1954-12-13 Regular Meetingq
Wilmington, N. C., December 13, 1954•
The regular weekly meeting of the t3oard was held this day at 10:00 o'clock A.M.
Pr,esent: R. T. Horton, Chairman and Commissioners Claud O'Shields, Naiford Trask, J.M.Ha11, Jr,.,--Ernest R. Mayhan-,
Cicero P. Yow, County Attorney and T.D.Love, County Auditor.
The meeting was opene'a with prayer by the Reverend W,S.White, Pastor of First Christian Chtirch. ?
Copies of the minutes of ineeting of December 6, 1954, having previously been mailed to each member of the
Board, the same were upon motion of Mr. O'Shields, seconded by Mr. Hall, approved.
A case brought to the attention of the Board by Mr. Wallace 14urchison and Mrs. J. Einder Hughes, member of
o?, tlie 13oard of Directors of Pami],y Service Society,concerning a family o£ six who are receiving_$7.50 per week
Q???_U assistance fro? County Relief FSuids, and who are in dire need of additional temporary help. It appeared
-?? from information given by c7rs. J.M,Highsmith, County Investigator, that the £amily ran a small business at
Carolina Beach which was closed by reason of the recent hurricane. The father has registered at the employment
office for work, and the wife is confined at her home sick. The case was referre3 to ASrs. Highsmith to provide
additional temporary assistance and to work out the aitvation to the best interest.
IIpon motion of i's. Hall, secon3ed by I4r. Mayhan, the "Youth of Christ" religious organization, was granted
the use of the Recbrders Court Room for religious meetings one Friday a month, 7:00 to 9:00 P,M,, for a period
a` o£ thr-ee months. The same having been endorsed by the Pastors as a most worthwhile cause to channel youth into
churches of their respective relig'ious denominations.
?
An objection raised by Pdr. L. E. Al1en to pay the balance of taxes due on 50.5 acres o£ land, part of McClelland,
Harnett township, £or the years 1952 and 1953, on a valuation of $5,555.00 which through error,was charged on
?Uv the tax books for said years at $400.00 on which basis he paid taxes receiving a receipt in f1z11 paymentV
? and the error was discovered and corrected for the year 1954• The question raised as to his obligation to pay
' the taxes on,a basis of the corrected assessment for 1952 and 1953, was uPon motion o£ Mr. 0'Shields, seconded -??
by Mr. Hall, re£erred to the County Attorney to secure the opinion of the Attorney General. ?i ?;-
?
The annual report of the Clerk of the Superior Court of public funds in his hands as o£ ?ecember 1. 1954, was
received and referred to a cormittee £rom the Board to check the same and then ordered published as the law directs.
A request of Mr. Foster Filwards Clerk of Superior Court, on behalf of the Wilmington Bar Association, for a two
-GhU weeks special Civil term of the Superior Court for March 28, 1955, and May 9, 1955, was taken under advisement.
Payment of $375.00 premium on Public 0£ficial Bond's for Mr. Foster Fdwards as Clerk of the Superior Court, in
the amount of $25,000.00 with the The Fidelity and Casualty Compfzr?y of Idew Yorlc as surety, was upon motion of
Mr. 0'Shields, seconded Y,ry• Mr. Hall, approved.
The County Auditor submitted his report of all County FluZds including Retirement and 0£ficers Relie£ Ihnds
for the fiscal peas ending June 30, 1954, which was discussed in detail. In the discussion an item under
? "Fixed Assets" in Exhibit A. Ferry $535.00 and Lodge, Cape Fear River Bridge $100.00..was referrod to the
Auditor for clarification. Cape Fear Armory, Gregerson Iand (Quarry), and James Walker Hospital, was referred
to the County Attorney as to ownership interest. .
?,Y-/The Auditor commenting on excess expenditures under Exhibit C, advisod that all £uture bi11s in excess of
budget a-llowance will have to be approved by the Board out o£ funds to be made available before payment is made.
0 Instructions were given to look into the matter of payment of $1.00 per day by the Government for the care of
Federal Prisoners in the County Jai1, with the view of increasing the amount to meet the cost of maintenance:
, The County Auditor told the '3oard that the retirement fund just about breaks even with the amount the County
? puts in it, an3 also reported that employees retirement for the ?oard of Health and Community Hospital has
bean adjuste3 on the new basis o£ 2/3 by the County anci 1/3 by the City,
/The appointment of the follwsng Tax Listers £or the various toi•mships, for the year 1955, recommended by
??? Mr. T. D. Love, Tar. Supervisor, was upon motion of 1?ir. Trask, seconded by Mr. Hall, approved;
? Cape Fear Township: . Wilmington Tovmship:
Mrs. George W. idilkins -
_ Castle Hayne, N. C. Mr. J. H. 14omble .. •
Harnett #].. Mr. W. P. Toon
Mrs.John Leeuwenburg
3407 Wilshire Blvd. I4r. J. ii. Gerdes
Wilmington, N. C.
. 1.7r. D. G. Edmondson.
-F.arnett No.2.
I4rs. Sally Best •
Rt.l,
Wilmington, N. C.
?
I'ederal Point (Caxolina Beach - ICure Beach)
Mrs. James H. it{yatt
Carolina Beach, N. C.
?
PSasonboro : •
Mrs. Leila Horne
2224So. Front St.,
Wilmington,Iv.C.
The Chairman presented a detailed reconciliation of the total values of ad valorem tax assessments listed
/'IaX on the abstracts for 1954 wii:h the total tayable valuations as recorded on the tax books, prepared by Cherry,
IIekaert and Holland CPAs, shown as £oilours; which was ordered turne3 over to the Pax Collector to Ue added
to the 1954 tax books for collection:
,,•
Total tax books as originally prepared $103,3122540.
Add - Adjustments 42,927.
Unlisted Automobiles 1.186.237.
Total TaxaUle Ualuation $104,541,704.
?
561
Meeting of llecember 13, 1954, continued.
? In answer to an inquiry by Mr. Hall, as to lahat progress is being made in the handling of back taxes since
the full time back tax collector has been eliminated, was told the same is in good shape.
Comparative percentage of tax collections'were reported as follows:
For the year 1951 95%
• 1952 95.2%
1953 95%
? The Chairman announce3 that preli.minary report imiicated that $46,000.00 has been alloted the County for
hurricane damage, and said we should get together on erosion matters after confirmation of amount to be
received, and the IIutler hangar lacks 180 squares o£ completion. The same uas continued until next meeting.
.Aln invitation was receiited from the Agricultural Committee of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce to attend
? a"Dutch" Dinner meeting at Pergu's Ark, 7:00 P.I9., Wednesday, December 15th to hear reports regarding the
activities of the Agricultural Corumittee and to make plans for the 1955 program. The cost of the meal will
be $1.50 each. ?
Thanks wexe receive3 from the Caswell Training School £or the $25,00 donation for their Children's Christmas
F1utd.
A letter w as received from N's.Carl D. Dunkel, Chairman of the Blood Program of the lJilmington Chapter of
American Red Cross, e?cpressing appreciation for the cooperation of Mr. Herbert RivenUark, Superintbndent
of the County Home, during the recent November visit of the American Red Cross Bloodmobile. The prisoners
who o£fered their blood expressed their appreciation for having been asked to flurnish same, he said.
• Their conduct, cooperation,and general attitude were exce}lent.
Upon motion of Mr. Aall, seconded by Mr. 0'Shields, Payment of lp?67.50 to J.I3.PicCabe & Compar?y,CPAs for auditing
the books and records of the tax office covering settlement of taxes for the yaer 1953, and the transfer of
$192.50 from the emergency flind to auditing under the Pax Collector's budget appropriation, requested by
the County Auditor to provide su£ficient funds to meet that expense, was approved.
Upon rnotion of Mr..Hall, seconded by Mr. Pifayhan, $125a00 was ordered transferred from the emergancy fund to
? Medical, under Jail appropriation to provide additional funds needed to meet medical expense, and payment of
? $113.80 to James Walker Hospital for hospitalization for Charles Stewart, Jail prisoner, was approved, and
instructions were given to.itimite the Hospital concerning payments for irdigent.-cases in the future.
Additional equipment needed to make the County Garage complete for the proper and aconomical care of the
_1y,,k-t5 County's motor vehicles at an approximate cost of $500.00, recomanended U,y the Chairman, was continued until
next meeting.
A letter of appreciation was received from SENCBA for the $500.00 appropriation allotted them for advertising
• purposes for the year 1954• -*p s
A bill of $2.00 for inspection?nd permit to operate a steam boiler at the T.B.Hospital and new Court iiouse,
? C'?? received £rom the State Bureau of Boiler Inspection, was approved.for payment.
A letter was received £rom Franklin W. Bell, Local Civil Defense Director, enclosing a report on survey of the
sirens in the Cour-ty, and report on the eleven sirens damaged beyond repair, lost or stolen. Mr. Bell also
CJ advised that request has been made to the State office in Raleigh to invite a representative from the Civil
Defense Federal Regional Office at Thomasville, Ga., to come here for the purpose of making tests, and
drawing up a siren lay-out for the County, which, he said, would make it easier t'o obtain approval for the
purchase of sirens on a matching fund basis. A statistical report of the County Home, Juvenile Quarters and Prisoners, for October was received from
the State Board of Public Welfare,
e statement o£ Airport disbursements and receipts for Novembex, and cash receipts for NovenUer 30, and
?{ ?'December 8, were received.
...k-A Reports for November were received £rom the Wilmington Colored Library, Housing Authority of the City of
Wilmington, and Atorth Carolina Health Service Budget for fiscal year 1954-1955 and odrered filed.
A report of John C. 1lessell Tuberculosis Sanatorium for week ending December 10, 1954;
w? Ylhite patients 7
Negro " 14
• 21
' Non-residents 0 '
Vacant beds 11 = Male white 3, Female white 6, i,',ale colored 1, Female colored 1.
bischarged 1= James Finley Dec. 9, 1954, colored-transferred to D1cCain.
' Admitted 0
Died 1= Mrs. N,ildred Core, December 8, 1954•
Drainage Report: for the two weeks ending December 12, 1954:
25 men worke3 Q days cutting right of way for Dragline at Kure Beach.
7" ° 1 day ditching on Castle Hayne Road.
7" " 1 day putting in pipe Castle Hayne lwad. "
11 2 days unloading coal County Home.
5" " 1 day on County Farm.
--C ?PK'A- Action on Rules and Regulations? County HomP A^A pxisen_.°oa„icies, tiaas cor}tinued until next meeting.
A paper prepared by the Chairman on °FACTS THE TAX PAYER SHOULD KNOW", where our^tax money, raised by the
$1.20 tax rate goes, was presented to the Board showing the totals as follows:
Total School purposes $1,026,359.98 plus Federal and Bond Building Expenditures $842,070.60
portion of tax rate, ................................. .7241 cents
All other purposes $1,693,679.03, portion of tas: rate .4759 cents
yow\ The Chairman told the Board he would begin taking time out of the office on his vacation account,£rom time to time,
as business wou13 permit, which met with the approval of the Commissioners.
Upon motion of Mr. Aall, secon3ed by Mr. 0'Shields, County bills PJo. 1700 to 1802 were approved for payment.
i
The meeting t•hen adjourned.
?/( Clerk.
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