[{"_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",6543720,"mediaKeyId","3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18","parentId",3410420,"title","Votes at a glance: JCPC plan, Heritage Festival, health report, minutes and flood ordinance","audioSeconds",1448,"startMs",2411000,"endMs",3859000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18&start=2411&end=3859","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18/thumbnail_2411000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6543720/Swain-County/North-Carolina/Votes-at-a-glance-JCPC-plan-Heritage-Festival-health-report-minutes-and-flood-ordinance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543720-3a6c69baa3563fa58acd47d7a957d441/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112790&Signature=etFAdRMNFv6yto4JsBHvEVx-HEMP4aFouppZglXkNIyxWeARJ2YVDhak0EIK7brWzdJwv9Zo4wGm4CgfhCut3mttIIY~TkW46dupHWTPFQc~D~S0-9KKNLnyC2CVMZDEK6sMLKNV3AvmhZehyi7UuR~9rLWqJxzeSUZ-RdSxDqsKHqALjeFobjKMBhmzsDcKqltYWmue47G0KycjM2BqTbg1kiZmB4D8ZGtoLX1xZ4B2trhV~DgvESS5dBzbxrrgS~WdhvSUDP738ZVNhuPH3A~YzwHFtmEPKX9zLrM8dAynsTVxH0UmBbE7CSXW7Kq9vo~ktEPZ22hgSBGkUAVzCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Swain County","date","2025-05-20T00:00:00Z","article","The Swain County Board of Commissioners voted on several routine and programmatic items during the meeting.

Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) county plan and certification: The board approved the JCPC executive summary and county plan for fiscal year 2025–26. The plan identified priority services and recommended allocations: Pacesetters — $38,367; Mountain Mediation Services — $14,444; Hawthorne Heights — $24,501; and administrative costs of $3,077. The total funding identified in the plan was listed as $80,389; local funding and state allocations were noted in the packet. A motion to approve the plan passed after a second and voice vote.

Heritage Festival request: The board approved a $500 appropriation to support the 2025 Swain County Heritage Festival. A motion to fund the request passed by voice vote.

Health department vaccine usage report: The board received the 2024 vaccine usage report from the health department. Staff noted a decrease in influenza vaccine usage at the county clinic and said the county will order fewer doses going forward. The health department also stated that COVID-19 vaccine supply from the state ended earlier in the spring; the department said it does not stock COVID-19 vaccine for adults because the department would likely have to absorb the $170 adult vaccine cost and instead refers residents to nearby county health departments. The board accepted the report by motion and voice vote.

Minutes: The board approved minutes for the April 1 work session, April 8 joint session with the board of education, April 15 regular session and April 22 budget work session by a single motion and voice vote.

Flood ordinance update: The board voted to adopt updates to the county's flood ordinance to align with current National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) models and mapping. Staff and consultants explained floodway, floodplain and 500-year zones and noted a public-comment meeting for updated maps is scheduled; the board approved the ordinance by voice vote.

Closed session and adjournment: The board entered closed session citing North Carolina General Statute 143-318.11(a)(6) (personnel matters) and later came back into open session; the chair reported no reportable decisions from closed session. The meeting adjourned after motions passed.

Ending: Several items approved by voice vote in this meeting were procedural or programmatic; commissioners also heard extended public comment on a railroad-caused fire and set follow-up tasks for staff on multiple items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Swain County Commissioners - May 20th 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the Swain County commissioners meeting the board approved the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council plan, a $500 Heritage Festival request and updates to the flood ordinance; the board accepted the health department vaccine report, approved minutes and held a closed session with no reportable action.","taxTitle","Swain County, North Carolina","taxId",73855,"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},6543726,"Commissioners table revaluation contracts after discussing two bids, staffing and method",530,2934000,3464000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18&start=2934&end=3464","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18/thumbnail_2934000.jpg","/articles/6543726/Swain-County/North-Carolina/Commissioners-table-revaluation-contracts-after-discussing-two-bids-staffing-and-method","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543726-2281bb1816809815e47b8fa31045fd27/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112790&Signature=IPdla6qOVcZPeBgl2eypAkQ~Qf~NEt3z-Uq-tdq49cbPttRVdPQFRuQSvsJvEiSzS3bLwnbvV8gm9oI24aiIhwJmLb9zIouOdnbgNowiu2H9Q~3UrIe7toZvjJfSu-VtKwQOd7Q9l04hTKoH4n0k9xc5-smr5oFE7m~4VcKsaFXcmoIfRcsBDsSOKUzkDcsoSEISRqX-MOxseUpSfWLqEtJ5YeupWKaO8GvHT-jbK4u9pd2js8YOJz-wVjQUnj9y72IEl5s3L-wZXVlf5fsAoF6ILzcA98oduL-xsw43KvO5V-iPhIKwuMsCB6CdCXg5c9w51Q~WBmvFVbCfj9dvvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Swain County Board of Commissioners tabled action on contracts for the county's property revaluation after a detailed discussion of two proposals and related staffing questions.

Staff described two proposals: one proposal priced at about $500,000 and another at about $543,000. Both proposers offered a per-parcel pricing model; one firm (the contractor who completed the last revaluation, described in the packet as C.B. Ferris) proposed an approach that could include a flyover and boots-on-the-ground review. County staff noted that the proposals did not clearly state whether contractor hiring of additional personnel would be included in the bid or billed as extras.

Commissioners and staff discussed the tradeoffs between a largely aerial (flyover) revaluation and in-person, boots-on-the-ground inspections. Staff warned that relying only on flyovers can miss significant on-the-ground conditions — for example, houses that appear intact from above but are gutted or used for storage and therefore have reduced taxable value in reality. Commissioners also flagged potential tax-revenue impacts if revaluation costs were high and if parcel valuations increased.

Staff said a contractor timeline would begin in summer and complete by 2028 and noted the county could consider doing the work in-house but that temporary hires, training and benefit costs could offset savings. After discussion, a motion to table the decision passed; commissioners asked staff to return with clarifications about personnel, method and final pricing and to aim to have a decision by June if possible.

Ending: The board tabled the decision to the next meeting to allow staff to clarify whether contractor personnel needs and potential extra costs are included in the bids and to provide further comparative documentation on flyover versus ground inspections.","The board discussed two proposals for property revaluation — one priced at about $500,000 and another at $543,000 — and tabled a decision to allow more time to compare methods, staffing needs and flyover versus on-the-ground review.",{"_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},6543730,"Swain County commissioners approve using interest earnings to cover $2.6 million school match",999,1187000,2186000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18&start=1187&end=2186","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18/thumbnail_1187000.jpg","/articles/6543730/Swain-County/North-Carolina/Swain-County-commissioners-approve-using-interest-earnings-to-cover-26-million-school-match","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543730-5bdb3a93ea4fb64a6af97cadfce17cac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112790&Signature=AwgigLzBrn-xWoRaA~UCZhvu7KyCHqoSgovIjWOW180RU67MDHueCykGgwHmv0JPLcQ6ks9TEwKYqBCJKmO8H6blP3b0~nEotnxoh1CPNy-TKnI-qqJ5b62zqorfIqsSMqXssJmuXrC76x2bMuSvL496qCpcjWykik4m~SkXXE53ckrZUOT99tVsSYQi7DVQa319jzlmBRSTcu-mv1RPi14Ah1iO5d-I9Q~K6hWNBQsjkh~yAgSc-oUKxe9lnHhFcmcq-Olcc4S29HhWchIzy5PZ~v6lgpx2DqQukkbtQ7yLTH7D3Cc88AsMn25YcmaBtCm5~ZKHS-~SHJ3sXIOo-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Swain County Board of Commissioners voted to use interest earnings in a state-grant account to fulfill a required $2.6 million county match for a $52 million middle-school grant.

County staff member Lottie presented details and said the $52 million award requires a county contribution of $2.6 million for the early planning and design phases. Lottie told commissioners that the match is intended to pay billing coming in from the architect and early project expenses and that the grant language expects those match funds to be used early in the project.

A motion was made to take the match from the interest earnings rather than borrowing. The motion was seconded and carried 3–1. The board did not publish individual roll-call votes in the transcript; commissioners raised questions about account balances and timing during debate. Lottie said the interest account held between about $5.5 million and $6 million, and she said using interest would not drain the account and that the $52 million grant principal remained untouched.

Mark, a project presenter, provided payment projections tied to the architect contract: invoices listed in the discussion included approximately $24,000 for an April invoice, an expected $37,000 invoice for May and a series of projected monthly billings (for example, about $27,000 in the next period and larger projected needs of $60,000 to $65,000 in later months). The architect contract was described as capped at 6% of an early $40 million construction estimate, which would total about $2.4 million for architecture services under the current estimate.

Commissioners voiced concerns about water and sewer availability at the school site and about escalation in construction costs; Lottie and staff said they are working with town, state and federal partners to secure funding for utilities and that a congressional office was being asked to consider a $6 million federal grant request.

The board recorded the motion as passing 3–1 and directed staff to proceed under the chosen funding approach. No vote count by name was provided in the meeting transcript.

Ending: With funding source decided, staff will continue architect and planning work while seeking additional utility funding and federal support, per staff remarks during the meeting.","The board voted 3–1 to use interest earnings from the county's state-grant account to meet a required $2.6 million local match for a $52 million middle-school grant; commissioners heard project timeline and architect invoice projections during discussion.",{"_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},6543735,"Residents urge accountability after train-linked fire, cite delayed response and pollution concerns",535,34000,569000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18&start=34&end=569","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3410420-fc96a54d0a6546933623280ee8591f18/thumbnail_34000.jpg","/articles/6543735/Swain-County/North-Carolina/Residents-urge-accountability-after-train-linked-fire-cite-delayed-response-and-pollution-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543735-a428df90ed77769fc2cb0250ecea863b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112790&Signature=B1MtTFaD2odh6tMjAgkqy~YA-WoILtdW8P-bc3RB~p3j8FhvhpnvPM~YHGxDucjxWA2ik-c3XSEcOPqTwsBXdxL2P7pfsLwwYLsYS4V3HVWPI~NeRzA79WescLdibqPG58V5BdmyendfT-kmvZGaT6VQLlJSg9zVt3TbGs-Ouyafrc3dyI3QUF0Kui3EhD0d4OTYEGetXEHzV3uhbKPhnMzZRINM4tntLV2aYzSrLLFitPmWykokKQMOp3u003PDGcUpK4QWF54omUt-sQG0a7ZpzeQduSGaS2JSk49II7RXcMSa7hqBy7aVtSKEGBR-Q~K3t0sDpDLI8rCJG2deGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several residents used the public-comment period at the Swain County Board of Commissioners meeting to press elected officials for accountability after a fire they said was caused by a railroad.

Terry Stevenson, a Swain County resident who gave his address as 525 Gospel Road, told commissioners he waited two weeks for contact from the railroad after the fire and said the company has not taken sufficient responsibility. \"They damaged my property and everybody else's property,\" Stevenson said. \"If you burn somebody's place now, you pay for it. You sure as well don't drag it out and try to cover it up and hide it.\"

Genevieve Spire, who said she attended multiple meetings about the incident, told the board she lost notable property and described charred trees around her elderly mother's house that she said could fall and cause future damage. Spire also said the railroad had received maintenance grants from the North Carolina Department of Transportation and questioned how those funds were spent. \"They had $2,000,000 the previous year that was given to them by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. So I've reached out to them, and I wanna know where they've spent this money,\" Spire said.

Other speakers echoed concerns about pollution, diesel leakage and safety. Courtney Doze, a lifelong Swain County resident, described ongoing noise and maintenance problems she said affect the community and tourism, and said she appreciated one-on-one contacts from the sheriff's office but wanted broader, consistent responses from responsible agencies. Edward Mercer said residents want substantive answers and suggested the board create time in future agendas for direct responses rather than repeated public complaints.

Speakers said consequences include property damage, erosion of private roads after vegetation burned off, and economic effects on local lodging and businesses that rely on tourism. Several speakers asked the county to demand responsibility from the railroad, seek reimbursements for damages and press state and federal partners for better safety measures.

Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the matter during the meeting. Several speakers requested the board press NCDOT, the railroad lessee and other agencies for information and for quicker direct contact to affected residents.

The public comments also included a call to protect the Fontana Regional Library relationship and praise for local firefighters who responded to the blaze.

Ending: Residents said they will return to future meetings if they do not receive promised follow-up; the board did not announce a county-led investigation or immediate action during the session.","Multiple residents told the Swain County Board of Commissioners that a recent fire they say was caused by a train damaged property, eroded roadways and polluted waterways; speakers said they waited for days for contact from the railroad and want compensation and prevention measures.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: JCPC plan, Heritage Festival, health report, minutes and flood ordinance

Commissioners table revaluation contracts after discussing two bids, staffing and method

Swain County commissioners approve using interest earnings to cover $2.6 million school match

Residents urge accountability after train-linked fire, cite delayed response and pollution concerns