Only Internet can save us?

Listen to the commissioners meeting.

Clay County citizens are searching for an economic savior, and Mary Wiegold believes she has the answer.

Wiegold, a member of the Clay County Citizens’ Action Committee, told commissioners that high-speed Internet is key to recovery from the recession.

“We have lost business and economic opportunities here in Clay County in real estate, business enterprises, and light industry due to the lack of Internet access and local incentives,” she said.

For every dollar invested in broadband, three dollars would be returned to the local economy, Wiegold said. In theory, citizens could eventually expect a $10 return for every $1 invested, she continued.

“As soon as North Georgia advances their Internet connections, we will be even less attractive,” she stated. “We cannot continue to miss out on improving our economic base.”

Since December the committee has been researching local, state and federal assistance to bring fiber-optic broadband to rural communities. The latest round of grant applications is due March 15, Wiegold said.

“There is no time for Clay County to submit our grant request,” she said, noting that NC Senator John Snow and Representative Roger West have suggested the committee submit a letter of interest in pursuing federal grant assistance from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.

Wiegold said that Clay’s designation as a tier one (economically depressed) county may help position the area more favorably for funding.

In the meantime, Wiegold said that the best plan of action is to get local subdivision residents to sign petitions. She said that a minimum of 40 percent of residents in an area need to be willing to sign up with Blue Ridge Mountain EMC for connectivity.

“We may not have the dollars in our county coffers, but we have a wealth of human resources available to us,” she said.

Wiegold also mentioned the possibility of equipping current cellular towers with wireless Internet for residents.

“If it’s so difficult to go underground or break through the mountains…or to get right-of-way, why can’t we go through towers?” she asked.

Commissioners suggested partnering with as many people as possible to keep momentum in the project.

“I guess if you have broadband you don’t think so much about it,” Commissioner Harry Jarrett said. “But if you don’t have it,…it is important.”

Commissioner Stephen Sellers said the project affected him personally.

“I would like to have it at my house,” he said. “I live only a mile off of the main road, and I still don’t get [broadband].”

Other topics commissioners addressed:

Commissioners approved the county’s 2008-2009 budget audit.

“Clay County is in very good financial shape,” County Manager Paul Leek said. “The only minor findings were, as always, segregation of duties.”

Leek said that because Clay County is relatively small, employees are often asked to handle additional jobs. He said those issues will continue to appear in the future.

Commissioner Herbert Cheeks said citizens should be applauded for keeping up the county’s tax collection rate of 95.8 percent.

Leek said that by closing out loans, the unrestricted fund balance was increased by $333,730.

“It is good to know that our little county is not faced with some of the big problems like some of the other counties that have budget crises,” Cheeks said, before congratulating Leek on a job well done. “I applaud each one of the department heads because they’ve done an excellent job.”

Despite lower revenues, county departments did an excellent job controlling costs, Leek said.

“This really shows what kind of leadership there is in our departments, that we are able to control our expenditures,” he said.

County Commissioners also approved budget amendments and tax releases.

Carl Maxwell presented to commissioners his plan for the 2010 Memorial Day Parade. The parade is planned for Saturday, May 29, beginning with a 5K run and walk in the morning and a veterans ceremony at noon.

Inviting businesses to take part in the parade either by joining it, helping behind the scenes, or making a financial contribution, Maxwell said the event would be bigger and better than before.

“This year it’s probably going to be double what it was last year in size,” he said.

Commissioners agreed to contribute $1,000 to the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition if the county can come up with excess funds.

The nonprofit conservation coalition’s executive director, Callie Moore, appeared before commissioners to request a budget allocation after the coalition failed to reply to the county’s prompting at the proper time.

“Through a mistake that I will take full personal responsibility for, we failed to submit our request,” Moore said. “Clay County has given the coalition a small stipend ever since the year 2000 as part of being members of this coalition… I’m here tonight to ask you to find the money somewhere.”

Forty percent of the coalition’s members are Clay County residents, Moore said. While the organization has received millions of dollars in grant funding, most of the money can only be used for projects, not administrative costs, she said.

“It is critical in many cases for us to show support from local government,” she said.

Moore said that the budget allocation letter sent by the county was forgotten while the coalition was in the process of hiring a new administrative assistant.

The coalition received $2,500 from the county in the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

Commissioners approved a lease agreement change requested by the Historical and Arts Council.

“They have done work on some storage buildings that used to belong to the sheriff’s office, that the sheriff’s office no longer needed or used,” Leek said. “They’ve asked to include that into the lease agreement.”

Girl Scout Rose Goyette told commissioners she was organizing an environmental fair to earn a gold award, the equivalent of a Boy Scout Eagle Award.

Commissioners said they were completely in favor of the event, which is scheduled to take place on the Square on Saturday, May 8.

Because the event falls on Mother’s Day Weekend, Goyette said she’s calling it “Clay County’s Mother Earth Festival.”

“Perhaps one of the home improvement stores could demonstrate ways to make a home more energy efficient,” she said. “Or the school environmental club could help people understand how to recycle better.”

Goyette said she’s planning for representatives from state and federal agencies, as well as local organizations and businesses, to set up displays or booths, and hoping that the schools could sponsor a poster contest and crafts for kids.

While the event would have no charge, a raffle, t-shirt sales, or other fundraisers could be used to fund a possible scholarship for the high school, she said.

Leek said that the county had relied on a verbal conflict of interest policy, but commissioners approved a version to include in the personnel policy.

“No employee, officer, agent, immediate family member or board member shall participate in the selection, award or administration of the contracts supported by federal and/or state funds if a conflict of interest, real or apparent, would be involved,” Leek read.

The policy continued to state that soliciting or accepting gifts, favors, or anything of monetary value would be unacceptable.