Dilling HEATING & COOLING A higher degree of trust and dependability
704.739.3446 Residential & Commercial Service Serving Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Surrounding Counties since 1955.
Volume 134 • Issue 31
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Indoor Air Quality Assesments • New Installations
Servicing All Brands
A Family Owned & Operated Business
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
75¢
This photo was taken on July 30, from the intersection. The panorama shows Cherokee Street going South to the left, Mountain Street going West in the center, and Cherokee Street going North to the right. See sidewalk photo on page 3A. (Photo by Loretta Cozart)
Streetscape update By Loretta Cozart Progress was made last week on Phase 2A of the Streetscape Project in downtown Kings Mountain. Curbs are in place and a section of stamped concrete sidewalk was poured at the southwest
corner of Mountain and Cherokee Streets in front of ScissorSmith & Co. Salon. During the June 26 city council meeting, Assistant City Manager Nick Hendricks reported that he anticipates the project to be complete the first part of
August. “That’s when we hope to have traffic flowing through there again,” he said. In June, it was explained that plantings will not be added until the Fall, to give plants a better opportunity to survive.
City budget $ 53.9 million City Manager Marilyn Sellers updated the Council on the m a j o r budget highlights for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 during a special meeting held on June 14. The budget ordinance before them was $53,904.833. Highlights of the budget included: • No property tax rate increase, which remains at .43 cents per $100. Each penny on the tax rate generates approximately $190,000. The city has one of the lowest rates in the region and the state and no change is
recommended at this time. The city must continue to evaluate annually, given the economy and inflation and increase in recurring costs and the ability of the Electric Fund to transfer monies. City of Kings Mountain is approximately 8 cents below their peer group average as defined by the Local Government Commission and we offer more services. The city offers several services, the tax rate is lower and there are very few in their peer group that operate their own water source, Moss Lake, and operates the Senior Center and a municipal library. Kings Mountain is one in two cities in NC that operates five utilities. The city is proud of its rate
and all that it offers the citizens. • No proposed adjustments to City General Fund fees • No proposed Electric rate increase • No proposed Water rate increase • No proposed Wastewater rate increase • No proposed Natural Gas rate increase • No proposed Sanitation or Stormwater rate increase at this time, but Sellers noted that on June 9th, she received a notice from Cleveland County that tipping fees for landfill disposals will be increasing 10%, but the city had already prepared the budget. The See BUDGET, Page 5A
City works hard to keep electric rates low, but increases are coming By Loretta Cozart During the Kings Mountain City Council meeting on July 26, Assistant City Manager Nick Hendricks explained a necessary update on utility costs that will
increase electric rates by approximately 5 percent. According to Hendricks, Natural Gas prices impact 85 percent of Kings Mountain residents through their electric bills because Kings Mountain Energy Center is a natural gas fired power plant. Until recently, natural gas prices remained low. But prices have been on a steady increase, climbing
200 percent since 2020, Hendricks said. Since then, natural gas prices have increased from $2.80 to $6.00 per dekatherm unit now. And that cost could increase to $8 soon. Futures indicate those rates could go up to $11 by 2023. “The only time we increase rates is when we increase the base rate, and we have not increased our base See INCREASES, Page 4A
Casino project on hold during investigation By Loretta Cozart According to casino.org, Catawba Two Kings Casino project is on hold due to a federal investigation related to prominent politicians benefiting from casino profits. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Chief Bill Harris issued a written statement that read, “To the
extent that the NIGC has identified areas of concern, we have made corrections or are now actively engaged in resolving those concerns with them.” At issue is that people related to prominent politicians may have benefited from the casino, including Democratic Whip John Clyburn’s brother James. And
Representative John Clyburn sponsored the bill preventing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from suing the federal government because they allowed taking seventeen acres of Land into Trust for the tribe in NC. According to the Wall Street Journal article, other politician’s relatives were See CASINO, Page 4A
Monty Thornburg honored by the city and community By Tabitha Thomas The l a t e Monty Thornburg was honored at the Patrick Senior MONTY C e n t e r THORNBURG on Friday, July 1. During the annual Independence Day Celebration, the staff and participants took a moment to remember Monty and all his contributions to the Patrick Center and the Kings Mountain Community. Monty was Program Director of the Patrick Center for over 30-years and led the way for the construction A plaque honoring the late Monty Thornburg as Program of the beautiful building Director of the Patrick Center for over 30-years. See MONTY, Page 4A Photo by Tabitha Thomas
For Dental Implants Locally Here In Kings Mountain
Baker Dental Care Preventative, Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry
703 East King Street, Suite 9 Kings Mountain, NC www.BakerDentalCare.com
Just a few benefits of Dental Implants: • Improved appearance. Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth. • Improved speech. Dental implants allow you to speak without the worry that your dentures might slip. • Improved self-esteem. Smile again and feel better about yourself. • Durable. Implants are very durable and with proper care, can last a lifetime.
To find out more about Dental Implants and schedule your next appointment
call us at 704-739-4461