The county budget process will shift into high gear at tonight's regular monthly meeting of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors.
Halifax County Administrator Dan M. Sleeper will outline details of the proposed $54.6 million budget for the 1998-99 fiscal year.
That is a tentative increase of approximately $1.15 million over the 1997-98 record budget of $53,482,577.
Final budget figures are still tentative and changing almost on a daily basis, county officials pointed out. In fact, figures changed several times during a Thursday night meeting of the Finance Committee.
The most frequently-used amount during the work session was a total of $54,627,009 in expenditures, with projected total revenues of $54,235,151.
Discussions among Finance Committee members were held on the projected shortfall of $391,858, with discussions to continue over to the meeting of the full board tonight.
That meeting will take place in the second floor public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Office Complex in Halifax. The regular meeting will begin at 7 p.m., with public hearings for three conditional use permits scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
Highlights of the Finance Committee meeting included:
· The proverbial lion's share of the county budget is a $39,960,301 request from the Halifax County Public Schools, most of which is from state and federal revenue sources.
Sleeper had asked for a reduction of the local school request by $146,000. However, supervisor Robbie Smart stated that the request should be fully-fund, citing the leadership under the new Superintendent of Public Schools, Dennis Witt.
"We need to fund the school request because I believe Mr. Witt is heading in the right direction," Smart told fellow members of the Finance Committee. Smart specifically pointed out Witt's focus on technology and truancy issues.
· In discussion of the tentative funding shortfall, supervisor Dickie Abbott pointed out that before ODEC ever began building the Clover Power Project, speakers to the board forecasted that revenue from the firm would not meet what was initially described.
With writeoffs for pollution equipment that were "sold" to firms outside the county, tax revenue from the project has been decreased by over a $1 million a year, Sleeper said.
· A recommendation was made to expend a total of $7,500 in donations to three area organizations. The committee proposed to recommend appropriations of $2,500 each to the South Boston Historical Museum, The Prizery, and the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce.
· Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Oakes lowered last year's request of $15,000 to $7,500 for the sheriff's department's local share of operating expense for the Tri-County Regional Drug Task Force.
· Joyce French, Executive Director of the Southside Planning District Commission based in South Hill, appeared before the Finance Committee to ask for a $7,125 increase from Sleeper's originally-projected appropriation of $21,075 for a new total of $28,200.
The agency, which administers and writes grant applications for various projects, receives a 38-cent per capita (population) fee from each citizen of their three-county region.
Last year, Halifax County "underpaid" its share according to the agency's charter because of problems associated with the reversion of South Boston from city to town status.
While SPDC officials overlooked last year's outlay, they chose to ask for the increased funding which is now based on all citizens of Halifax County (including South Boston) or 37,600 people, French told the committee.
The county's position for the exclusion of South Boston's population stemmed from the fact that the town pays a share as well. However, South Hill, which is a town, has "double-paid" since the inception of the agency which occurred in 1969.
"It's not really because of the money ($7,125) that I'm here tonight," French said. "But you can't have one town not pay it and another town having paid it for 30 years."
If Halifax County didn't spend the $7,125, officials from South Hill could ask for refunds dating back to 1969, she told the committee.
Smart made a motion to recommend the county base the figure on a population of 37,600, which was seconded by Abbott.
A recommendation of approval was given Thursday night by the Halifax County Planning Commission for a major expansion of Dollar General's regional distribution center in the Halifax County Industrial Park.
However, that approval recommendation was given only after a long discussion on landscaping, noise level, and earth berms requirements on the facility's northern boundary with adjacent residents.
The recommendation of approval was given to the Halifax County Board of Supervisors who will hold a public hearing and then vote on the conditional use permit request during tonight's regular monthly meeting.
The public hearing portion of the meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. The meeting will take place in the second floor public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Office Complex in Halifax.
Charles Lowery, who is an adjoining property owner on the north side of the Dollar General facility, voiced concern over earth berms and landscaping between Dollar General and adjacent residents.
He asked for Dollar General to be required to plant fast-growing trees, with a minimum initial height of four-feet, along the northern property line.
Lowery also asked for an earth berm to be constructed between the facility and the residents. In addition, since there would be a 40-foot drop at the berm, "a fence should be added to prevent children from playing on the slope and getting injured," Lowery wrote in a document to county planning officials.
Noise from the center was also a concern of Lowery's and residents of the area. With the installation of over 30 industrial draft fans on the north wall of the Dollar General building, there was an initial level of 85 decibels, with the latest reading during both day and night of 70 decibels, according to Lowery.
He asked that the noise levels be limited to a maximum of 50 decibels at a five-foot level at the property line between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. and a noise limit of 60 decibels between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.
As a temporary measure, Lowery asked that the fans on the upper level of the building should not be used from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.
In an written outline of the expansion, Anthony Roden, Director of Projects for Dollar General, stated that the addition to the west side of the building will be 486,000 square feet in size.
The expansion will add an additional 25 employees to the firm's current work force of 500 people, according to Roden.
The daily truck traffic count will increase by about 15 percent, Roden projected. Currently, the facility generates a truck traffic count of about 200 per day, officials said.
In other matters, the planning commission recommended approval for a conditional use permit for MC Construction Company to own and build a U.S. Postal Service office at Nathalie.
By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - If the tobacco legislation hasn't made it to the Senate floor by June 1, ''it's going to be pretty hard'' to bring it to a vote this year, Majority Leader Trent Lott said Friday.
The key, Lott said, is figuring out whether the price tag on Sen. John McCain's bill would drive tobacco companies into bankruptcy, thereby pushing them out of reach of plaintiffs seeking to recover health costs related to smoking.
Though some witnesses told McCain's Commerce Committee that the bill's $506 billion price tag could be borne by tobacco companies, the industry insists it could not survive under those terms.
Meanwhile, President Clinton said Friday he hoped tobacco companies would put an ''unforgivable chapter behind them'' and remain a party to the legislation making its way through Congress.
Just back from Africa, Clinton joined McCain, R-Ariz., the chief author of Congress' leading tobacco bill, in cautioning cigarette makers to support the bill or face the possibility of even tougher legislation.
Clinton said continuing evidence of tobacco's ''deliberate strategy'' to pursue youthful smokers gives the companies a big interest in pursuing the settlement.
Lott, R-Miss., said committee chairmen on Capitol Hill must step up the pace of their talks and get the bill to the Senate floor for a vote before June 1. Otherwise, he said, ''it's going to be pretty hard'' to schedule a vote the rest of this election year.
''I'm not saying it's impossible, but I think that the best time to do it would be before we go out for the Memorial Day recess,'' he said.
The bill, approved 19-1 by McCain's committee Wednesday, would raise the companies' cost to $506 billion, increase the price of a pack of cigarettes by $1.10 by 2003 and fine the industry billions more dollars if teen-age smoking continues to increase.
By JOHN HENDREN
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Big Tobacco's claim that its business could go up in smoke under a proposed nationwide lawsuit settlement is being questioned by smokers and some industry analysts.
Tobacco companies say a deal winding through the Senate that would tack a $1.10 per pack fee on cigarettes would lead to a drop in sales that could bankrupt the industry.
But tobacco companies may be underestimating demand for their product.
''I would be upset by it, but I would still pay the price,'' said Colleen Harris, a 17-year smoker who took a smoking break Thursday at a Burbank, Calif., bar. ''It's completely obnoxious. People are going to smoke, no matter what.''
In June, the tobacco companies offered to pay $368 billion and curb tobacco marketing in exchange for significant protection from lawsuits.
But the deal needs congressional approval, and the current bill making its way through the Senate would require the industry to pay $506 billion. The money would be used for health research, reimbursement for health care costs and payments to farmers.
Wall Street does not appear convinced that the Senate deal is a serious challenge to the industry's survival.
Stock prices for RJR Nabisco and Philip Morris have dropped more than 6 percent since the bill was unveiled Monday, yet they remain nearly unchanged from their level a year ago.
''I don't think they'll go bankrupt,'' said Jack Maxwell, a tobacco analyst with Davenport & Co. in Richmond, Va.
However, a disproportionate amount of smokers are blue-collar workers who earn no more than $30,000 to $35,000 a year. Many are spending more than $1,000 a year on cigarettes now, and may balk at shelling out twice that amount.
''I doubt they're going to be spending 10 percent of their income on cigarettes,'' Maxwell said.
Others think things could get much worse for tobacco.
The $1.10 fee called for under the bill by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., could double the price of a pack within five years because wholesalers, retailers and state tax agencies would likely increase their takes, tobacco industry spokesman Steve Duchesne said.
Goldman Sachs analyst Marc Cohen estimates the McCain bill puts the price of a pack at a little over $3 next year and $4.40 in 2003, including inflation.
''I think consumption's going to fall precipitously,'' Cohen said. ''The economics that are incorporated into this proposal are more significant than many investors and analysts expected.''
Cigarette makers could raise the prices beyond what Congress orders to boost profit margins, but there's a limit to how far they can go, analysts say.
''I guess if they raise the price enough they may even make more money right now, but that may be killing the goose that lays the golden egg,'' Merrill Lynch tobacco analyst Allan Kaplan said.
Eunice Johnson Batsche, 79, of Snow Hill Drive, Spotsylvania, died Friday, April 3, 1998 at Mary Washington Hospital. She was the wife of Melvin George Batsche.
Mrs. Batsche was born in Charlotte County on April 12, 1918, the daughter of Jessie C. Johnson and Araminta Mason Johnson. She was a member of Midway Baptist Church, a retired bookkeeper for O'Connor Vending in Richmond and a Navy Veteran of World War II.
She is survived by one daughter and son-in-law, Sheila and Vince Melton of Spotsylvania; three grandchildren, Heather Wheeler, Hilary Melton, and Vincent Melton, all of Spotsylvania; two great-grandchildren, Danielle Melton, Elizabeth Morgan Wheeler, both of Spotsylvania; one sister, Mrs. Dickie (Maureen) Abbott of Nathalie; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Graveside services for Mrs. Batsche were held at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 5 at the Abbott Family Cemetery by Rev. Dane Skelton.
Frank Harvey Barksdale of Alexandria died Tuesday, April 1, 1998 at Alexandria General Hospital at the age of 57.
Mr. Barksdale was born in Halifax County on May 5, 1940. Survivors include his wife, Hazel Moorman Barksdale of Alexandria; three sons, Frank Harvey Barksdale Jr. of Richmond, Barry Jerome Barksdale of Hampton, and Antione Devon Barksdale of Alexandria; one grandchild; three sisters, Mary Thompson and Pearl Clements, both of Alexandria and Maria Spooner of South Boston; five brothers, John Barksdale of Ruther Glen, Elmer Barksdale of Orange, NJ, Willie Barksdale of Falls Church, Geoffrey Barksdale of Manassas, and Samuel Barksdale of Alexandria; and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Mr. Barksdale were held Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Nathalie with Rev. Ronald Claiborne officiating. Burial was in Pleasant Grove Baptist Church cemetery.
Margaret Perkins Canada of 2903 North Main Street, South Boston died April 3, 1998 at her home. She was 76 years of age at the time of her death.
Mrs. Canada was born in Halifax County on January 2, 1922 the daughter of Roskey James Perkins and Lorene Landrum Perkins and was married to James Willis Canada Jr. She was a member of First Baptist Church where she was a member of the Fidelis Sunday school class for many years.
Survivors include one sister, Gladys P. Green of South Boston; two nieces and one nephew.
Funeral services for Mrs. Canada were held Sunday, April 5 at 2 p.m.
at Powell Funeral Home chapel with Revs. Bob Fox and Dean Miller conducting
the service. Burial was in Hunting Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
Richard Jordan Sizemore died at his home, 1900 Hodges Street, South Boston, on April 2, 1998. He was the son of the late Richard William and Georgia Medelia Snead Sizemore. He was born in the Aaron's Creek Community on June 20, 1917 and was 80 years of age at the time of his death.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Bodie Sizemore of the home, and one daughter, Sally Muller and her husband, John, of Greensboro, N. C.; three sons and their wives, Tom and Sue Sizemore, of Gaithersburg, MD., Macon an Caren Sizemore of Richmond, and Dan and Carolyn Sizemore, of Richmond. There are seven grandchildren: Melissa and Kim Muller, Cameron Sizemore, Meredith and Anne Ethridge Sizemore and Rachel and Maria Sizemore. He is survived by one brother, Julian Sizemore, of Halifax.
Mr. Sizemore was a member of First Baptist Church for over 50 years, serving as a deacon, Sunday School teacher and led the Brotherhood Establishing the Downtown Friendship Mission. He was a past president of the South Boston Lions Club and an active participant for over 50 years. Ill health forced his recent retirement as a columnist for News & Record writing "Roll Jordan Roll" for he past six years.
A memorial services will be held at First Baptist Church Monday, April 6, 1998 at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends in the church immediately following the service. A private graveside gathering of family will be held at a later date.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church Memorial Fund, 815 N. Main Street, South Boston; Halifax County Cancer Association, P. O. Box 875, South Boston, VA; Hospice Support Care, Box 1355, Halifax, VA.
Omie Horner Thomas of 300 Meadowland Drive, Hillsbourgh, NC, formerly of South Boston, age 78, died April 4 at Brookshire Nursing Center, Hillsbourgh April 4, 1998.
She was born August 22, 1919 and was the son of Doak D. Horner and Bessie Riley Horner. Mrs. Thomas was a member of McCanless Memorial United Methodist Church and a retired employee of Berry Hill Nursing Home.
Survivors include a step-son, Stover B. Thomas, of Richardson, TX; two sisters, Rachel H. Perry, and Margaret H. Terrell, of Hillsbourgh, NC. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Clarence D. Reaves and second husband, Stover B. Thomas.
Graveside services for Mrs. Thomas will be held today (Monday)
at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Della Earnhardt officiating. Burial will take
place in the Oak Ridge cemetery, South Boston.
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