Robbinsville – Graham County is exploring its options in the dispute of Brookfield Renewable Partners.
At Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, county manager Becky Garland discussed the latest steps taken in preparation. Garland joined attorneys J.K. Coward and Charles Meeker in correspondence with Sansoucy and Associates about the appeal, which was filed after the two sides could not come to terms on the recent figure of Brookfield’s Graham County assets. In conversing with Sansoucy and Associates, the firm presented a price tag of between $100,000-$150,000, to provide guidance and support with the Property Tax Commission through the appeal process.
But Garland pointed out the benefit of the consolation, as Graham County stands to lose around $500,000 a year in property-tax collection if Brookfield wins the appeal, or about five cents of the millage rate.
The Board of Commissioners approved the deal with Sansoucy and Associates, which will be paid out of the county’s revaluation funds.
Brookfield owns 141.8 shorelines miles across four hydroelectric developments through its 2013 initiative, the Smoky Mountain Project: Santeetlah, Cheoah, Calderwood and Chilhowee.
Brookfield’s appeal to the Graham County Board of Equalization and Review began April 28, but during a planned third meeting – a teleconference, in which none of the Toronto-based company’s representatives were present – Meeker explained that Brookfield had not provided documentation to prove why it felt the assessed value of its Graham County assets should only be $140 million. Graham County’s assessors had originally figured a value of $211 million. After the third meeting yielded no response, the Board of Equalization and Review voted to keep the assessment as is. Shortly after, Brookfield filed its appeal.
Later in the meeting, Garland made note of several key items during her financial and manager’s reports, including:
* The Graham County Department of Social Services was awarded $22,000 – divided between $10,000 from the CARES Act and $12,000 from Dogwood Health Trust – to assist with telecommuting costs. Surface Pros with docking stations have also been ordered, to allow DSS staff to better work remotely and out in the field.
* The Graham County Health Department received another $29,000 from the CARES Act, to continue the fight against the coronavirus. The money could be used to order jackets, scrubs, laptops and tablets for testing sites, personal protection equipment and a carport, which can see future use for flu shots and immunocompromised patients.
* As of Sept. 30, Graham County’s revenue stream for the 2020-21 fiscal year totaled $1,171,674.91, but expenses were $1,311,785.15 – a deficit of $204,236.75. The county had $8,152,411.61 in its general fund on Sept. 30 and is showing an overall surplus of $395,912.51. “We’re still ahead of where we were this time last year, so I’m very thankful for that,” Garland added.
* The board approved the creation of a School Building Fund, using $115,000 from 524 Sales Tax money collected between 2019-20. The idea was motivated by the desire to keep school construction funding better separated from the new courthouse’s funding.
* A contract for a new walking floor trailer for the sanitation department was awarded to CRTS, Inc. in Statesville, which will come at a cost of $74,518. The new sanitation truck ordered by the county has been delayed and will not arrive until at least March.
Also at the meeting:
* Senior Vice President of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Bob Deacy, paid a visit to update the board on changes made thus far at Fontana Village Resort and Marina. The TVA seized control during the COVID-19 shutdown, when the previous lessee’s turned the lease back over to TVA control. Since then, the TVA has found a temporary lessee – Baker’s Construction Services, LLC – and the resort resumed some operations in mid-August, with around 70 employees. Deacy announced that the Mountview Bistro Restaurant at the resort was undergoing a remodel, the resort will be at 97 percent capacity this weekend and added that the resort plans to be fully reopen by March 15, 2021.