Macon County will hold a public hearing on the financing for the Franklin High School project in August as the county aims to get state approval in September. Construction could begin in October or November.
On July 9, the Macon County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved holding the public hearing at its Aug. 13 meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m.
“The county currently expects to borrow approximately $76,300,000 for the project, but the final amount may be higher or lower based on the results of the construction bid process and changes in financial market conditions,” the public hearing notice stated.
The county received a $62 million Needs-Based Public School Fund Grant in January, which will cover the remainder of the project, which as of July 9 was set to cost $137,624,444.
The financing plan would include transferring the 20-acre FHS property from Macon County Schools to Macon County so they can put a lien on it for the project.
The plan is to approve the financing the same night as the public hearing, Aug. 13, so Macon County can get the financing plan on the N.C. Local Government Commission’s Sept. 10 agenda. If approved on Sept. 10, the bond sale for the debt can begin the next day, Sept. 11, and close on Sept. 26. The county currently has an AA+ credit rating, the third-best a county can have, which could mean lower interest rates.
The board also approved three of the four interlocal agreements presented with changes made by county attorney Eric Ridenour. Last month, the board paused approving interlocal agreements for the four major capital projects – the Macon Middle School track, Franklin High School, Highlands School and Nantahala School sewer – due to what Ridenour said were typos in the agreement. The Macon County Board of Education approved all four at its May meeting.
The Macon Middle School track interlocal agreement passed 4-1, with Higdon against, saying he had just received the updated interlocal agreement right before the meeting and hadn’t read it. The FHS interlocal agreement passed 3-2, with Higdon and Commissioner John Shearl against it. The Highlands School interlocal agreement passed 4-1, with Higdon against.
The Nantahala sewer interlocal agreement was not voted on as Ridenour said he and School Board Attorney John Henning are still working on the language, specifically since it’s unknown what the project could be.
The three interlocal agreements needed re-approval by the school board since there were changes. The agreements were approved at the July 22 school board meeting.
Additional commissioners meeting business
Elsewhere at the July 9 meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved the following:
• A $350,000 pledge from the fund balance for the Highlands playground project. Highlands Town Commissioner Brian Stiehler said this started a year ago when a resident gave a $50,000 donation (later bumped to $100,000) to the town for a new all-inclusive playground. Highlands applied for an N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant of up to $500,000 and the Town of Highlands recently pledged $250,000. Around $200,000 of private funds has been raised so far, with a goal of $600,000. Highlands Town Commissioner Jeff Weller said the goal is to have all the funds by the end of the summer or early fall so construction can start in spring 2024. Presently, Highlands has a dated playground that is not all-inclusive.
• Transferring $50,000 from the Economic Development Commission fund to the general fund for a partnership with the Macon County School Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. This program will provide paid internships for students. County Manager Derek Roland said there’s no purer form of economic development.
• Roughly $157,000 from Kroger in opioid settlement funds.
• A three-year extension of the Title VI program for Macon County Transit. This ensures MCT receives federal funding.
The commissioners went into closed session at 10:12 p.m. for legal advice, returning at 10:23 p.m. to adjourn. The next Board of Commissioners meeting is slated for Aug. 13, starting at 6 p.m.