[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6381298,"mediaKeyId","2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d","parentId",2128574,"title","Votes at a glance: Highlands Town Board workshop actions, Jan. 16, 2025","audioSeconds",395,"startMs",3503000,"endMs",3898000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d&start=3503&end=3898","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d/thumbnail_3503000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6381298/Highlands/Macon-County/North-Carolina/Votes-at-a-glance-Highlands-Town-Board-workshop-actions-Jan-16-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6381298-064ab2cf65b20fd7affac2264a8c0cfe/orig.mp4?Expires=1775717024&Signature=ZXAlGcbuUd~ikh27lnLXHHO5ILNiHpRVhUy3Yy06fkp5cQzjWm-vd95wHNNuDoGBujk3oB9qjZUTNKRqNEWj3HBXs0Sz2~eNbWgd72wbetRfXAfQrYOI0brOzrbuXi6NHL0b90X723joHMSRpUiOmS7H06WdEqSQrpv1334U-Oi9FzrCdEzxEPBHS1jG1kmVNO-Jf10OjSn9DjQOZzrwhInjXO545lqVjwjgfrnDQqxmT5LF6NX43y33BHgQ9Zmafj5Exvt3YBzVGPMPwb-UKXgLw0GHvhJamJg9BlQJYyC4YiM3rz2qXpTGr9nl8tlWNU4ykj9nSQJaocbgexJjbg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Highlands, NC","date","2025-01-17T13:22:25Z","article","This \"votes at a glance\" summary lists formal approvals recorded during the Highlands Town Board workshop on Jan. 16, 2025. Where the transcript recorded a motion and a second but did not capture individual name votes, the meeting used voice/hand votes and the chair called the items approved.

• Approval of agenda (workshop): Approved. Motion/second recorded; voice vote (\"all in favor\").

• Approval of Nov. 21 work session minutes: Approved. Motion/second recorded; voice vote (\"all in favor\").

• Approval of November/December meeting minutes (regular and special): Approved. Voice votes recorded.

• Subdivision utilities discussion: No formal ordinance action taken. Board directed staff to consult county and state public health (see separate article on septic/repair areas).

• Veil (Steve Pearson) preliminary and final plat (Hardscrabble Ridge Road; carve‑off ~3.95 acres): Motion to approve preliminary and final plat; second recorded; chair asked \"all in favor\" and the plat was approved on the record.

• Parkside Partners Acquisition, LLC — conditional‑zoning request (299 Oak Street): Board set a public hearing for Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Motion/second recorded and approved.

• GovOS/short‑term rental/permit software update: No formal vote recorded to adopt a contract on this item at workshop; staff described migration steps and continued dual‑use of Granicus and GovOS during transition.

• On‑call engineering agreements (five firms; task orders; $100,000 threshold for board approval): Board approved on‑call engineering agreements for the town and adopted the proposed procurement structure; unanimous voice vote recorded.

• Park policies revision (outdoor recreation uses): Board directed staff to make edits (remove Zachary Park, change item 11 to require Town Board approval to charge admission, retain pickleball caps, allow director permit revocation coordinated with management) and place revised policy on the next regular meeting agenda for formal vote; board voted to proceed with edits.

• Chamber events schedule and related holiday event addendum: Board approved the 2025 chamber events schedule including the holiday addendum described in the packet.

• CivicPlus website premium design and service package: Board approved moving forward with CivicPlus (one‑time/implementation fee noted in packet and $3,795 annual fee) and directed staff to proceed with contracting and implementation; unanimous voice vote recorded.

• Budget amendment (website/related line items): Board approved a budget amendment to cover the website purchase/maintenance as described in the materials; motion/second and voice vote recorded.

• Consent agenda: Approved by voice vote (items listed in packet were adopted as presented).

• Adjournment: Motion and second recorded; meeting adjourned.

For each item above the transcript records either the motion and second or the chair’s call for \"all in favor,\" after which the item was recorded as approved. Items requiring additional follow‑up (for example, the public‑health referral and the Park policy revision) were directed to staff with deadlines or to be returned at a future meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town of Highlands Board of Commissioners' Workshop & Meeting Thursday, January 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved minutes and a set of items at the Jan. 16 workshop; below are the formal actions the transcript records, with motions and immediate outcomes where recorded.","taxTitle","Highlands, Macon County, North Carolina","taxId",54262,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6381303,"Highlands approves CivicPlus website; board to pursue a town alert app for faster emergency notices",10,103000,113000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d&start=103&end=113","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d/thumbnail_103000.jpg","/articles/6381303/Highlands/Macon-County/North-Carolina/Highlands-approves-CivicPlus-website-board-to-pursue-a-town-alert-app-for-faster-emergency-notices","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6381303-e4a670e0578729aea2809751c9c9aee7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775717024&Signature=e1S0d1W7qDT23hgwF5-jSsYLDAInSeYtgqratM4pkbUXDT-~Av07ohIFRcjJyRIkPz1nodDYpptBVzzeyL-hL9lO6W7MOrezcVmSeVSasyE1A8yvIc3kDUmEDswtRhLSu~cj5zaXVJT9mgzdHjgADT2Qvrd~i9ymkeMsrTrirk4ofWF~ZJjjlcfXMb8VSMlx5QfYUqx5dbWMSq6A8HgScYSxcUfPqCAskLjUjTROkLeUhJdO7nO2OFZ7oH0pfhppeHjZqPZb2RShTy2mpnnlC1UgT-v~LZQqkUYEXpXL5O9SVdUpm7W~BEV91tKm~7BAY-zgoZLGCvZfCWZEz3ZYLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its Jan. 16 workshop the Highlands Town Board approved moving forward with a CivicPlus premium website design and asked staff to continue work on a phone app that would allow the town to push urgent notifications directly to residents’ mobile devices.

Town Manager Josh Ward summarized the online platform work: the town is transitioning from Granicus to GovOS for short‑term rental and permitting tools, but historic data tracked by Granicus will need migration. Ward said GovOS began collecting data after the town’s contract with that vendor and staff are working to import older records as PDFs. Ward told the board the new CivicPlus site will take roughly 12–16 weeks to implement and noted CivicPlus owns Municode, which hosts town ordinances, creating an efficiency advantage.

The board approved the CivicPlus premium design package. Ward listed implementation costs discussed in the packet: a one‑time fee itemized in staff materials ($850) and an annual platform fee of $3,795; the town will receive a 10 percent discount on Municode services because of the CivicPlus relationship. Mayor/Chair Hoover said the recent multi‑hour outage underscored the need for faster public notices and urged moving forward without delay.

Commissioners also asked staff to explore a town alert app that residents can download; the app vendor would enable push notifications without requiring users to provide an email address. Chief Earhart (fire chief) and Ward described a planned vendor presentation to the board in February; commissioners emphasized the importance of careful design and curation of emergency alerts after national examples of misdirected or poorly‑timed alerts were noted.

Ward said staff will schedule training for multiple town staff members to manage site updates and special announcements and will continue migrating short‑term rental and permitting data to GovOS. The board approved the website purchase and directed staff to bring the app vendor to a future meeting for more detail.

Why it matters: A new website and a dedicated app are intended to centralize notices, give staff tools to post outage and emergency updates quickly, and support permitting and short‑term rental tracking ahead of the busy visitor season.","The board approved a CivicPlus premium design for a new municipal website and instructed staff to pursue a phone app for push notifications. Board members emphasized faster, clearer outage and emergency communications after recent winter power interruptions.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6381309,"Highlands board reviews park‑use policies; limits ticketed events and keeps oversight with board",856,2088000,2944000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d&start=2088&end=2944","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d/thumbnail_2088000.jpg","/articles/6381309/Highlands/Macon-County/North-Carolina/Highlands-board-reviews-parkuse-policies-limits-ticketed-events-and-keeps-oversight-with-board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6381309-3c2a4643e2a7350ab56a283f496b2514/orig.mp4?Expires=1775717024&Signature=lC3DTs9VQeIF3~8C-yonCh51UtOslGzR1Yrb7cAWBN8gabNEIZOldv9s~iL5psjjFF~FSIjMiNY3lxO7bsxpDmc33puW~d4T54G7EfxmmWgu9QROdliZhsn7eQNPSsw033YtYKhzkJZwD8KVfIGtJj0OYMGANDeBY2sk6f5lrWFrmJgbnVKY8uh7yGMSLv-k7P20L9TFrZWhUMC8GidvsiycGi6DI1ZfbAMM0GOUf33vs583o0RsOuoHM1zQOwMrtvr71PY-cHPjZa9ZU7Cl42PQ0xCql8lUOtcGPDjIRhGp8guErNiTbijTmN36w1r39ruUhhRy0~1rOIQYrFBLVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Jan. 16 Highlands workshop the board reviewed a packet of 23 park policies and agreed to several edits that clarify who may approve admission charges, remove Zachary Park from the town policy list, and retain limits on ticketed tournaments such as pickleball.

Lester Norris, Highlands recreation director, told commissioners the policies were developed with the recreation committee beginning in 2012 and updated periodically, including a recent change last year to add pickleball rules. Norris asked the board to revisit policy language (item 11) that read \"no admission to the outdoor recreation areas can be charged for any event unless approved by the recreation director.\" Commissioners agreed to change that to require Town Board approval for charging admission.

Mayor/Chair Hoover and several commissioners emphasized the goal that parks remain public and not become private venues. Commissioners cited recent ticketed fundraisers — including the Shrimp Bowl and the food and wine event — as examples that need measured treatment because those events raise funds that are reinvested in the park. Commissioner remarks noted that during one event temporary fencing limited public access more than intended.

The board approved retaining a restriction that pickleball tournaments be limited (the policy notes a cap of four per year) and that tournaments be organized by nonprofit groups, with a portion of proceeds supporting park maintenance. The board also agreed to remove references to Zachary Park because it is controlled by the county and has separate county policies.

Norris said the recreation director should retain limited emergency authority to revoke a permit if a safety or policy violation arises but that revocations should be coordinated with the town manager or mayor. \"If I'm called out because there's an issue at the park ... I should be able to ... shut that up there,\" Norris said, describing the need for timely action.

The board directed staff to incorporate the agreed edits and place the revised policy on the next regular meeting agenda for formal approval.

Why it matters: The policy changes clarify decision‑making authority for ticketed events and preserve the town’s discretion to approve fee‑based events to protect public access while allowing community fundraisers to operate under clear rules.","The board discussed and agreed to revisions to outdoor recreation policies at a Jan. 16 workshop: removing Zachary Park from town policy, changing who may approve admission charges, and keeping limits on ticketed or revenue events and pickleball tournaments.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6381314,"Highlands commissioners seek county, state clarity on septic \"repair area\" requirement for new lots",1885,149000,2034000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d&start=149&end=2034","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2128574-103673b9e331d3e6e25490d7fd66ea4d/thumbnail_149000.jpg","/articles/6381314/Highlands/Macon-County/North-Carolina/Highlands-commissioners-seek-county-state-clarity-on-septic-repair-area-requirement-for-new-lots","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6381314-ea37b9610324ba6748dcbc7dbeebf0e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1775717024&Signature=C-Y8MqYbV0C3nOcBIn8h1ZoxHqHNdZMXcRHLWP8ZP~HKGDxzuQQJtK4sz9hzPNyfyjsHsue8SDdrpZvZ5-puUW-O3WJRIgvyiN5~e7FJ7NZjqfUeBWe4Uzct4kIG~ocg21HYeJqGcvPa5fInxJs~RHy3sYzTU0wzv3424wPFQUQIveaR14pyEirw9vHCp-N5Lj0SeIX2ipBrQ0Ed6bxXEit6p-ZuHjQd-bu1glB8OnMXAEgnBHE8a6ymU8omH0OdgIgybA2slBtFN9dL~8c32I-LzLxLrEwKkDPwskpVqMMnb2Pa5W1roNo96XGSqfdAegq~GChUhDqGmRqNbNqywg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its Jan. 16 workshop, the Highlands Town Board discussed whether the town may require that each lot created by a subdivision include documented adequate land, soil and a septic repair area and directed staff to consult county and state public‑health authorities before drafting any ordinance changes.

Commissioner Patterson, who presented the research to the board, said the town’s authority to regulate subdivisions comes from state statute and the town’s subdivision ordinance and that the town’s ordinance already requires submission of utility approvals with preliminary plats. \"We can require that,\" Patterson said, arguing the Unified Development Ordinance and state rules support requiring a county health‑department letter confirming each lot can accommodate wastewater disposal when public sewer is unavailable.

The exchange centered on how North Carolina rules treat lots platted before Jan. 1, 1983. Patterson cited a state administrative code provision that exempts some pre‑1983 lots from the repair‑area requirement where the recorded deed or plat and lot size meet enumerated conditions; he said the exemption does not apply to most new subdivisions. Town staff and legal counsel discussed a recent example resolved by granting an easement so the septic field remained usable after a lot split.

Town attorney Bob Hagman told the board he read state law and county referral requirements into the question. \"To the extent I can tell, the relevant statutes and regulations ... require referral to the county health director regarding the proposed water and sewer systems,\" Hagman said, and added that a newly created lot would typically be evaluated under current regulations and likely need a drain field and repair area.

Board members raised practical questions about whether a parent tract that predates the 1983 rule could be required to establish a repair area after a subdivision, and whether alternative systems or engineered solutions could satisfy town concerns. Commissioners noted the public‑health purpose of septic repair‑area rules and the potential for costly fixes — including engineered systems or off‑site connections — if a small lot lacks suitable soils or space.

The board did not adopt a new rule at the workshop. Instead the commissioners asked staff to seek a formal position from the county public health office and, if necessary, the North Carolina regulators and to return with recommendations. Josh Ward, the town manager, confirmed staff would approach county and state public health staff for written guidance.

Why it matters: The board’s interpretation will affect how future lot splits and subdivisions are reviewed and whether applicants must provide documented county health‑department approval before a plat is approved. Requiring documented repair‑area capacity at platting would reduce the need for later easements or engineering, but may complicate subdivisions where soils are marginal.

The board scheduled follow‑up work once county and state guidance is received.","At a Jan. 16 workshop the Highlands Town Board debated whether the town can require health‑department approval that each lot created by a subdivision has space and soil for a septic system and repair area. Commissioners agreed to have staff seek formal guidance from county and state public‑health officials.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Highlands Town Board workshop actions, Jan. 16, 2025

Highlands approves CivicPlus website; board to pursue a town alert app for faster emergency notices

Highlands board reviews park‑use policies; limits ticketed events and keeps oversight with board

Highlands commissioners seek county, state clarity on septic "repair area" requirement for new lots