MURPHY
$35K for attorneys
Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith has been authorized to spend up to $35,000 more than what was budgeted for attorney representation.
The sheriff had originally requested $70,000 in the 2024 county budget but received half that, advised to come back mid-year if he needed more. He did.
“This line item is depleted,” the sheriff said in a report to the county board of commissioners at its March 18 meeting. “Just this week, the attorneys needed over the weekend and throughout the entire week.”
The sheriff pays $200 per hour for legal services.
A breakdown of legal services accomplished so far for the fiscal year ending June 30 was 26 items long and included reviewing warrants and other documents, providing routine legal advice at all hours of the day and all days of the week, advising on employee issues, and working with named defendants within the sheriff’s office in the civil lawsuit filed by J. Harley Kloepfer and Allison Mahler stemming from a SWAT raid at their Lower Bear Paw Road home in December 2022.
MARBLE
Kids Fishing Day planned
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the annual Kids Fishing Day from 9 a.m. until the fish stop biting – rain or shine – Saturday at the Sheriff’s Office Firing Range, 9554 U.S. 19.
Registration is free and begins at 8:30 a.m., though the start time could be delayed in the event of storms. Sweet Pigs Hot Dogs & Catering will be on hand to sell lunch plates. Just bring your fishing pole, as free bait will be offered by G&S Bait, which also is donating several Zebco poles.
Details: Call Stephanie Swanson at 828-837-2589.
MURPHY
Grant funds two deputies
Salaries for two full-time deputies have been covered by a grant, but the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office had to request permission to use $129,789 from its fund balance and $25,015 in other grant revenue to equip the officers as well as their patrol cars. The request was approved by the board of commissioners unanimously.
Supply chain issues translate into long waiting times to fill orders for fully outfitted emergency vehicles including patrol cars and fire apparatus. At the time of the request in mid-March, the sheriff’s office was fully staffed.
“We’re full but at our call volume, we still need more deputies,” Sheriff Dustin Smith told the board of commissioners on March 18.
There were still two vacancies at the Cherokee County Detention Center.
Earlier in March, commissioners approved $9,962 in insurance proceeds from a totaled patrol car be used to upgrade a recently acquired 2023 Dodge Durango patrol vehicle.
WOLF CREEK
Residents eye. a tax increase
Residents within the boundaries of the Wolf Creek Volunteer Fire Department are asking for the county’s permission to increase their fire protection tax from 3.5 cents per $100 of property tax valuation to 9 cents.
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners cannot approve tax increases outside of the annual budget ordinance and will take the fire district’s request into consideration at upcoming budget meetings.
Wolf Creek fire officials seek to lower their district’s ISO ratings (the rating that determines fire insurance rates for property owners) from 9 to 5 or 6 as part of their five-year plan. They want to purchase land off of Orton Road for a new fire station to improve fire coverage.
Land acquisition would be up to $30,000, construction costs would be about $150,000, and purchasing a fire engine and tanker for the new station would cost in the range of $500,000. Wolf Creek held two community meetings and, judging from petitions signed by residents, have strong support from the community.
The fire tax for a $200,000 property would increase from about $65 per year to about $180 if the tax increase is approved. Savings from lowered fire insurance premiums would more than make up for the increased fire tax, officials said.
MURPHY
Commission honors locals
Cherokee County issued two proclamations at the March 18 meeting in Murphy, recognizing April as Volunteer Appreciation Month and issuing a proclamation honoring Cherokee County’s youth.
For youth, the board recognized youth as tomorrow’s leaders and the importance of fostering positive relationships and building character via positive role models.
For volunteers, the commissioners acknowledged “volunteers are an integral part of our heritage since the early days of our nation and it is essential that we continue this tradition of giving and sharing to preserve and improve the quality of life for all citizens in our community.”
FRANKLIN
Macon gets 95 new jobs
Duotech Services LLC, an engineering company that specializes in the repair and maintenance of legacy defense equipment, will expand its operations in Macon County, creating 95 jobs, Gov. Roy Cooper announced last week. The company plans to invest $6.5 million in Franklin.
“Duotech’s growth is another reason why North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the country,” Cooper said in a release. “We welcome the expansion of this nimble and innovative company that’s supporting the defense of our country and its allies while creating great jobs in western North Carolina.”
Duotech is a major supplier of maintenance and repair support services to components of the U.S. government. The company designs, develops and manufactures products such as radar warning receivers.
The N.C. Department of Commerce led the state’s support for the company during its site evaluation and decision-making process. Although wages will vary depending on the position, the average salary for the new positions will be $91,271. The average wage in Macon County is $42,034.
Details: Visit BernhardCapital.com.
RALEIGH
Primary certified
The State Board of Elections on March 26 unanimously certified the results of the 2024 primary election in North Carolina and ordered second primaries to be held Tuesday, May 14.
The bipartisan State Board voted 5-0 to canvass the votes cast in all ballot items within the jurisdiction of the board and authenticate county-level results. The state certification came after the 100 county boards of elections certified results at the county level in mid-March and after post-election audits conducted in the past couple weeks verified the counts.
The State Board will issue certificates of nomination to the prevailing candidates in contests under State Board jurisdiction. The secretary of state provides results of the presidential preference primary to the political parties.
There are three contests under county board jurisdiction that are still subject to election protests: the Democratic nomination for N.C. Senate District 41, and the Republican nominations for N.C. House Districts 73 and 82. More than 1.8 million registered North Carolinians voted in the primary, a 24 percent turnout.
MURPHY
‘Potty Party’ grant award
The Cherokee County Sharing Center Food Bank has been awarded a T-Mobile Hometown Grant worth $19,996 and want to celebrate.
A “Potty Party” will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church of Murphy, 517 Hiwassee St., to celebrate being selected for a restroom and sink project at the Sharing Center. There were only 25 recipients out of 500 total applications. Karen Borchers, retired executive director of the Cherokee-Clay Counties United Way, wrote the grant application.
Details: Visit fbcmurphync.org/sharing-center.
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga.
Deputy will be honored
Blood Assurance and the family of a fallen Union County sheriff’s deputy will honor his life during an upcoming blood drive.
The semi-annual Derrick Whittle Memorial Blood Drive is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Haralson Memorial Civic Center. On Sept. 15, 2011, Whittle, 38, was critically injured in a car crash while responding to an emergency. He died three days later at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Details: Visit bloodassurance.org/dwhittle.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public meetings
THIS WEEK
- Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority meets at 2 p.m. Monday in the Murphy Visitors Center, 20 Tennessee St.
- Cherokee County Board of Health meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Cherokee County Health Department, 228 Hilton St. in Murphy.
COMING SOON
- Cherokee County Veteran Forces meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
- Andrews ABC Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, in the ABC Store, 13934 U.S. 19.
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy.
- Andrews Board of Aldermen meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in the Facilities Building, 85 Fourth St. Live-streamed on the Town of Andrews’ Facebook page, if possible.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown and Editor Randy Foster.