From:               Harold Williford

                                    Forest Hills Council Member

            RE:                   Minutes of April 2, 2001 Village Council Meeting

Members Present:  Irene Hooper, Mayor; Jean Adams, Sharon Jacques, and Harold Williford.  Others present Jay Coward, Village Counsel; Carol Pearce, and Jim Weir. 

1.  Mayor Hooper called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM.  She noted that Larry Kolenbrander was sick and unable to attend the meeting.  Williford agreed to take minutes in the absence of Mary Ann Budahl.  A meeting agenda was distributed.  We reviewed the minutes of the March council meeting.  Jacques (Adams) moved approval and the motion passed unanimously. 

2.  Carol Pearce presented the financial report.  Some items were discussed briefly.  Jacques (Adams) moved approval and the report was accepted unanimously.

3.  Jim Weir, Assistant Village Budget Officer presented a preliminary budget report.  The presentation was based on a review of previous budget proposals, our official Village Audit Reports for the past two years, and discussions with Pearce, Iobst, and Williford.  This report was accepted as a preliminary report with plans for a final budget hearing to take place in June.  Weir's discussion included the effects of changing the Village tax rate from the current 10 cents to 8 cents per $100 valuation.  Hooper asked Williford to invite Ruth Shuler to participate in finalizing the budget committee's proposal to the Council.

            Williford shared a document prepared by the NC League of Municipalities.  In light of the current budget crisis in Raleigh, this document recommends that NC cities and towns exercise conservative caution in preparing budgets for the upcoming year. 

4.  Williford and Pearce reported on a meeting of the Village Road Committee on Tuesday, March 20, 2001.  At that meeting Kolenbrander served as moderator, he reported that he hoped the committee would have an official chairman soon.  The group reviewed the committee's charge from the Village Council.  A color-coded map of the Village from the March 20 meeting was distributed with existing road types indicated as state maintained, Powell Bill eligible, and other. 

            Based on the meeting discussion of existing serious potential road hazards, Adams (Jacques) moved that we ask Carol Pearce with the assistance of Ron Stevens to call John Cook's Paving Company to repair a road shoulder near the end of North Country Club Drive.  The motion passed unanimously. Also, it was noted that the roadside on N. Country Club Drive opposite Roy Shuler's back lawn needs building up or reforcement.  Irene Hooper was asked to check into this matter.

5.  Some discussion was made of the Council's ETJ proposal.  Hooper reported on her attempts to get a list of residents from the Oak Forest Development.  Her list appeared to include more than just Oak Forest.  Pearce and Adams agreed to work with her to get a more accurate list.  Williford distributed a list of the residents of the "Lyle Wilson" Development.  After some discussion of appropriate procedures from this point, Williford (Jacques) moved that we provide the Planning Board with the list of Oak Forest and Lyle Wilson residents and ask that the Board set up and carry out a procedure to solicit opinions from these residents concerning the Forest Hills ETJ proposal.  This motion passed unanimously. 

6.  Coward reported on his investigation regarding a "conflict of interest" question from a previous meeting.  He stated that we did not need to formalize a policy because state laws exist which address this.  He suggested a Village official simply not vote on an issue, if the possibility of a conflict of interest existed concerning that official. 

7.  Williford distributed a proposal by the WK Dickson Engineering Company to perform a preliminary feasibility study of setting up sewer service in the Village.  Council members were asked to read this proposal for discussion at a later meeting.  The proposal was based on a presentation by Victor Loftquist to the Village Council during the fall of 2000.

8.  Hooper reported on a March 12 meeting of the Jackson County EDC.

9.  Hooper reported on revenue activities from the DMV office.

10.  Hooper asked for a volunteer to attend the Greenway Commission meeting on Tuesday, April 3.  Williford agreed to attend.

11.  Hooper reported on the upcoming publication of Census data.  It was anticipated that our population would show up between 315 and 330. 

12.  Jean Adams agreed to head up our Spring Clean Up Day.  This will be on Saturday, April 21 from 9AM until Noon.  All village residents are asked to join us for this event.  We will begin our cleanup and distribute trash bags and gloves at the intersection of North and South Country Club Drive.  Williford agreed to invite students from the KA house to participate.

13.  Hooper reported that she would represent the Village at the Greening of the Mountain festivities in Sylva on Saturday, April 28.

14.  At 8:50PM Jacques (Adams) moved adjournment.  The motion carried without dissent.