July 2017
The Council meeting for the Village of Forest Hills was held at the Southwestern Commission in Sylva at 6:00pm on July 11, 2017.
The following members of the Council were present:
Mayor Kolleen Begley
Councilmember Carl Hooper
Councilmember Clark Corwin
Councilmember Debbie Rowland
Councilmember Sharon Stovall
The following Non-Council members were present:
Stephanie Gibson, Clerk
Pam Cook, Department of Transportation
Rose Bauguess, Southwestern Commission
Rick Bennett, Village Homeowner
Call to order: Mayor Begley called the meeting to order at 6:10 pm.
Announcements:
Reminder – please silence cell phones for meeting
August 1st Council meeting will also be held at the Southwestern Commission 125 Bonnie Lane, Sylva at 6:00 pm.
Filing period for this year’s elections will start on July 7th and end on July 21st. For more information, contact Lisa Lovedahl at the Board of Elections in Sylva – 586-7531.
3. Approval of the Agenda: Mayor Begley recommended moving an item in new business to next in line, to adopt the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Councilmember Corwin made a motion to accept the agenda as revised; Councilmember Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved.
4. Adopt the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan: Rose discussed the many meetings held with Jackson County and the DOT to form the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan. She noted that they look at future improvements needed and make adjustments as needed, and this plan is looking out to 2040 at this time. She shared that there is an executive summary of the work and noted that Ron Mau was the Village representative. (CTP was emailed to Council with the agenda package.)
Councilmember Corwin asked when the next time is that there will be a review of the process. Pam said that generally they will have a review in 5-10 yrs. or anytime that revisions are needed through the RPO who would contact DOT. Councilmember Corwin asked about modes of transportation considered and she said they would be included in the study.
Councilmember Hooper asked what the population prediction is for the next 10 years, Pam said that it is now approximately 41,279 and the projection for 2040 is approximately 47,271 (a .57% annual growth rate.)
Councilmember Hooper made a motion to adopt the Jackson County Comprehensive Transportation Plan; Councilmember Corwin seconded the motion, unanimously approved.
5. Approval of Meeting Minutes: June 06, 2017 Council Meeting: Councilmember Hooper made a motion to accept the meeting minutes with corrections; Councilmember Stovall seconded the motion, unanimously approved.
6. Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of June, 2017: Stephanie Gibson Stephanie provided the Financial Report for review, Council reviewed the report and Councilmember Stovall made a motion to reclass $800 in funds from the Contingency line item to bring items in line on the budget for the end of the fiscal year, $50 going to Professional services, $50 to Advertising, $600 to Office & Administrative fees, and $100 to Entrance operating fees. Councilmember Stovall made a motion to accept the Financial Report as amended; Councilmember Corwin seconded the motion, unanimously approved. All financial reports are uploaded to the website.
7. Public Comment: Rick Bennett discussed drainage issues on his property; he reviewed the history of the road and noted that he bought the cabins he owns on July 31, 2003. He said that Joe Rogano was head of the roads at that time and Jim Davis was the Village Mayor, Jim asked permission to construct a connector road and told Rick it would then be paved. Rick said it has not yet been paved and that the water runoff from the tower comes through their property. Rick said that there are 2-3 wet water springs where water could run off.
Mayor Begley said there is a schedule of road improvements for the Village and stated that this connector road Rick was discussing is next on the schedule and that the Council has been working on getting 3 contractors to quote the work. Councilmember Corwin suggested getting a civil engineer to review the drainage problem and make recommendations which the contractors could take into consideration when providing the quotes. Councilmember Corwin recommended Rueben Moore with J.M. Teague.
Couilmember Corwin made a motion to hire J.M. Teague for Civil Engineering Services, Reuben Moore, for up to $1500 to review and make recommendations for the upper end of SCC Drive; Councilmember Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved. Mayor Begley noted that the engineering fee could be paid from Powell funds.
Rick Bennett stated that it might be a good idea to consider speed bumps and water breaks. Councilmember Corwin said he would mention that to the engineer.
8. Reports:
Mayor’s Report: Kolleen Begley - Mayor Begley noted no ordinance violations have been reported this past month. She said that the new Village sign should be delivered to B.H. Graning by Friday, she will discuss taking down the old sign when putting up the new one with B.H. Graning.
Mayor Begley said that she and Councilmember Corwin met with the Jackson County Planning Office and Josh Freeman, the hired planning professional for the Village Planner, to discuss the preliminary development concept idea submitted via email by Chris Green. She said that she, Councilmember Corwin, and Josh met a second time regarding some minor amendments to the Village zoning ordinance. Councilmember Corwin said that Josh is going to write up the suggestions for those minor ordinance changes and will attend the next Planning Board meeting to discuss. A public hearing on these amendments will be held on August 1st during the Council meeting.
Mayor Begley discussed the concept idea submitted by Chris Green for potential development on his property in the valley with the board, but noted that nothing formal has been submitted by Mr. Green yet to Jackson County. The concept idea was well-received by the Council and board members unanimously agreed that this could be consistent with the adopted Mixed Use District ordinance and adopted Future Land Use Map.
Mayor Begley also engaged the board in discussion about the concept idea from Ashley Hill of Cloverleaf Group, LLC to develop the property behind the Village entrance sign along Hwy.107 that is currently for sale. The primary idea for the development is student housing in stand-alone cottages built to have a neighborhood appeal. The Council discussion resulted in a unanimous conclusion that this idea as currently submitted would not be considered consistent with the adopted Mixed Use District ordinance and adopted Future Land Use Map. The development group has met with members of the Council separately, and Councilmember Corwin, Stovall, and Hooper are awaiting potential revisions. Nothing formal has been submitted by this developer yet to Jackson County.
Safety & RPO Board: Carl Hooper – Councilmember Hooper said that the next RPO meeting is scheduled for September 25th in Cherokee; he said that he would follow up with Rose on the potential of getting a sidewalk on North Country Club in the Village in the future. He said there were no new safety concerns to report.
Roads: Debbie Rowland (Update on signage and condition on Stadium View Road). DOT installed signage on Stadium View Drive in response to parking/road condition concerns. She noted it has been paved up to the apartments but the lines have not been drawn yet.
Councilmember Rowland said that there was a resident on Poppy Lane that asked the Village to repair some potholes on the road. Mayor Begley said that Poppy Lane is not currently on the Powell Bill Map, but that she can request that the engineer review it for inclusion in next year’s Powell Bill Report. She also noted that even if it is not determined to be Powell Bill Fund eligible, it can still be maintained by the Village after protocol steps are taken. Follow up to this at next meeting.
Planning Board: Clark Corwin (Update on upcoming Planning Board meeting topics) – Councilmember Corwin said that the Planning Board purchased educational videos on relevant topics which are being reviewed during meetings. He noted that Ben Graning was sworn in as a new member of the Planning Board.
Councilmember Corwin discussed the upcoming Public Hearing for minor revisions to the zoning ordinance. Council discussed and agreed that the Public Hearing will be scheduled for the next Village meeting on August 1st. Stephanie will advertise on the website and in the paper.
Neighborhood Watch: Sharon Stovall (Neighborhood Watch meeting at Meet Your Neighbor July 22nd at 6:30. Officer Johnny Holcomb plans to attend.
9. Unfinished Business:
2nd Annual “Meet Your Neighbor” event: Councilmember Stovall discussed the lack of rsvps and noted that she has had only 2 people respond. Council discussed the event and whether or not it should be postponed to another time due to the number of people that would be out of town and the time of year being so busy. Council agreed that the event should be postponed to a later date. Council discussed ideas for further ideas to bring the community together. Councilmember Corwin suggested contacting Sarah Thompson for workshop ideas or suggestions.
10. New Business:
Unreserved Fund Balance Policy: Mayor Begley is checking with the CPA for the Village about revising the Unreserved Fund Balance Policy for fiscal year 2017-2018.
Councilmember Rowland’s Resignation: Councilmember Rowland announced that she is resigning her position on the Council due to other obligations and has agreed to stay in the position until a replacement is found.
11. Adjourn: At 9:00 pm, Councilmember Rowland made a motion to adjourn; Councilmember Corwin seconded the motion, unanimously approved.