by Leah Justice
leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com
The Polk County Board of Commissioners called a special meeting Thursday, Jan. 8 at noon in order to meet with the N.C. Local Government Commission (LGC) for direction on a proposed contract with Inman-Campbello Water District (ICWD).

Commissioners met Monday, Jan. 5 and discussed representation of the board for the Raleigh meeting.

Commissioner chair Tom Pack said if more than two commissioners attend the meeting, the board will have to call a special meeting. Commissioner Michael Gage recommended that chair Pack and vice chair Keith Holbert be the ones to represent the county.

Commissioner Ray Gasperson said he doesn’t think any commissioner can be excluded from the meeting and he has a very strong interest in attending as “there needs to be as much transparency as we can have here.”

County attorney Jana Berg said with more than two commissioners, a special meeting must be called and said she agreed with Gasperson, that short of an injunction, the board cannot prohibit anyone from going.

Berg said she indicated to the LGC that she would give them an official headcount, with commissioners Pack, Holbert, Gage and Gasperson saying they are planning on attending. The county has also asked some staff to attend, including the county manager, clerk and finance director as well as representatives from ICWD.

Because of a special meeting being called, the public is also welcome to attend but Berg said if the county anticipates an audience the LGC needs to be notified so accommodations can be made.

The meeting has been called for the LGC to inform Polk County what it will approve in a contract with ICWD.

Polk County and ICWD began working on a contract in September to join water resources but the process was slowed after the county discovered the contract would have to be approved by the LGC and the current draft did not meet guidelines.

Because of the nature of the proposed contract and the county being potentially indebted to ICWD if anyone pulls out of the contract in the future, the LGC indicated it wouldn’t meet approval as written. The LGC regulates local governments’ finances and must give its approval prior to governments borrowing money for projects. The problem with the current draft contract is if Polk County ever terminates the contract, the county would owe ICWD for its infrastructure in Polk County, and exactly what would be owed cannot be quantified.

In the proposed contract, ICWD is agreeing to fund extending at least $100,000 per year of water lines within Polk County and to fund maintenance on the Turner Shoals Dam at Lake Adger, which Polk County owns.

The two entities also agree to share water resources, including Lake Adger and ICWD’s resources. A few drafts and changes have been made to the draft, with one worksession held and several public comments made against some of the clauses in the contract.

During commissioners’ latest discussions of the contract in November 2014, commissioners agreed to invite the towns to join in the contract with a joint meeting to be scheduled this year with any interested.

Commissioners have said public hearings will be held prior to approval of a contract.

The meeting with the LGC begins at noon, Thursday, Jan. 8 at 4505 Fair Meadow Lane, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27607.