caro Attoclatlon In Wothlngton. D.C. loot
wook (luno 23-25). Thoy alto mol with Sonatort lotto Holrnt
ond Robort Morgan ond Congrottman lamot Martin and
Rlchardton Proyor.