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Thursday, June 20, 2019
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Volume 85 • Issue 25
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Juneteenth event held in Belmont By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
A large crowd of folks attended Belmont’s Juneteenth event that was held in Stowe Park last Saturday. Belmont’s Juneteenth celebration featured local entertainers, artifacts, speeches, a variety of vendors, and food Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is the
aging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. Belmont has a tradition of recognizing Juneteenth. “The Juneteenth idea was introduced by former Belmont city councilwoman Anna Young,” said Elements of Empowerment board vice chair Vince Hill. “From there city council recruited a See JUNTEENTH, Page 8
oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston , Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. These days, Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encour-
Maia McElvane (right) painted a lot of faces at Juneteenth including cute Avery Martin. Photo by Alan Hodge
Belmont and Cramerton approve municipal budgets
These are some of the artists who took part in the recent Plein Air art event in Mt. Holly. The group created some beautiful painting even if the weather proved challenging. Photos by Rich Sauser
Plein Air artists capture Mt. Holly beauty By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
There’s plenty of natural beauty in and around Mt. Holly and a group of artists recently put some of those images to paper and canvas. The Plein Air art event was held June 7 and 8 and saw
around 15 artists, including several youngsters, participate despite the fact that it rained a good deal of the time. So, what is Plein Air art? It’s a manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, characterized by the
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representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere as contrasted with the artificial light and absence of the sense of air or atmosphere associated with paintings produced in the studio. It’s a painting executed See ARTISTS, Page 2
The City of Belmont and Town of Cramerton have approved their FY2019-2020 municipal budgets. The Belmont city council approved the budget June 3, 2019, and it becomes effective on July 1, 2019. Belmont’s total budget including General Fund, Water and Sewer Fund, Stormwater Fund, Capital Reserve Utility Fund, and Tourism Development Fund tallied $25,861,150. The biggest contributors to this increase is a 42% increase in the Water & Sewer Fund and a 12% increase in the General Fund from the adopted FY 2018-2019 budget. The increase in the Water & Sewer Fund is due primarily to a 131% increase in funding for much-needed
capital investments. The increase in the General Fund is due to increased funding for capital projects, funding for the City’s savings account, and for additional staff positions needed to provide the services our residents expect. In addition, the Stormwater Fund is increased by 71%, which will allow the City to address long-deferred drainage projects. The proposed General Fund budget for FY 20192020 totals $14,202,231, an increase of 12% from the originally adopted FY 20182019 budget of $12,393,100. The largest source of General Fund revenue is from Ad Valorem Taxes, often referred to as property taxes. Over the past ten years, the City has experienced an average an-
nual increase in its property tax revenue of 3.5%. Over the course of the current fiscal year, the City has seen an increase in property tax revenue of 13.5% over the previous fiscal year. The increase this year is due to the 8.5% increase in the tax rate this year and to the 5% growth in the tax base over the previous year. The City projects an increase in Ad Valorem revenue collection of 28% over the current fiscal year’s adopted budget amount. That’s a 4% increase in the City’s tax base due to natural growth over the current year’s collection and a 24% increase to the tax base from the recently completed Gaston See BUDGETS, Page 4
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