Merger prospect talk of the town
While Dillsboro leaders claim the idea of merging Sylva is in its mere infancy, opinions on the issue are already swirling in the small town.
Several Dillsboro residents interviewed around town last week said they are opposed to the merger. A top concern is higher property taxes.
“I’d like to see the autonomy of Dillsboro remain,” said resident Robert Stevens. “Right now we determine our own taxes.”
Stevens doesn’t think Dillsboro wouldn’t benefit from a merger. One of the only tangible services is patrol by the Sylva police department. But Stevens said the town is already well-served by the county sheriff’s office, which can get to Dillsboro just as fast as the police department, said Stevens.
And Jill Cooper, owner of Haircuts By Jill in Dillsboro, also opposes the merger.
“I think I like Dillsboro the way it is because it has its own identity and uniqueness,” Cooper said. Cooper moved here from Eastern North Carolina, where she said people all over know about Dillsboro.
While Cooper has lived in Dillsboro only three years, she monitors the pulse of the town through her customers. Many of them are older residents opposed to the town being absorbed by Sylva.
Some interviewed around town though are indifferent to Dillsboro becoming a part of Sylva.
Sylva resident Ted Kay said it doesn’t matter to him either.
“It wouldn’t make any difference to me,” he said.
He said he supports whatever it takes to help Dillsboro survive, adding that Dillsboro probably has trouble generating enough revenue on its own.
However, Kay said it would probably be a burden for Sylva if Dillsboro became part of the city.
It may be a good idea if Dillsboro dissolved as a town and became part of the county, said Dillsboro resident John Clark. Clark said as a resident he isn’t getting anything in return for his taxes anyway, including no garbage pickup or police service, and it would drop the taxes if Dillsboro was part of the county.
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Commissioners take a more aggressive stance in Dillsboro dam fight
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Duke convinces Dillsboro to ‘retract’ letter
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
Dillsboro Mayor Jean Hartbarger has retracted a letter that could have led to a legal squabble with Duke Power.
Hartbarger had signed a letter requesting that the N.C. Division of Water Quality hold a public hearing prior to re-issuing Duke Power water quality certifications for its dams on the Tuckasegee River. After Duke officials claimed that authoring the letter violated the rules of the original stakeholder agreement the town signed as part of the re-licensing process, Hartbarger asked for the letter back from the state.
Reclaiming a piece of history: Dillsboro leaders work toward making renovations to the historic Monteith farmstead, building a new park and community theater
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
Shoes stained with red clay mud and covered with sweat and bits of hay from a morning spent cleaning out the shed on the back of the Monteith property, Sam Hale leads a one person tour through the farmstead’s nearly century-old house pointing out artifacts along the way.
Green power: no longer a pipe dream
By Michael Beadle
At first it sounds too good to be true.
Imagine being able to pipe methane gas from a landfill to heat greenhouses, run a biodiesel refinery, and power blacksmithing forges and art studios for glassblowers and potters.
Railroad right of way claim could stall business expansion
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
A Dillsboro business owner’s recent attempt to purchase and develop land near the Great Smoky Mountains Railrod tracks has renewed a longstanding debate over railroad right-of-way issues and property owners’ rights.
Some question attempt to help only one business
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Dillsboro misses out on lion’s share of flood relief
It appears Dillsboro is getting the short end of the stick in state grant money intended to revitalize business districts that flooded during the hurricanes of 2004 that swept across Western North Carolina.