BREAKING NEWS: Clay County Board of Commissioners Unanimously Approve Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget Ordinance: On Thursday, June 16, 2022, the Clay County Commissioners unanimously approved the FY 2022-2023 Budget. The budget is balanced in accordance with the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act with general fund revenues and expenditures each totaling $23,527,625.35. The tax rate remains unchanged at.43 mils per $100 of value for the fifth straight year. As a result of previously implemented sound fiscal controls and strong budgetary policies, Commissioners were able to approve a budget which meets the needs of the county and places a continued emphasis on the retention and recruitment of employees while minimizing the tax burden on the citizens. This was especially important to us in our current times of record inflation. Some of the highlights of the budget include the following: NO property tax increase Debt service REDUCED from $1,393,020.00 in FY21/22 to $1,283,885.07, a decrease of $109,134.93 or 8%. Sheriff's Office budget increased by $438,319.29 to $3,347,485.88. This represents a 15% increase and shows our continued commitment to public safety! Additionally, an application has been submitted to the Appropriations Community Funding Project in the amount of $300k. We hope to hear about this award in the near future. Cost of Living Adjustment for all Clay County Employees in the amount of 5.0% and an increase in retirement contributions up to 12.16% for employees and 13.04% for law enforcement. These increases show Leadership's ongoing commitment to the previously mentioned retention and recruitment of superior employees to serve our citizens. On August 5, 2021, the BOCs approved a comprehensive salary and benefits study which resulted in an increase in salaries to market average plus 5%. In April of 2022, the BOCs also approved longevity pay. $1,830,903.00 allocated to the Clay County Board of Education. This is an increase of $186,104.00 from FY21/22. This includes a 1.5% ($111,104.00) local supplement for certified teachers. The state had previously approved a recurring supplement for Clay County teachers in the amount of $2,871.00. There is also $75K for the purchase of adjoining land and $30K additional dollars moved from Public Health to the school to free up money which can be used for support staff bonuses or additional capital outlay. 15% increase in allocations to the Valley River Humane Society to offset additional costs for their animal services. Also, the animal control position has been moved from Public Health to the Sheriff's Department. During the upcoming fiscal year, Clay County will continue to aggressively pursue grants for capital projects and program costs to help keep local tax dollars to a minimum. This fiscal year, we will see the completion of our new Clay County Sports Complex. Phase Two is well underway. This is being done in part from a recently awarded $500K NC Parks and Trust Recreation Fund Grant. We will also begin work on our new state of the art 911 facility, paid for with a $2.5M grant and a $2M match from the NC General Assembly. We will also look to upgrade a few remaining and aging county facilities. One such project will utilize $40k of an $80k grant to replace the front of the library. The remaining balance will be used to automate the county courthouse entrance to provide easier entry for handicap individuals, repair a sewer issue at the newly renovated Senior Center, and to upgrade the community room in the Community Services Building. The BOCs will also continue to work with the BOE in the coming year on the $32M grant award for a proposed new 3-8th grade school. Replacing, updating and expanding critical infrastructure, such as broadband and water/sewer, will continue to be a priority as we further develop our capital improvement plans and look to entice further economic development. The Clay County Board of Commissioners is thankful for the opportunity to serve and will continue to provide fiscally responsible leadership for the citizens of Clay County

CLAY COUNTY AWARDED a $600,000 2 year Opioid Planning grant from the Dogwood Health Foundation to assist in funding Clay County PLANS (Prepares, Leads, Administers, Navigates, Strategizes) Opioid Settlement funds. This grant will support Clay County in convening partners to conduct needs assessments, data collection/analysis and training and plan for administration reporting and technical assistance, all in preparation for expenditure of opioid settlement funds. All grant activities align with the NC MOA governing opioid settlement expenditures. Clay County is pleased to launch, as a part of this funding, our Emergency Management Training Fellowship. This program under the leadership of Health and Human Services' Community Paramedic Program seeks to grow future EMTs that will be offered extensive training on how to deal with the opioid epidemic In our rural communities. EMTs are on the frontline of the opioid crisis. The Clay County Board of Commissioners adopted a Resolution on October 7th, 2021 approving the MOA between the state of NC and local governments on proceeds relating to the settlement of opioid litigation. Clay County received their first settlement of payment of $55,530 last week and expects to receive an additional $122,122 later this summer. The County will continue to receive funding on average of $64,000 annually until the summer of 2038. Opioids have damaged many Clay County families leaving behind death and destruction and heartache. Our hope as a county is to use this funding to fight the opioid crisis in our community. Clay County leadership will be hosting several meetings in the future to obtain community input on how these funds should be used.

The Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for July 7, 2022 is rescheduled for Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 6:45pm in the multi-purpose room of the Clay County Courthouse located at 261 Courthouse Drive.

Clay County's budget for FY 2022-2023 has been submitted to the Board of Commissioners and a copy is available for public inspection in the office of the Clerk to the Board, 345 Courthouse Dr., Suite 1, Hayesville, NC 28904. The Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6:45pm, June 16, 2022 in the multipurpose room of the Clay County Courthouse located at 261 Courthouse Drive, Hayesville, NC 28904.

The Clay County Board of Commissioners continues to look toward grant opportunities to offset local dollars. Our aggressive pursuit of grants has resulted in nearly $12 Million in awards since 2019. Our commitment to fiscally conservative budgetary policies, smaller and more efficient government, and debt reduction coupled with the awards posted below, have helped us minimize local dollars and maintain a low tax rate. Our board is thankful for our grant writer, Claudie Burchfield, County Manager Debbie Mauney and all the staff who have played a role in securing these funds. We will continue to pursue opportunities as they arise and remain good stewards of your tax dollars.

New State of the Art 911 Telecommunications Center Pictured below is an early schematic drawing of Clay County's soon to be constructed 911 Facility. Clay County received a $2.5M state 911 grant and an additional $2M from state legislatures, spearheaded by Senator Kevin Corbin and Representative Karl Gillespie. The new project, to be located on Courthouse Drive, will replace the current 650 square foot space with a nearly 4500 sq ft, highly secured facility which includes a fully equipped state of the art control center, with office, classroom and training space. The 911 Telecommunications is the primary source of citizens' connection to first responders in an emergency. As such, providing them with the proper facilities and equipment to perform their jobs is imperative. The site is currently being surveyed and new architectural renderings will soon be forthcoming to match the aesthetics of the other county buildings on Courthouse Drive. Leadership and staff have worked hard to facilitate these funding opportunities, minimizing local dollars as we continue to invest in our public safety facilities and departments. We expect the project to go out to bid within the next few months.

A special shout-out to BRMEMC - Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Corporation for repairing and replacing the lights on Fields 3 and 4 at Veterans Park. These fields are used throughout the week by rec sports teams with practice and games oftentimes going into the nighttime hours. These repairs will help ensure the playability and safety of these fields for our youth.

Clay County Leadership is excited to announce that we have been awarded a half million dollar Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant to go towards the completion of Phase II of the Clay County Sports Complex. This funding will help offset costs associated with its construction. Phase two includes a 12,500 square foot indoor facility with accompanying amenities. This building will sit above the new Hayesville High School Baseball and Softball Fields. Clay County Leadership wants to thank the PARTF Board for their consideration of our request. We would also like to thank the following for their support of the application: Senator Kevin Corbin, Representative Karl Gillespie, Andrew Bailey (Legislative Assistant to Representative Gillespie) and the numerous county employees who worked on securing funding for this project.

Clay County leadership is excited to announce the award of a $30,000.00 grant from Dogwood Health Trust to complete the expansion of broadband to the Clay County Recreation Park. Clay County Government had previously been approved by the Southwest Commission for $53,500 of the $85,000 estimated project cost through the North Carolina Student Connect Program. The overall cost includes installation and device purchase. The Clay County Recreational Park is a beautiful local resource located on the edge of Lake Chatuge. With exceptional views and endless opportunities for outdoor fun, the park is a frequent destination for both locals and visitors. This area is used by numerous families with children throughout the year and is a popular outdoor education spot for local schools. Lack of connectivity has been a detriment to this otherwise beautiful community resource. The grant award will allow Clay County to expand and enhance our services at the park with no local dollars. While we value the outdoor recreational opportunities and the relaxation that comes with it, we recognize the importance of connectivity in our current high tech society. As camping season began Friday, April 1st, guests should be pleasantly surprised with the increased quality of service, consistent with other capital improvements made in previous years to make our facilities a first class operation.

Clay County Leadership is excited to announce the award of the Dogwood Health Trust grant to expand our Community Paramedic Program. One of the main goals of the program is to deliver underutilized resources to underserved populations. By using EMS workers to provide health services where access to care is difficult or may not exist, Clay County is again leading the region and state by initiating new and unique programs to expand rural healthcare. The grant will pay for a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD with crew cab, a 28 foot enclosed fully finished interior trailer with dual AC, awning, and fully wired for generator power. The mobile clinic will be fully equipped with the grant funds. The equipment will allow for both preventative and urgent care delivery. Additionally, the grant will fund a second Community Paramedic for 2 years. This allows us to expand our services to the citizens of Clay County. Our Community Paramedics ease the burden on our EMS by allowing them to preemptively visit shut ins and at risk populations. This decreases EMS calls and minimizes transports freeing up staff to meet more urgent needs. If you recall, our Community Paramedic program spearheaded the first of its kind Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Clinic. This mobile unit will allow for similar activities in the future while freeing up our brick and mortar space. Other activities for which this could be used include: on site school sports physicals, community health events, vaccine clinics and mobile command facilities for disaster relief. Clay County continues to set the standard in Western North Carolina. The Clay County Board of Commissioners is thankful for the grant opportunity and all those who worked on this project. We remain steadfast in our commitment to success through a forward thinking vision and strategy to delivery state of the art facilities and service.

You start your day with a cup of coffee and biscuit and hear the cry for help from a family member in a nearby room in your house, “Who are you going to call for help?" You are awakened by the smell of smoke in your house in the middle of the night, “Who are you going to call for help?" You are driving down a street and you witness a fight break out on a nearby sidewalk, “Who are you going call for help?" The answer is 9-1-1! When you call 9-1-1, you have called the voice of the very "First” First Responder on any emergency call. The calm voice, a voice to give you instructions on what to do with any type of emergency whether it be a request for the Sheriff's Office, Fire Department or EMS. As we celebrate the accomplishments of these heroes on the other end of the phone, the question remains, “What would we do without a 911 Telecommunicator?" The second week of April is recognized each year as “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week”, bringing well deserved attention and recognition to the public safety dispatchers who are an invaluable, vital part of the public safety team. These very unique and skilled people, are the people behind the scenes that assure rapid response by law enforcement, fire, rescue and medical personnel in all emergencies and are very often overlooked for the critical role that they play in coordinating first response and lifesaving efforts. 911 Telecommunicators work around the clock, and immediately jump into action to help whenever they are called upon. Clay County implemented 9-1-1 service in the early 1990's along with several other surrounding counties. Today Clay County is currently using an Enhanced 9-1-1 system that provides 9-1-1 Telecommunicators the phone number of the call and the location the call is coming from on a map. The 9-1-1 Center uses an IP based 9-1-1 phone system and multi-channel radio system. Clay County 9-1-1 is proud to have full-time and part-time telecommunicators on duty twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week to meet the needs of the citizens and visitors passing through our communities. The establishment of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week by the United States Congress in 1994 paved the way to recognize the vital link emergency telecommunicators serve between the public and emergency responders. A Congressional procedure set National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week during the second week of April each year to honor all 911 Telecommunicators nationwide. It is an honor to spend this week showing Clay Counties' “First” First Responders how much we value all they do to keep our community safe. Kevin Sellers 911 Director Clay County 911 Communications Hayesville, NC