Commissioners consider selling advertising space on transit vans

By Lisa Majors-Duff

Area businesses interested in buying advertising space may soon have a more mobile means of letting potential consumers know they exist - the sides of Jackson County Transit vans.

Upon the recommendation of transit director Chuck Norris, county commissioners are considering a proposal from Lumberton-based HighetKracker to turn the agency's eight vans into mobile transit billboards. With a three-year contract, the county could generate as much as $50,000 annually by leasing advertising space on vehicles, Norris told board members during their meeting Sept. 19.

"We would have final approval of any advertising to be placed on the vehicles," Norris said. "What makes this so appealing is that the county has no up front money involved."

In fact, the county would bear none of the cost associated with placing ads on transit vehicles. According to Norris, the county would collect on average 50 percent of advertising revenues over the life of the contract.

Before detailed contract discussions could continue, county Manager Ken Westmoreland raised a question about the need to turn down potential advertisers who "may not reflect well on the county."

Since the service became available in February, some 28 transit systems across the state have signed contracts with HighetKracker, Norris said. None have reported problems associated with turning down unwanted businesses, he said.

"But then again they don't all have Harrah's in their backyards," said Norris.

"Alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Are there any other vices we wouldn't want advertised?" Chairman Jay Denton asked.

"Houses of ill-repute," said board member Franz Whitmire, who received chuckles from the audience for his response.

"The company knows we don't necessarily want all types of advertising," Norris said. "They have the right to turn potential advertising down."

Instead of taking action to approve a contract with HighetKracker, board members asked Norris to obtain copies of other transit system contacts with the advertising company.

In other business to come before the board:

- Though the jail is in the final stages of construction, with a possible move-in date set for mid-October, Westmoreland reported Sheriff's Department personnel may not occupy the building until December, when the outcome of the sheriff's race is known. Democrat Jimmy Ashe will face Republican Curtis Lambert for sheriff during the Nov. 5 General Election.

"We built this jail for the safety of the prisoners and those who work there," Denton said. "I would hope that politics would not prevail over safety."

A delay in moving into the new facility would not entirely be related to politics, said Westmoreland, who relayed that current Sheriff Jim Cruzan had express a willingness to wait.

"Staffing and training are two points," the county manager said. "The people who go in there need to have some permanence. If one crew goes in in November and another goes in in December, new people would have to be trained."

- Board members approved a $62,400 contract with Metrostat Technologies of Sylva, which calls for the local computer company to serve as consultants and as technical support.

"We have had a number of staff meetings over the months, and everyone feels this would be the way to go," Westmoreland said.

Contracting with Metrostat means the county will have access to a local company for its information technology needs, he said.

The discussion surrounding the Metrostat contract led into a related discussion about the county's current contract with Keystone Corp., which previously supplied the county with IT support. In addition to software upgrades that county officials said did not work, other contract obligations on the part of Keystone have not been fulfilled, Westmoreland said.

It was suggested that county attorney Raymond Large look into a possible refund of the upgraded software purchase price - about $60,000 - and ways to dissolve the Keystone contract.

Keystone placed the county on a credit watch in July after a $20,000 bill for technical support was not paid, according to finance officer Darlene Fox.

"I would hope that technical support from Metrostat would include not allowing us to get into these problems," Commissioner Stacy Buchanan said.

Metrostat's agreement with the county does not include hardware repairs.

- Also approved was a $6,000 contract with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to dispose of household garbage collected in two Dumpsters on Soco Mountain. This year's annual contract cost is about $2,700 more than last year, even though one less Dumpster will be emptied.

- Board members approved the monthly tax collector's report, as well as the finance highlights for August. A budget amendment to bring $12,250 in grant funds into the health department's farm worker and Health Link programs was also approved.

- Appointments to the library board, which has one opening, and planning board, which is short three members, were tabled.

- Commissioners agreed to write a letter of intent outlining the county's willingness to continue working with Smoky Mountain Center to provide mental health services for county residents. The letter will be sent to Carmen Hooker, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

- A resolution seeking grant funds from the N.C. Department of Transportation to support Jackson County Transit was also approved.

The next meeting of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners will be Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Justice Center.

Back to Archive: 09/26/02.