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12051966540 DECEMBER 5th. 1966 THE Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, December 5th. at 10:00 A.M.,'with M. H. Brock, Willard Mixon, W. J. Cotton, Jr. H. M. O'Quinn, and J. E. Womble, Commissioners, present. Also present was the County Attorney, the Auditor and the Clerk to the Board. Chairman Brock called the meeting to order and offered the invocation. Minutes of the November meeting were read and approved. The following reports were presented and approved: Clerk Superior Court Register of Deeds Tax Collector Clerk of,Recorders Court Veterans :ServiceOfficer Electrical Inspector n Elizabeth F. Matthews Inez Harrington W. Earl Jones Kyle Harrington Jean M. Irvin B H Sellers L. Perry Cameron Jean M. Irvin, Veterans Service Officer, appeared and explained the Budget Estimate for fiscal year also explained the purchases for her office. W. Eari Jones, Tax Collector, appeared and,gave_a report of collections En the tax office. Chairman Brock announced that atacmeeting of Harnett County Board of Education Hoke Smith was appointed to serve with R. A. Gray on the Health, Education and Welfare Advisory Counell. The followingroad petition was approved: (1) That a road in Shawtown be added to State System a distance of 600 feet. ( Petition given to Commissioner Womble for presentation.) Commissioner Mixon gave summation of the Boards action in the progress of the County and expressed appreciation to the official family. Other members of the Board also expressed their appreciation and their pledges to continuous efforts for progress in Harnett County. The Clerk to the Board and the Auditor expressed appreciation to the Board for their progress and complimented them on their cooperation in the many new programs. County Attorney gave a comparable summation of this Board in all areas of the County. There being no further business to be considered by the Board as now con- stituted this Board Adjourned for the swearing ; in - Ceremony for the Elective Officials which was conducted in the Harnett County Court Room and the County Officials received their respective oaths of office administered by Clerk of Superior Court of Harnett County. The Board of Commissioners as now, after taking the Oath of office and is composed of M. H. Brock, J. E. Womble, W. J. Cotton, Jr. C. E. McLamb and Gilbert Brown met at 2:00 P.M. and named H. M. Brock as temporary Chairman. Chairman Brook called an executive Board as follows: Chairman Vice - Chairman Building and Ground Committee Still Committee meeting for the purpose of reorganizing the M. H. Brock J. E. Womble C. E. McLamb & Gilbert Brown C. E. McLamb & Gilbert Brown Personnel Committee J. E. Womble & Gilbert Brown Farm Census C. E. McLamb Member of Welfare Board W. J. Cotton, Jr. 541 The Following Appointments Were Made by the Board: County Attorney Auditor Veterans Service Officer Vice Recorder Assistant Solicitor County Agent Assistant Agent Assistant Agent Assistant Agent Negro County Agent Home Economics Agent Assistant Home Economics Agent Negro Home Edonomics Agent Neill Ross Herbert Carson Jean Maness L. M. Chaffin J. T. Lamm C. R. Ammons T. D. O'Quinn James E. Goff Vance Hamilton L. K. Boston Ruby I Parker Bettie E. Giles Ida P. Hinnant For a term of n n n n n n n If 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years Colonel David Alexander appeared before the Board and introduced Mr. Dean Brady, Field Director of Carolina United Community Services, Charlotte, N. C. who explained to the Board tee program of the United Funds. Sam Wilson, State Highway District Engineer, and R. N. Weaver of the State Highway, County Supervisor, appeared before the Board and discussed the Road Projects in the future. Thomas Allen, Tax Supervisor, appeared before the Board and recommended the following List Takers for the year 1967 and the Board appointed the same as follows: Township Anderson Creek` Averasboro Barbecue Black River Buckhorn Duke Grove Hectors Creek Johnsonville Lillington Neills Creek Stewarts Creek Upper Little River Mrs. Frank McArtan Linden N C Rt. 1 Mrs. James Yates Box 511 Dunn N C Mrs. George Williams 705 S. Magnolia, Dunn Mrs. Laurel Cameron J.H. # 7 Sanford N C Mrs. Eira T. Watkins Angier N C Mrs. Clare S. Harrington Fuquay- Varina Rt. 1 Mrs. Gladys McCaskill Erwin N C Mrs. Mary Hough Mrs. Thomas Williams Mr. E T Moore Mr. Neill C. Cameron Mrs. Paul McDonald Mrs. Leon Davis Mr. Thomas J. Byrd Mr. Lloyd Stewart Mrs. Lloyd Stewart County Appraisers: D. B. Dean William G. Lasater Lillington N C Erwin N C Rt. Coats N C Coats N C Fuquay- Varina Rt. 2 Cameron Rt. 2 Lillington Butes Creek Bunnlevel Rtl Broadway Rt. 1 Board ordered to begin Listing Property for taxation on January 3rd. 1967. 542 Thomas Allen Ponies presented a schedule of Listing personal property as follows: lst,Class 2nd. Class 3rd. class Saddle Horses 1st. class 2nd. class 3rd. class Vbrk Horses LF to $ 75.00 50.00 25.00 $ 350.00 200.00 100.00 8 years old $25.00 to $50.00 14 years old 25.00 to $50.00 Mules 8 to Registered Bulls Unregistered Bulls Milk Cattle # 1 Milk Cattle # 2 Milk Cattle # 1 Milk Cattle # 2 not registered Milk Cattle # 3 not registered (l gallon or more) Other cattle Beef Cattle registered registered not registered (3 Gallons - -or (2 gallons or more) more) Hogs Brood Sows Shoats Pigs Poultry Dogs Meat and Lard Lumber Cotton Farm Tractors Radio Sets Pianos $ 35.00 15.00 to $35.00 5.00 to $15,00 $ 350.00 150.00 185.00 150.00 100.00 100.00 to $75.00 75.00 50.00 to $100.00 100.00 to $150.00 List all poultry at $ .5o List all dogs up to six months of age as males, after 6 months of age, list as males and females. List at ,20% per pound $50.00 per thousand Dressed Lumber $60.00 to $75.00 per thousand Prior to last years crop at $100.o0 per bale. Electric Refrigerators, etc. per year down to a minimum., $5.00 and up $25.00 and up 100% less 10% depreciation Guns and Pistols $5.00 and up. Other Items By Agreement The Board ordered the County Auditor to issue the December checks on December 20th. The Board will meet in regular session on January 9th. 1967, at 10:00 A.M. The Board recessed to reconvene at the call of the Chairman. Clerk to Board Shatrman 543 A Summary Of The Commissioners Work By Willard Mixon I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who have afforded me the privilege of serving as a member of the Board of Comm- issioners. I am especially grateful since I feel I have served during a period that will be remembered as the time when Harnett launched its campaign to confound the grim predictions of dry rot and slow death. It was a time when the winds of change began to blow a fresh new spirit of hope and enthusiasm into all the musty corners, and I'm very proud that our county spread its sails to this favorable wind and charted a course towards new and better things. I know that we have all felt the effects of the revolutionary ohanges that are taking place throughout our entire society, and I can say with complete confidence that our County is rising to the ohallenge. In the past few years more activity acid action has taken place than has transpired in the preceding decade. This statement is not meant to detract from the efforts of the many hardworking people who have labored for us in the past, but rather to illustrate the fact, that at this particular point in time, the combination of ohange elements and opportunities made things possible that could not have been accomplished previously. Although accomplishments now loom large Compared to the past, they will be small indeed oompared to the future, if we oontinue to grasp our opportunities and move ahead rather than resting on our oars. We are actually only in the dawn of this new era and a long and difficult road lies ahead before we arrive at the goal that Governor Moore has so aptly titled as "Total Development ". Good progress has been made in establishing the machinery to help us along the road. Such relatively new organizations as theAgri- Business Commission, the Committee of 100, the Planning and the Community Action Program have and are accomplishing many worthwhile things. These types of organizations afford the means for our most able citizens to partici- pate with government and agencies in a coordinated effort to plan and carry out necessary programs for progress. We have recognized that our social and economic development are inter - dependent and must keep pace with one another; however, the accomplishment of this task is oonsiderably more difficult than the recxgnition, and we must be prepared to make some sacrifices, We have made some notable gains in acquiring industry whioh is essential to the economy, but if we wish to acquire more, then we must be able to provide the skilled labor and the many other elements necessary to create a favor- able environment to attact it. A very good start has been in establishing the Harnett County Adult Education Center and in initiating the Manpower Development Training courses; but, we need to go much deeper and to gear our entire education system to modern day needs for vocational, technical and academic excellence, To do this, we must face the fact that the consolidation of our many small high schools is an ab- solute necessity and that, whatever the post, we just cannot afford not to take the step. Every year that we delay sends the cost higher and puts us further behind in the race. Out school people are doinig an excellent job under existing conditions, but they are working with an obsolete system that is beyond economical repair and patching. We cannot afford to maintain the present system that loses 50% of its students prior to graduation, and which cannot establish the courses required for college entrance. We have been the beneficiaries of very considerable amounts of Federal funds for Head Start, the Neighborhood Youth Corps, the Elementary and Sec- ondary Act and much other legislation. We have used these funds, and they have bene- fited our children and out economy, but consider also that we have been guilty of wasting and dissipating much of the good because we are funneling it through an antiquated system instead of providing the efficient, modern, consolidated facilities that are required. Education and training lie at the heart of any effort to achieve our ambitions in today's world; without it, we will never realize our full potential. Other funds have been made available to us, such as the grant for a water resources survey, which will be of great benefit provided we now also begin to give serious thought to the land use and zoning considerations which are essential to orderly growth and development, preservation of our resources, provision of recreation areas and industrial sites, and the need to tie all of this together with good highway plan- ning and the expansion of utilities. By our own efforts we can, and should, make every benefit received pay double and triple dividends. One of the most gratifying developments that I have witnessed is the growth of im- portance of county government and to see this oldest form of local government suddenly becoming our newest andmost exciting. It is generally recognized that this element of government is readily adaptable to meet pressing needs of today's expansion. In nearly every community in the country, the counties are taking on new functions and assuming responsibility for such things as traffic control, libraries, parks and re- creational facilities, airports, community colleges, mental health clinics, hospitals, transportation and planning to mention just a few. I think without doubt that the key to our governmental future is the word planning X and increasingly Americans are turning to the county to plan the orderly development of both their urban and rural communities, It has also been most gratifying to see the recognition that the Board of Commissioners has given to the challenge that this involves, and how they have be- gun to gear their operation to meet it. We have already moved into many areas of county -wide operation such as mental health and mental retardation, fire protection, civil defense, water supply, industrial and agricultural development and have created the Committee of 100 as a planning body to explore and recommend additional areas 544 and courses of action. These are big steps; however, I feel that with so much more to accomplish, it is essential that werseek_ some reorganization with a view of creating a genuine home rule local government, and that we obtain all necessary enabling legislation to allow us to undertake new and necessary functions. I feel also that our Board needs to become a bona fide legislative body and be relieved of administrative functions that might well be placed in the hands of an appointed executive or coordinating agency. Once this is acc- omplished, I believe that many refinements can be brought about in the areas of <' budgeting, personnel, central purchasing, reorganization of departments and other modern administrative improvements. If we do not prooede along this path, I feel we will have, lost a golden opportunity and that we will have only ourselves to blame for increasing federal and state encroachment on what should rightfully be our local perrogatives... we can be assured that wherever we leave a vacuum,' other authority will move in to do our job. We also need to be up on our hind legs working for a change in tax structure that will allow us to obtain the funds necessary to do a proper job of home rule. Higher levels of authority are not standing in the way of local governments taking the reins, they realize that the complex operation of county business can best be performed on the home grounds and by the local people... but if we do not demonstrate that we are prepared and willing to assume our responsibilities and take the initiative in demanding what should be ours, they are certainly not coming to us, . with everything we need on a silver platter. One thing I think should be clear to us all, in order to enjoy the right of self - determination In government; we must be willing to pay a price. In one way this price is exceedingly cheap since it does not involve dollars; viewed from another angle, tt is expensive because it involves a very precious commodity---Democracy. If we are all willing to pursue our present upward path, employing the principles that have made this country great, and if we work to- gether.ge.ther in the kind of unity that can suppiort honest difference of opinion, then I think we can achieve our objective. Democracy is a privilege, and it is a price, if we give it only lip service and attempt to cheat ourselves, then I am afraid that the dry rot will engulf us. I hope that in the future conditions will be such that I may again have the privilege of serving you. So although I shall be leaving the official family, I will be joining an allied family with even greater responsikilities for continued progress...the family of private citizens in our community. I: have come to see most clearly, in the past two years, that it is the expressed concern, the effort exerted, and the support given by each and every citizen that is vital to progess, and that each citizen must haul his own weight and more if we are to keep the wheels turning. Thanks to all of you for giving me a turn at steering and Itm now ready to join you in the pushing.