The Monday night meeting of the Moore County Board of Commissioners will be budget presentation time for the public schools and Sandhills Community College.

The commissioners will also receive an update and budget funding request from Sandhills Center.

The board will convene at 6 p.m. in the historic courthouse in Carthage.

Members of the County Government Efficiency Advisory Board will present their 2010 budget study conclusions during the meeting. County Manager Cary McSwain is expected to present his budget proposal at the board's first meeting in May. The 2009-2010 budget must be adopted by July 1.

STIMULUS -- On the agenda is a $3.5 million application to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on behalf of the county's Public Works Department.

The request for federal stimulus funds is directed toward county utility needs.

In addition to a number of contracts and agreements with municipalities, the commissioners will conduct three public hearings. All pertain to planning issues and include a hearing on proposed zoning ordinance text amendments, a hearing on proposed text amendments to the flood damage prevention ordinance and a hearing on close-out of the 2006 Community Development Block Grant for scattered site housing.

The commissioners will make appointments to the ABC Board, the Nursing/Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee, the Library Board of Trustees, the Regional Land Use Advisory Commission and the Moore County Transportation Committee.

PUPPY MILLS -- Animal lovers have collected 2,091 signatures on petitions opposing puppy mills, but Maureen Burke-Horansky of Animal Advocates of Moore County (AAMC) says another 909 signatures are needed to make the message more effective.

The petitions are being sent to state Sen. Don Davis, sponsor of a bill that would prohibit operation of puppy mills in North Carolina.

Petitions are available at the AAMC office in Aberdeen and other animal welfare offices and sympathetic businesses. Puppy mills are operations that breed puppies in crowded, often disease-infested quarters for rapid sale. AAMC said that they are distinct from legitimate breeders of dogs and cats.

CHILD ABUSE -- April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation marking the observance at an April 6 meeting.

Social worker Lydia Collins of the Department of Social Services read aloud the proclamation, which says, in part, that "preventing child abuse and neglect is a community problem affecting both the current and future quality of life of a community."

The proclamation also says that: "child maltreatment occurs when people find themselves in stressful situations, without community resources, and do not know how to cope" and that "the majority of child abuse cases stem from situations and conditions that are preventable in an engaged and supportive community."

The proclamation calls on all residents, community agencies, faith groups, medical facilities, elected officials and businesses to work together to support measures that will prevent child abuse and strengthen families.

COBLE -- Congressman Howard Coble will present an award to state football champions at West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla Monday morning and will visit a nearby self-sustaining dairy farm afterward.

Later in the morning he will visit wild turkey farms in China Grove and local fire departments in Salisbury. Coble will participate in a pre-screening lecture of I.O.U.S.A. at the UNC-Greensboro Elliot Center Monday night.

The 6th District congressman is home for the spring break.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.