County, towns agree to work together

By Lisa Majors-Duff

At the request of Sylva Mayor Brenda Oliver, representatives of the county and towns agreed to form a committee, which would develop a proposed contract each could use when renegotiating franchise fees with cable provider Mediacom.

"We need to explore the benefits available to the community from the cable company," Oliver told those present. "We have rubber stamped the contract for years, and I think that is the wrong thing to do."

Oliver said that other communities have negotiated with their cable TV providers to provide free services to the public schools in exchange for the right to broadcast to local customers.

The new committee is scheduled to meet in January.

With more than a dozen elected officials in one room, Sylva commissioner Maurice Moody, who also serves as the chairman of the county's Solid Waste Board, relayed information from that body of volunteers, including the group's need to be given priority guidelines to address.

This discussion led into talks about the future of the Macon/Jackson agreement, which calls for solid waste generated in both counties to be landfilled in Franklin's lined facility for the next 12 or so years, at which time Jackson County would be responsible for dealing with both counties' garbage.

"I'd put money on it being hard to site a landfill in Jackson County," Moody said. "Landfills are not applicable in the mountains or on the coast. But some areas of the country like landfills and use them to employ people."

While Jackson is required to send its solid waste to Franklin, where tipping fees are $52 a ton, county officials are paying a landfill in Homer, Ga., $23.50 a ton for construction and demolition debris, county commission Chairman Jay Denton said.

In addition to paying Macon County's tipping fees, Jackson County pays waste hauler GDS to staff its recycling center, rent Dumpsters and haul waste to Franklin, which costs more than $1 million annually, Denton said.

"The Macon County landfill is filling faster than was predicted," he said. "But Jackson County is taking less to the landfill, which means Macon is using it more and spending more.

"We are recycling more than ever before," continued Denton, who indicated Macon County officials have implied they are also looking for ways out of the original agreement.

A meeting between the two counties to discuss the solid waste situation is scheduled early next year, county commission Chairman-elect Stacy Buchanan said. Also taking advantage of a captive audience of decision-makers, Dillsboro Inn owner T.J. Walker attempted again to generate interest in his effort to save the Dillsboro dam from removal.

"I'm surprised that more agencies are not involved in the dam removal issue," Walker said. "Not only to save the dam, but to try and preserve a cold water fish resource that has tremendous economic potential."

One idea under consideration as part of Duke Power's application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the removal of the dam in an effort to return the river to its original condition. No decision has been finalized.

While Walker, a former member of the stakeholders team, said he opposes the dam's removal for its historic, aesthetic and engineering significance, Dillsboro officials opposed the removal because they lack information about what impact it would have and what rights they have in negotiations.

"It's like David against Goliath," said Dillsboro Mayor and Tuckaseigee Stakeholder Jean Hartbarger, who indicated that most agencies involved in the process have paid experts commenting on their behalf. "We have no clue what our rights are as far as the FERC program is concerned."

"This is not just a Dillsboro issue; it's a county issue," said Dillsboro Town Board member Emma Wertenberger, who asked that all county officials become more involved with the process.

Back to Archive: 11/28/02.