TOWN OF WEBSTER  Minutes for May 3, 2017 Board Meeting  WEBSTER)  Thel Board of Commissioners for the' Town of Webster met for their regular monthly meeting at the WebsterTown MEMBERS PRESENT: Commissioner Billie Bryson, Commissioner Danell Moses, Commissionerlarry Phillips, OTHERS PRESENT: Will Morgan and Louise Stephens, Webster residents; Scott Baker; Dr. Don' Tomas, SCC  Hall, 1411 Webster Road. Mayor' Tracy Rodes called the meeting to order at 5:18 p.m. Commissioner Leigh. Anne Young, and Mayor'l Tracy Rodes, Commissioner Allan Grant  MEMBERS. ABSENT: None  GENERAL MEETING  Approval of Agenda  Mayor Rodes requested the minutes be amended to remove New Business Item c) and replace it with payroll MOTION: Commissionerlarry Phillips made a motion at accept the agenda as amended. Commissioner Billie  accounting, and to add an item d) sympathy / memorial for Ms. Davis.  Bryson seconded. Motion carries. Approval of Minutes carried.  Minutes for the April council meeting were presented for review.  MOTION/Commisione Grant motioned to approve the minutes. Commissioner Phillips seconded. Motion  Informal Comments by Public  Local cyclist Scott Baker presented a layout of aj potential bicycling improvement plan. He thanked the board for allowing bikes to be on the sidewalks, and for repairs to the sidewalks. He asked for consideration ofa curb cut off of North River road where it accesses Highway 116. He said the curb height made access difficult for cyclists. He suggested a cut similar to a driveway access ramp. The curve is dangerous when traffic tries to get around merging cyclists. The curb cut allows cyclists to get off of the road and onto the sidewalk. An additional curb cut would prevent cyclists traveling on N. River Road in traffic where marked on the visual provided by Mr. Baker. The suggested location is slightly uphill from the uphill curve. Mayor Rodes asked ifDOT could be of any assistance. Commissioner Phillips advised that iti is possible that DOT may have funding for this type of project. Mayor Rodes said that the Town of Webster would check on whol has the authority to approve and fund this project. Rodes stated that she or Phillips would contact thel DOT and add this project to the agenda for the next' Town meeting. Dr. Tomas reminded the board that SCCI had asked for a Y41 penny sales tax, which was approved. Based on this funding, the priority to fund: a new Health Sciences building was initiated. Dr. Tomas stated he wanted to share the current status of the new building with thel board and what is planned for the future. Dr. Tomas presented an aerial site plan to the board showing the surrounding roads, thel Burrell Building' Tower, Balsam Center, Founder Hall, and the Proposed Health Science Building tol be located between and behind thel Balsam Center and Founders Hall. There will be al bridge from the 3rd floor to a landing at Founders Hall. There will be a sidewalk connected the other side of the building to thel Balsam Center. Dr. Tomas then presented a perspective from the roundabout of the design oft the building- - a three story building designed to tie into the current landscape. Dr. Tomas mentioned that the ordinance required buildings over 60 feet not to overshadow other building. The ground level of the lowest point of the building to the peak of the top corner is 67-70 feet. The line of sight from the front parking area /ATM side still give Dr. Tomas then addressed proposed parking in the site plan. The ordinance requires 1 parking space for 400 square feet of building space. They have approximately 900 spaces. 274,000 square feet is the projected size oft the building. Dr. Tomas stated that the proposed building would use 40 parking spaces, still leaving enough spaces to meet the Dr. Tomas addressed one further item: thel lettering on the building. The proposed letters are 84" inl height for the "Southwestern" (5'4" for small case letters) name, with letters beneath "Community College" in 3'4"1 letters. SCCis considering shadow lights, or lights that shine from the ground up to the building; and potentially lights will an  Special Guest: Dr. Don Tomas, SCC  visibility to Founders Hall above thej proposed building.  requirements since they will be gaining 65 from a new lot near Founders Hall.    2  MAY2017  WEBSTER)  automatic shut off." There willl be no back lighting. Commissioner Young asked ift this building sign replaces the street sign. Dr. Tomas said that thel building signage is in addition to any existing signage. They are. redesigning the current directional sign Itis called a gate sign or monument sign. A wayfinding sign is planned for the Burrell Building access area. Dr. Tomas said that these sizel letters are: necessary to be visible from the road and inj proportion to thel building. The new building also allows Burrell Building to continue to be visible from the main road. The building will be brick and offwhite. Commissioner Grant askedi if Success Avenue would still be used. Dr. Tomas stated that it will. Will Morgann askedifDr. Tomas has a breakdown of office space Vs. classroom space. Dr. Tomas said that the building is majority classroom and student space. Office space is about 400 sq. feet. The first floor is going to include an outpatient or community clinic for physical therapy as a part of SCC's educational programs. The architect is LS3P. Mayor Rodes asked Dr. Tomas toj provide written details on the numbers that he orally provided to the Town Council. Mayor Rodes suggested that if any of the above items are not currently allowed, the best path forward might bea variance. Dr. Tomas agreed. Dr. Tomas said that SCC will need the Board's approval is needed by before May 24th for the architect to proceed with the current design. Dr. Tomas gave his contact information to the board so that Mayor Rodes asked for an amendment to the agenda to add: an item to New Business for SCC: Building. MOTION Commissioner Young made a1 motion to add the amendment to the agenda by Commissioner Young.  he can be contacted if needed.  The motion was seconded' by Grant. Motion carried.  CONSENT. AGENDA  Financial Report  Joyce Pope presented the April profit and loss report and current bank balances:  Beginning town fund balance per April report: Cleared expenditures totaled Deposits Checking cleared balance Macon Macon CD12 Macon CD4 48 Ending Town fund balance  $150,485.68 1,190.09 968.09 87,817.29 25,076.78 37,319.61 $150,263.68  Mayor's Report  Service Project: The Community Table has stated they need help on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4pm - 6pm. Mayor Rodes asked if thel board wants to go ahead and volunteer when they can, or put off volunteering until June so that more people can attend. Young stated she can volunteer this month. Itis optimal tol have 2 people or more to help with their dinner service. The entire town is invited toj participate, and Mayor Rodes stated she will Sheriff's Deputy Matt Hawkins stopped by toi introduce himself to the Board. He is taking the place ofLucas and we will still have] Josh Yopp patrolling the Town of Webster. 121 hours per month, three hours per week is the current requirement. Larry showed Officer Hawkins how to get into the Town Hall building. His check will be left on the Mayor Rodes told the board about attending thel NCI League meeting in Franklin on May 2nd. Danell Moses,, Joyce Pope and' Tracy Rodes attended. A lot of valuable information was given out. Rodes stated that two points were made that affect Webster: (1) Their rate on Workman's Comp would be the best rate since we will get a discount by bundling this with our current property & liability insurance. (2) Mayor Rodes asked Paul Myers with thel League whether it was helpful for local Towns to write resolutions when the Leaguei is for or against legislation. Mr. Myers said that resolutions were: not helpful and that it was more effective to make a phone call to representatives. Mayor  advertise this on the Facebook page. Mayor Rodes will work on a date.  credenza for his pickup. He will leave his daily patrol sheets on the credenza as well.  Rodes stated that she felt resolutions can be useful to educate the public on the Board's stand.  Council Member's Reports None    3  MAY2017 OLD BUSINESS:  WEBSTER)  a) b)  Budget: our new budget goes into effect) July 1st; therefore, it needs to be done by the end of] June. Police protection. Mayor] Rodes checked with another security service to see if we could get more safety patrols. They said they could only patrol private property. Commissioner Phillips got some recommendations from the Jackson County Sheriff. We can get a uniformed officer for 401 hours per week at a cost of $46-48,000 per) year and requires a 4-year contract. They would furnish the car. The town could set the officer's hours. Phillips recommends that during our budget talks we look seriously at doubling our taxes from 5 C. to 10c. He would like to send a letter out to all residents of Webster explaining the reason for a tax increase (to bring in a police officer and make other Town improvements) and get" Town approval or denial for a tax increase. Phillips feels that safety is an important issue for the town. Louise Stephens stated that she was told there have been break-ins on North River Road. Phillips will check with the county to verify. Young asked if the sheriff gave any other options other than the fulltime officer. The Sheriff stated that is getting difficult to get his officers to work extra hours on their days offt to provide coverage to the Town of Webster. Currently the officers work on their convenience. Webster is currently part of the Sheriff's regular routel but the' Town has been paying for extra coverage. Rodes said that last year wel had budgeted $8000 but only received $5000i in bills and coverage. Grant asked if the Town of Sylva could be of any assistance. Phillips said hel had already checked with them and was told they don't! have the manpower to: assist. Rodes stated that since we now. have a second officer, maybe we will see increased coverage. Wel have not received full coverage (per budget) in a while, sO we will need to see what increased coverage will do. The board appreciates the work Phillips has put into Resolution Opposing SB 94: Mayor Rodes handed out a resolution opposing SB 94, which would allow partisan elections for municipal offices. The Board had already voted to oppose this bill so Rodes advised Resolution Opposing HB 64. Mayor Rodes handed out a resolution opposing HB 64. The Board had Duke Energy. Will Morgan offered to contact Duke Energy to check on the status of the new contract. Dukel had contacted Moses to ask when the board met and how many members are on the board.  looking at options with the Sheriff. the board she will sign it.  c) d)  already voted to oppose this bill so. Rodes advised thel board she will signi it.  NEW BUSINESS:  a)  Workmans comp: Mayor Rodes said that our property & liability insurance is up for renewal and we can try to bundle workman's comp. insurance with it, or seek an outside provider. Phillips asked Morgan to find outi if the new: states that commissioners are to be treated as employees. Rodes read the board GS 97-2 stating the commissioners must be treated as employees but do not receive other benefits such as Adoption ofa Clean Energy Resolution. Commissioner Young emailed the board a copy of the Town of Sylva's resolution to support the state goal of clean energy by 2050. Dillsboro and] Jackson County are also working on resolution. Young has asked. Avram Freidman, the head of the Canary Coalition, to speak at the June board meeting. Phillips said he researched and NC is al leading state in the nation in clean energy. Many counties are supporting solar energy and wind energy. Phillips voiced his support of such a resolution with board discussion. Young noted that when we pay our monthly Duke Energy bill, wel have the option to pay extra toj pay towards solar power. The board could offset Duke energy bills by buying solar energy credits, which would result in a neti increase of approximately $32 per month. Rodes asked Young to provide more details as well as have the board hear Mr. Freidman speak before we create Payroll Services. Mayor Rodes spoke with Excel payroll services. They charge an 8% fee. The Town is required to match social security payments, as well as get workers comp insurance. Excel requires a contract for each employee to be signed. Mayor Rodes will check with Bronwyn again as well as Stanberry Insurance. Additionally, Mayor Rodes requested Board approval to open a new account at Entegra Bank solely for the purpose of offering payroll services requiring 2 signatures. Moses made a  health insurance.  b)  ar resolution.  c)    4  MAY2017  WEBSTER)  motion to open such an account. Grant seconded. Motion passed. Joyce Pope stated that she would research the IRS section stating whether or not a contractor can be converted to employce status, thereby giving the individual both a 1099-MISC and a w-2. Pope stated shei is willing to be paid as a contractor through the end of the town's fiscal year. Moses made a motion that the board pay Joyce Pope: as a contractor through the end oft the fiscal year, then move her to employee status at the start of) July. Sympathy/memorial for Ms. Davis: the board signed a sympathy card tol bes sent to the family of Ms. SCC building variance. A board of adjustment would be required to pass a variance. Mayor Rodes will check on a board of adjustment. Town commissioners are allowed tol have overlap, according to attorney, and serve on both boards. Iti is not preferable, but allowable foras small town. The current board members are out of date and need to be updated. Harry. Almond told Phillips hei is resigning. We do not know ifLila and Richard Chevell are active. The board discussed whether or not the parking that is provided meets zoning requirements. The board feels that ifSCC meets zoning requirements, then no Board of adjustment. Rodes will verify the members oft thel Board of Adjustment. Ifthe board of adjustments approved a variance, iti is presented to the County. The ordinance is meant to protect residences but there are no residences nearby. Attorney will speak to Michele Smith about the three issues Dr. Tomas addressed. He stated that he feels that a variance will be required. SCC falls intoa government zone, as does the' Town Hall and the old school.. A variance is a one-time exception. Morgan advised that the signage would fall under government entity andi is acceptable. However, the parking and building height might need a variance. A board of adjustment would need to check on these issues. Morgan advised that SCC could make a formal request for a variance by having a request formally typed up since Webster does not have a formal variance request. Mayor Rodes will ask Dr. Tomas to: address all three of! his points in his variance request. Mayor Rodes requested the agenda be amended to add new MOTION: Commissioner Phillips made a motion to amend the agenda to add new: appointments to the Add new appointments to the Board of Adjustment. Thel board discussed potential membership for MOTION: Commissioner Phillips made a motion to appoint Leigh Ann Young to the board of Mayor Rodes stated that we will need to schedule a second short meeting to take place after the board of  d) e)  Davis.  further action is required.  f)  business item for new appointments to thel board of adjustment. Board of Adjustment. Commissioner Grant seconded. Motion carried.  g)  the board of Adjustment.  adjustments. Commissioner Grant seconded. Motion carried. adjustments meets to finish addressing the SCC requests. Reminders Next Meeting:) June 7,2017  ADJOURMMENTE  MOTION: Commissioner Moses moved to adjourn. Commissioner Phillips seconded. Motion carried.  The meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m.  Bodeo  GyTpe Joyce Pope, Town Clerk  Tracy Rodes, Mayor Hacy