At a special called meeting Aug. 18, the Franklin Town Council expediently dispensed with two significant actions.
First, the council approved a motion to appoint Janet Greene to the town’s Planning Board/Board of Adjustments. Greene will now fill the ETJ (extra territorial jurisdiction) Alternate position, which means she will only vote on issues when another member is absent and a vote is required. As the ETJ Alternate member, she is still eligible to serve as the board’s chair and participate fully in discussions.
Prior to the Aug. 18th meeting, on July 8 the Macon County Board of Commissioners chose Debbie Tallent and Richard Brady to fill the two open positions that Tallent and Greene had previously filled on the county planning board. Town Council had recommended both be appointed again for new terms, but the commissioners chose a different course of action with no debate or explanation.
Mayor Jack Horton noted that town attorney John Henning Jr., had done due diligence in reviewing the Town of Franklin’s legal options in filling the ETJ Alternate position. The position does not require residency in that area, nor does it require a secondary approval through the county.
“This mess is somewhat on us,” lamented Councilman David Culpepper in the discussion prior to voting. “Our actions have consequences. We ran roughshod over ETJ landowners.”
Culpepper explained that some individuals, dissatisfied with rezoning decisions that had adverse financial impact on their property, had lobbied commissioners to remove Greene.
“That’s not what precipitated this appointment,” countered Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey. “We know the backstory. Someone who has a history with the Town of Franklin and [has had numerous] cease and desist letters pertaining to our staff” [pushed for the change]. Horton and other members noted they had reached out since the July 8 vote to discuss the breakdown in communications with individual commissioners and hoped this type of situation would be preventable with improved contact in the future.
Councilman Robbie Tompa said he was, “worried about repercussions down the line. We’re also circumventing [their vote.] They made a decision to get this person off. Now we’re finding a loophole. I’m not disagreeing she’s not well qualified. I’m just leery of what that looks like [if the goal is] working together.”
Despite concerns expressed, the council unanimously moved forward with appointing Greene to the open position.
Angel medical property acquisition underway
After holding a closed session to discuss real property purchases, the council returned and unanimously adopted a resolution to pursue the purchase of the former Angel Medical Center (AMC) property in the amount of $910,000. Purchase of this large property adjacent to the main downtown Franklin area is considered a key component of downtown revitalization and planning efforts that have ginned up in earnest in the past few years.
In a separate motion, council members agreed to move the required funds from the General Fund to Capital Outlay for the anticipated land purchase.
Councilman Mike Lewis cautioned that these moves were just the beginning of a process for the town attorney and town manager to engage in negotiations and work with the town finance officer to pursue a formal contract. The council will receive a report in October from the University of North Carolina Development Finance Initiative on potential options for a public-private project for this potential acquisition.