Columbus County Community Chat

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has chosen Columbus County Schools as one of two school systems in the state to be part of a new initiative to discover root causes of low student performance and what the districts’ strengths and weaknesses are.

DPI will send a team here and to Lexington City Schools over a three-year period to find ways to reverse low student performance.

Our hope is that the experiment will be a learning experience for both local educators – and especially for DPI.

DPI has a diminished reputation among the local education community that it must overcome.

For too long, DPI has made decisions from its ivory tower in Raleigh, decisions that have translated poorly to rural areas like Columbus County. Words like “out of touch” and “pie-in-the-sky” are often heard.

It’s no wonder that many teachers left Tuesday’s meeting with a heavy dose of skepticism.

But let’s be positive here. This experiment, which Columbus County is lucky to be a part of, has a chance to work.
At least one good decision has been made already – that this is a three-year process, not a six-month or one-year dog and pony show.

The time spent here will give DPI a first-hand look at what it’s like to educate students in a poor area where issues like low parent involvement and literacy, a lack of emphasis at home on education and poverty-related social ills make teaching a monumental task. We can’t think of a better laboratory than Columbus County.

And it’s not like teachers and administrators here aren’t trying. They are, but when one walks through Wal-mart, for example, and sees a parent or guardian slapping their children around, or realizes what young children are exposed to in movies, music and television, it’s easy to see that education has to be more than reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s so sad to see bright, young people beaten down by a crumbling or non-existent support system, but that’s what teachers are up against.

Our hope is that DPI will truly see this as an opportunity to create something that – in their own words – will be “national model.”

Likewise, we hope that local teachers and educators will participate willingly. The folks at DPI may recommend radical changes, and teachers need to be prepared to embrace them because these changes just might work. Radical change may be the only solution, in fact, we’ll be disappointed if at least a few extraordinary and bold initiatives aren’t tried.

If there’s one catch phrase that must be remembered during this process, it is “open-minded,” and it’s got to be from both sides.

Clearly, what’s being done now isn’t working, in large part because of social changes that have occurred outside the classroom over the years.

Education must evolve with those changes.

It will be a shining achievement for both the county schools and DPI if that evolution begins right here.

In his book, “Where Have All The Leaders Gone?,” Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued what appeared to be a doomed Chrysler Corporation from collapse in the 1980s, credits much of the company’s successful turnaround to the people he hired as his lieutenants. Finding good people to work for you is a key to effective leadership, Iaccoca says.

That’s why hiring the right county manager should be job number one on the commissioners’ list.

Columbus County has advertised for a county manager for some time now and commissioners say they’ve found no one who they think can do the job.

Former County Manager Jim Varner has been gone for a while, and while Interim Manager Leo Hunt has held down the fort in the meantime, he says he’s ready to fade into retirement.

With round one of interviews apparently unsuccessful, we think the county commissioners should reassess the process.

For starters, the job calls for applicants to have a master’s degree with county government experience. Having someone with both those qualifications would be nice, but we believe this severely limits the pool of candidates. Some of the finest journalists to ever work for The News Reporter, for example, didn’t go to journalism school.

We’re also concerned by recent comments by commissioners that the county can’t afford the salary that some candidates might demand.

We say we can’t afford not to pay a top-notch candidate. Rookies and low-man-on-the-totem-pole candidates will demand a salary in the $50,000 range. A good manager’s salary will start in the $80,000 or $90,000 range.

If the commissioners are shooting for a $60,000 manager as they have in the past, then the county will likely be saddled with an average to below-average manager.

As we’ve said many times before, the commissioners should hire a quality manager and leave him or her alone to do his or her job.

With the county’s finances at a precarious level, the need for economic development and better planning, we urge the commissioners to broaden their search and remember that the cost of hiring a good manager will easily be recouped.

If the commissioners want to turn Columbus County around, do what Lee Iacocca did – hire the best people and the rest will take care of itself.

Disposal of the county’s garbage is an expensive proposition – about $5.8 million annually – so any contract negotiations should be taken seriously and with much thought.

The county commissioners haven’t been known for their due diligence on tedious documents in the past, but they deserve credit for raising questions about the latest contract extension proposal from Waste Management.

The commissioners had planned to cancel their Dec. 17 meeting during the Christmas season, but have instead chosen to use the time to get more answers from Waste Management on their valuation of a three-sided metal building they’re offering the county at the “bargain” price of $325,000. As so often happens with monopolies, Waste Management has given the county the choice of paying $325,000 for this grossly overvalued building or accepting another long-term contract for waste transfer.

Whether the “deal” Waste Management is giving the county in the new contract is a good one needs study, but the commissioners are right to raise a red flag about the price of this shell of a building.

There are other issues that need to be thought out as well, such as aligning the transfer contract with the time frame of the collection contract because it’s not practical to have one contract commensurate with the other.

Second, the contract requires a minimum of 100 tons of garbage a day be moved through Waste Management. That kills any incentive to recycle or cut the waste stream, which would save taxpayer dollars in landfill fees.

Making sure taxpayers get the best deal in contract negotiations is what the commissioners are elected to do, even if it means working through Christmas. This is one trashy deal that wasn’t swept under the rug.

If there is a department of county government that must do its job well, it’s the 911 Center.

No matter how good the county’s fire, police and EMS services are, their efforts will be diminished if there are procedural issues at the 911 Center .

Sheriff Chris Batten recently appealed to the county commissioners for help in resolving issues with the 911 Center and communications with his deputies.

When it comes to stressful jobs, 911 dispatchers are at the top of the list. We have a dedicated crew at the 911 Center here, but they need to be in an environment where they can do their jobs effectively.

Bear in mind that dispatchers not only answer phone calls, they also dispatch them, type in information for record keeping, plus maintain radio communications with responding units – all simultaneously. Usually, four dispatchers can handle what comes in, but sometimes, several emergencies happen concurrently. That’s when you don’t want to be understaffed.

Several problems listed by Batten and brought to light recently need to be addressed. Perhaps the first is the simplest: 911 dispatchers here have to handle too many non-emergency calls. Often, these are calls for situations like interrupted water or sewer service or lost pets.

Citizens should expect answers to these calls, but intermingling these with heart attack or house fire calls is putting too much stress in an already stressful environment.

Batten is correct in asserting that whoever is handling sheriff’s department calls needs to be a sheriff’s department specialist – someone who understands law enforcement and is familiar with sheriff’s department protocols.

Can these current issues be resolved by honing procedures for non-emergency calls and rethinking operations? Maybe, but the 911 Center’s performance will never be predictable because of the nature of emergencies, which often occur en masse.

There are plenty of areas where the county can cut expenses, but the 911 Center isn’t one of them. Error has to be on the side of caution.

• State agencies converge on Silver Spoon farm.

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

State water quality and environmental officials are investigating a livestock waste spill in the Silver Spoon area.

The spill, which was apparently swine waste, was reported Wednesday around 6 p.m., according to officials on the scene. The owner, Barry Freedman, raises hogs for Murphy Brown. He contacted the state Division of Water Quality immediately, investigators said.

A response team was on site by 7 p.m. Wednesday, returned Thursday morning, and was scheduled to return each day until the spill is cleaned up.

Murphy Brown was scheduled to have suction trucks on the scene by 7 p.m. Thursday. Officials were using an airplane to photograph the extent of the spill.

The state investigator, who asked not to be identified, said representatives of the DWQ, Soil and Conservation Service, and other agencies were monitoring the spill, which apparently spread from a waste lagoon to a drainage ditch.

The ditch drains into a creek that feeds a sensitive wetlands area downstream, he said.

Freedman reported to The News Reporter Thursday night that the spill resulted from an irrigation hydrant malfunction. It is the first spill at the farm in 11 years of operation.

By JESSICA WAYNE
Staff Writer

When it comes to long-term relationships Claude and Mary Bowen have written the book. Married in 1932. the couple will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on Dec. 24.

“We’ve been together all this time and we haven’t separated…not once,” said Mary. “I didn’t know it was such a big deal (making it to the 75th anniversary) until people started calling and talking about it.”

The couple started dating when Mary was a girl of 14 and they got married right after she turned 16.

“He was about my only date,” Mary said as she laughs and pats Claude’s knee. They sit sides touching on the couch with familiar ease. Their love for one another is obvious in the way they hold hands and the uncanny way they seem to know when the other is about to speak. Theirs is obviously an anniversary of love and celebration.

“It feels good (looking back on 75 years)” said Mary, “and I give the Lord credit. When I wake up in the morning I thank the Lord.”

Despite numerous health problems Claude and Mary still live in their home without assistance care. Their daughter, Sonya Bowen, said: “Dad still drives them both to town and doctor’s appointments and he still gets around well. A few months ago he drove the lawn tractor into the ditch and flipped it over. He climbed out and went to get the other tractor to pull that one out and he’s almost 95.”

“We’ve had two women… I didn’t see much work being done. One of them cooked, but we didn’t like it (her cooking) and Claude said he’d rather go to town and get food, so that was the end of that,” Mary said.

“We chose to stay home and help each other,” Claude explained, “I’m getting too old for another wife, so I’ve got to take care of this one.”

Mary spends much of her day doing exercise to keep her arthritic joints loose. She sits and uses her walking cane, lifting it over her head 15 times and smiling as she demonstrates.

“It’s amazing; when she started the exercises she could barely lift the cane off her knees,” said Sonya. Claude spends much of his time taking care of the yard and the house. “I’ve been at war with pecan leaves for about three weeks now,” Claude said with a big smile.

Mary and Claude were born three miles apart and attended separate churches and schools. Claude was a member of the Happy Hill community, now called Union Valley. He recalls, “There was one building and we had school and church in that same building.” Mary lived in the Mishop Springs community. By chance Claude attended Mishop Springs church for one year and as luck would have it, he met Mary.

The two decided to get married and when Mary told her father his comment was, “If you’re gonna get married, you’ll need a new dress.” She chuckles as she tells the story. “No, he was not happy but they (her parents) were reasonable about it. Most people my age ran off if they wanted to get married. I didn’t do that… I had to have a new dress to get married in.”

The dress Mary chose was red, which was and still is her favorite color. “I’ve tried to keep the fact that my dress was red a secret. Back then, you had to get married in white or blue, but red has always been my favorite color,” said Mary.

Claude and Mary spent their wedding night in the home of Mary’s sister. Friends assembled on the lawn to serenade the couple and bang pots and pans to keep them up all night. It’s an Irish tradition known as shiveree.

“People have quit that foolishness now,” Mary said, but she and Claude both smile at the memory.

The couple had three children, sons Bronnie Frionda and Harold LaFredge, and daughter, Sonya Cherie. “I didn’t like family names like Jim, Bill, Sam and all that stuff. 1 wanted something outside of the family,” said Mary. “I made a mistake when they started school. 1 gave the school both their first and middle names. 1 wanted them called Frionda, LaFredge and Cherie, but the school called them Bronnie, Harold and Sonya.”

The first year of their marriage Claude and Mary resided with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Columbus (Lummie) Bowen. Five years later, in 1937, the couple built their own house. They both agree that they have never wanted to live away from Whiteville.

“I have bought close to a dozen different locations, locally, and I could never make up my mind to build on them,” said Claude. “We’ve come close to it, but never did.”

“I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else… well, maybe other places around Whiteville, but not away from Whiteville,” said Mary.

They laugh as they recall stories from years past. Topics range from World War II bombings to Mary’s romantic interest before she met Claude.

A particular favorite involves this reporter’s “Uncle Dump.” With some prodding from her grinning husband, Mary relates the story: “I dated Dump for a while when we were kids and they say he used to write letters 13 pages long to me and hide them in the Dewey Meadow’s collard patch. But, that was before we were old enough to date. When we were (old enough to date), he met Lona Bowen (Claude’s first cousin). Claude and I got married before they did, but we were always good friends,” Mary shared.

Claude worked at Todd Furniture in Wilmington for a year during their marriage, but soon returned to the farm. “It was either come back to the farm or be drafted. We had three small children at home, so he came back here,” said Mary.

The couple also recalls hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

“We were listening to the radio when they announced that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. We jumped in the car and drove to the radio station. I don’t know why we did that,” Claude shared.

“It was a fearful time. We had those black blinds on the windows and it was a dark town. Everyone just sat in the dark,” said Mary. Blackout blinds were used to reduce light inside houses to a minimum in an effort to avoid enemy air attacks. The theory was that if the enemy could not see the houses from the air they would not bomb the communities.

“Now we hear war so much I reckon we’ve just got use to it but it was a different time back then,” Mary explained.

According to the Bowens, a long-term marriage is easy to attain if you follow two simple rules. “You have to have patience cause you’re going to have problems, but most of the time you can iron them out,” said Mary.

Claude sits quietly as she speaks, but chimes in at the end of her sentence with, “You have to forgive and forget…and never try to win an argument.”

The Bowens suggest that those considering marriage, “Be slow about it and think about it, because the way people are now, they think, ‘I’ll get married and if I don’t like it, I’ll get out of it.’

“When we got married you didn’t get a wife on trial. Back then it was for keeps,” Claude said, “and it still should be that way.”

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

Whiteville officials are trying to revive plans to establish at least one National Registry historic district in the city.

“It’s been proven that historic districts are beneficial to revitalizing downtowns,” said City Manager Josh Ray. He and planner Lainie Johnston have been reviewing the 1997 and 2003 historic district plans for ideas.

Johnston said one of the key steps will be recognizing which areas would be best for the designation.

“Whiteville has an uptown and a downtown,” she said, “plus the Madison Street corridor.

All these areas have different strengths, and their own particular character.”

To gain historic district status, a municipality must submit plans to the National Parks Service highlighting the historic nature of homes and businesses in the target areas.

If the district is approved, the municipality and a local historic district commission writes guidelines designed to maintain the appearance of the area, and to provide an additional tool for managed growth.

Property owners who choose to purchase or restore properties in the districts can be eligible for significant tax breaks, Johnston said.

“When people hear that they can save big money by following historic district guidelines,” Ray said, “they tend to listen a lot more closely.”

Historic districts have come under fire in some cities because of the restrictive nature of local rules. Ray and Johnston emphasized there is no desire to do that here.

“It’s all about promoting the city,” Ray said. “We want to do what we can to improve and revitalize the area. When you get people interested in coming downtown, merchants will provide places for them to go. Right now there’s virtually no place to walk to downtown after dark. There’s no reason, aside from the health benefits, to walk around downtown at night. We’d like to change that.

“If we give people a reason to go downtown after 5 p.m.,” Ray said, “then we’ll see more development.”

Johnston said she is exploring which areas to include in the proposed districts, as well as how far they should extend out from the Madison Street corridor.

“We have a lot of things to examine from the start,” she said. “How far out will it reach? Should we concentrate on one of the three centers first? Do we emphasize business or residential property? There’s a lot to consider before the work can begin.”

Ray also pointed out that some simple beautification tasks will go far toward helping preserve and improve the uptown and downtown areas.

“Something so simple as planting a few trees can make all the difference in the world between a bare parking lot and an attractive place,” Ray said.

Ray and Johnston said the onus of the project rests on the community.

“This isn’t something we’re pushing,” he said. “Right now, there is no historic district commission, and we don’t have a part of town government dedicated to establishing an historic district. It has to be something the people want to do. If the people want it, we’re here to help.”

Johnston pointed to her own hometown of Tarboro as an example.

“For a number of years,” she said, “you couldn’t sell a house downtown. Then the revitalization effort got underway (after the town was flooded by hurricanes).

Now you can’t sell a house in the suburbs. People are reaching out for that neighborhood feeling again, and they like having things within walking distance.

“I grew up being able to walk to the store, and walk to church,” Johnston said. “People are wanting a return to that, and an historic district can help.”

“I think it would be a big boost for the City of Whiteville,” Ray said, “but only if the people want it. The property owners have to be willing to take the steps to make it happen.”

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Board of Health voted to change intensive livestock rules after it was brought to their attention that a new turkey growing operation couldn’t get an electrical permit from the county inspection department.

After a series of meetings held in November and December, the board voted to change intensive livestock rules that would make the new operation eligible for permits that could not be obtained under old rules.

The old rules called for a setback of at least 200 feet from adjoining property lines. Two of the houses did not meet those guidelines and rules were changed to require only a 50-foot setback from property lines, among other things.

A public hearing was not properly advertised and county officials aren’t denying it.

A public hearing has now been scheduled for 7 a.m. on Dec. 28 but the operation has already been permitted and the turkeys are in the houses.

County Health Director Kim Smith said the Board of Health looked at the rules and determined the setbacks as written were not based on a health risk.

“The board met, changed and accepted the N.C. Poultry Federation Guidelines and Standards and this is actually what the farmer built the farm on,” Smith said. “He was unaware that Columbus County had an intensive livestock ordinance.”

When asked what date those rules were changed, Smith was uncertain.

“I’d have to go back and look but I’m going to go ahead and tell you the general statute says that you have to give public notice any time you adopt new rules and we’re in the process of correcting that,” Smith said.

The Board of Health has the duty and power to protect the public’s health, Smith said.

“The footage was changed because there was not a health reason and all of the research we have done is that most of the risk is to poultry workers, not adjoining property owners or residences that are nearby,” Smith said. “In this case the board felt there were not any health reasons why this should be 200 feet from the property line.

“Where is the health risk?” Smith said. “That was the mindset going into this.”

Building Inspections Director Ray Reaves said he was asked to issue electrical permits for two of four houses at 1119 Jimsie Hester Rd. at W&W Farms, but the electricity would be turned on to all four and he couldn’t.

“We stayed within our guidelines,” Reaves said. “When we were told it was cleared by the health department I issued a permit for all of it.”

Reaves said the construction and wiring were already complete before the owner applied for a permit.

“We didn’t have an application prior to him building the buildings,” said Bill Horne with environmental health. “What we acted on was that rules had changed a week ago –we just acted on what we were told,” Horne explained.

Neil Floyd, also with environmental health, said prior to 2002 swine had been included in the intensive livestock rules but after Chatham County lost a lawsuit over their rules, Columbus County changed its plan by deleting any mention of swine in the rules but made no other changes.

Floyd said the grower, Michael Wilson, did eventually submit all of the documents required of the rules, such as a site plan, waste plan and proof of an attempt to contact adjacent landowners.

The paperwork came after the houses were constructed.

Draft minutes from a Nov. 13 “workshop” state that, in part: “This workshop was held to inform the board of the new construction of four turkey houses erected in the northern part of Columbus County without notifying Columbus County Health Department to obtain the required permit.”

Draft minutes of a Dec. 5 meeting show that “a total of 15 members of the public made comments for and against the poultry farm.” Those minutes do not reflect who spoke or what was said.

After the comments were heard, a closed session was held but the purpose for the closed session nor the statute under which the board was operating to go into the private session is not noted. Anthony Terrance is the only board member listed as not being present.

County Attorney Steve Fowler and 10 other board members are listed as being present at the meeting.

The closed session lasted from 7:30 pm to 9:05 p.m. and included two environmental health employees and one USDA employee “for a brief period,” the draft minutes show.

After the closed session, Dr. Darryl Diefes, Chairman of the Board of Health, encouraged negotiation between the two parties, the draft minutes indicate. He also questioned “Mr. Prestage” about his knowledge of the rules. The minutes do not list a Prestage as being in attendance and do not give a first name.

“He assured the board that if and when Prestage Farms established any more business in Columbus County this would not happen again,” the minutes show. “Prestage” said the company had established houses in several counties in N.C. and never encountered this.

“(County Commissioner James) Prevatte wanted to know more about wetland regulations from the Army Corp of Engineers,” the minutes read.

“Steve Fowler stated the Board of Health will continue looking into this but the two parties should continue negotiations,” the drafts state.

Records show board members George Floyd, James Prevatte and Anthony Terrance were not present at a Dec. 10 meeting where the board first voted on changing the setback rules. The next morning the board had a second reading of the changes with members C. Lacy Tate, Jr., Earl Fowler, James Prevatte, Franklin Boone, George Floyd, Twyla Hodges, Clyde Burns, Peggy Blackmon and Darryl Diefes present.

The changes were adopted on Dec. 11 in a 7 to 1 vote of the board, with Prevatte opposed.

Records obtained from the county building inspections department and health department show that electrical, building, and operational permits were issued on the same day the board took its final vote.

Diefes has said the board was unaware it was violating any law and the health rules under the old policy were not based in science.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

During its Nov. 13 meeting, the Whiteville City Schools Board of Education heard a legislative update from Superintendent Dr. Randall Shaver.

Topics included the school calendar, school tax districts and merger studies.

Shaver reported on the statutes of North Carolina General Assembly House Bill 359, which would restore some flexibility to the dates for school startup.

The current law, enacted two years ago, requires all schools in North Carolina to begin classes no sooner than Aug. 25.

Prior to that, the city schools had been starting around the middle of August.

HB 359 would allow districts to apply for exceptions to the start date for district-wide purposes, such as working in partnership with a local community college.

The Whiteville City Schools works in conjunction with Southeastern Community College on many junior and senior courses.

Shaver said that an earlier start date would better accommodate Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

“It addresses the unique problems that schools with block schedules have,” Shaver said. “I believe that every school system should have the flexibility to determine its own calendar. This is an attempt to gain that flexibility back.”

Shaver said the bill was in a good position to be voted on when the General Assembly convenes for its short session in 2008.

Shaver said that another bill, HB 1740, is bound to raise some eyebrows.

Known as the School Board Fiscal Accountability Act, it would remove the obligation of local school financing from county commissioners and place it with elected school boards.

Instead of the state’s county commissions setting tax rates for schools, the school boards would.

Shaver said that North Carolina is one of the few states that doesn’t allow school boards that option.

Shaver said the law would allow schools boards to levy and collect taxes and take away the fiscal school accountability from the commissioners.

Shaver said that both local school systems have been “flat funded” by the commission for three years, which is actually a decrease in funding when inflation and rising fuel prices are factored in.

Shaver said that the North Carolina School Boards Association is lobbying for passage of the measure in 2008 and was asking for a resolution and help in lobbying legislators.

Shaver said the school board could operate more efficiently if allowed to collect its own money.

“I hope it will pass,” said board member Greg Merritt. “One of our county commissioners made statements about us abusing our funds. It shows how little they know about the funding of the school system. I think it would benefit this county if it does pass.”

Shaver said the current bill is the closest any has come to being seriously looked at.

Shaver said that in most cases where school boards had been given tax authority, the taxes have come down. He cited South Carolina as an example.

“Hopefully, (the commissioners) would not continue to tax at the same rate,” Merritt said.

“This would be an opportunity to work with the county commissioners,” said Chairman Carlton Prince.

Shaver said the school board needed to meet with the commissioners.

‘We don’t want them to feel threatened,” he said, “They are doing the best they can with what they have. This would be removing from them a huge responsibility. This board should have that responsibility.”

“This might be a good time to have a dialogue session with our legislators and commissioners,” Prince said.

Shaver mentioned that since Sen. Tony Rand’s Senate Bill 120 – to fund only one school district per county – had failed to pass in the state senate, Rand had managed to attach at the last minute a study on the feasibility of school merger to a bill that will study the 10 funding formulas used by the state for its schools.

The study would determine if reducing the number of school districts would save significant money.

Shaver said that the existing city school districts need to join forces and lobby against the possibility of merger.

“We need to stay on top of this,” he said. “Everywhere we look, the big systems are breaking up into smaller units.”

He cited the findings of the (Bill) Gates Foundation that smaller is better.

He said that Rand is moving in the opposite direction.

The second largest school system in the state – Mecklenburg – has divided itself into seven smaller school districts, each with a supervisor and a guidance committee answerable to the superintendent and big school board.

“This was at the urging of Judge (Howard) Manning who understands that smaller is better. If large isn’t working, then small might. Now, Sen. Rand wants us to be larger without any say-so from us.”

Shaver, who taught cost analysis debate at the high school level, said the overall public school budget in North Carolina is $6.5 billion.

He said the potential savings of $10 million would pale in comparison to the loss of knowing the best ways to teach a smaller school population.

Shaver recommended that the Whiteville City Schools join the small city school consortium being put together by the 15 affected units.

Each school system would contribute $4,000.

“I think the $4,000 would be money well spent,” Shaver said

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

It pays to move to Columbus County.
At least that is part of the message the Board of Commissioners sent Monday night when they agreed to reimburse the social services director $1,250 of her $3,000 moving expenses.
Columbus County Social Services Board Chairwoman Ruth Storms asked the board of commissioners Monday to approve moving expenses for the new director.
Linda Fry, a director in Marion, S. C. at the time, took the position months ago but no moving expenses were negotiated in her contract; in fact, Fry has no written employment contract.
“As you know, we elected to have a lady from South Carolina to come as director of DSS,” Storms told the board. ”I think it is important that we pay her for moving here.”
Storms also suggested that the county change employment policies to include moving expenses for department heads in the future.
“I see no dollar amount here,” Commissioner Amon McKenzie said of the printed request.
“Mrs. Fry is an absolute pleasure to work with,” Commissioner Ronald Gore said. He serves on the DSS board and replaced McKenzie earlier this year.
“I think it would be a wonderful gesture,” Gore said. He suggested the board pay about half of the moving expense or $1,250. He asked the board to use a portion of funds taken from the 10 percent salary cut commissioners took in June. The cut totaled about $10,500.
“That would be a minimal amount from each commissioner,” Gore explained.
“That’s $150 a piece, gentlemen,” Chairman Sammie Jacobs said.
“I have already allocated that mine will go to fund balance — I can’t change that,” Commissioner James Prevatte said.
“I’m not supportive of changing the policy,” he added.
Storms pointed out that she was not recommending the policy change for “any employee, only management.”
Some department heads do not live in the county. The board waived a former requirement that the county manager live in the county upon hiring the previous manager, Jim Varner.
Commissioner Ricky Bullard asked if multiple quotes had been received on the moving expense.
Gore said Fry got different quotes.
McKenzie pointed out that one or two commissioners had requested the 10 percent pay cut go into the general fund.
Gore then suggested anything already allocated come from what was left out of his salary.
“Just pay it,” Commissioner Bill Memory said, trying to end the debate about where the money should come from. He added that for “these folks looking on the outside in” and for possible manager candidates, it would be attractive.
“I recommend to the boards when they hire managers these things be considered when you hire them.
“When it costs $2,500 to $3,000 it may be best to include it in a contract.”
“First of all, we don’t have a contract,” Gore explained.
“Let’s take care of the lady. What do you say?” Jacobs said.
The board voted unanimously to reimburse Fry $1,250 moving expenses.