The following members of the Council were present:

Mayor Marcia Almond

Councilmember Robert Kehrberg

Councilmember Daniel Shields

Councilmember Nilofer Couture

Councilmember Larry Ingersoll

Stephanie Gibson, Clerk

The following non-Council members were Present:

 Residents Ron & Rochelle Mau, Ron Yount, Cathy Plemmons, Judith Lambert, Jim Hartley, Linda Wittekind, Marcia Franklin, Jack Brown, and Hannah Butler (Journalism Student with The Sylva Herald), and Ryan Pless with Brown Haven Homes.

 

1. Call to order: at 7:00pm Mayor Almond called the meeting to order. 

     2.  Announcements:

Reminder – Please silence cell phones for meeting. 

     3.  Approval of Agenda: Councilmember Shields made a motion to approve the agenda, Councilmember Ingersoll seconded the motion, unanimously approved. 

     4.  Approval of Meeting Minutes for February 04, 2025, Regular Council Meeting: (All meeting minutes are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Kehrberg made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for February 04, 2025, Councilmember Couture seconded the motion, unanimously approved. 

     5.  Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of February 2025: (All financial reports are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Couture made a motion to approve the financial reports, Councilmember Shields seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

     6.  STR Ordinance: Councilmember Shields read the revised STR Ordinance prepared with the assistance of Attorney Jackson, he shared the draft amendment to the Short-Term Rental Ordinance for the Village and explained the Ordinance and how it was to be interpreted for the Village and its residents and/or property owners.  He noted that no short-term rentals will be allowed in R-1, R-1A, or R-2.  He noted that the amendment would need to be reviewed by the Planning Board at their meeting and then brought before the Council and voted on.   

     7.  Public Comment: Resident Judith Lambert shared her thoughts and concerns on the two STR properties that are located near her home.  She said that there is loud noise, animals unattended, parties, and she feels that there should not be STRs allowed as she feels that they lower the property value.  Mayor Almond told Judith that if there are issues, she should contact the sheriff’s department or she could call her if she prefers.  She noted that there are currently three property owners that operate STRs that were grandfathered in under the current ordinance but noted, if any of the properties are sold, the properties, would no longer be eligible to operate as an STR.  Mayor Almond said that the new STR Ordinance, once approved, will be sent to all Realtors in the area and posted on the website.

Many residents expressed concerns about properties being grandfathered in and being allowed to operate STRs when the properties are in an R-1 Zone.  Mayor Almond said they were grandfathered in because they were operating the STRs prior to the ordinance.

     8.  Reports: 

Mayor’s Report: Marcia Almond – Mayor Almond shared that she attended the TAC meeting and noted that they discussed DOT funding and that current projects are continuing to move forward but new projects are on hold for the time being.

Roads:  Councilman Ingersoll was absent.

Village Safety:  Councilmember Couture said that she has not received the 911 report or police report for the month.

•          TWSA:  None 

•          Planning Board:  Jim Hartley with the Planning Board, shared that the board will be meeting on April 29^th to discuss the STR Ordinance and to hold a public hearing to allow Brown Haven Homes to present their current development plan.  

9.     New Business: 

Planning Board Member:  A new Planning Board member is needed to fill the seat vacated by Judith Lambert.  Mayor Almond asked for nominations to the Planning Board.  Jim Hartley, said that the board recommended Ron Mau.  Mayor Almond asked if there were any other nominations, Councilman Shields said that he would like to nominate Marcia Franklin.  Mayor Almond asked for a second on the nominees, Council seconded the nomination for Marcia Franklin so she was nominated as the new member.  She will be sworn in prior to the next meeting. 

Quote for work to be done in Cave Springs:  A quote for work to be done in Cave Springs, road side clearing, was submitted by Patrick Rice in the amount of $600.  Councilmember Couture made a motion to approve the quote, Councilmember Kehrberg, seconded, unanimously approved. 

Request for road work on Reservoir Road:  Mayor Almond said that a piece of property is being purchased on Reservoir Road and that since it is a Village maintained road, a request to the village to do some road clearing has been submitted so the road can be accessed.  Council discussed and agreed that a request for quotes would need to be submitted and brought for review. 

    10.  Unfinished Business: 

•          Brown Haven Homes Application:  Brown Haven submitted an application for their proposed development to Jackson County Planning for review, when the Planning Department review is complete, it will be forwarded to the Council and Planning Board for consideration.  

•          RFP for Auditor:  Stephanie noted that the RFP for new auditors had been sent and three responses were received and sent for review to the Council.  The firm that was chosen, was Sheila Gahagan, CPA.  The firm will send a contract and approval letter for review. 

•          Patrol Hours:  Councilmembers discussed the current patrol hours and noted that the hours had been decreased since officer Sutton had retired.  They agreed that they would need to discuss future hours with officer Ashe.  Members recommend that the officers do routine rounds around the Village, North and South Country Club Rd.  Council noted that there were a couple of vehicles that constantly sped through South Country Club and having the officers routinely in the area might help with the speeding. 

•          Updates on Engineering Study:  The Engineering Study is underway and should be concluded soon.  Updates are sent as the company completes each stage of the study.
  
•          Update on Grants:  TBD 
•   11.  Additional Comments:  Resident Ron Mau said that he was concerned about the Council and Mayor saying that it would be cheaper for the Village to get Sewer with the new development.  He said that it would not be cheaper, he said that it would require easements and that they were easier to obtain on state-maintained roads.  Mayor Almond clarified that they did not think it would be cheaper to get sewer but might make it more accessible with the infrastructure in place. 

Residents asked if lots in the valley have the same covenant deeds as other property owners.  Council said that they were not sure of the covenant deeds for those parcels.

Residents noted that if a septic system fails, a homeowner contacts the health department and they can be connected for a tap on fee. 

12.  Adjourn: At 8:05pm, Councilmember Shields made a motion to adjourn.