Slater Goff

The board discussed investment options for $120,000 of development authority funds, comparing interest rates from multiple banks for 6-month and 12-month Certificates of Deposit. The board decided to split the investment equally, allocating $60,000 to a 12-month certificate and $60,000 to a 6-month certificate to balance flexibility and interest yields. The board also designated authorized signers for the transaction documents.

The meeting included the proclamation of Darrel Chaney Day in White County. Key discussions centered on the petition for the abandonment of Irvin Sawmill Road, which was unanimously adopted via County Resolution 2026-04. Several land use applications were addressed, including the rezoning of property for Gerald Sims from C-1 to A-1, the rezoning of property for Mark and Laura Knaus from A-1 to R-1 with a conditional use permit for a family cemetery, and the approval with conditions for Jeremy Santana's rezoning from R-1 to C-2 for warehousing. The application for Halee VanderMaas was tabled. A Special Use Permit for Jacob Wiley for a landfill/transfer station was approved contingent upon EDP approval. Consent agenda items approved included ratifying the purchase of replacement courthouse network switches and approving copier leases for Public Works and the Elections Office. The Board unanimously approved County Resolution 2026-05 adopting the 2026 update to the White County/Cleveland/Helen Comprehensive Plan, contingent upon identified corrections. The Board also approved the SDR proposal for the air curtain burn related to Winter Storm Fern debris and approved a one-year on-call professional services agreement with Allsource Enterprises, LLC d/b/a Safe Industries for disaster response. Consideration for the purchase of a John Deere Tractor and mower was tabled pending receipt of comparative quotes.

The Board discussed financial performance for September and October and authorized the investment of funds into a Certificate of Deposit. Approval was granted for new checking account fraud protection measures, specifically Positive Pay and ACH Alert. The Board also approved payments for legal services and various funding requests from the Chamber, including support for the Talent Pipeline Management Program and business acquisition efforts. Additional updates included reports on the Floating Local Option Sales Tax, comprehensive plan drafting, site selection activities, and water authority maintenance and equipment costs. Finally, the Board reviewed recent updates to continuing education requirements.

The key discussions during the meeting included the approval of a conditional use permit for storage space rental facilities on Highway 115 East, subject to specific conditions regarding architecture, signage, and vegetative screening. The Board officially accepted a $500,000.00 2026 Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant for the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) operations, with White County as the fiscal agent. Approval was granted for an expenditure of $45,598.00 in SPLOST funds for constructing a secondary emergency access road for the Yonah Preserve Complex. Furthermore, County Resolution 2026-02 was adopted to establish a formal Facility Naming Policy, prompted by fundraising efforts for the new library. The Board also adopted County Resolution 2026-03, which sets the 2026 qualifying fees for various county offices for the upcoming primary or election. An update on the response and recovery efforts following Winter Storm Fern was presented, including associated estimated costs, and discussions continued regarding potential federal assistance.

The Board received a presentation on financial reports and discussed several updates, including the proposed Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST), the status of the Joint Comprehensive Plan, and proposed amendments to land use and development ordinances. Additionally, the Board reviewed updates from the Chamber of Commerce regarding local commercial and residential developments, local partnerships, and infrastructure planning. The meeting also addressed a potential bond issuance by the Cleveland Downtown Development Authority for a nonprofit housing project.