The Macon County Board of Commissioners blazed through their September 8 regular meeting during a fast-paced session that discussed transportation grants, telephone coverage, and data centers, while ending on some bright notes lauding public service.
Commissioners received little to no comment during four public hearings, passing the fiscal year 2028 transit grant initiatives unanimously. Among the approved items were:
- The 2027 Schedule of Values, Standards and Rules that will be used for the upcoming tax reappraisal of real property. The formal adoption of the schedule cannot take place until seven days after the meeting under state law.
- The FY2028 federal grant (5311) for Macon County Transit covering $204,175 in administrative costs. This is a matching grant in which the county has to provide about 15%. The federal share will be 85% while the county’s share 15% or $30,626.25.
- The FY2028 grant (5310) for Macon County Transit covering $270,000 in operating costs for transportation of senior citizens and disabled persons. While also a matching grant, the $135,000 county share will be met using existing funds and contract revenues.
- The FY2028 capital project grant for Macon County Transit covering $484,932 in replacement costs for four vehicles and two desktop computers that are expected to have met their lifespan in 2028. This is a matching grant and the county’s share will be $96,986. Commissioner John Shearl verified that the county’s budget lines will only go up to the maximum amount in its cost of these grants and will not be requested at that level if federal and state funding can cover more of the share needed.
Are landlines abruptly ending?
Susan Carpenter, a resident of Nantahala, raised concerns during the public comments section about notifications from Verizon and Frontier indicating that landline phone service will end in the coming months. The companies pointed customers to new fiber or wireless options. The letters indicated copper-based phone lines were antiquated and targets of theft, forcing this decision.
Carpenter pointed out that she and other senior citizens in the community use landlines rather than relying on wireless services because coverage is spotty in many rural parts of the county. Costs for internet coverage through services like Starlink were prohibitive for some residents.
”I’d rather have the landline where I can pick up the phone to call somebody or call 911,” said Carpenter.
County manager Warren Cabe said the county was aware of the notifications and had initiated outreach to discuss.
“The letter implies almost that it would be an immediate cessation of that technology,” said Cabe. “The understanding we get is it’s a phased dissolution, but it’ll be over time when other options work their way into certain places.”
Cabe said residents living in Nantahala where wireless coverage is limited to nonexistent make the transition difficult.
According to Cabe, the county invited Verizon and Frontier to meet with them to discuss the phase-out plan. The Southwestern Commission is working on an advocacy plan because residents in many counties, including Graham County, would be adversely affected by these changes.
Chairman Josh Young assured Carpenter, “The ball’s rolling.”
Data centers
Data centers once again appeared on the agenda with two local residents, Sarah Johnson and Matt Jackson, calling for more regulations if not an outright moratorium for the county.
County attorney Eric Ridenour lauded the recent work done by the Town of Highlands on crafting a tightly worded temporary moratorium that was approved on August 20. He noted that if the county does decide to pursue a moratorium, he would plan to use similar language.
Ridenour said Highlands was now just starting the process by passing the moratorium and requesting a full review of data center regulations by its planning board. He explained the county had already undertaken its review and was further ahead in its timeline.
“If we go back and restart what we’ve already accomplished, it appears that it would undermine the work that we put into it,” stated Ridenour. He cautioned a second-round review could put the county into a weaker position to defend a legal challenge.
Commissioners showed little appetite to reopen the discussion after receiving Ridenour’s legal advice and did not call for the county planning board to take additional action on studying a moratorium.
Crime prevention council
Commissioners approved updates to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council by-laws to match updated law and regulations. They then appointed the following applicants to the council:
- James Jallah,
- Dana Mills,
- Jennifer Morgan,
- Dr. David Ramsey,
- Matthew Ramsey,
- Brad Renegar,
- Adriena Hall,
- Annie Wishon,
- Detective Anthony Zari (Sheriff Designee),
- Jason Arnold (District Attorney Designee),
- Dusty Snider (Chief Court Counselor),
- Stacey Jenkins (DSS Director Designee),
- Tammy Keezer (County Manager Designee),
- Danny Antoine (County Commissioner),
- Cadee Breedlove (FHS Student),
- Kenna Keyworth (FHS Student),
- Kimberly Dills (CHSA Director),
- Seth Adams (Parks & Rec Director) to serve on the JCPC.
Sheena Ledford was approved to serve as the Social Worker representative on the Consolidate Human Services board.
Honor Flight
Commissioner Shearl asked Sheriff Brent Holbrooks to explain a $500 request for the Blue Ridge Honor Flight.
Holbrooks explained the funds are raised by the Sheriff’s Department to provide support to this program. The Blue Ridge Honor Flight transports veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War via Asheville to visit their memorials in Washington, D.C. and receive recognition for their service.
The Sheriff was paired with local veteran Mel Hopkins in April to serve as a guardian and escorted Mr. Hopkins on his trip to DC, which he described as “absolutely overwhelming.” He said he would like to continue serving in this capacity on future waves, with the department raising the funds for the guardian fee. Shearl said he appreciated the program and wanted to highlight this support to veterans in the community.
County Employee recognitions
The meeting also included a special recognition to county employees Nina Parrot and Joe Allen for their efforts in fixing the county’s online permitting process with the new GovWell system.
Tammy Keezer detailed Parrott’s efforts to find a viable system after an initial contractor’s work of a close to a year fell flat. Cabe added, “I walked into Nina’s office with and said, ‘Let’s just fix it.’ And it gets fixed in 2 months or less. And then the company, which is a national company, starts using you as a case study, that says a lot for the folks who pulled this off.”
Pictured top: Sheriff Brent Holbrooks answers questions about Blue Ridge Honor Flight special funds.
