June 2017

VILLAGE OF FOREST HILLS
COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 06, 2017

 

The Council Work Session for the Village of Forest Hills was held at the Southwestern Commission Building in Sylva at 6:00pm on June 06, 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:

Terry Michelsen, Co-Clerk

 

  1. Call to order: Mayor Begley called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. 

  2. Announcements:

Reminder – please silence cell phones for meeting

July Council meeting will also be held at the Southwestern Commission 125 Bonnie Lane, Sylva on July 11th due to the 2nd Tuesday 4th of July Holiday.

Filing period for this year’s elections will start on July 7th and end on July 21st. There is a $5.00 fee to file. For more information, contact Lisa Lovdahl at the Board of Elections in Sylva – 586-7531.

Meet Your Neighbor & Neighborhood Watch Meeting will be Saturday, July 22nd

   3.  Approval of the Agenda: Councilmember Corwin made a motion to accept the agenda; Councilmember Rowland seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

   4.  Approval of Meeting Minutes: May 02, 2017 Council Meeting: Councilmember Corwin made a motion to accept the meeting minutes; Councilmember Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

   5.  Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of May, 2017: Stephanie Gibson Councilmember Stovall made a motion to accept the Financial Report; Councilmember Corwin seconded the motion, unanimously approved. All financial reports are uploaded to the website.

   6.  Public Comment: Mayor Begley opened the floor for the Public Hearing, there was no public present so the Public Hearing was closed.

   7.  Vote: Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Budget – Councilmember Stovall made a motion to accept the budget, Councilmember Corwin seconded the motion, unanimously approved. 

  1. Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Fee Schedule – Councilmember Hooper made a motion to approve the Fee Schedule for FY 17-18, Councilmember Stovall seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

  2. Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Budget Ordinance – Councilmember Hooper made a motion to accept the Budget Ordinance, Councilmember Rowland seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

  3. Audit (Burleson and Earley) – Councilmember Corwin made a motion to accept the Audit contract, Councilmember Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

  4. Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Contractor Schedule (BH Graning Landscaping, Tim Green, snow removal) – Councilmember Corwin made a motion to accept the Contractor’s schedules, Councilmember Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

   8.  Reports: 

Mayor’s Report: Kolleen Begley - Mayor Begley said that as for the ordinance violation notification, she will review with attorney Anthony Fox to vet 30 day notification, followed by fee assessment notification. 

Safety & RPO Board: Carl Hooper – Councilmember Hooper said that the next RPO meeting is scheduled for September 25th in Cherokee. He said there were no major safety concerns to report. Mayor Begley asked Councilmember Hooper if he would follow up with Rose at the Southwestern Commission to find out if there is anything the Village needs to do in order to keep the past requested sidewalk project for NCC Drive on the radar for potential future DOT approval. Councilmember Hooper said that Powell funds can be used for maintenance, but not construction of sidewalks, so if the sidewalk on NCC is to be done in the future by DOT, 80/20; the Village would need to raise 20% through donations, budget planning, a loan, or a combination of these.  Councilmember Hooper presented a quote from Parker paving to pave the next area on the pre-approved paving schedule (the section of SCC that begins at NCC, partly gravel, and resurface to state maintenance ends sign.) Councilmember Stovall is to obtain two more quotes for the next meeting. Three quotes need to be obtained because the project cost is more than $30,000. 

Roads: Debbie Rowland (Update on signage and condition on Stadium View Road) Valhalla sign is bent and appears that someone may have tried to steal it again. DOT installed signage on Stadium View Drive in response to parking/road condition concerns.  Second annual Meet Your Neighbor 22 Jul from 5pm to dusk behind University Inn – need people to set up and clean up.  Debbie will prepare chicken and pork, need sides and entertainment.                 

Planning Board:  Clark Corwin (Update on upcoming Planning Board meeting topics) – Councilmember Corwin said that the Planning Board did not have a quorum.  They want to consider purchasing Educational Videos for the Planning Board to review during upcoming meetings covering:  zoning, quasi-judicial, legislative, conditional zoning, etc. with quizzes, for approximately $325 for 12 mths.  The next meeting is going to be held at the Jackson County Library in July.  North Carolina Rural Center meeting attended:  mostly informative – North Carolina is second most rural state, second to Texas, the Rural Center provides assistance in applying for grants, leadership, advocacy, economic issues, education to work force, health, water, sewage, transportation, high-speed broad band (an economic necessity), etc. 

Board Discussion: CloverLeaf Group, LLC is working with a realtor that has a tract of land for sale in Forest Hills for potential development.  The preliminary concept shared by the developer with board members did not meet the standards in the Village’s mixed use ordinance but they indicated they will be working on a revised concept idea.  Nothing official has been submitted through Jackson County as of yet. 

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: 

Appoint new Planning Board member to fill vacant seat:  Councilmember Corwin said that the

Planning Board appointed Ben Graning as a member of the Planning Board. A motion to appoint Ben Graning to fill the vacant Planning Board seat was made by Councilmember Corwin, Councilmember Hooper seconded the motion, unanimously approved by the board. 

2nd Annual “Meet Your Neighbor” event:  Debbie Rowland (postcard, banner, committee, photo/calendar) – Postcards have been sent, Councilmember Rowland is working with committee to complete preparations.

  10.  New Business: 

Review projected carryover amount from fiscal year end June 30, 2016 and discuss obtaining quotes for the next paving project:  Council reviewed the budget and determined that approximately $50,000 will be available for the upcoming fiscal year for paving the second phase which is the unpaved section of the loop on South Country Club Drive and repaving South Country Club Drive from there to where the state maintenance starts.  Councilmember Hooper spoke with Parker Paving and got a ballpark, two additional quotes are needed for further Council discussion.

  11.  Adjourn: At 8:25 pm, Councilmember Stovall made a motion to adjourn; Councilmember Corwin seconded the motion, unanimously approved.