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Town board seeks input from the community on choosing a new logo.
Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Within the next month, Bryson City Town Board of Aldermen will choose a new logo, and they want input from the community.
Audrey Zelenka, a senior at Swain County High School and intern with the town this semester, presented a plan the board agreed on to promote several designs on the town’s Facebook page during the town’s work session meeting last Tuesday, Feb. 27.
She explained a bracket competition between the logos that were designed by students in Mr. Brian Thomas’ Photoshop class at the high school.
Alderman Ben King’s only caveat was that they get lots of input.
“I would need it to be more than five people deciding, so if it’s a low turnout with feedback, we might have to do something different,” he said.
Voting began Monday and new logos will be posted on Mondays and Thursdays.
In actions Tuesday, the board approved minutes from the CDBG public hearing held Feb. 13.
The board briefly discussed a lease with Mountain View Manor that will transfer to the new parent company.
Budget
Manager Sam Pattillo then led some initial budget discussions, which included a lengthy discussion with Fire Chief Charles Bryson. (See Town says more funds needed for Tuck fire district.)
The board agreed they wanted to include a new town code enforcement officer position in next year’s fiscal budget. Alderman Tim Hines asked Pattillo to come back with how much it would be to increase cost of living increases to 3.5 percent for employees.
Pattillo said his biggest priority in planning the budget is making sure the town has its $500,000 grant fund match for the wastewater treatment plant.
He also provided the board with a spreadsheet of what Duke Energy bills the town for, which includes streetlights. Pattillo said a 14% increase in utility costs will be reflected in the next budget.
The town paid $43,824 in last fiscal year just for street lights in town under the town’s streets department. Costs per light varied from a few hundred dollars to about $1,500 per light.
Alderman Tim Hines said, “half-joking, half-serious, some of these lights, you look at the cost, and we could buy the best solar light with a backup that will run for cheaper than what we’re paying Duke to light them up.”
Pattillo said the town should consider an efficiency study.
Alderman King joked, “We might as well still have our own power department” for the cost.
Pattillo then turned their attention to water and sewer, saying the town is working with the Institute of Government on a rate study. He spent some time discussing the tier system, saying they are exploring whether they should have those tiers.
The town will get even more data from an upcoming Asset and Inventory Assessment.
“We’ll have some good data to be able to talk about this,” Pattillo said.
The town’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. at Town Office.