Board approves Fourth of July MOU and event permits for Grays Mountain; fireworks permits also OK'd

The Madison County Board of Supervisors on June 16 approved a memorandum of understanding with Grays Mountain Farm and Lodges to provide tourism-funded support for the county’s Fourth of July celebration, then approved the site’s large-scale event permit and three fireworks permits after staff confirmed required safety documents.

Staff (S4) described the MOU as a single-year appropriation from the tourism fund that formalizes how funds are used and clarifies that funding is subject to the annual budget process. Mister Wright (S9) said the arrangement limits long-term county liability by making the appropriation fiscal-year specific and noted the event is open to the public without an admission charge; the MOU authorizes the county to terminate with 60 days’ notice.

Because the planned attendance exceeds the threshold that requires board approval, the board reviewed the large-scale outdoor event application and the incident action plan; staff said first-responder agencies had reviewed the application and raised no objections. The board approved the large-scale event permit for Grays Mountain Farm and Lodges for July 4 by motion and voice vote.

The board also approved three fireworks permit applications (Grays Mountain Farm and Lodges, Bald Top Brewery, and Rapid AM Baptist Camp). Staff confirmed liability insurance certificates and dates for each application; commissioners discussed drought conditions and warned of the county’s constrained ability to enforce a fireworks ban but said readiness and first-responder planning were the best mitigations.

Chair (S2) announced motions carried by voice votes; no roll-call tallies are recorded in the transcript. Staff will file the approved permits and coordinate incident response plans with first responders.