Macon County Commissioners Budget Kickoff Meeting February 4, 2021

The Macon County Board of Education will be starting the annual budget process for the county today at noon. A copy of the public agenda is included in the interest of promoting transparency of the local government and local media outlets.

The video will be streamed live online via the video player that has been embedded below.

DAY SPONSOR

Macon Media is being underwritten today by Franklin Health and Fitness, home of #ResultsForEveryone. Try FHF with a FREE 3-Day Guest Pass! To claim your pass, and to learn more about Franklin Health and Fitness, visit franklinhealthandfitness.com.

Full Video

(segments from the meeting will be posted later in their own articles)




ROLL CALL
(a record of the presence of elected critters not serving on this board and media outlets at the meeting)

Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland

Macon Media (Bobby)
The Franklin Press (Jake)
Macon County News and Shopping Guide/Highlands Paper/The Southern Scoop (Brittney)

PUBLIC AGENDA

Location: Commissioners Boardroom
Date: February 4, 2021
Time: 12:00 pm.

I. Call To Order

II. COVID-19 Mitigation Effort update

a) County Manager Derek Roland, Macon County Public Health Director Kathy McGaha, Emergency Management Director Warren Cabe, Sheriff Robert Holland.

III. Broadband Expansion in Macon County

a) Economic Development Director Tommy Jenkins, will provide an update on the following on-going broadband expansion projects in Macon County.
i) South Macon
ii) West Macon
iii) Nantahala Community

IV. Financial Review

a) Mid Year Financial Review- Lori Carpenter, Finance Director
b) FY21’Budget Revisions and FY 22’ Budget Outlook – Derek Roland, County Manager

V. FY 22’ Operating Budget

a) Macon County Schools FY 21’ Budget update and preliminary budget outlook for FY 22’ – Chris Baldwin, Superintendent, Macon County Schools
b) FY 22’ goals and expectations- Macon County Board of Commissioners
c) Distribution of FY 22’ proposed budget calendar- Derek Roland, County Manager

VI. Other Business as Necessary

VII. Adjourn

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Published at 10:46am on Thursday, February 4, 2021 Edited at 2:07am on February 5, 2021, to add the full Youtube version of the video.

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Weather Briefing for Thursday, February 4, 2021

OUTLOOK

This is an abbreviated news and weather briefing.

Drier and somewhat warmer weather is expected today and Thursday. Increased moisture and upper support will drive additional clouds and a chance for rainfall ahead of a cold front on Friday. Dry and near-normal temperatures expected Saturday, while discrepancy in model guidance introduces a tricky forecast heading into the second half of the weekend and beyond.

DAY SPONSOR

Macon Media is being underwritten today by Franklin Health and Fitness, home of #ResultsForEveryone. Try FHF with a FREE 3-Day Guest Pass! To claim your pass, and to learn more about Franklin Health and Fitness, visit franklinhealthandfitness.com.

News Highlights



• The Macon County Board of Education will be having a meeting this morning at 8:30am to discuss the feasibility of opening up the schools.

• The Macon County Board of Commissioners will be meeting at noon to begin the budget process for the coming fiscal year that starts on July 1st.

• Macon County Reports Additional Death Related to COVID-19 [LINK]

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden pay respects to fallen Capitol Police officer



Memorial Service for Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick At Capitol



• New COVID-19 ACA Special Enrollment Period: Feb. 15th – May 15th [LINK]

• The Franklin Town Council met Monday at 6pm. [LINK]



---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



Weather Sponsor



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we’ll help you with your next project.


--- END SPONSOR SEGMENT---


General forecast through Saturday Night


Franklin area

Today

Increasing clouds, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to mcome out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Rain, mainly after midnight. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the south 3 to 6 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday

Rain likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs upper 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low in the mid-20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 50.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 30.

Highlands area

Today

Increasing clouds, with highs near 40. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Snow and sleet likely before 2am, then rain likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain between 2am and 3am, then rain after 3am. Low around 30. WInds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday

Rain and snow likely before noon, then a slight chance of rain between noon and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with highs near 40. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 20s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 40.

Saturday Night

A chance of snow showers between midnight and 3am. Partly cloudy, with low in the mid-to-upper 20s. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Otto area

Today

Increasing clouds, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Rain, mainly after 1am. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday

Rain likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with highs in the upper 40s. Light winds out of the northwest increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph by midmorning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mmid-20s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with highs near 50.

Saturday Night

A chance of rain and snow showers before 2am, then a chance of snow showers. Partly cloudy, with lows around 30. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Nantahala area

Today

Increasing clouds, with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. Light and variable winds.

Tonight

Rain, mainly after 1am. Lows in the mid-30s. WINds out of the southeast around 5 mph shifting to come out of the southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday

Rain likely, mainly before 7am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with highs in the lower 40s. Winds out of the northwest 3 to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-20s. Winds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm by midnight.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-40s.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 30.



HAZARDS

Hazardous weather is generally not expected today. Winds will be gusty, with higher winds likely in the higher elevations.





COVID-19 BRIEFING

TWiV 715: Fauci ouchy



TWiV explains why hydroxychloroquine failed in humans despite showing antiviral effects in cells, and reviews the published data on the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine.

Show notes and audio download [LINK]

COVID-19 Q and A with A and V Livestream {03-03-2021)



Virologists Amy Rosenfeld and Vincent Racaniello answer your COVID-19 questions on this livestream.

• Countering the misinformation driving vaccine hesitation [LINK]

See the Biden Administration COVID-19 Plan [LINK]



COVID-19 in Macon County

Vaccine Appointments Being Rescheduled Due to Limited Supply

Due to inadequate supply of COVID-19 vaccine from NC DHHS, Macon County Public Health must reschedule first dose appointments. Those who have already scheduled appointments for their first dose of vaccine have been moved to the front of Macon County Public Health's COVID-19 Vaccine Wait List. Macon County Public Health will contact those on the waitlist as vaccine becomes available to reschedule your appointment. There are approximately 3,000 individuals on the Macon County Vaccine Wait List.

Macon County will be receiving 300 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state each week for the next three weeks. This number is based on population size in Macon County. We appreciate your patience in this unprecedented time. For questions, you can call 828-524-1500, Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Regardless of which group you fall under, you can register for the COVID-19 Vaccine Wait List at https://gis2.maconnc.org/VAX/VAX.html. When the group you fall under is eligible for vaccination, a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center will contact you to schedule your appointment.

NCDHHS updates its website to reflect the current group eligible for vaccine. You can view the site at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations. Macon County Public Health will update its social media pages to alert the public when the state and county advance to the next group of vaccination. At this time, Macon County Public Health and NCDHHS are not scheduling individuals for vaccination in groups other than Groups 1 and 2.

At the January 25th school board meeting, Superintendent Dr Baldwin informed board members that 158 students and 22 staff out of school due to either being tested positive for COVID-19, or having to be isolated due to possible exposure.

NEW POSITIVE COVID-19 PUBLIC SCHOOL CASES (Feb 2nd)

Franklin High School-6
Iotla Valley Elementary-1
Macon Middle School-1
Mountain View Internediate-1


Here are the latest COVID-19 Numbers and Demographics Report from Macon Public Health, along with a couple of charts by Macon Media to show you the long-term trends since April 17th. The health department has started releasing information about vaccine delivery, so those numbers will be included here also, as well as charted.

VACCINE DELIVERY
(The health department received its first shipment on December 30th)
Vaccines Given Wednesday 132, Tuesday 0, Tuesday 0
Current Inventory Wednesday 270, Tuesday 400, Tuesday 0
Total Vaccines Given Wednesday 2647, Tuesday 2515, Tuesday 2515
(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published)

Cases


2754 Detected
(+17 from Tuesday and +141 from last Wednesday and +891 from four weeks ago)

517 Active
(-8 from Tuesday and -10 last Wednesday and -12 from four weeks ago)

2218 Recovered
(+25 from Tuesday and +150 last Wednesday and +896 from four weeks ago)

19 Deaths
(unchanged from Tuesday and +1 from last Wednesday and +7 from four weeks ago)

Testing


8847 by MCPH
+34 from Tuesday and +254 from last Wednesday and +933 from four weeks ago)

7225 by Others
(+33 from Tuesday and +282 from last Wednesday and +1716 from four weeks ago)

16072 total
(+67 from Tuesday and +536 from last Wednesday and +2649 from four weeks ago)

115 tests pending results
(-130 from Tuesday and -123 from last Wednesday and +18 from four weeks ago)

CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES


If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.



Become a Patron!


Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia


Published at 4:05am on Thursday, February 4, 2021

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Weather Briefing for Wednesday, February 3, 2021

OUTLOOK

This is an abbreviated news and weather briefing.

Drier and somewhat warmer weather is expected today and Thursday. Increased moisture and upper support will drive additional clouds and a chance for rainfall ahead of a cold front on Friday. Dry and near-normal temperatures expected Saturday, while discrepancy in model guidance introduces a tricky forecast heading into the second half of the weekend and beyond.

News Highlights



• Nantahala Schhol will be having a Virtual Day today (Wednesday, Feb 3rd) due to weather concerns.
• Macon County Reports Additional Death Related to COVID-19 [LINK]

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden pay respects to fallen Capitol Police officer



Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Lies In Honor At Capitol



• New COVID-19 ACA Special Enrollment Period: Feb. 15th – May 15th [LINK]

• The Franklin Town Council met Monday at 6pm. [LINK]



---BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT---



Weather Sponsor



Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we’ll help you with your next project.


--- END SPONSOR SEGMENT---


General forecast through Friday Night


Franklin area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the mid-40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 01. Calm winds.

Thursday

Partly sunny, with highs in the lower 50s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night

Rain, mainly after 11pm. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the south 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday

Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Partly sunny, with highs in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 20s.

Highlands area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the upper 30s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-20s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 208 mph.

Thursday

Increasing clouds, with highs in the lower 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night

Freezing rain likely before midnight, then rain or freezing rain between midnight and 3am, then rain after 3am. Lows around freezing. WInds out of the south 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday

Rain, mainly before 10am. Highs near 40. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 201.

Otto area

Today

Sunny, with highs in the mid-40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the lower 20s. WInds out of the northwest around 5 mph becoming calm before midnight.

Thursday

Increasing clouds, with highs near 50. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night

Rain, mainly after 11pm. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday

Rain, mainly before 10am. Highs in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-20s.

Nantahala area

Today

Sunny, with highs near 40. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 201. Light and variable winds.

Thursday

Increasing clouds, with highs in the upper 40s. Light and variable winds.

Thursday Night

Rain, mainly after 11pm. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday

Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the lower 40s. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the mid-20s.



HAZARDS

Wind Advisory
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
347 AM EST Wed Feb 3 2021

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THIS MORNING...

* WHAT...Northwest winds 10 to 25 mph with gusts of 35 to 45 mph.

* WHERE...The South Carolina mountains, Rabun County Georgia, Haywood, Southern Jackson, Madison, Macon and Transylvania Counties in North Carolina.

* WHEN...Until 7 AM EST this morning.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.





COVID-19 BRIEFING

Episode #41 Osterholm Update COVID-19: Surrender is Not an Option (January 20, 2021 update)



In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the issue of opening schools, updates on variants of concern, and more news on vaccines and their distribution.

Email us your questions: [OsterholmUpdate@umn.edu]

• Governor Cooper extended the Modified Stay at Home Order last week, including the evictions moratorium and to-go and delivery sales for mixed beverages. These Orders are intended to help struggling families and businesses during the pandemic. [LINK]

See the Biden Administration COVID-19 Plan [LINK]



COVID-19 in Macon County

Vaccine Appointments Being Rescheduled Due to Limited Supply

Due to inadequate supply of COVID-19 vaccine from NC DHHS, Macon County Public Health must reschedule first dose appointments. Those who have already scheduled appointments for their first dose of vaccine have been moved to the front of Macon County Public Health's COVID-19 Vaccine Wait List. Macon County Public Health will contact those on the waitlist as vaccine becomes available to reschedule your appointment. There are approximately 3,000 individuals on the Macon County Vaccine Wait List.

Macon County will be receiving 300 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state each week for the next three weeks. This number is based on population size in Macon County. We appreciate your patience in this unprecedented time. For questions, you can call 828-524-1500, Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Regardless of which group you fall under, you can register for the COVID-19 Vaccine Wait List at https://gis2.maconnc.org/VAX/VAX.html. When the group you fall under is eligible for vaccination, a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center will contact you to schedule your appointment.

NCDHHS updates its website to reflect the current group eligible for vaccine. You can view the site at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations. Macon County Public Health will update its social media pages to alert the public when the state and county advance to the next group of vaccination. At this time, Macon County Public Health and NCDHHS are not scheduling individuals for vaccination in groups other than Groups 1 and 2.

At the January 25th school board meeting, Superintendent Dr Baldwin informed board members that 158 students and 22 staff out of school due to either being tested positive for COVID-19, or having to be isolated due to possible exposure.

NEW POSITIVE COVID-19 PUBLIC SCHOOL CASES (Feb 2nd)

Franklin High School-5
Highlands School-11


Here are the latest COVID-19 Numbers and Demographics Report from Macon Public Health, along with a couple of charts by Macon Media to show you the long-term trends since April 17th. The health department has started releasing information about vaccine delivery, so those numbers will be included here also, as well as charted.


VACCINE DELIVERY
(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published, or offsite vaccine clinics that may not be reported until the day after)

Vaccines Given Tuesday 0, Tuesday 0
Current Inventory Tuesday 400, Tuesday 0
Total Vaccines Given Tuesday 2515, Tuesday 2515
(note--these numbers are on the day reported, not necessarily given since some shots may be given after the daily report is published)

Last Week

Category	Mon 01-25	Tue 01-26	Wed 01-27	Thu 01-28	Fri 01-29	Average
Vaccines Given	100	95	92	90	60	87.4
Current Inventory	120	230	140	50	0	108
Total Vaccines Given	2178	2273	2365	2455	2515	Not Applicable

COVD-19 Known Cases and Testing

Cases

2737 Detected
(+18 from Monday and +160 from last Tuesday and +917 from four weeks ago)

525 Active
(-3 from Monday and +6 last Tuesday and -1 from four weeks ago)

2193 Recovered
(+205 from Monday and +1531 last Tuesday and +911 from four weeks ago)

19 Deaths
(+1 from Monday and +1 from last Tuesday and +7 from four weeks ago)

Testing

8813 by MCPH
+33 from Monday and +243 from last Tuesday and +899 from four weeks ago)

7192 by Others
(+17 from Monday and +300 from last Tuesday and +2014 from four weeks ago)

16005 total
(+50 from Monday and +543 from last Tuesday and +2913 from four weeks ago)

245 tests pending results
(+unchanged from Monday and -414 from last Tuesday and +118 from four weeks ago)

CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES


If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.



Become a Patron!


Or, if you prefer Pay Pal, try PayPal.me/MaconMedia


Published at 5:15am on Wednesday, February 3, 2021

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