MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS  September 10,2019 MINUTES  Chairman Tate called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. and welcomed those in attendance. All Board Members, the County Manager, Finance Director, County. Attorney, members of  the news media and interested citizens were present.  ANNOUNCEMENTS:  The County Manager gave the board al briefu update on the Space Needs Analysis Project. The County Manager said that he met with Mosley. Architects on September 4, 2019 and they provided the County with a status update. The County Manager said hel has been very impressed by thel level of detail that Mosely has gathered during the process, not only on the physical condition oft the buildings but on the usage oft thel buildings. Mosley anticipates that they will give the County a final product inl November. The County Manager said this will allow the board to review the recommendations going into thel budget process. The County Manager said that this has been a very intensive information gathering process for both Mosley Architects and department heads. He wanted to thank thel Macon County department heads for participating ini this process and he said it just shows that they go above and beyond whati is required oft them in order to plan for the future ofthis County. Commissioner Beale wanted to remind everyone that thel Macon County Fair starts tomorrow, September 11, 2019. He said that the opening ceremony is at1:00 p.m. He encouraged everyone to come out and that they are anticipating one oft the largest crowds inr manys years. He: said that this is still the only agriculture only fairl left in the state. Commissioner Shields announced that Friday night, September 13, 2019, is Veterans Night at the Franklin High School football game. There will be a ceremony called the Empty Chair Chairman Tate said that he received al letter from Don Thomas, President of Southwestern Community College, thanking the County for approving their budget request for the 2019- 2020 fiscal year. A copy of thel letter is attached (Attachment 1) and is hereby made a part Chairman Tate also wanted to comment on the County Manager's update on the Space Needs Analysis. He said that this has been something that has been long in thei making and thatl he personally cannot wait for the County to receive the recommendation and have the opportunity to review and make some logical and informed decisions. He directly spoke to the County Manager and said that thel board tries to direct him in the directions that they want to: see the County move in and thati thel board puts greattrusti in him to run and make decisions for the County. He said he feels like the board is constantly discussing capital assets, buildings, improvements, recreation, etc., but that he does not want to forget the mostimportant asset that Macon County has, especially being in the service industry, is the employees. He: said that he wants the County Manager to continue to assess the needs of  at 6:30 p.m. on the Franklin High School track.  ofthese minutes.  the employees and make sure that the board takes care of them.  Page 1 of13    MOMENT OF SILENCE: Chairman Tate asked thosei in attendance to all rise and observe a PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by the County Manager, the pledge to the flag was recited. PUBLIC HEARINGS: Chairman Tate opened the Public Hearing for Section 5311 (ADTAP), 5310, 5307 and applicable state funding, or combination thereof, for Public' Transportation at 6:09 p.m. Kim Angel, Macon County' Transit Director, said that this was the annual opportunity for thej public to havei input on the grant applications. She said that Section 5311 is for the administrative funding. The County is anticipating an allocation amount of $199,522 and there is a1 15 percent match required, sO the local share will be $29,928. The majority ofthe funds will go to fund salaries and benefits for the administrative staff. There is a requirement for two percent of the funds to go to advertisement for the public The Chairman asked if anyone would like to comment on the proposed funding. Commissioner Beale asked Ms. Angel ifthel local match was in her budget. She informed Commissioner Beale that this funding was for FY 2020-2021 not current budget. Commissioner Gillespie asked Ms. Angel how she was able to get an increase in funding. She said that the state gives the County a five-year allocation amount: and that they base it  moment ofs silence.  transit system and beyond that the funds cover other expenses.  on a formula for rural transit systems. No public comment was made on Section 5311.  Chairman Tate began discussion for Section 5310. Kim Angel said that this section is for operating money. She said that they will be asking for $165,000 and there is a 50 percent local match, but they can use state funds. She said there is about $63,000 in state funds that isl being received for elderly and disabled transportation. Therefore, the remaining $19,500 will be asked for as part of the County general funds. She did point out to the board that she does try and offset these costs through advertisements and other contracts. Ms. Angel said that beginning in fiscal year 2019-2020 the County lost about 52% of funding. She stressed to the board that she cannot stop providing the service and The Chairman asked if anyone would like to comment on the proposed funding.  Chairman Tatei thanked her forl being proactive.  No public comment was made on Section 5310.  Ms. Angel said they will not be applying for 5339 or 5307 funding.  She then presented the board with the combined capital request. She said that they are looking at replacing a small bus with a 25-foot vehicle for extra seating capacity. She said theyare also asking to replace the flooring in the office. The local match would be $9,840.  Page 2of13    The Chairman asked if anyone would like to comment on thej proposed funding. Noj public comment was made on the combined capital request. Chairman Tate closed thej publichearing at 6:17 p.m.  Commissioner Gillespie made the motion to approve the resolution for funding. A copy of thei resolution is attached (Attachment 2) and is hereby made aj part oft these minutes. Commissioner Shields seconded the motion. Thel board voted unanimously to approve. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: Narelle Kirkland approached the board and passed outa letter to the board saying it was private and shej just wants them to read it. A copy ofthe letter is attached (Attachment 3) and isl hereby made a part of these minutes. Bill Dyar with the Macon County Library Board thanked the board for their funding. He said he makes it a point to learn whati is going on at thel Library. He said one was the summer food program, and the other was the new Maker Tools Grant. He told the board that this program has great potential for all ages. Bill Kirkman told the board he is ai full-time residenti in Scaly Mountain. He: said that his background isi in technology and that thereisa great interest in bringing broadband into the Scaly Mountain Community. Recently, they created a Scaly Mountain Broadband organization and they have an advisory board whose focus is bringing broadband tot the community. He said he was here to ask the board to vote yes for the $178,000 grant that willl be asked for later on in the night. He said that itis critical to: supporting and growing local businesses, including those that work from) home. He said they are focusing on two negative impacts that they are facing, Frontier running out of ports that prevents new: service, and the service issues such as outages and slow: speed. He said that this will affect growth and the inability to attract businesses to their area. He said it will also impact education, health, and emergency services in the area. He thanked the board for the opportunity to appeal to them directly. Jim Gaffoy approached the board and thanked them for the opportunity tot talk with them. He: said he is a membera and resident of thel King Mountain community in Scaly Mountain and serves on the broadband committee. He: said he has spent 30 years in the communication industry. He: said that he isa asking the board to vote yes for the funding that will be asked for by Little T Broadband. He said that citizens in his community are losing service and Frontier cannot provide new internet service and has no plans. Mr. Gaffoy said thatt the current service has begun to deteriorate and residents are: now having landline issues as well. He said hei is really concerned with how the connectivity issues will affect health services and emergency response times. Commissioner Beale said you cannot help but to notice that Frontier stoçk has dropped and that this is a real concern for this board. Bonnie Gramlich said she is here because she really does care about the Scaly Mountain community. Ms. Gramlich said that she thinks that having reliable internet would be very beneficial for their area. She  asked the board for serious consideration for funding.  Page 3of13    REPORTS ANDI PRESENTATIONS:  TOWN OF HIGHLANDS FIBER PROJECT UPDATE: Town of Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor presented thel board with an update on where they are on the fiber optic network and construction. He said they are in the construction zone: right now oni the 4.6-million-dollar project that the Town of] Highlands is underwriting and borrowing the money. He said that the private partner, Wide Open, will be investing in the project as well. He said thel basic message tonight is that "we are at work." He said they have spent several months in the "make ready" processes. One oft the main issues thatl has delayed the process is getting the materials. He said the fiberi is on backorder, but they anticipate getting the materiali in at the end ofthe month. He presented the board al PowerPoint presentation oft the project phases sO they could get an idea of the enormity oft the project. He is hoping they will be "lighting up" this project in April. Mayor Taylor said that this is a critical technology that needs tol be available in all ofour communities. He said they have been working on this for five years. He said thatt the technology will continue to add value and protect them in the future for economic development, education, and critical medical needs. Mayor Taylor said that the' Town of Highlands has borrowed the money but has asked the County to partner with them. He said hel knows the Countyi is noti in the utility business but that the County could facilitate and partner with other groups that feel like they need to address this in theirk local communities. Chairman Tate asked how many utility customers Highlands had, and Mayor Taylor said 3,300 both residential and business. Commissioner Beale asked if theyl had aj provider yet. Mayor Taylor said they have Wide Open Networks. He said Wide Open Networks will bring in the providers. He said he does not want to announce it tonight, but that they know some oft thel local providers will go on the network: instead of trying to run their own lines. He said thisis a great opportunity for Macon County to step forward in Western North Carolina. Mayor Taylor said that Representative Corbin has been pushing for House Bill 431 - Fiber NCAct. Commissioner Gillespie asked Mayor Taylor, outof3,300 power customers how many are on fiber? Mayor Taylor said that most oft theirs is wireless and they have 300 customers but he is not: sure about how many fiber customers there are. Mayor Taylor said that any support the County can give will be greatly appreciated. He: said thel biggest challenge for them will be servicing thel loan that they have taken out. Commissioner Beale asked ift the 4.6-million-dollar project cost will hold. Mayor Taylor said it should. He said he appreciates the board's willingness to address this critical issue notj just for Highlands but for the whole County.  BROADBAND FOR SCALY MOUNTAIN AREA PRESENTATION: Anthony Deakins, CEO of Little' TI Broadband Services, shared a request for funding support with the board. Acopy of the request is attached (Attachment 4) and is hereby made aj part oft these minutes. Mr. Deakins said his purpose tonight is to share thej progress that has been made to date and to seek the County's assistance with continuing that progress. As can be seen int the attachment, there are GIS maps, a projected timeline of the project, and a breakdown of the proposed use oft the $178,000 thati is being requested from the County. He: said that 2019 marks the fourth year that they have been in pursuit ofthis. He: said that is very critical for thei rural counties and essential to attract businesses and allow the current businesses to succeed and thrive. He said the timeline that is] provided assumes no interruptions and it fills out about two years. He stressed to the board that the funds being requested are not to  Page 4 of13    supplement: tai for-profit business venture. He said Little Tis a non-profit that is being run byl local volunteer citizens and is aimed to promote economic development, improve health and education services, and to augment and improve publics safety through the development oft this network. He said thatt the County's financial support would obviously be appreciated, but is also sorely needed to move down the pipeline that has been presented. Commissioner Beale said that the only way that we are going tol have broadband in our area is people like Mr. Deakins and the communities like Scaly Mountain who step up. He said that the County has been looking at this for five or sixy years and that there have been committees put together to try and address the needs, but when you see these type of efforts like this, that really try and do something, he really admires it. Commissioner Beale said hei is supportive of a system to help these type of projects and that going forward this could be a template for other communities. Commissioner Higdon asked what the status oft the broadband committee was. The County Manager said that there is a lot of confusion on' what the County can and cannot do with money, and how can itlegally support the broadband effort. The County Attorney said that he has done some research and there is nota a lot of guidance and that further research will need to be done. A lengthy discussion ensued about the laws and how other counties handle theset type of projects. Commissioner Shields pointed out that the County started out looking at this as a local concept, but saw quickly that this was ai regional concept. He: said that trying to do it individually as a county was not very productive but when they shifted to the regional concept the communication stopped flowing. The County Manager said that before the broadband committee was formed the County incorporated the GIS: staff, Mapping staff, and sent surveys outi in the School System to collect thei information to report that there isa problem. He said the information has been gathered and $400,000 has been appropriated in the budget butt that the legal terms ofhow the money can be used seems tol be the hold up. Commissioner Beale said that he supports giving the' Town of Highlands $250,000 per year for two years and giving Little T fifty percent oft their request over two years. There was more discussion about howi important the service was for the area. Chairman Tate asked how many subscribers they were anticipating and Mr. Deakins said 1,750. Chairman Tate asked what the cost of the buildout was going to be. Mr. Deakins said they estimate $5 million for the Otto/Middle Creek area and around $7 million for Scaly Mountain. Chairman Tate: said he does not have an issue at all for supporting this or the Town of Highlands, but that hel believes iti isi important that the board sets some type of protocol on how they can potentially disburse public funds going forward. He said he does not want to put the County in a situation where it cannot sustain these projects financially or emotionally. The County. Attorney asked Mr. Deakins who the other counties were that are doing this SO that he could check with them on how they are doing it. Commissioner Higdon asked what the average cost for a household to connect would be. Mr. Deakins said they hope to price close to the standard rates of cities like Asheville and Atlanta ($40-  $45/month).  Chairman Tate passed out a letter that was given tol him from Lawrence Street, President of King Mountain Club, Inc., asking for the board to support and vote for the Little Ti funding request. A copy oft the letteri is attached (Attachment 5) and isl hereby made a part oft these  minutes.  Page 50 of13    Commissioner Beale said thatt the County has $400,000 in an account and that he would liket to discuss giving the' Town of Highlands $500,000 over two years and Little T $89,000 now and then review after six months to give them the remainder oft their request. He said that there are two groups here that are willing to step out and the board should give them The County Attorney said that conceptually iti is a good idea, but that the County has to Commissioner Gillespie said when he announced that he was going to runi for County Commissioner he had a few things that he wanted to work on, and broadband was one of them. He said he felt] like he could utilize some ofthe resources that) he has atl his disposal tol help Macon County. He: said the broadband committee did a lot of] legwork to see where the needs were: in the County and it proved it was everywhere. He said that the reality is that federal money is needed to make this happen. He believes the state realizes thatt they are going tol have to step in ats some point too. However, he does not believe that the County should just sit and wait. His concerns are that there are: far more oft these initiatives that have failed than have succeeded. From a County standpoint, hei thinks it will need to be structured to protect thet taxpayers' dollars. Commissioner Gillespie still wants clarity on whether the County can: fund Little T? He said he has yett to geta a 'yes', sol he thinks the County is going tol have to have: some help. He continued to say that he feels that the funding needs to be done uniformly, and that it isi important for the County to set those guidelines and then funnel the dollars according to that plan. Commissioner Beale said he disagrees with Commissioner Gillespie. Commissioner Beale said that this could bea a template and ift the board does support them now that the County will have ap partnership moving forward. He said thati iti is an ideal time and ideal position to puti it out there and let the County Manager and County Attorney see what the County can do. Commissioner Gillespie wanted to make clear thatl he was not implying how they build, construct, or implement the project. He said he was just wanting a plan for how the funding would Commissioner Higdon said that he does feel that there needs to be: some sort of funding ratio. He said he is absolutely: in favor of assisting, but that there needs to be some  the opportunity to succeed.  make sure that they have legal authority to do this.  work.  parameters.  The County Attorney said several counties are working on this and that county attorneys are really good at working together and that many of these issues may have already been addressed. Commissioner Higdon said "we will charge you with this task." Chairman Tate pointed out the difficulty of comparing apples to apples' on these two Commissioner Beale made a motion for thel board, if permissible, to authorize $500,000 to the Town of Highlands ($250,000 per year for two years) and $178,000 tol Little T Broadband Services ($89,000 now and $89,000 at a time thel board deems necessary, but will not exceed two-years) and that the board can have updates and review these projects  projects.  Page 6of13    at any time, and that there will be interlocal agreements puti in place for both. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Shields. Commissioner Higdon asked ift this motion was charging the County. Attorney and County Manager to do the: research on thel legality oft the funding. Commissioner Beale said that it was for thatand the fundingi ifiti is found that the County can legally fund them. Alengthy discussion ensued, again, about the types of funding and the needs for different levels of funding. Commissioner Gillespie said he would rather wait until the next meeting to see ift they can come up with some sort off funding model. Chairman Tate said that this is tough and that he wants tol be very upfront about this. He said it makes him want to "kick himselfi for not having this completed: and not pushing this board harder and have this worked out beforehand." He said he isi in support of the motion, but he does have reservations just like those he mentioned earlier and those that Commissioner Gillespie mentioned. He said he does not want to be the reason that this is held back any longer, butt that he is going to be pushing for some ideas and concepts tol be putinj place in order to disburse taxpayer dollars to future projects like these. Thel board voted 4-11 to approve the motion as presented, with Commissioner Gillespie opposing.  Chairman Tate called a recess at 8:07 p.m.  Chairman Tate called the meeting back to order at 8:15 p.m.  ANNOUNCEMENT: Commissioner Beale reported to thel board that the DOTI has suspended all engineering projects across the state. The traffic problem atl Mountain View Intermediate School and the Macon Middle School is the only thing in Macon County that has been affected. Commissioner Beale asked for the board's permission to say that the board asks for this study to go: forward now and not be delayed. The board agreed. No ADDITIONS, ADJUSTMENTSTO, AND APPROVAL OF' THEAGENDA: Upon a motion by Commissioner Beale and seconded by Commissioner Shields, the board voted unanimously  official action was necessary.  toapprove the agenda as adjusted, as follows:  To remove Item 11B Regiment Band. To remove Item 12F 13B totaling three seats  To add Item 11E, Funding Request from the Franklin High School Marching Panther  To add Item 11F, Dog Park Walking Trail To add the Settlement Report as part of] Item 12E  To add to Appointments, another seat to the Recreation Commission under Item  To add newi item 13C Planning Board (1 seat)  OLD BUSINESS:  DECISION REGARDING TELECOMMUNICATION TOWER APPLICATION FOR 175 . FT. MONOPOLE TOWER AT 575 CR CABE: ROAD. Chairman' Tate: said there have been two public hearings on this and he noticed that Geoff Stubbs has signed up to make public  Page7of13    comment. The County Attorney said that hei is free to make a public statement on this, but anything hej presents tonight cannot be used as evidence by this board when they go to vote on the matter because the publicl hearing has been closed. Mr. Stubbs passed out a graphic to the board to show where he disagreed with what Verizon presented during the publich hearing. Commissioner Higdon said that' Verizon has done their studies in compliance with the ordinances that the County has inj place. He said that he does not know which site is best but he understands that Verizon has spent some time, money, and engineering on choosing a site and addressing the conditions in the ordinance, therefore he has no reason not to support moving forward on this. Commissioner Higdon made the motion to approve the application as presented by Verizon. Commissioner Gillespie asked Jack Morgan, Planning, Permitting, and Development Director, ift the Verizon application fully complies with the ordinance. Mr. Morgan said thati it does. Commissioner Gillespie seconded the motion. Commissioner Shields said he is not sure ifs something he is about to sayi is something "new" and he does not know if that is something he can share. The County Attorney strongly encouraged the board to make its decision based on the evidence that was presented, not: something that might have been gotten, a thought that was had, or something that was seen at the property. He: said that this decision has tol bel based solely on the evidence that was brought to thel board over the course oft the two public hearings. Commissioner Beale said he does not think it matters what the board does. Commissioner Beale said he does believe the tower could have been camouflaged but he will reluctantly support Commissioner Higdon's motion." Commissioner Beale then recommended for the Planning Board to take anotherl look at the Telecommunications Towers Ordinance. Chairman Tate said thej proposed tower meets all the stipulations that the County has set forward. Language was then added to Commissioner Higdon's motion by Chairman Tate, at the recommendation of the County Attorney, authorizing the County Manager in cooperation with the County Attorney toi issue a written letter of approval to the Applicant within a reasonable period oft time and such written approval which shall contain: A. Provisions thati ifthe construction is not started within six months from the date of issuance of the building permit, the wireless support structure building permit shall expire. This provision shall likewise be contained in the building permit; B. The Owner of the proposed wireless support: structure. shall record ini the Macon County Register of Deeds Office a letter ofi intent prior to the issuance oft thel building permit which complies with North Carolina General Statute 154.08 (G) of Chapter 154 ofthel Macon County Code of Ordinances : Wireless Telecommunication C. Approval and building permit shall require the facilities to be constructed within at D. Ap provision that the: approval and thel building permit are issued in reliance upon a presumption that the wireless support structure will in fact conform to the plans which were submitted as thel basis for the building permit and once erected the wireless support structure must continue tol be at all times maintained in compliance with the provision of Chapter 154 of thel Macon County Code of  Facilities Ordinance; least 24 months;  Ordinances.  Thel board voted unanimously to approve the tower application permit as presented contingent upon the stipulations as aforementioned, being addressed.  Page 8 of13    CONSIDERATION OF MACON COUNIYINVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT TRANSPORTATION AGREEMENT. County Attorney Chester) Jones presented thel board with an Involuntary Commitment, Agreement. A copy ofthe agreement: is attached (Attachment 6) and is hereby made a part oft these minutes. The County. Attorney informed the board that this agreement. has already been approved by both the Town of Highlands and the' Town of Franklin. The County Manager reminded the board that this agreement, as presented, outlines how the County handles the involuntary commitment transportation process in Macon County between the municipalities. Commissioner Beale made the motion to approve the agreement as presented. Commissioner Shields seconded the  motion, and the board voted unanimously to approve.  NEW BUSINESS:  DETENTION CENTER MEDICALSERVICES CONTRACT. County Attorney Chester) Jones presented thel board with a copy ofi the Detention Center Medical Services Contract. A copy ofthe contract is attached (Attachment 7 and is hereby made: a part oft these minutes. Attorney. Jones said the contracti is designed to deal with the County and the Macon County Sheriff's Office to make sure that the inmates att the Macon County Detention Center receive the medical care that they are entitled, by law, to receive while they are at the facility. The medical services agreement is with Dr. Jason Creel, whol has been serving in this capacity for some time. The County Manager: and County. Attorney prepared this contract when they learned thati it was time to renew Dr. Creel's contract. The County Attorney recommended that this contract be approved, as well as the policies that have been presented and attached, and thel HIPPA business associate agreement which is attached as Exhibit 15i in the contract. Commissioner Beale said that he is still holding out for Medicaid for prisoners. Commissioner Beale said that all prisoners have to doi is voice that they need to go tot thel hospital and the County is required tot take them. Commissioner Beale said unless we get some help somewhere you can see whati it will doi to the budget. He said we are lucky tol have al local doctor that will do this, and Sheriff Holland agreed. Commissioner Beale, as liaison to the Macon County Sheriff's Office, made the motion to approve the medical services contract with Dr.) Jason Creel, and to approve the medical plan and the HIPPA business associate agreements and authorize the County Manager to execute the contract. Commissioner Shields seconded the motion, and the board voted unanimously to REJECTION OF BID NUMBER 4310-08 DUE' TO CHANGE IN SPECIFICATIONS. The County Manager asked thel board ift they would formally reject bid number 4310-08, Patrol Vehicles fort thel Macon County Sheriff's Office. He said that once thel bids were released and received, thei needs at the Sheriff's Office changed. Commissioner Beale made the motion to reject bid number 4310-08. Commissioner Shields seconded the motion, and the board COMMUNITYCARE CLINICI FUNDING REQUEST. Cathy Stiles, Executive Director oft the Community Care Clinic of Franklin, told the board that they see their patients at the Macon County Health Department on Monday and' Wednesday nights. She said they have agood  approve.  voted unanimously to approve.  Page 9 of13    relationship with the Health Department, and that the Health Department even refers patients withouti insurance to the Community Care Clinic. She said their reason for being is toj provide primary health care for free toj patients that are citizens ofl Macon County that do not havei insurance and arel lowi income. She said just because they are lowi income does not mean they are not working. She said in fact, quite of few of them do work either part- time ori in trades that their employers do not offer health insurance, and therefore cannot afford the high cost of medical care. Ms. Stiles said that her reason for being here tonight was thatt they have had a funding crisis. She said that lastyear, when she started ini this position, the clinic was being funding by the State of North Carolina but when that funding cycle came up for renewal the funding was not approved. She said this was a huge budget drop and that they have went into survival mode." Ms. Stiles said they have reached outto other sources for funds, such as community members and the Dogwood Trust Health Foundation. Ms. Stiles said they are: all offering tol help and have provided some funds. She isa asking the County tol be aj part oft the: matching funds that will allow them to partner with these other foundations while they pursue other funding to keep them open and operating. Ms. Stiles said that they provide a vital service to the citizens ofl Macon County. Shesaid that they provide primary health care to over 800 active patients at their free clinic. She said they had over ai thousand patient encounters in the past year, ending June 2019. Ms. Stiles said that demands are increasing and they are. seeing more: new patients, and all of this isi in a time ofa drastic funding reduction. She: said they need help in the funding to continue to meet the patient needs. Ms. Stiles said that Carmine Rocco, Health Director, has shown support for this clinic. She said the patients frequently express their gratitude for the: services the clinic provides. Ms. Stiles asked the County toj provide $75,000, which would support the clinical operations while they continue to seek new grants and resources. Commissioner Beale told Chairman Tatet that he and the County Manager met with Ms. Stiles and discussed several options. He said that hei is a great supporter oft the Community Care Clinic. Commissioner Beale said that Macon County has dropped to 90th int the state in uninsured people per capita. He said that this is a wonderful program, and a wonderful group of volunteers. Commissioner Beale said he is not against the $75,000 but het thinks that it would be prudent of this board to consider. half of their request. He said that they have received some money from the Highlands Trust. He said he is hopeful that the Nantahala Trust and thel Dogwood Foundation will help as well. Commissioner Beale made the motion to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Community Care Clinicand fund them $37,500 fromi the general fund balance. Commissioner Shields seconded the motion. Ms. Stiles asked thel board for the opportunity to come back to them in the future if needed. Commissioner Shields asked Ms. Stiles if other community foundations have been asked for funds. Ms. Stiles said they have asked and received some funding from the Rotary Clubs and churches, but that their allowable funding amounts arej just smaller. Commissioner Higdon asked Ms. Stiles ifthey applied to the Community Funding Pool. Ms. Stiles said that they did, and received funding that covered aj provider for one clinic for six months. Chairman Tate asked ift they still operate a clinici in Highlands. Ms. Stiles said that the Highlands clinic is a separate clinic. Chairman Tate asked ift there was a reason that these clinics do not combine. One oft the board members for the Community Care Clinic told the board that the Highlands clinic was the original clinic but once they saw the amount of citizens that were driving to Highlands from Franklin they decided to open the Franklin clinic. They were able, at that time, to receive funding from the rural health grant  Page 10of13    for about three years. Once that funding was up, the clinics decided to run separately, but they stilll have a great working relationship. The board voted unanimously to approve FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING PANTHER REGIMENT BAND FUNDING REQUEST. Commissioner Shields told the board that the Franklin High School Marching Panther Regiment Band will be going to the. All-State Sugar Bowl inl New Orleans, Louisiana to perform for more than 90,000 people and on national television for the Sugar Bowl halftime show as well as the Sugar Bowl parade down the world famous Bourbon Street. Commissioner Shields said that they are taking 100 students and are wanting to go to the National World War II Museum. He said that this is not part oft the trip package and thati it will cost: about $42 per student. Commissioner Shields said they are having fundraisers to raise this amount, and that last week the Vietnam Veterans of America wrote a check for $500 to go to this fundraiser. He said they are also asking the Town of] Franklin for $500. Commissioner Shields made the motion to give $500, from the contingency fund, to the Franklin High School Marching Panther Regiment Band to go towards the trip tot the National World War II Museum. Commissioner Beale seconded the motion. Chairman Tate said he cannot disagree in the least bit, and that he thinks that this is a fantastic opportunity for the students. He said he will support this, but he wanted to know ift the Macon County School Board has funds for things like this. Commissioner Shields said they have to do fundraiser requests for these type of activities. The County Attorney recommended that the check be made payable to Macon County Schools and designated for this specific purpose. The board voted unanimously to approve funding in the amount of DOG PARK WALKING TRAIL. Chairman Tate said that at the Recreation Commission meeting that there was some discussion about adding a walking trail around the dog park foraminimal amount ofmoney. The County Manager said that this is an: addition to the original project and that the funds would be available in the property and' building improvements. line in the Recreation Park budget. Commissioner Beale asked who was going to be maintaining the dog park and the walking trail. The County Manager said the County will be responsible. Commissioner Shields made a motion to approve a budget amendment tol be made to move $4,500 from the Recreation Park's property and building improvements budget to the Dog Park] project fund. Commissioner Beale seconded the CONSENT AGENDA: Upon a motion by Commissioner Higdon, seconded by Commissioner Shields, the board voted unanimously to approve the items on the consent agenda as follows: the minutes of the. August 13, 2019 regular meeting; thei following budget amendments: #60 donations and calendar sales appropriation: for thel Macon County Sheriff's Office ini the amount of $40,000, #61 GusNIP grant money appropriation in the amount of$ $377,252 for the Macon County Health Department; tax releases ini the amount of $6,807.70 for August 2019; monthly ad valorem tax collections report; and reliefofthe  funding in the amount of $37,500.  $500.  motion, and the board voted unanimously to approve.  taxing unit for collection ofreal estate taxes that are 10 years past due.  APPOINTMENTS:  Page 11 of13    SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Commissioner Shields made the motion to appoint Brett Rogers to the Southwestern Community College Board of Trustees. Commissioner Gillespie seconded the motion and the board approved  unanimously.  RECREATION COMMISSION: Commissioner Shields made the motion to appoint' Timothy Crabtree to the Recreation Commission. Commissioner Higdon seconded the motion and PLANNING BOARD: Commissioner Gillespie made the motion to appoint Dr. Mickey Henson to the Planning Board. Commissioner Higdon seconded the motion and the board CLOSED SESSION: Upon a motion by Commissioner Beale, seconded by Commissioner Higdon, thel board voted unanimously to goi into closed session at 9:10 p.m. for the purpose of] preserving the attorney/client; privilege and toi instruct the staff and agents ofthe County concerning the negotiation of possible acquisition of real property under NCGS 143- 318.11(a)(3) and NCGS 143-318.11(a)(5). At 9:38 p.m., upon al motion by Commissioner Beale, seconded by Commissioner Shields, the board voted unanimously to come outof PERSONAL PROPERTY: The County Attorney outlined the discussion that took place in closed session regarding the possible purchase of property from Rodney and Rena Stauffer in Highlands, North Carolina. The County Attorney had prepared aj proposed agreement for their consideration and sent that to Mr. and Mrs. Stauffer and they signed that agreement. The County Attorney said this property is found in Register of Deeds book Q-32 page 1791- 1792. He. said this isa a1 1.74-acre parcel with aj purchase price of $71,880 which is the tax value on the property. Chairman Tate said this property adjoins the Buck Creek Recreation Facility: in Highlands and it will be an outstanding future recreational facility for that end of the County. Attorney) Jones said that ifthel board is inclined to accept their offer to sale that they will need to authorize the Chairman to sign on behalf of the County and there would need to be a budget: amendment ini the amount of $5,000, from general fund contingency, to cover the earnest money and survey costs. Commissioner Beale made the motion to approve as presented. Commissioner Shields seconded the motion and thel board voted LAWSUIT: The County Attorney reported to the board that there is a pending lawsuit that the County brought concerning a nuisance issue against Randy Collins, William Stephen Sheppard, and Dusty Collins, Macon County file 19-CVS-300. The County Attorney said that he, personnel from the Macon County Sheriff's Office and the State Bureau of] Investigation have negotiated what they believe to be a satisfactory consent judgment and final order of abatement. The County Attorney has prepared that and recommends approval ofthat document and authorization for the County Attorney and the Chairman to sign and present the same to the appropriate judge for entry, itl has already been signed by the defendant.  the board approved unanimously.  approved unanimously.  closed session and return to open session.  unanimously to approve.  Page 120 of13    Commissioner Shields made the motion to approve as presented. Commissioner Beale ADJOURN: With no other business, at 9:44 p.m., upon a motion by Commissioner Higdon, seconded by Commissioner Shields, the board voted unanimously to adjourn.  seconded thei motion and the board voted unanimously to approve.  Derek Roland Ex Officio Clerk to the Board  Jim Tate Board Chairman  Page 13 of13