Haywood County Board of Commissioners August Meeting

Haywood County -- August 5, 2024: Haywood County NC Government News: The Haywood County Board

of Commissioners August Regular Morning Meeting was held on Monday, August 5th, 2024, at 9 AM. Please review the following board update and let Dillon Huffman, Public Information Officer, know if you have any questions.

1. Public Hearing

-A public hearing was held regarding The Southwestern NC HOME Consortium’s 2024 Annual Action Plan, which follows U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines.

2. Administrative/Agency Reports/Presentations
-John Chicoine provided an annual update on activities and statistics for the Haywood County Senior Resource Center.

3. Consent Agenda (passed)

-Approval of June 17, 2024, and July 15, 2024, special and regular meeting minutes.

-Approval for the resolution to adopt and codify amendments to Chapter 70 - Parking Regulations in the Haywood County Code of Ordinances.

-Approval to accept an agreement with Mountain Credit Union for the naming rights for Racoon Creek Bike Park and for the County Manager to execute all related contract documents. The agreement includes a donation of $115,000 over seven years in exchange for displaying the name and logo of Mountain Credit Union on promotional materials.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate a $5,000 grant award from UNC Asheville for the NC Healthy Aging Program. The funds will be used to implement an employee wellness Tai Chi program.
-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $20,000 in grant funds from United Way for the purchase of food and provisions for Meals on Wheels recipients.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $8,000 in grant funds from United Way for activities, events, food, and arts and crafts supplies for Maple Leaf Adult Respite program participants.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $24,000 in grant funds from the Haywood Health Foundation for a mental health awareness campaign. The grant will support efforts to raise awareness of treatment resources and increase access to care through various materials promoting the 988 Suicide and Crisis Line.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $5,000 in grant funds from Delta Dental Foundation as part of the Smiles for Kids Grant. The funds will be used to provide local elementary and middle school students with basic dental care tools.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $178,923 in COVID-19 public health emergency funds from Agreement Addendum 546 with the NC Division of Public Health. The funds, provided under the America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), will be used to reimburse existing staff salaries, cover training costs, add handwashing stations, and purchase clinic and lab equipment and supplies. These resources will support expanded Communicable Disease surveillance, detection, control, and prevention activities.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $64,858 in funds from Agreement Addendum 719 with the NC Division of Public Health for the Bridge Access Program. These federal funds, part of the CDC Bridge Access Program, will cover personnel costs for existing nursing staff and purchase eligible vaccine supplies. While the funds cannot be used to purchase vaccines, they will reduce county expenses and cover vaccine administration fees for uninsured and underinsured adult patients, improving access.

-Approval for a budget amendment to accept and appropriate $1,125,000 in NCORR Homeownership Assistance Program (HAP) funds. These reimbursable grant funds will be used to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible participants. The first recipient has a tentative closing date of August 9, 2024. Funds will be paid to the county on a reimbursement basis, with eligibility determined by NCORR.

4. Regular Agenda

-Approval for a Joint Funding Agreement contract with the U.S. Geological Services in the amount of $86,000 to fund four river gauges along the Pigeon River and one stage-only site at Lake Logan Dam. The funds will support pre-existing USGS water monitoring stations, previously funded by Pactiv Evergreen, which will no longer support these sites due to the closure of the Canton Mill. The monitoring is essential for coordinating warnings and notifications for flooding events. (passed)

-Approval for staff to negotiate a contract with Reece, Noland, and McElrath to design and manage the replacement of both elevators in the Justice Center Parking Deck at 151 Branner Ave. The current elevators have reached the end of their life, and many components for the TAC 50 model are now obsolete or difficult to locate. (passed)

-Approval for the Settlement of Collections 2023-2024 by Tax Collector Sebastian Cothran. This annual settlement serves as the Tax Collector's final accounting to the governing board for the past tax year, including a financial report detailing all funds received and a summary of the collection practices and remedies employed. (passed)

-Approval for a new flat fee of $35.00 for Public Health to provide school health assessments and sports physicals, and to add this fee to the Consolidated Fee Schedule. The Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency - Public Health Division aims to meet community needs by offering health assessments to any child or adolescent entering North Carolina Public Schools for the first time and sports physicals to ensure it is safe for them to participate in sports. The $35.00 fee will be charged per visit, and insurance will not be billed. (passed)

-Approval to accept and appropriate a portion of the NCORR Affordable Housing Development Fund (AHDF) program delivery funds for FY25. These funds will cover the costs for two full-time positions, one part-time temporary position, and internal salaries projected for the project. The grant funds will be paid on a reimbursement basis. Additionally, authorization is requested for the County Manager to create two new full-time and one part-time grant-funded positions to manage compliance and administrative duties related to affordable housing projects. An associated budget amendment for the reimbursement of these funds is also requested. (passed)

5. Appointments (passed)

-Approval for the appointment of Dennis Stanton to the Smoky Mountain Event Center Board to fulfill an unexpired term through March 7, 2025.

: WNCTimes

Image