1

Town of Maggie Valley

Board of Aldermen Agenda Setting/Monthly Workshop

January 5, 2016

MINUTES

Members Present: Mayor Saralyn Price, Aldermen: Janet Banks, Phillip Wight, and Mike Eveland

Staff Present: Manager Nathan Clark, Town Planner Andrew Bowen, Chief Scott Sutton, Public Works Director Mike Mehaffey, and Town Clerk Vickie Best

Others Present: Mountaineer Reporter Allison Olcsvay

The Agenda Setting Meeting/Monthly Workshop began at 9:04 a.m. on January 5, 2016 in the Town Hall Boardroom.

The proposed agenda presented by Manager Clark.

1)Meeting Called to Order

2)Consent Agenda (Tab 1)

  1. Minutes to be Approved: December 1, December 8 & December 14 2015
  2. A/R Report
  3. Budget to Actual

Since the draft minutes were emailed to the Sunshine List, clarification has been made to the December 8, 2015 minutes to reflect that both Speed Boards cost $6,680. The cost is not $6,680 for each board.

3)Public Comment

4)Festival Ground Event Calendar Approvals (Tab 2)

  1. Thunder in the Smokies: May 13-15 2016
  2. Maggie Valley Swap Meet: Jun 24-26 2016
  3. Southern Gas & Petroleum Exposition: July 15-16 2016
  4. Smokin Rods in the Smokies: August 12-13, 2016
  5. Thunder in the Smokies: September 16-182016
  6. Maggie Valley Swap Meet: September 23-25 2016
  7. NE Georgia Mustang Club: October 1-2 2016
  8. OctoberFest: October 20-22, 2016

There is a conflict with the Thunder in the Smokies September Rally. The VW’s In the Valley event was approved by Council on October 6, 2015; well within the 60-days post event deadline. The May dates were changed as well, but the calendar of events could accommodate the May change.

5)ABC Member Appointment: Cabe Carver (Tab 3)

Mr. Carver is asking to be reappointed. As with the members in October, all were reappointments. The current board is doing an outstanding job and has brought the ABC Stores back financially.

6)Resolution 16-1: Incumbency Certificate (Tab 4)

This is a standard resolution that encumbers the payments.

7)Town Commitment Letter: NC State Health Plan

The Town has now been notified that the current health care plan will not require a buy-out. The Town would need to pay through the last of month. The Town hopes to be enrolled and participating in the State Health Care Plan by March.

8)Town Reports

  1. Andrew Bowen, Town Planner
  2. Mike Mehaffey, Public Works Director
  3. Scott Sutton, Police Chief

9)Adjournment

≠Manager Clark and Director Mehaffey will be meeting with the engineer that is going to seal the Boardroom Renovation Plan. The Boardroom renovations are more structural than cosmetic. The project will take approximately two months.

≠Mayor Price would like to see the board members have laptops to use during the meetings. Alderman Wight felt that Council should not get carried away with spending tax dollars. Alderman Banks agreed that Council should move forward in steps.

≠Planner Bowen is changing the sign at the festival grounds. Again, Manager Clark asked that Council keep in mind that the festival grounds’ sign is on its last leg. “The sign and the technology is running on borrowed time.” This issue will need to be considered during the budgeting process.

≠The applications for the alderman vacancy are due by 5 p.m. on Friday January 15, 2016.

After further discussion, Council decided to have a pre-application meeting on Wednesday January 20, 2016 at 9 a.m. in the Town Hall Boardroom. Based on the number of applications received the interview process will be held January 25, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. Manager Clark will draft a list of possible questions Council may want to ask. At the pre-application meeting,Council will determine how they will gather public input.

The oath of office will be administered to the new alderman at the February 8th Aldermen Meeting. Council decided after the appointment of the new alderman a two-day goal setting meeting will be held February 15 and 16, 2016 beginning at 9 a.m. at Town Hall.

≠A joint meeting with the Planning Board members will be scheduled as the Town begins working on a Unified Development Ordinance. The current ordinances are outdated and have been amended over the years to the point that clarification has become a must.

A unified Development Ordinance will benefit the Town:

Ease of understanding for citizens and enforcement for Town Officials.

Will allow the Town to put much more detail into its ordinances, in order to explicitly state what the intent, purpose, and regulations mean and what they are for.

Puts all developmental language into one single document with common language and article numbering.

Will allow Town Staff, Board Members, and citizens the opportunity to reevaluate every ordinance pertaining to development and determine what needs to be added, changed, or taken away in order to make the document relevant and effective in today’s socioeconomic climate.

 Will serve as a catalyst for the Town to amend the zoning map, in order to identify and legitimize the zoning districts that were identified in the Town’s 2007 Land Use Plan; by providing more districts, the problem of having umbrella codes for every property along Soco Road will be solved.

 Will allow the Town the opportunity to create new zoning districts, such as one for the “Town Center” as well as identified or floating districts such as those for mobile home parks.

Alderman Eveland responded that he does not want to see “fifteen new sign rules” and wants the code drafted so that you would not need a lawyer to interpret.

The timeframe for completion of the Unified Development Ordinance will be close to one year. Surrounding towns have taken anywhere from three to five years.

≠Manager Clark will be scheduling a tourism meeting to provide everyone the opportunity to discuss Maggie Valley’s direction in the tourism industry.

Alderman Eveland commended the co-op committee and how beneficial it is to commit more funds to get visitors here than to dole out smaller amounts of funds to individual groups attempting to accomplish the same goal. The co-op committee has been able to acquire a 30-second spot on the History Channel during a special showcasing of Wheels Through Time.

≠Mayor Price recently attended a School of Government sponsored New Mayor’s Seminar. At the seminar it was stated that it is important that Council Members set goals as a board, as well as setting individual goals. Mayor Price asked that each member write down their goals for 2016/2017. The rules and procedures for Council adopted in 2014 will be emailed to each member for them to decide if the rules need to be updated.

≠The June Johnson Award will be awarded at the February Regularly Scheduled Board of Aldermen Meeting.

The Police Department will be getting a security system install on Thursday and Friday of this week. The Police Department was awarded a grant for $14,400 for the security system.

The meeting ended at 10:00 a.m.

______

Mayor Saralyn Price

______

Vickie Best, CMC, Town Clerk