The following members of the Council were present:

Mayor Marcia Almond

Councilmember Robert Kehrberg

Councilmember Nilofer Couture

Councilmember Daniel Shields

The following members of the Council were absent:

Councilmember Larry Ingersoll

The following non-Council members were Present:

Stephanie Gibson, Clerk

Judith Lambert, Resident

Jim Hartley, Resident

 

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 Couture made a motion to approve the agenda, Councilmember Shields seconded the motion, unanimously approved.   

     4.  Approval of Meeting Minutes for April 03, 2024, Regular Council Meeting:(All meeting minutes are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Couture made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for April 03, 2024, Councilmember Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved. 

     5.  Acceptance of Financial Report & Checklist for the month of April 2024: (All financial reports are posted on the Forest Hills website once approved.) Councilmember Couture made a motion to accept the financial report, Councilmember Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

Stephanie noted that funds needed to be reclassed to correct overages in professional services and advertisements.  Councilmember Shields made a motion to reclass funds from non-Powell maintenance funds to cover overage in professional service and advertisements, Councilmember Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

Stephanie noted that she had completed the ARPA report due in April.  She noted that the funds need to spent prior to December 2024, she noted that eligible expenses could be reclassed from the time the Village received ARPA funds to spend down those funds.  The consensus of the Council was for Stephanie to reclass eligible expenses to use the ARPA funds.

The council discussed the interest rates of the Money Market account and would like to check other financial institutions to see if we cannot get a better rate.  Stephanie will check rates and report at the next meeting.

     6.  Public Hearing for Proposed FY 24-25 Budget: There were no public comments, the Council reviewed the proposed budget.  Councilmember Shields made a motion to accept the budget as presented, Councilmember Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

Councilmember Couture asked about the professional services expenses and asked that we check on the contract with Jackson County Planning to review in the future.

     7.  Reports: 

Mayor’s Report: Marcia Almond – Mayor Almond said that there has not been a recent RPO meeting.  Mayor Almond shared information she received while attending the City Vision workshop, she said that she spoke with someone from Environmental and an Engineer about a potential engineering study for a potential wastewater project.  She also discussed electronic speed signs and the Council asked if it would be a possibility to get the Sheriff’s office to install the speed trailer in the Village.  Marcia said she would speak to the Sheriff.  Mayor Almond said that she also talked to the Sheriff about the video of gunshots being fired in the Village. 

Mayor Almond shared that Tim Eckard had resigned as the Planning Board Chair, he has taken a position with Chapel Hill and moved.  She noted that there are two vacant positions for the board at this time and asked Planning Board member Judith Lambert if another meeting was scheduled and she said not at this time.

Roads: Larry Ingersoll – Councilmember Ingersoll was out of town.

Planning Board: Planning Board Chair Tim Eckard resigned, and Judith Lambert said the board has not nominated a replacement so far.

Village Safety: Nilofer Couture – Councilmember Couture said that she had not received the patrol report for April. She said that there were 32 911 calls for the month, eighteen came from Prospect, four from the University Inn and four from Pin Cushion Lane.  Councilmember Couture had a video from April 26^th of gunshots being fired at 12:50am.  She also shared a video of two different bears that had been captured from residents’ cameras in the Village within the last couple of days.

8.     New Business: 

•          Noise Issues:  Councilmember Kehrberg and others said there had been gunshots heard on more than one occasion and he said that he would like to have a device that would address the noise made by the vehicles that frequently travel through the Village that have no muffler or are so loud.  He will research this. 

9.     Unfinished Business:
   

•          Summer Social:  The Council discussed dates, catering and games for the Village Summer Social and it was decided to hold the social on July 14^th.  The Council discussed signage for the social and asked that Stephanie check with the WCU Print Shop and The Print Haus.  The consensus was for the same person to cater that catered the last event and for the Village to purchase gift cards as door prizes and to have an outdoor game as well as bingo during the event.  Postcards will be sent to residents. 

•          Update on Tree Removal:  Councilmember Shields said that he was working on getting the last Certificate of Insurance for the tree removal and that they would hopefully be able to move forward soon. 

•          Road Projects:  Councilmember Ingersoll was absent.  Mayor Almond said that she called Aaron Paving and asked when they would be able to get to the work in the Village that was approved and was told it would be about three weeks and that was a couple of weeks ago.  

•          Update on Prospect Commercial Space:  No new information. 

•          Update on Grants:  Mayor Almond said that she spoke with Marcus Abernathy with the League and was told that the Southwestern Commission and the NCLM could assist with grants. 

10.  Additional Comments:  None 

11.  Adjourn: At 8:50pm, Councilmember Shields made a motion to adjourn, Councilmember Kehrberg seconded the motion, unanimously approved.