Town of Lake Santeetlah Finance Officer Tina Emerson
Lake Santeetlah – It’s only an issue in one of Graham County’s three incorporated areas, but it’s a biggie for residents of Lake Santeetlah: zoning ordinances.
In fact, the town is the only one in the county with zoning. Neither Fontana Dam nor Robbinsville have it on the books. Zoning exists for the lakefront community as a way to curb anyone who wants to build a home that might rise high enough to block scenic views of the lake and mountains.
The ordinance lay as a dormant part of Lake Santeetlah’s bylaws until 2020, when a developer wishing to construct 10 condominiums on the location of the former Thunderbird Resort requested a variance of 14 feet, 9 inches (standard height for the town caps at 30 feet). Amid heavy debate, the council granted the variance to TSW Architecture for what was dubbed “Lakeside Lodge Condominiums at Lake Santeetlah.”
The fulfillment of the request did not get the developer too much into the actual construction process, however. The project was conceived in 2001 but has yet to bear any fruit.
Last year, the very mention of removing zoning from the town drew another firestorm of controversy, with vocal residents ultimately prevailing against finance officer Tina Emerson’s accurate observation that Lake Santeetlah could not afford a proper zoning administrator, which she estimated would cost $72,000 a year.
With 2023-24 budget planning already underway, resident Kevin Haag resurrected the topic at the town’s April 13 meeting. It was like the discussion had never stopped.
“We’d have to probably increase the budget $50,000-$60,000 to have someone in full-time code enforcement and I don’t think we can afford that,” Mayor Connie Gross told Haag. “I don’t think it’s necessary; I think we should be able to work together to put together some zoning documents that are enforceable and easier to follow.”
Gross referenced the 2022 hearing, while council member Diana Simon chimed in and noted that the person who handles zoning on a part-time basis for the town – Brandon Emory, who was hired in March 2022 – listed code enforcement on his resume when applying for the role.
“But he’s not doing code enforcement. He can’t possibly do code enforcement; he wasn’t hired to do code enforcement,” Gross said. “Brian Farley (the town’s previous zoning administrator) was told not to do code enforcement.
“We are doing exactly the same as what was being done previously.”
Haag questioned why code enforcement can’t be handled on a case-to-case basis, as well as Gross’ estimate of the full-time salary it would take. Gross said she had seen similar numbers on employment websites like Indeed.
“That’s a large city, though,” Haag said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Gross replied. “They get that money because they’re educated to do the job.”
Gross and Haag continued to exchange questions and answers about the topic, with Haag posing an idea to include code enforcement in Emory’s job description. Gross said when his contract came up for renewal, it could be considered.
“Then why do we have zoning in the first place?” Haag asked.
“That’s a good question. Can we have that put on the record?” Gross said.
“So you’re on record saying you’re against code enforcement?” Haag replied.
“I’m against having to spend the money to have a code enforcement person,” Gross answered.
Haag then turned his attention to Emerson, asking that she request a bid from Emory for his services involving code enforcement.
“It seems ludicrous that a community like this is going to run around with codes that aren’t enforced,” Haag said.
Emerson said her main concern was structures that are “grandfathered” into current ordinances, meaning they were built before zoning was drafted by the town and anything existing would not be found in violation – but any additions or changes to a grandfathered structure would be open to the guidelines.
“When I proposed to put $50,000 in the budget last year for this, there were 97 people that showed up and said they want zoning, but they don’t want to pay for it,” Emerson said.
The discussion came on the heels of Gross welcoming public input on the budget process, so the topic could be brought up again before numbers are finalized.
Other news and notes
* The much-discussed need for a fifth planning-board member went unresolved at the meeting, as well. Three candidates – Jack Gross, Ralph Strunk and Alan Davidson – were each presented for a vote. Gross fell victim to a 2-2 tie; Strunk never received a motion; and Davidson was dropped for the lack of a second to a motion for his appointment.
The idea will be revisited at the next meeting, which has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 4. The Graham Star hopes to livestream the proceedings on its Facebook page.
* Council member Ralph Mitchell was expected back in Lake Santeetlah any day, after a five-month sabbatical taken when Mitchell contracted COVID during a visit with relatives in Ohio over the holiday season.
Believed to be the oldest-serving, current council member in North Carolina, the 93-year-old Mitchell has been the center of much discussion lately among council members since he submitted a request for a medical leave of absence in January. The council could not come to a majority agreement about the request, so Mitchell withdrew the idea last month.
* Town maintenance operator Scott Kamps provided a quote on some much-needed replacements: water-meter readers. Only compatibility with the town’s new billing system (Edmunds) stands in the way of the upgrade, which Kamps had a quote for: $13,537.50. The council voted unanimously to approve the purchase.