Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 11

3B Saturday, January 5, 1985 The Clarion-Ledger Jackson Daily News Board warned not to fire new Justice Court clerk 'Lost' property assessed at $2.6 million By WILLIAM RAAB Jackson Daily News Staff Writer Hinds County, the city of Jackson, and city and county school districts could be thousands of dollars richer next month, after Information Systems pays taxes on property the Hinds County tax assessor overlooked last year. Tax Assessor Mike Barnes recommended to supervisors Friday that Information Systems be assessed taxes on $17.4 million worth of telephone exchange equipment that his office did not list on tax rolls last year. Supervisors will hold a public hearing and vote Jan. 14 on whether to accept the property's assessed value, $2.6 million. The equipment was sold to the company by South Central Bell as a result of the court-ordered break up of But when the county appraised property in early 1983, the equipment was listed as still belonging to South Central Bell, which is a public utility and whose property is taxed through the State Tax Commission, not the county.

When the Tax Commission returned a list last month of how much utilities in Hinds County were assessed for property taxes, it showed that projected tax revenues were much less than expected, Barnes said. Barnes said he traced the drop in revenues to equipment that had been sold by Bell to Information Systems, which is not a utility, and is the county's responsibility to tax. After talking with officials in New Jersey, Barnes said, he had determined the true value of the equipment and had figured the assessed value. The county, all cities and all school districts in the county will collect taxes from the $2.6 million in assessed value based on separate millage rates. The county and the Hinds County School District will collect about $65,000 each, while Jackson and the Jackson Municipal Separate School District will collect about $92,000 each, Barnes said.

Raymond and Raymond schools together will receive about $83,460 from the property taxes, while Edwards will get $8,910. Bolton will receive about $11,500, and Learned will get $10,050. Utica will collect $8,010, Barnes said. Barnes said a public hearing would be held by the supervisors on Jan. 14 at the Hinds County Courthouse in Raymond if wanted to protest the assessed value.

mr Hm By WILLIAM RAAB JackMa Daily Ncwi Sufi Writer An attorney for Hinds County Justice Court Clerk Kaaren M. Hairston has told Hinds County supervisors they will be violating a federal law if they fire Hairston because of several unpaid debts against her. In a letter to the Board of Supervisors, Jackson attorney John M. Stevens quoted a section of federal law that prohibits a governmental unit from denying employment to a bankrupt individual "solely because" he or she is a debtor or is bankrupt under the U.S. Bankruptcy Act, or has not paid debts that have been erased by the bankruptcy.

"Consequently, it is clear that the Hinds County Board of Supervisors could not have legally considered and cannot now legally consider" Hair-ston's insolvency when reviewing her qualifications for the Justice Court position, the letter said. Supervisors said they may reconsider hiring Hairston after it was reported Dec. 18 by the Jackson Daily News that they didn't check her financial background before she was hired Dec. 7. The newspaper reported that Hairston declared bankruptcy in 1983 and still has judgments pending against her for bad checks.

The section of the law outlined in Stevens' letter doesn't mention if the clerk "could be fired for having bad check judgments pending against her. Stevens said Friday that if Hairston is dismissed, he and his client may discuss filing a lawsuit against the supervisors. Supervisor's President George Smith, who supported hiring Hairston, said Friday he is unsure if the board plans to consider her employment at its meeting Monday in Jackson. "I expect someone will bring it up on Monday, though," Smith said. District 4 Supervisor Roger Stewart, who voted against hiring Hairston, said, "That's their (other supervisors') problem.

I didn't want her in the first place." Hairston and her husband filed for bankruptcy in June 1983 to wipe out more than 149,000 in debts. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court set up a three-year payment schedule in which the Hair-stons have to repay $7,356 in secured debts. The bankruptcy has been revoked and subsequently reinstated three times because the Hairs tons fell behind in monthly payments of $280. The bankruptcy didn't erase two judgments rendered against Hairston under a previous married name for checks she wrote to two Jackson businesses.

The checks failed to clear the bank and were never paid, according to court records. The judgments for $99 and $62, which are on file in the justice Court, are still outstanding. Most county officials are bonded to cover financial losses by an insurance company. The company that bonds Hairston, Statewide-General Insurance Co. of Jackson, has said it will continue to bond her if supervisors continue to employ her.

Hairston, a graduate of Tougaloo College and Antioch University in Washington, D.C., was hired after supervisors screened 35 applications for the post. DID YOU KNOW? JCJ'j designs i constructs convention 4 trade show displays. rt' J. i'1 iflllll 74 Teddy Bears, Country Dolls I3PI E-Z BETA VIDEO RECORDER Cable ready for non-scrambled pay TV channels Seven day six event programmable timer Optional remote with 14 push button, picture search and pause freeze frame Freeze frame frame by frame by frame advance Beta Hi-Fi Ready 1 didbicic mnuu in icauy rf Hwy. 51 North Hideeland MS i Hidgeland.

MS Going Out Of 19" TRINITRON COLOR Turn on and off automatically or block shows Features cable-ready tuning, express remote control, stereo-ready circuitry sleep timer usiness Sale SAVE $100 $59995 sony BETA HI-FI SAVE $130 SONY 4K0) Iff? '85 recruits should boost JPD to record numbers Channel 1 Tape Club Now Showing Police Academy The Natural Never Ending Story Top Secret Streets of Fire All Merchandise Cash Carry The Finest in Men's Wear, NaturoSy. WOODLAND HILLS SHOPPING CENTER 366-6264 By BEVERLY PETTIGREW Jackson Daily News Staff Writer A police recruit class that starts training Monday will probably boost the Jackson Police Department's man-power to an all-time high when it graduates in March. Fifty-eight recruits have been accepted, and if the attrition rate is similar to past years, the department can expect about 39 of those to graduate, said Jackson Police Chief Jim Black. That would put a total of 4 1 1 men and women in uniform at the department, topping the all-time high of 407 during the late 1970s, Black said. "In manpower, it would put us in a pretty good position.

We're not that bad off, but we need these people," he said. Black said the vice and narcotics unit is the division that most needs added personnel, and he intends to raise the unit's strength to 16 agents. When the recruit class graduates, Black said, he will move veteran patrolmen to the vice and narcotics unit and assign the rookies to the streets. "We need more people working drugs. Really, they're doing an impossible task with not enough personnel to do it with," Black said.

"We need people concentrating on vice. Because of the shortage, they do both together mostly narcotics." Black said a city the size of Jackson "needs a vice squad" to deal with prostitution and gambling. A few years ago, the vice and narcotics unit had 17 For the time in your life. try our EVENING SCHOOL PROGRAM SPRING SEMESTER 1985 Mississippi College offers a balanced program of study for the person who is working and wishes to earn a college degree by attending classes at night. Classes meet approximately IVz hours once a week unless otherwise noted.

All 400 level courses are available for graduate or undergraduate credit. Undergraduate students needing additional information call 924-6082, while graduate students should call 924-9767. Registration Monday, January 14, 1985, 5 to 7 p.m. B. C.

Rogers Student Center I Um I if agents. Vice and narcotics currently has seven officers. The recruits graduate March 29. Between now and then, they face a grueling 12 weeks of classroom and physical training. The 58-member recruit class is the department's largest and is a marked contrast to the last class.

In 1983, the department had to advertise to find enough applicants. That class graduated 41 men and women in August 1983. Capt. Charles Newell, director of the Jackson Police Training Academy, said the probable reason for the larger group of trainees this year is that the department waited only about a year and a half between classes, so applications from prospective policemen were fairly fresh. The class that graduated in August 1983 was the first in three years and some of the applications were several years old.

Although 1,200 people signed a registration list hoping to get an application, by the time the department started screening applicants most of them had found other work. The current class is so big that the department doesn't have enough dormitory space at the academy on St. Charles Street in west Jackson. A few recruits will have to go home at night and wait to fill the dorm beds of dropouts, Black said. Five black women, 33 black men and 20 white men were accepted as recruits.

claim at least a 50-50 chance of persuading the Legislature, which convenes Tuesday, to subsidize the train. "Three weeks ago I thought there was no chance of getting anything to happen in Mississippi," said Bill McFarland, chairman of the Tri-State Rapid Rail Commission. "In the last few days, I've noticed a shift in momentum toward us." The Biloxi Chamber of Commerce' recently endorsed the train's continuance and a Bay St. Louis radio station's, call-in poll showed listeners supporting the train 428-8. "I don't believe these elected officials really appreciate the public support this thing has," said John LeBour-geois, technical liaison for the rapid rail commission.

Train officials said funding from Mississippi has been hurt by a misconception legislators had that the train could break even after the state's original $166,000 contribution. "We never panned this thing off as a profitable operation. That would have been ludicrous," LeBourgeois said. Taylor and other train advocates point out that all forms of transportation are subsidized. "I understand (Mississippi's) financial situation is pretty tight this year," said McFarland, a Tuscaloosa, businessman.

"But quite frankly, in terms of a transportation project, the money required for this is minimal." If the Legislature approves spending $311,000 for the train, plus committing $40,000 in federal money, the train could resume operation on April 29 when Amtrak next updates its schedule, McFarland said. The commission hopes Amtrak will then connect the New Orleans-to-Mo-bile line with Jacksonville, and make it a part of the national system, 59995 Save up to 50 on all Sony Stereo Equipment In Stock MKT 485 AZ Advertising 7 pm Thursday Evening ACC 202 Elementary Accounting 7 pm ACC 402 BZ Advanced Accounting II 7 pm BED 325 A Word Processing 6 pm GBU 355 A Real Est Brokerage Mgt 7 pm GBU55IZ Human Relations in Bus 7 pm SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Monday Evenings EDU 407 AZ Audiovisual Materials 6 pm EDU 436 AZ Prob Tchng Excptnl Chid 6 pm EDU 500 Sch PrnplshpSupervision 6pm EDU 505 Techniques Group Cnslng 6 pm EDU 528 Social Studies Edu-Elem 6 pm EDU 535 Curriculum Development 6 pm EDU 541 Educ Research-Met Proc 6 pm EDU 573 School Business Mgt 6 pm EDU 604 Educational Statistics 6 pm HEC 340 Nutrition Diet Therapy 6 pm HSC 504 Statistical Analysis 6 pm HSC541Z Methods of Research 6 pm PED 434 A Ed 6 pm Tuesday Evenings EDU 334 A Tchng Reading-Elem Schl EDU 502 Suprvsn-Pub Sch lnstrc EDU 515 Public School Finance EDU 522 Cur Methodology -El Edu EDU 530 Theory Persnl Counseling 6 pm 6 pm 6 pm 6 pm 6 pm EDU 531 Org Adm Guidance prog 6 pm EDU 556 History of Edu In U.S. 6 pm EDU 601 Compartv Philosophy Edu 6 pm HSC 53 1 Issues in Health Care 6 pm PhD 192 A Basic First Aid 6 pm Thursdsay Evenings DU 553 School Law 6 pm EDU 438 AZ Tchng Reading-Secondary 6 pm EDU 446 AZ Disturb 6 pm EDU 451 AZ Career Education 6 pm EDU 509 Educatnl Occupatnl Info 6 pm EDU 566 Practicum in Counseling 6 pm EDU 602 Educational Sociology 6 pm HSC 521 Sociology Clinical Wk 6 pm SCHOOL OF NURSING Tuesday Evening NUR 417 Community Health Nursing 7 pm 924-9766 for information. Amtrak's Gulf Coast Limited to be discontinued Sunday night Wednesday Evening CSC 420 AZ Systems Analysis Design 6pm Thursday Evening AJU 320 A Corrections Process 6 pm ART 31 1 Painting 7-9pm CHE 123 Intro Organic 6 pm CSC 316 A Cobol II, Compter Progrm 7 pm CSC 425 AZ Numerical Methods 7 pm ENG 102 I English Composition 6 pm ENG 416 AZ Creative Writing 6 pm LAT 102 Elementary Latin 5:30 pm MAT 101 College Algebra 7 pm MAT HOB Concepts in Mathematics 6 pm MAT 406 A History of Mathematics 6 pm MAT 425 AZ Numerical Methods 7 pm MUS 518 Techniques of Conducting 6pm MUS 556 Comparative Music Lit 6 pm PLS 320 A Comparative Governments .6 pm PLS 593 Field Studies 6 pm REL 102 Intro to Bible 6 pm SWK 342 A Social Work Skills II 6 pm SOC 427 AZ Soc of Medical Hllh Care 6 pm SPE 427 AZ Dynamics Group Communc6 pm SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Monday Evening ACC 201 A Elementary Accounting 7 pm ACC 302 Intermediate Accng II 7 pm ACC 408 BZ CPA Rev. Theory 7 pm FIN 361 A Honors I 7 pm FIN 441 AZ Investment Management 7 pm GBU 354 A Real Estate Law 7 pm MGT 371 Principles Management 7 pm MGT 474 BZ Personnel Management 7 pm MGT 572 Adv Principles Mgt II 7 pm' Tuesday Evening ACC 404 BZ Adv.

Federal Tax Acctng 7 pm BED 528 Foundms Phil Voctnl Ed 7 pm FIN 541 Financial Management 7 pm GBU 358 Advanced Business Law 7 pm MKT 482 BY Retail Merchandising 7 pm Wednesday Evening ACC 409 BZ CPA Rev, II: Audit 7 pm ACC 411 AZ Accounting Theory 7 pm ECO 232 Economic Principles 7 pm ECO 532 Production Economics II 7 pm GBU 357 A Property Casualty Ins 7 pm the downtown Jackson area. Call ARTS SCIENCES Monday Evening BIO 342 A Field Botany 6 pm BIO 502 Prin-Modern Biology 6 pm CSC 1MB Intro to Computing Sci 7 pm CSC 214 A Fortran Programming 7 pm CSC 314 Intro Comptr 7 pm CSC 414, AZ Microprocessrs Sys 7 pm HIS 102 Civilization 6pm HIS 425 AZ The Ancient World 6 pm HIS J45 Seminr-Histry Near East 6 pm MAT511Z. Mathematical Analysis II 6pm MUS 430 AZ Vocal Pedagogy 6 pm SEK 302A Domestic Violence 5:30 pm SPE 413 AZ Anatmy, Physiol-Spe, Hrng6 pm SPE 468 AZ Managng Broadcast Prog 6 pm Tuesday Evening AJU 432 A Spcl Issues Crimnl ustc 6 pm Painting 7-9 pm Painting 7-9 pm Intro Interior Design 7-9 pm Painting 7-9 pm Interior Design II 7-9 pm Painling 7-9 pm Painting 7-9 pm Graduate Painting 7-9 pm Graduate Painting 7-9 pm Insects and Man 6:30 pm Lab-StruclDev- Orgnisms 6-9 pm Computer Programming 1 6 pm Computer Programming 11 6 pm Adv Basic Programming 6 pm Data Base Mgmnt Systems 6 pm Major English Writers 6 pm Studies in Shakespeare 6 pm Human Geography 6 pm Cold War 1 945 Present 6 pm Cold War Seminar 6 pm Elem 6 pm Music Appreciation 6 pm History American Music 6 pm NT Pattrns Chrstn Living 6 pm The American South 6 pm Tchng Speech-Hearing Imp 6 pm Psychology of Hrng Imp 6 pm Mass Media 6pm Public Relations 6 pm ART 2MB ART 212 ART 272 A ART 312 ART 372 A ART 411 BZ ART 412 BZ ART 511 ART 512 BIO 133 A BIO 311 2 CSC 115 CSC 116 CSC 305 A CSC 415 AZ ENG 202 ENG 501 GEO 211 A HIS 444 AZ HIS 650 MAT 207 MUS 125 MUS 555 REL 220 SOC 500 SPE 417 AZ SPE 418 AZ. SPE 488 AZ Classes will meet both Tuesday Thursday. Courses also available in Virlus Founded 1826 I By DENNIS CAUCHON Clarion-Ledger Golf Coast Bureau GULFPORT Amtrak's Gulf Coast Limited passenger train, inaugurated eight months ago with a big on-board party, will die quietly Sunday night in a Mobile, railroad yard.

No going-away party is planned. Instead, after its final 6 p.m. departure from New Orleans en route to Mobile, the darkened train will return without passengers to New Orleans, where it will be put to work elsewhere in the Amtrak system. Train officials said the Gulf Coast Li-mited's farewell run can be attributed to Mississippi's unwillingness to pay $351,000 to subsidize the train. Alabama and Louisiana have made commitments to contribute $351,000 each to keep the train running through Sept.

30. Amtrak also has pledged a $647,000 subsidy. But Mississippi legislators from the coast have been reluctant to pay more for the train. The Legislature had appropriated $166,000 for the current run. "I can't see the train operating at taxpayers' expense when teachers need salary increases, state employees need pay raises and highways need to be fixed," said Rep.

Bob Short of Gulf port. Rep. Ed Perry of Oxford, who heads the House Appropriations Committee, agreed that "as tight as money is, in my opinion, unless (supporters) can show a pay back for Mississippi, something like this will have problems." Sen. Gene Taylor, whose district crosses the three coastal counties, said he is the only legislator from Harrison County who supports renewing the train subsidy. "Those who follow the Capitol know if the coastal delegation can't stick together it's doomed," Taylor said.

Train of ficials remain optimistic and i Mississippi Colle Clinton, Mississippi 39058 1.