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Macon County commissioners back Vaya Health plan, approve budget amendments and property actions
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Summary
The board unanimously approved a letter of support for Vaya Health’s application to administer the Medicaid Child and Family Specialty Plan statewide and approved multiple budget amendments and property actions, including a $50,000 appropriation for a second primary, $20,000 for wastewater staffing, a $90,000 Nantahala property purchase and a $10,000 well contract for Wesley’s Playground.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners on April 9 voted unanimously to approve a package of administrative actions and budget amendments that the county manager and staff said were needed to support local services and facilities.
The board approved a letter of support for Vaya Health to administer the Medicaid Child and Family Specialty Plan statewide after Vaya’s regional director, Shelly Foreman, described Vaya’s work with departments of social services across 47 counties. "We have been working with local DSS offices in support of their child welfare programs," Foreman told the board; Commissioner Young moved to approve the letter and the motion passed unanimously.
The board also approved several budget amendments from general-fund contingency: $20,000 to contract for On-site Wastewater staffing to address permit delays; $50,000 for Board of Elections costs associated with holding a second primary and off-site polling (due to ADA limitations at the Board of Elections office); and a $10,000 contract to drill a well to supply Wesley’s Playground’s water feature and pavilion after staff cited unusually high town water bills in recent months.
On real estate, the board approved the purchase of a Nantahala property for $90,000 to support a septic system for Nantahala School, and approved a $94,000 budget amendment from fund balance to cover closing costs and contingencies; the school will coordinate the septic project once the property is acquired.
Facility projects also moved forward: the board approved a contract with Looper Architectural Designs for up to $20,000 to produce construction documents for repairs at the Macon County Library, approved exempting those services from certain procurement provisions, and directed Project Manager Jack Morgan to prepare bid documents for the clock tower repairs.
Why it matters: The actions allocate local funds to keep elections accessible, accelerate permitting capacity for on-site wastewater systems, support child-and-family care coordination via Medicaid managed services, and preserve county facilities. Several of the appropriations were justified as short-term contingency spending to address immediate operational needs.
What’s next: Staff will proceed with procurement and report back to the board on bids and project timelines; the school is responsible for coordinating the septic-system project after the property purchase.