1967-10-31 Special Meeting.LE~3~
A7inutes of the Meeting - October 16, 1967 (Continued)
TRASH DISPOSAL -
Commissioner Hall discussed with the Board members the question of the City's proposition
of using the new Trash Disposal site by County residents.
Mr. Hall stated that he had met with the County Manager and the Director of Sanitation at
length and that the only solution in view at this time was that we enter into an agreement with
the City of Wilmin~ton, as proposed by the City, for County residents to use the new landfill.
The proposal from the City is that the County pay to the City a fee of $10,000.00 per year
and that the City will charge fees and collect from commercial haulers. All such fees collected
will be credited to the charge made the County except the fees coilected from the haulers of
industrial waste and garbage.
Mr. Metts moved, seconded by Mr. Hall, that the agreement be approved and that the amount
of $~,500.00 be appropriated from the General Emergency Fund for the remaining part of the
fiscal year 1967-68 as the County's payment to the City for the use of the new landfill site
by County residents. ~otion was carried unanimously.
AD,IOURNMEMT -
There being no further business Mr. Metts moved, seconded by Mr. Hall, that the meeting
be adjourned. Motion was carried.
, J. E. Marshall, County Manager
MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETIIQG
October 31, 1967 4~3a P•M•
Present: Ch2irman Dr. Joseph W. Hooper, Vice-Chairman Laurence O. Bowden, Commissioners
John Van B. Metts, Jr., M. H. Vaughan; County Attorney L. Bradford Tillery; County
Manager J. E. Marshall; and County Auditor Perry Shepard.
Absent: Commissioner J. M. Hail, Jr.
Mr. Bowden moved, seconded by Nr. Vaughan, that formal notice be waived and this be a
cor.stituted meeting of the Commissioners. Motion was carried.
Chairman Dr. Hooper then stated that the purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the
property tax base and review a report from County Avditor Shepard relative to the correct figures
obtained in the recent investigation of the property value figures. Chairman Dr. Hooper then
read the following statement:
"The purpose of this meeting is to acquaint the people of New Hanover County with
the true property valuations of the County as computed by P9r. Perry Shepard, County
Auditor.
"This Commission advised the public last Thursday as soon as the true facts
were available these would be furnished the people. These facts and figures were
verified and furnished me at 3:00 o'clock P.M. today.
"Unfortunately in the past week Mr. Perry Shepard has been unjustly accused of
improperly computing the tax base. This was not Mr. Shepard's duty and this
oblioation rests with the Tax Supervisor~s office. Mr. Shepard was placed in charge
of the Tax Supervisor~s office and eaith the complete cooperation of the Tax Super-
visor and his staff has arrived at the true tax base. The people of New Hanover
County have been done a disservice by rather sensational head lines and stories
in the local paper based not on verified figures but on figures ~ahich had no real
meaning or value. The true figures are available at this time and I am happy to
report them to you.
"The Auditor~s evaluation for New Hanover County is $240,980,680. This inclvdes
real property, personal property and corporate excess tax of 6.5 million. This is
roughly 8.8 million less than the figure of $2l}9,822,298 used on July 28th in setting
the budget. Based on a 93 percent collection rate and a tax rate of ~i.55 per hundred
dollars this represents $127,452 less revenue than was anticipated. The errors in
computing the tax base were located in Wilmington and Harnett Townships. No errors
were noted in the individual abstracts or in individual listings on the scrolls. The
error in the tax base was in the recapitulation of the tax scrolls. The tax bills
as sent out for these townships and the other six townships are correct. No errors
were noted in the other six townships.
"The County Commissioners at this time, based on information furnished by the
Auditor, anticipates no cut in the monies appropriated in budgets for the current
fiscal year. This Commission does not anticipate having, based on advice from the
Auditor, to borrow any funds to satisfy the budget as set up. In the opinion of the
County Auditor, adequate funds from Unanticipated Revenue can be transferred ~ahen they
accrue to the County with the consent of the County Commissioners and the County
Attorney to satisfy the budget and the cash flo~~r needs.
~~I would like the Commission~s authorization as of November lst to place Mr.
Shepard in temporary charge of the Tax Listing Office and to request him to make
recommendations for correcting operating deficits as to administration and personnel
in this office at the Commissioners~ Meeting November 6th.
"Any questions will be entertained at this time from the nea~s media or others
present."
Questions were then invited by the Cliairman from the people present and from representatives
of the several different news media. Several questions were asked and they were ans~aered by the
Chairman and other members of the Board. A question was asked by one member of the press relative
to a resignation and Dr. Hooper stated that he had a letter from Tax Supervisor W. G. Houck
requesting that he be placed on voluntary retirement, effective November 1, 1967.
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104
Plinutes of Special Neeting - October 31, 19~7
There being no other questions, Mr. Vaughan moved, secor.ded by Mr. Bowden, that County
Auditor Perry Shepard be appointed Tax Supervisor, effective November 1, 1967.
' A substitute motion was made by Mr. isetts that the County Manager be placed in charge
of the Tax Listing Office. "A.otion died for a lack of a second. Question was then called
on the ori~inal motion and it carried by a vote of three Sor and ene against. P".r. Metts
voted in the negative.
By common consent it was agreed that the County Auditor and County Manager work on the
recommendations on the realianing or changes to be made in the Tax Listing Office.
There being no further business, ~r. Metts moved; seconded by Mr. Bowden, that the
meeting be adjourned. Motion was carried.
J. E. Marshall, County Manager
Minutes of the Meeting - November 6, 1967
ASSEMBLY -
The regular semi-monthly meetino of the Nev~ Hanover County Board of Commissioners iaas held
on the above date at 8:00 A.M. in the Commissioners' Room with the foilowing merrbers present:
Chairman Dr. Joseph 1^J. Hooper, Vice-Chairman Laurence O. Bowden, Commissioners John Van B.
Metts, Jr., J. M. Hall, Jr., M. H. Vaughan; County Attorney L. Bradford Tillery; County Manager
J. E. Marshall; and County Auditor Perry Shepard.
INVOCATION -
After calling the meetiny to order the Chairman asked Rev. Sam L. Whichard, Pastor of First
Pentecostal Holiness Church to give the invocation.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES -
For the minutes of the meeting of October 16, 1967, under the heading; "Mr. Lee Wallerstein,
Office of Economic Opportunity", shouid be corrected to read as follows: "P7r. Lee Wallerstein,
Economist with the Housing and Urban Development Agency in !='ashington, and a Mr. Carter, a
Rural Development Specialist, with the Department of Agriculture, appeared before the Board
relative to the County getting enough information pertaining to all Federally funded programs
and stated further that they would like to 2sk the Board for their feelings and ideas with the
idea in mind of developing better programs." Following this correction, Mr. Netts moved,
seconded by Mr. Bowden, that the minutes be approved as transcribed. Motion was carried.
For the minutes of the Special Meeting of October 31, 1967, Mr. Bowden moved, seconded
by ~r. Metts, that the minutes be approved as transcribed. Motion was carried.
STATENENT BY CONII~IISSIONER J. M. HALL, JR. -
Mr. Hall requested that he be allowed a few minutes of time to make a statement and re-
quested that his remarks be placed in the minutes. The floor was granted to N,r. Hzll and the
follo4~ing statement made:
"Nr. Chairman, I hsve some remarks to make which I request be placed into the
minutes of this meeting.
"Last weekend, October 29th, I went out of town ~•/ith the full knowledge that recap
was being made of the tax assessment records to see where the county stood in rec~ards
to the value of it's tax base. I assumed the matter wovld be discussed at our regular
meeting on November 6th.
"When about 2~ miles out of ~~lilmington last Tuesday, on my way back home, I
heard on the car radio that the CYiairman had cailed a special meeting that after-
noon at 4:30 o'clock. As a result of that meeting, apparently with no opportunity
to be heard, Mr. 1~1. G. Houck was "Retired" - Retired ostensibly at his own request.
The chairman knew I was out of town and would be on the job the next morning.
"Gentlemen, of all the high handed, inconsiderate, unjust methods of getting
rid of an honest, hard working, conscientious employee, this action of yours last
Tuesday takes the at•aard - Getting rid of a man you knew to be taking the rap for a
subordinate~s error in addition.
"It was done just exactly as Adolph Hitler might have done it. !~lhy you didn~t
take him out in the covrtyard and shoot him, I'll never know.....Hitler would have.
"There is no question as to the fact that an error was made in the tabulation....
Mr. Houck admits it....It's perfectly evident. But, has the public been hurt? No.
"The only harm done has been that the taxpayers of Wilmington and Neuf Hanover
County will have to pay about $175,000 less this year than they would have, had the
error not been made. To some folks that might be a blessing.
"Novr, Gentlemen, two years ago you decided you had to he modern....You had to
have a County Manacer....I told you at the time that a County Nanager only had a few
things to manaye. As far as I can see it, and I don't believe you can add mvch to it.
He has managerial authority over the Huoh McRae Park, the County Prison 8 Farm, the
Airport, the County Cemetery, and the Tax Office.
"Mr. Houck was called to the Chairman's office and by the Chairman was told that
he had better resign in about thirty minutes or so.
"One of Mr. Houck~s subordinates made an error--Mr. Houck was made to pay the
penalty---Who was in Authority over Mr. Houck? Our County Manager---If it is fair
to hold P'ir. Houck responsible for an error of a subordinate, why not carry this on
to another conclusion? Who is responsible for Mr. Houck~s performance? The County
Manage.r.
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