Second Smart Growth meeting finds Cashiers residents focused on funding

By Lynn Hotaling

Some 50 Cashiers-area residents attended Monday's session. When it came time to prioritize things that should be changed or improved, they overwhelmingly selected the category of "more equitable distribution of revenue, representation and services."

Uppermost in that thought was the idea of "if you collect it here, let's spend it here," a reference to the fact that residents in the southern end of the county pay almost half of the total county property taxes. Members of the Cashiers community said they are short-changed with regard to county funding.

Another item those present said they would like changed was the system by which county commissioners and school board members are elected by a countywide vote. It would be better if each district could elect its own representatives, several people said.

County Commissioner Stacy Buchanan said the procedure for electing county officials is set by the state Legislature.

Other changes residents would like to see include zoning, development of a comprehensive county plan, improved utilities, better roads, paved school bus routes and tax incentives for historical preservation.

Jim Nichols spoke in favor of more funding for recreation in the Cashiers area.

"The facilities are not equitable," he said. "They have everything they need in Sylva."

Facilitated by Mary Helen Duke and Vickey Wade of Western Carolina's Mountain Resource Center, the meeting was designed to be a forum to allow Cashiers-area residents to focus together on the strengths and weaknesses of their community.

With regard to strengths, or things they would like to see preserved, most of those in attendance placed a high priority on the idea of good environmental stewardship and preserving green space. Others spoke in favor of preserving private property rights.

Many regarded Cashiers' small-town atmosphere and the character of the people as assets. Others mentioned the area's low crime rate, and said the area's "low population" should be preserved.

Several spoke of the need to be vigilant about preserving the area's natural beauty. One speaker said it was important to safeguard the ridgetops and keep homes from being built "all up the mountainsides."

One suggested improvement, the recruitment of more industry, was followed immediately by a speaker who bemoaned the lack of workers and said he couldn't find enough people to fill the jobs he has to offer.

Several speakers expressed pride in the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad and the Cashiers-Glenville Volunteer Fire Department and asked for increased funding for both departments.

A resident from Sapphire Valley voiced the opinion that Sapphire Valley was cut off from the rest of the county, even Cashiers, and requested that a Smart Growth meeting be held in that community.

It was generally agreed that the Smart Growth meeting was a good idea, but that it came too late in the season when many part-time Cashiers-area residents had returned home for the winter.

Jackson County Economic Development Commission Chairman Tom McClure assured those present that at least one more meeting is planned for the Cashiers area. The EDC is spearheading the county's Smart Growth efforts and is leading meetings in all of Jackson County's townships.

The next Smart Growth meeting, for Scotts Creek township, will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, at the Balsam Fire Department.

Back to Archive: 11/16/00.