11241980Harnett County Board of Commissioners, November 24, 1980
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CALL TO ORDER
PRAYER
MINUTES APPROVED
HARNETT COUNTY
CITIZENS FOR TAX
REFORM INC.
ADJOURNMENT
The Harnett County Board of Commissioners met in regular session
on Monday, November 24, 1980, in the Commissioners Room, County
Office Building, Lillington, North Carolina, with the following
members present: Lloyd G, Stewart, M. H. Brock, Bill Shaw, Rudy
Collins, and Chairman Jesse Alphin presiding. H. D. Carson, Jr.,
Clerk to the Board, and Edward H. McCormick, County Attorney, were
also present.
Chairman Jesse Alphin called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Commissioner Rudy Collins led the evening prayer.
The minutes from the Harnett County Board of Commissioners meeting
of November 3, 1980, were approved as read.
Donnie Phillips, President of the Harnett County Citizens for Tax
Reform, Inc., appeared before the Board as spokesperson for the
Tax Reform Group and addressed the Board as follows: "Chairperson,
Board of County Commissioners, Harnett County, Lillington, North
Carolina: Dear Sir: Attached is a petition signed by approximate-
ly 10,000 property owners, taxpayers, and citizens of Harnett
County. The petition and signatures are presented to you tonight,
November 24, 1980. The substance of our petition is that the
County tax rate for this fiscal is too high and that commencing
with the new fiscal year, 1981 -1982, the Board of County Commiss-
ioners reduce the present property tax rate by at least 25% (the
present tax rate, 1980 -81, $.89 per $100.00 be reduced to $.67 per
$100.00 beginning with the new fiscal year, 1981 -82). The seven
recommendations of the petition are in the interest of better
government at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers. The following is
therefore requested of the Harnett County Board of County Commiss-
ioners: a. That the Board of County Commissioners carefully study
the petition and its recommendations and determine courses of
action for implementing the petition and its recommendations on or
before January 15, 1981. b. That the Board of County Commission-
ers meet with the members of The Harnett County Citizens for Tax
Reform and other interested citizens of the County at a public
meeting on January 15, 1981, at the Lillington Middle School, 8:00
p.m. to discuss its courses of action of implementing the petition
and its recommendations. c. That the format for this meeting
(paragraph b above) be planned by three members of the Board of
County Commissioners and three members of the Harnett County Citi-
zens for Tax Reform, Inc. Our recent tax rate is of great concern
to us and we inform you kindly that taxation without representa-
tion is not the American or Harnett County way of governing.
Sincerely, Donnie Phillips, President, Harnett County Citizens for
Tax Reform, Inc." Chairman Jesse Alphin thanked Mr. Phillips and
the other citizens for coming and expressing their interest in
local government and taxation. Chairman Jesse Alphin stated that
taxation was a universal problem and that the citizens of Harnett
County would have the Board's cooperation in trying to find some
answers to this problem. Chairman Alphin said that the Board of
Commissioners would review the petition and would be happy to re-
spond to the recommendations.
There being no further business, the Harnett County Board of
Commissioners meeting of November 24, 1980, duly adjourned at 7:45
p.m.
Clerk