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Reaching those places was the subject of a county finance conversation between commissioners and citizens at the Thursday, August 2 commissioners meeting at Town Hall. Two epicenters of financial loss were pinpointed at the meeting: out-of-state tags on vehicles belonging to Clay County residents and prices and service problems at the local dump.
"There are more out-of-state tags in the county than there are NC tags," Sheriff Joe Shook stated. Shook said that he has become aware of the situation as he and fellow officerscount seat belts for school once a week. "If people want to live here... there is a price you've got to pay in these beautiful mountains."
Shook continued, saying that the taxes on his truck recently amounted to $114. "If we could tax [those with out-of-state tags] that would mean a lot of money." He recommended confronting the issue head-on.
Commissioner Hub Cheeks pointed out that he believed the make-up of the county to be 50 percent residents and 50 percent non.
Arguing that he had seen local business owners with outof state tags on their vehicles, Shook said that newcomers from Georgia must purchase a N.C. license within 30 days once they take up residency. He said that tags on cars are considered valid until they expire.
"I think [things would change] if people stopped and thought 'We really live here but we're not helping the community here with our tax money.'"
Local builder Tighe White suggested that the reason many were reluctant to change their tags was due to higher taxes in the state.
Mindful of possible solutions, Cheeks said that the legislature could pursue one option in Clay County. Using a voter referendum, citizens could vote to instate a land transfer tax of .04 or a quarter of a percent sales tax.
"A land transfer tax would give us $900,000 a year," he said, mentioning that as the commissioners got more information on it they would let the community know. "It could be a special election this November. The county has the option to do it. New cuts in Medicaid will happen in October and we need to start replacing funds ASAP."
At a $500,000 cost to Clay County, Commissioner Harry Jarrett said that the Medicaid package would be taking away a half cent on sales tax.
$65-70,000 gives a new meaning to being down in the dumps. Clay County's dump was in the red to that amount last year according to County Manager Paul Leek.
Cheeks commented that this year's rate increases will help business to run in the black. One man present at the meeting said that despite the higher fees, people come to the dump from Florida and Union and Towns counties on a regular basis. "We're getting [their] extra garbage," he said.
Cheeks inquired as to whether or not there was a method to police the usage of the dump. Leek replied that permits help for those who use the dump regularly, but that those who don't can pay by the pound. He recommended checking driver's licenses, but considered that the line to drop off refuse already stretched down Hinton Center Rd.
"All of us have seen out-ofstate tags up there, Georgia and Florida," he said. "I don't know what the answer is, I really don't."
White asked whether the dump was currently operating at a loss. Leek answered that he would provide figures at next month's meeting.
"I've taken trash to Georgia dumps and they operate at a profit so they don't care where we come from," White said.
Another attending the meeting proposed grounding construction materials taken to the dump into mulch.
"We have mulch we're trying to give away," said a commissioner. "We would like for that mulch to be used up."
Leek brought the issue to a close: "You can't grind construction material. It's against state law in NC. You can only grind up stumps, land debris, etc."
To comment on this article, e-mail Harrison at hkeely@ gmail.com.
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