Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Okay. Good evening. I'm going to call to order the uh December 15, 2025 meeting of the Hwood County Board of Commissioners. And we'll have our invocation and where we'll have our pledge and then our invocation. So, if you can, if you would please stand. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Isaiah 9:6, for a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. I would invite you to join me in prayer. Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for this season where we are reminded of the greatest sacrifice in [snorts] the history of mankind to bring salvation to those who cannot bring it to themselves. Our prayer is that peace be throughout our nation and throughout the world during this special time of year that you would give us peace of heart and peace of mind, peace of mind, knowing that we have a great and glorious savior if we only choose to turn to him. It is in the name of Jesus Christ that I pray. Amen. Thank you, Sheriff Wilkey. Okay. We we do not have uh any public hearings today or public comment. Anyone have any constituent concerns?

Somebody complaining about some trashy stuff down on uh Richland Creek and I think Sheriff and Brian's got it worked out. Okay, that's good. Yeah, this time of year from now till April, you can see all the the trash that people put out for sure. Okay, so I want to make some notes. Does anybody have any outside anything? Okay,

I just want to let everybody know that most Haywood County offices will be closed on Wednesday, December 24th, Thursday, Christmas Day, and Friday, December 26, in observance of the Christmas holiday. And also, it'll be closed Thursday, January 1st, in observance of New Year's Day. solid waste facilities, including the materials recovery center, wide oak landfill, and the convenience centers will be closing Wednesday, December 24th at 12, and they'll be closed uh December 25th and Wednesday, January 1st in observance of New Year's Day. And at this time, I'd like to call on Lake Silver, the field representative for Congressman Chuck Edwards. He's moving to a different position and he wanted to introduce his replacement. Welcome, Lake.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you so much, board of commissioners. Great to be with you again. Last time in this capacity, uh, but going to be with you again in my future capacity as well. Um, just a quick update from the congressman's office while I'm here. Uh, the congressman still sits on appropriation and budget committee. So, if you have anything that you need legislatively, the congressman should put on his docket. Please give us a call. Happy to do that. Uh we've also got case workers on standby in case your constituents need help from a federal government agency. Uh with that being said, the last update I want to give is that I am moving on to the state auditor's office. Not going to do any auditing. So you don't have no one should worry when I walk in. Hope I can still come in the room. Um but I'm going to be a community uh services liaison for the state auditor for Kataba County West. the congressman and I have worked really hard to find someone who is deserving of Western North Carolina to take my spot and probably an upgrade. In fact, what I've heard is it's definitely an upgrade. Uh Reagan Bunch is going to take my spot uh covering Haywood County West. So, I'm going to hand it off to her so she can introduce herselves to you. Last three years have been awesome. Thank you all so much. Look forward to working with you at the beginning of the year.

Welcome, Reagan. I don't I don't know about upgrade. Um but the only thing I have to add is that um I need some patience to start because I'm going to be just part-time um until the end of the school year because I teach middle school, which I think I've told all of you. Um but I'm really looking forward to working with and getting to know Haywood County better. I live in Jackson and I'm from Clay, so you're pulling me farther and farther east. Um just hopefully not all the way to Asheville. So [laughter] looking forward to it.

Okay. I would like to say thank you to L Lake Silver for his uh attention to his job and you know as commissioners occasionally we need to to talk to a congressman or a senator or uh you know higher up the ladder and and your constituent services like I know you've been very prompt to respond to me and get in touch with the congressman or the congressman call me and so I just want to appreciate the job you've done and for your uh for Reagan. We're glad to have you and uh I know some folks from Klay County, especially Commissioner Clay Logan and uh we'll be checking on you and making sure that you provide all the constituent services that we need. So, appreciate y'all. I'd like to say thanks like I have sent some um friends and constituents from the community to you directly and there um they have always came back come back to me and said that you were on it, you were responsive, kind and took care of their concerns and sometimes it is just getting our local folks in touch with the right authorities and and connecting the two and getting the services to work like they're supposed to and I really appreciate all the help that you've given us as a county as well as those individuals. So, thank you. And Reagan, you're going to do a great job and we'll be the best county you have. I promise. [laughter]

Yeah. Just to add to what the other two commissioners have said, Lake, I appreciate you and your service. Uh I know you'll do a good job in your new role. And as they've said, every time I've ever called, you picked the phone up. If not, you've called back within a fivem minute window. And I appreciate that. Means a lot. Like Commissioner Long said, when you need to get a hold of the congressman or someone you it's usually important and it ain't always been that way. So it's nice to know that we got your number. Now we got Reagan's number. So and we're not going to let you go any further. You can't go past Haywood County. So you got to stop at Haywood County. But welcome. We appreciate you.

I want to thank you too, Lake. You've been really been good. always been able to get a hold of and I see you a lot of different places and we talk a lot but you've done a fine job and we appreciate it and welcome her too. Thank you. And I'll just ditto everything everybody said. So and uh and I do appreciate your accessibility as always and I'm sure Reagan will be just uh just as well. I I will add that you're working for the state auditor, so the bar is really high and so we appreciate all he's doing for our state. He's he's one of our elected leaders who's actually moving the needle in a very positive way for our state and uh so I know you'll be a great addition to his his office.

Okay. And one other item under constituent concerns, we got a letter and I just want to read that from the Cardinal Ridge Homeowners Association and they say that and this is from their president of their HOA, Richard Hanos Hanoski and he just says, "Dear Haywood County Commissioners, as the president of Cardinal Ridge's association, I would like to take a moment to offer my personal thanks to each of the Haywood County Commissioners for supporting the competing access broadband grant. Our community is grateful for the funding allocation that provided fiber optic broadband access to the Cardinal Ridge community. Up till now, satellite internet access in our area and community has been cost prohibitive and sporadic at best. Broadband internet access has been one of the questions that potential home buyers are always concerned about, particularly those who work from home and or have children that depend on the internet for educational needs, such as homeschooling and even just completing their homework. Additionally, I'd like to acknowledge Dr. Deborah Porto, Haywood County Broadband Committee Chair, and Miss Hannah White, the NCAACCCC strategic project coordinator for Haywood County Community and Economic Development for their assistance in getting our community included in the grant request. Once again, thank you the Cardinal Ridge community. Really appreciate your support in getting this done. So, I think that I just want to Hannah's here tonight and just thank you Hannah and I know Dr. Porto and I know the county manager. I know all y'all have worked and I'm probably leaving a bunch of people out that have helped with this and it really, you know, gets people the access that is needed in today's world. And Cardinal Ridge, if you don't know where it is, it's really just an edge of Clyde just as you if you're going out the four lane, you get

off the cloud exit and uh at the bottom of the hill, you take a right and it's back. you know, it's pretty close to it's not like it's out in Fines Creek or way out in East Fork or Crusoe if this is just right in near a little town. So, uh we have those pockets and we're trying to fill those in. So, uh and I know Hannah, you it's in the thousands that we've been able to help, I'm pretty sure. So, you know, get that. You want to come up and tell us about it? It would be hard to get an update because we don't have much going on tonight. I know you're always ready.

Um, I actually want to also thank Congressman Edward's office. That HOA had a poll issue and we were able to work with Congressman Edward's office to get that resolved. So, thanks again to Congressman Edwards. And I actually met with Spectrum last week um on the ARDOV. We are 3,400 locations of the 5100 locations ready to go. Um, we're waiting on bead. So, the state put together the bead plan to the federal government which is broadband equity access devices. Don't there's a lot of acronyms in broadband. Um, so they've started to approve states. So hopefully North Carolina will be the next round of states to be approved. And if that's the case, 900 more locations will become online with that. Um 600 fiber, 300 satellite with that proposal. And then so that'll get us close to almost 0% unserved, which sounds crazy. And if all goes well, that buildout will be done by the end of 2030. So

Oh, the communities that will be served roughly, do you know where that might be? All of them. Um I mean the ones that are coming up like soon. I mean I know.

Yeah. So um I know Sheepback Mountain was one of the big ones and that actually got into the last round of CAP. There was two round of cabs that we had. Um Cner Ridge was the first round of CAB. Sheck M will be the second round of CAB. Um Daughter Porter actually had a list of like all the communities that she knew needed broadband. And if B gets approved, I went through that list and every single one of those communities will be served. So we'll just probably have like a few little pockets remaining and they still have stopgap at the state. Um so hopefully Stopgap might get those like lasting pockets. Yeah.

Okay. Well, thank you for that update. And Dr. Porto has really been passionate about getting this service. She used to live in Haywood County and you you know she's retired and and and and had some time to to spend on it and she doesn't live in Haywood County anymore but she she's close but she's still I guess involved somewhat. So yes, she stepped down as broadband chair um when the broadband stuff started to move from access to um digital education stuff because that wasn't her like forte. but she still texts me to check in to make sure that everything's still on track. So,

hey, thank you, Hannah. Okay. Hey, does anybody else have anything you want to say?

Kevin, can I say something? Um, I want to just remind everybody, I know they've seen the information get pushed out about the Wesville Library branch. Um there was an update that came out I guess last week now, but the um I want to read it off. The circle and the drop the book drop is open again. So they're making great progress on getting the roof and the HVAC taken care of in the Wesville location and it's I know that's very important to a lot of people. We're coming up on the holidays and people are going to have kids at home and just want to enjoy some access of materials from the library and so they are working diligently to make that happen and the drive-thru or the circle is back available

and Jennifer's on our library board so she knows all that. Okay. Okay. The next order of business is discussion or adjustment of agenda, but I don't have anything. Does anybody Okay. And we didn't have any administrative agency reports or presentations. Next will be our consent agenda. And of those five items, does anybody or four items, anybody have any questions about any of those? And I'll entertain a motion we approve the consent agenda as presented. So move. Second.

Any any discussion at all? All those in favor say I. I. I. Anyone want to oppose? Okay, that's unanimous. Okay, that pretty much is it. We do not have any regular agenda appointments or close session. Does anybody want to say

Yeah, I guess this is our last meeting for the year 2025. [snorts] And I would like to tell everyone in attendance and I guess as Michael Buffer would say for the millions watching around the world, have a merry Christmas. Uh Luke 2:10 said that the angel told Mary, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy." Not just a little bit, great joy. And so I hope uh through the birth of Christ and celebration of his birthday coming up here in a week or two that y'all have a great and a joyful Christmas.

Yeah. I thank you very much. It's a It's been a a good year in comparison to some we've had in the last few years. And um I hope we all can celebrate and appreciate our blessings. And I just hope that um your Christmas is blessed with peace and joy that can only come from the Lord. And merry Christmas to all of y'all. Just uh want to uh I want to do this last meeting, you know, and you guys wouldn't let me. You said we had one more before the end of the year. So now I get to do it, right? That's right.

I can do it twice. No, no. You know, you think back of where we've come from as a county and and and the way the Lord's blessed us and especially at Christmas, you think about those things. So, uh thankful for for our county, what our county stands for, uh and thank thankful for our staff and uh what they do, you know, year round. Uh we've got one of the best. I think uh we're second to none in my opinion. And so like to thank all them, wish them a merry Christmas and hope everybody has a happy new year. Better things are coming.

I just want to wish everybody a merry Christmas too and and brag a little bit on our staff and stuff too. We got do have the best staff around and uh I just want to wish everybody a merry Christmas and happy new year.

Okay. And I I'll say the same. Um just make sure that I was telling the sheriff is I don't want to be D Debbie Downer, but I I've lost a lot of family members and uh u friends this year, you know, and u and all for different reasons, but it's uh this. So, you know, always make sure you attend your family Christmas holiday because you never know what next year might hold. So, uh, but I'm thankful that Haywood County is we're we're recovering from the hurricane. I don't think we had anything. I don't think we had any proclamations this year where we were under emergency declaration. So, that was pretty good. Yeah. See, used to we never had those and now it seems like it's just, you know, all the time. So,

yeah. So, at least the good Lord's blessed us with good weather this year. Those hurricanes kind of got steered out that were heading towards the United States and I'm glad of that. and I'm just thankful for my family and uh everyone and I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a happy new year. So saying that, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. I'll make that motion. Second. Okay. All in favor say I. I. Okay. We're ajourned and merry Christmas and hope you all be safe.