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1960-07-18 Regular Meetingf' 592 Wilmington, N. C. July 2$, 1960 C i ?.oraR-? P't ? ? ASSEMBLY - The regular semimonth2y meeting of the New Hanover County Board of Commission- ers was held today at 9:00 A. M. in the County Court House with the following present: Chairman J. N. Hall, Jr„ Commissioners Peter H. Braak, L. E. Broedhurst, J. E. Holton, Jr. and $erry A. Williams; County Attorney John Bright Hill, County Auditor T. D. Love Commissioners-elect E. R. Mayhan and J. Van B. Metts. • INVOCATION - Chairman called the meeting to order and asked Reverend B. H. Baskerville, Pas- tor of Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church, to open the meeting with prayer. , APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - The minutes of the regular meeting held on June 6th, and of the Special Called Meeting held on June 27th were approved as wriLten, whfie the minutes of July Sth under Resiqnation was changed from "because of a fire" to"the death of a close friend whose funeral he attended" and in the paragraph of the Veterans Service Officer, delete the words "and that reference letters be given them for future employment." After these amendments and deletions, Mr. Williams offered a motion that the minutes be approved to date. It was seconded by Mr. BroadhursL and unanimously approved. PETITION FOR RELIEF - • t A petition for temporary admittance to the County Home of Edgar Hood Hines was received from the Public Welfare Department. Upon motion of Mr. Broadhurst, seconded by Mr. Holton, this app2ication was approved unanimously. SALE TAX'FORECLOSED PROPERTY The following described jointly owned lots were'appraised as shown by the Tax Assessor,: Block # 50 Lot Pt.4 331 x 165' frm SW cor ']th 8 Dawson Valnation $730.00 fronting on 7th " # 70 " Pts.1,2 321 X 1331 frm SE Coi' 12th & Queen " 400.00 • fronting on Queen . Margaret B. Bennerman made an offer to purchase these lots, therefore'Mr. Holton offered a motion that approvai be. given for the sale at the appraised valuation subject to the approval of the City Council. It was seconded by Mr. Broadhurst and unanimously approved. , BEER LICENSES - The following applications for beer permits and/ or rejections were reviewed by the Board and upon motion of Mr. Holton, seconded by Mr. Broadhurst, referred to the Sheriff for his consideration: Joseph C. Williamson T/A WilliamsonTS Grocery & 5ervice Station Carolina Beach Rd. Raymond L. Cooper T/A Hines Landing Middle Sound,RFD (rejected) Crystal Eve Tolson T/A 5portsman Bar 402 N. Front St. City ADJACENT PROPERTY OFFER - A letter was received from T. B. Upchurch Incorporated,offering to sell the ? lot next to the Court House property which is 50' x6OT for $45,000.00. After a brief disz cussion, Mr. Broadhurst offered a motion that the offer be reSected for that amount of .4 money bnt that the Execvtive 5ecretary be instructed to write a letter in a diplomatic man- ner which would leave the offer open for further negotiations. The motion was seconded?by Mr. Williams and unanimous2y approved. (Subsequent to the above action, Mr. Upchurch called and when the situation was explained to him, he indicated that there might be a possibility of purchasing the property at $40,000.00.) ' RATIFICATION OF SALE - The Executive SecreLary informed the Board that approval had been given on July 28, 1952 for the sale of part of Lot # 2 in Block 252 of jointly owned tax foreclosed pro- ,.-perty to Skippio C. and Rosa N. Hawkins in the amount of $250.00. At the time of the approv- 4_FI2JF? al they were unabie to pay the full selling price and were allowed to pay for the property at convenient intervals. Although the full pur:chase price was fully paid.several'years , ago, no deed has been delivered for the property. After a consultation with the County . Attorney, he recommended that currettt ratification be given to this transaction since the present officers would have to sign the conveying insLrument. Upon motion of N}r. Broadhur,st, seconded by Mr. Braak, the Board unanimously ratified this sale. LUNCHEON INVITATION - ' A letter was received from the Board of Trustees of Wilmington College inviting ,f"the Commissioners to a luncheon at the Cape Fear Country Club on July 28`at 12:30 P.M. to meet with the Advisory Budget Commission including members of the sCaff of the State Ports Authority. The Board unanimously agreed to attend. . NEW REGISTRATION - Mr. Henry C. Bost, Chairman of the Board of $lections asked to be heard for clear- inn some misunderstandings about the proposed new registeration of voters in New Hanover County. First he thanked the Board for their many courtesies and their cooperation with G the problems the Election Board faces and while the authority to set a new registration time is vested in the Board of Elections, he did not wish to leave the impression that a new registration was imperative. He pointed out that the registration books are more than ten years old and that at least seventeen hundred voters who recently moved to Jacksonville with the Atlantic Coast Line would have to have their names stricken off the record for• the fali election. It seems that the time would be right to make a new registration and install the new loose-leaf system. The Election Board is wiliing to conduct the fa21 elect- tion with the old books without a protest but they did question the efficiency of doing so. Chairman Hall explained that the Board was under some pressure to hold taxes at a minimum this year and conserve dvery expenditure, therefore, he hesttated to recommend the addition- al cost for the change this year. By the same token, he considered the recent primary a part of'the fall election and, therefore, thought the same registration books should be used. Mr. Bo st-then pointed out that the City used the Countyts registration books, ballot boxes and vot/ing boo.ths at present but did not participate in their expense. Mr. Williams observed thax at the time the question was discussed before he asked to make a minority re- port as he could see no reason to delay the change-over. The Executive Secretary explain- , ed that he had Iikewise misunderstood the new registration recommen@ed by Chairman Bost in continued- I / ? ? 9 ? U r c i•r Q Minutes of the Meeting July 18, 1960 Continued NEW REGISTRATION - (continued) . that he had told the Commissioners that it was more of a transfer of names to new records than it was to a new registration. Chairman Hall remarked that he thought the timing of the new registration should be at the convenience of the County since it was to pay for it. Mr. Bost estimated the cost of the new equipment and materials for such a change-over at $5,100 and additional labor at $5,000. Chairman Bost stressed that he was sure the time saved in the more efficient system would reduce the cost of the election be- low the amount spent for the change and that more people wou'ld be able?to vote since they would not have to stand in line. Mr. Braak then offered a motion that in view of the length of time required by the registrars to locate names on the registration books and the assur- ance that a more efficient electi.on could be held by the Board of Elections that they in- clude $10,100 to cover the initial cost of the change-over. Mr. Williams suggested that the Board of Elections supply a detail.ed,'itemized, estimate of the change-over, cost, and the savings expected. He al,so thinks the City should pay a minimum of one-third of such cost. After some further discussion in which it was decided to abandon the new registra'- tion, Mr. Braak withdrew his motion and the matter was dropQed. ? VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE , Mr..Henry C. Bost then told the Board as a Veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict and twenty years connection with the armed senvices, he would run the risk of being condemned.by his.fellow.service-men but he wanted to state that in his opinion the County Veterans' Service Office was the greatest duplicity of effort in the County and.he was against it and thought that it should be abolished. The Chairman thanked him for coming before the Board to present his problem. ABC FUNDS Surety Bonds for William O. Humphrey and James Allen Oldham; Jr. in the•amount of /? $5,000 each were'reviewed and approved. They are both members of the Board of Alcoholic 2i"?D`" Control. REPORTS - ? Mr. Holton moved tfiat the reports and letters of information be filed for further ? reference. It was seconded by Nr. Broadhurst, and unanimousiy adopted. 1- County Farm Agent+s Extension Report for June, 1960 2- New Hanover_ County Airport Report of Income and Disbursements.for May and June, 1960 • 3- Electrical Inspector's Report for May and June, 1960. 4- USO Club Report for June, 1960 5- Wilmington Public Library Report for June, 1960. • BUDGET DISCUSSIONS - There being no further regular business to come before the Board, it was decided to resume consideration of the Budget Estimates. ? COUNTY HOME FUND • The.first item to be considered was on page 23 listed as Capital Outlay at $1,000. The Superintendent of the County Home explained that this item was included for the installa- tion of ceiling fans in the hospital section of the Home. After some discussion, it was de- cided unanimously that it could be cut to $500. All other departments under the County Home Fund were approved as recommended by the County Auditor with no change. HEALTH FUND - ?? The Bvdget proposed by the Consolidated Board of Health was reviewed.item by item and all questions raised by the various Commissioners satisfactorily explained. Mr. Williams then moved that tentative approval of the present salary range for all employees of the Health Department totaling $132,660 be given provided that any revenue from Brunswick County be paid into New Hanover County treasury, subject to the approval of the City Council. The mot?gaina?s seconded by Mr. Braak. When the votes were cast, Messrs. Broadhurst and Hall vo- ted Ue motion, while_Messrs; Braak, Holton, and Williams voted £or the motion and it prevailed. ' Supplies - After considering the list of itemized supplies listed by the Health Department, Mr. Williams offered a motion that a total_of $35,076.70 be approved. It was seconded b$r Messrs.?Braak and Holton. Mr. Broadhurst voted "NO" on the motion however, the Chairman ruled it carried. , Dental Care of Indiqents - After the item was considered by the Board, Mr. Hol- 4 ton offered a motion that $3,000 be appropriated for this purpose which is $500 more than the previous Budget and $500 less than the request of the Health Department. It was second- ed by Mr. Williams and when the votes were cast, Mr. Broadhurst voted in the negative, how- ever, the Chairman ruled the motion carried. Mental Health - The requests of $4,200 to take care of this program was consid- /14,? ered along with the recommendation of the Auditor of $2,500 and after a thorough discussion, Mr. Williams moved that $3,000 be approved for this purpose. It was seconded by Mr. Holton and although Mr. Broadhurst voted "NO", the Chairman ruled the motion prevailed. SENCBA - , Mrs. Alice McD. Stric.kland appeared before the Board in the interest of explain- ing that in last year's Budget an item of $96.00 was carried over because of a misunder- _ standing on the handling of an invoice and requested the Commissioners to alloeate that GB'N'YrT?" amount out of the Advertising Fund in addition to their regular allocation of $1,000 making GO'Y1?M a total allocation of $1,096. Mr. Williams moved that this request be granted. It was seconded by Mr. Braak and unanimously approved. ASBPA - Mrs. Strickland observed that as our County depended largely on tourist ? f attractions provided by our beaches and shoreline and thought we should be acquainted with the American Shore d Beach Preservation Association which promoted all such projects. The membership cost to this organization is $100.00 per year. After considering the benefits which might accrue from such a membership, Mr. Braak offered a motion that the Board approve membership in this association. This motion was seconded;by Mr. Williams and unanimously approved. ?J Minutes of the Meeting RECESS - July 18, 1960 Continued The hour being late, Mr. Williams offered a motion that a recess be taken until Wednesday evening, July 20th at 7:30 P.M. for a continuation of the Budget discussions. Mr. Broadhurst seconded this motion and it was unanimously carried. l , ? 4l. jG.?ouc?c, Executive Secretary BUDGET NEETING CONTINUATION Juiy 20, 1960 7:30 P.M. RECONVENTION - Pursuant to the recess called the meeting to order wlth Commissioners Peter H. braak, J. Bright Hill and Coun.ty Auditor T. ioner L. E. Broadhurst was unable at the E. D. to the regular meeting on Nonday, July 18th, the Chairman following members present: Chairman J. M. Hall, Jr. Holton, Jr., Berry A. Williams; County Attorney John Love and Commissioner-Elect J. Van S. Metts. Commiss- attend the meeting. TAX ABATEMENT - Messrs. W. P. Troutman and J.E.L. Wade representing the local Chapter of the Loyal Order of the Moose, explained to the Board that taxes for the years 1958 and 1959 amounting to $754•34 were unpaid. They explained that the lease which had provided some income to their building had expired during 1956 and that no income had been derived since 1957 and therefore they were entitled to an abatement of the taxes for the 1958-1959 tax years. They admitted that temporary rentals had been received during part of the years in question but that the General Statutes gave the Commissioners discretionary power to make their own decis- ions where the amount was negligible. The County Auditor poiated out that in his opinion that if any portion on the buiiding was,rented at any time during the taxable year, there was no legai grounds for abatement. After some discussion of the matter, Mr. Braak offered a motion that it be referred to the City and County attorneys and the Tax Supervisor for a recommendation which should be brought back to the Commissioners for a decision. It was seconded by Mr. Holton and unanimously approved. HOSPITAI:IZATION FUND Mr. Holton then referred to page 28 of the Budget Estimate and suggested that all indigents requiring public assistance should be sent to the hospital with the lowest per diem cost. He recognized that the referring physician would have a large influence on where his patients were treated but he.thought they should insist on the lotoer cost hospital un- less the treatment was of a specific nature that required a specific sort of treatment ava,il- abie at only one source. Those persons receiving aid from public funds are no less worthy to receive treatment than those who are able to pay their own way but the place of treatment should be at the discretion of the Welfare Department which furnishes the money. After a brief discussion by other members of the Board, the .Chairman appointed Commissioner Braak to bring this subject up for review at the next meeting of the Welfare Board. Commissioner Williams then offered a motion that page 28 of the Budget Estimate be approved as recommend- ed by the County Auditor. It was seconded by Mr. Holton and unanimously approved. ? COUNTY HOME FUIVD -. The Executive Secretary explained that he had been instructed at the last Budget discussion meeting to ascertain the purpose of the Capital Outlay in the County Home Budget for $1,000. He reported that Mr. H. C. Rivenbark, Superintendent of the County Home, intend- ed this to install ceiling fans in the hospital section of the Home. After a brief discussion, tYie,Board unanimously, by common consent, agreed to reduce the item to $500.00 as recommended by the County Auditor. Countv Farm - The County Farm Budget was reviewed item by item and Mr. Williams moved that the Budget recommended by the County Auditor be approved. It was seconded by Mr. Holton and unanimously carried. Drainaqe - The items in this Budget Estimate, page 25, were considered separate- ? ? ly and after a brief discussion, Mr. Braak offered a motion that,they be approved as recom- mended by the County Auditor. It was seconded by Mr. Holton and when the votes were cast, Mr. Williams voted "NO", however, the Chairman ru2ed the motion carried. ? COMMUNITY HOSPITAL - The Budget Estimate of the Community Hospital was tentatively approved, item by item, for a total Budget of $384,284.28. Nr. Williams offered a motion that the Budget as . recommended be approved wiLh the provision that the Operating Room and Obstetrical Room be ? air conditioned and any salary or personnei adjustments be left to the discretion of the ' Board of Directors. The motion was seconded by Mr. Braak for the purpose of discussion. After thoroughly reviewing the merits of the different requests, a vote was taken and Mr. Broadhurst voted "Nn, Nb", however, the Chairman ruled the motion carried since the other members of the Board were.in agreement with the motion. AGRICULTURE 8 ECONOMICS - ' Mr. D. D. Baggett, the County Agent, made a serious plea for approval of the Bud- get as requested which inciuded an adjustment in salary for Assistant Agent Howell and Demon:-stration Agents Lowery and Hall. The Chairman thanked him for his interest and assured him that it would receive full consideration. • ? WELFARE FUND - After a review of the individual items in the Welfare Department, Mr. Holton offered a motion that the request for a new case worker assistant be denied but that a$10.00 ' adjustment be allowed for all those for whom the Welfare Superintendent recommended adjust- ments. It was seconded by Mr. Wiiliams and unanimously approved. L. f^? ".n•, Biidge,t Meeting(Continued) July 20, 1960 FIRE WARDEN - The Chairman reminded the Board that they had not,taken a definite stand on the request for participation in the Fire Control Program. After a brief discussion, Mr. Williams moved that the offer for State participation in a fire control program for New Hanover County be turned down this year and that the District Forester be n8tified and . thanked for the opportunity: It was e nded by Mr. Braak and unanimously adopted. The C ai ma rve ha o decisive action had been taken with reference to ??L??S? the County Veterans Service Office and suggested that it be determined at this time. After a brief discussion, Mr. Holton offered a motion that in view of the Veterans' Service Officer and his Secretary having already had their vacations, resigned their positions and left the City, the office should be discontinued and ciosed. It was s nded hy Mr. Braak and-unanimously approved. RECESS - Mr. Williams then offered a motion that the Board re^ d u il 7:30 P.M. Friday evening, July 22nd. It was seconded by Mr. Braak ni u y a oved. . ? i ?iW. uck,?Executive Secreta-Py - BUDGET MEETING CONTINUATION July 22,1960 7:30 P. M. RECONVENTION - • Pursuant to recess on July 20, 1960, the following members of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners assembled for further consideration of the Budget Estimate: Chairman J. M. Hall, Jr., Commissioners Peter H. Braak, L. E. Broadhurst, J. E. Holton, Jr., and Berry A. Williams; County Auditor T. D. Love, County Attorney John Bright Hill, Commissioners-Elect E. R. Mayhan and J. Van B. Metts. SCHOOL FUND - A`,"" The ahairman welcomed members of.the Board of Education and those present repre- senting that group. Chairman of the Consolidated 5chool Board of Education E. A. Laney and the recently elected Superintendent of Schools, Mr. E. C. Funderburk and the Assist- ant Superintendent, Dale K. Spencer, acted as spokesmen for the members present; Mr. Laney requested that he be permitted to review a few of the salient changes in the overall school picture during recent years before they started discussing the individual Budget items. The teachers this year will increase from 602 to 614. The average student increase over the past 10 year period has been 478 annually. This mesns approximately 15 class- rooms per year average and in the Fiscal Year 1960-61, 38 more classrooms will be operated than over the past year. By and larce, this wili.relieve some overcrowding and may even leave a vacant room here and there in the system. He reported that the pupil load this year would approximate the same as last year because the Atlantic Coast Line move took approximately the same number of students out of the school system as the average increase has been over the past years, however, he reminded those present that this slack would be rapidly made up hy additional industry coming into New Hanover County and increased employ- ment by other industries already here. He assured the Board that the Consolidated Board of Education had gone over the individual items in the Budget request very carefully and did not feel that any of the requests were above the minimum needs. He recalled the per- centage of tax dollars put in Education since 1954 but reminded the Board that since 1950 students from the New Hanover School system had received a total of $79,000 in scholar- ships for graduate work which indicated that it was being operated successfully. This year it will be necessary to include additional personnel in the office because of the increased work load due to the multitudinous items necessary in handling the North Caro- lina Withholding Tax, the Retirement and Social Security deductions and the FICA Tax. The increased number of teachers will likewise contribute to this burden and that although it is the intention of the Board to put in an IBM,bookkeeping machine, it will require a minimum of one additional employee. All the bookkeeping is now being hand posted. He explained that Mr. Funderburk was not here when the Budget Estimate was made and discuss- ' ed, therefore, he thought it was unfair to ask him to explain it, and offered to furnish any information the Commissioners might desire in reference to any of the items in the School Budget. He observed that the Regular Schooi Budget amounted to $488,88o and that _ the Supplementary Budget amounted to $498.380. Administrative Exvense - The increass of this item froin $330.00 to $830.00 was caused hy the moving expenses of the new Superintendent and is a non-recurring increase. National Defense Education Act. - Superintendent E. C. Funderburk explained the request for $12,000. The Federal Goverriment is permitted to supplement the Budget for fQUipment and Special Study in Science, Mathematics, and Foreign Languages up to 50% of tTe 3ppropriation made by the non-Federai agencies. In other words, if the County sees fit to spend $12,000 in this field of endeavor, the Federal Government will pay up to $6,000 more. He expressed surprise that this item had not been used before as it would improve these departments up to 40% at a cost of approximately 20%. Dr. S."R. Rosemond expressed the deep satisfaction of the negro population for the new Superintendent of Schools and the budgeted items that would improve their school plants such as showers at the 4lilliston Junior High, and other contemplated improvementsi Chairman of the School Board, E. A. Laney, expressed the appreciation of liis Board for being allowed to present their Budget and requested that should the Commission- ers see fit to delete or change any of the items they be allowed to'appear before the actual setting of the Tax Rate to answer any further questions they might ask with refer- ence to any particular item. The,Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners assured him that they would be given this privilege. ' -A ? ?? Budget Meeting Continuation July 22, 1960 JOINT MEETING - The Executive Secretary informed the Board that he had confirmed the arrange- menL of a,joint meeting with the City Council on Wednesday, July 27th at 10:00 A. M. in the Council Chamber.s for a discussion of the ,joint appropriations. ? SHERIFFIS DEPARTMENT Sheriff Marion W. Miilis presented each of the Board meinbers a salary com- C-, parison study made with other similar Sheriff's Departments throughout the State and re- quested that they give some consideration to relief in hours and pay for his men. SCHOOL FUND - ? ? Reqular - The School Board left the meeting after answering all of the quest- ions posed by the Commissioners and receiving an explanation for those items which were not entirely ciear. The Board of Commissioners then considered the Regular School Budget item by item and Mr. Holton offered a motion that the Auditor's recommendation of $486,880 be approved for the Regular School Budget, It was seconded by Mr. Braak but after a brief discussion about the proper place in the Budget for the Attendance Officers, the motion was withdrawn by mutual agreement and Mr. Holton offered a motion that the amount for the Attendance Officers now listed in the Supplementary Budget for $7,000 be transferred from the Supplementary Budget to the Ftegvlar Budget. This motion was second- ed by Mr. Braak and when the votes were cast, Mr. Broadhurst voted "NO" but since the ma,Jority of the Board voted in the affirmative, the Chairman ruled the motion carried. After deducting the $7,000 from the Supplementary Budget total and adding it to the Regu- lar Budget total, Mr. Holton then moved that approval be given to a total of $493,880 for the Regular Budget. This motion was seconded by Mr. Willfams, and when the votes were cast, Mr. Broadhurst voted "NO", however, the Chairman ruled the motion prevailed as the majority of the Board had voted in the affirmative. Supplementary - After reviewing the Supplementary items in detail and satis- fying themselves of the importance of each, Mr. Holton offered a motion that the Supple- mentary Budget in the amount of $490,580 as recommended by the County Auditor be approved, less the $7,000 transferred to the Regular Budget for the Attendance Officers. This motion was seconded by Mr. Braak and when the votes were cast, all of the Board voted in the affirmative, except Mr. Broadhurst, who voted "NO", however, the Chairman ruled the motion carried and a total of $483,580 was approved. MISCELLANEOUS SCHOOL FUND 1 ? ? ej4AVr, .. Capitai Outlav - The individual items representing the requestfor $50,000 for Capital Outlay were reviewed in detail and after explanations were received for the need for each item, the Board by common consent, agreed to reduce this figure to $20,000 to be made up of two additional buses for $8,000, termite proof Memorial Building (Brogden Hall) $4,500, payroll machine amounting to $6,000 and a Contingency Fund for $1,500 for emer- gencies, making a total Capital Outlay appropriation of $20,000. Industrial Educational Center - By common consent, the Board unanimously agreed on $35,030.35 as a Budget for this fiscal year being changed from the request of $35,000. National Defense Education Act - This item camein for considerable discuss- ion, after which Mr. Williams offered a motion that approval be given to $18,000 which would allow an anticipation of revenue of $6,000 from the Federal Government and limiting and County Funds to $12,000 as recommended by the Consolidated Board of Education. This motion was seconded by Mr. Braak and when the votes were cast, Mr. Broadhurst voted "NO" but since the other members of the Board voted "YES", the Chairman ruled the motion pre- vailed. Wilminqton Collecte - Reqular - By common consent, the Board approved the sum $83,539.34 as cbmpared to a recommended request of $83,000.00 in this item. NOTIFICATION The Chairman remarked that since there have been some changes in the requests of the Consolidated Board of Education and as he had assured them that they could re- appear if they desired. He asked the County Auditor T. D. Love to call Mr. Laney and ex- plain the changes that were made and ask him if they desired to discuss the Budget fur- ther and if so to advise the Executive Secretary who would arrange for a special meeting. The Chairman, with common consent of the Board, recessed the meeting to be called in session again at his pleasure. Y ,