2024 A Look Back: Public engagement award
Bryson City residents proved that public input can have a tremendous effect on local government. File photo
You might think people don’t care about local government, but sometimes you’re reminded that they absolutely do.
Bryson City’s town government was served a stark reminder of that concept this year when the town proposed significantly raising the water rates.
The ensuing town board meeting was a hoot.
The furor began last August when residents and business owners noticed their water bills had sharply increased — in some cases by over 300%. For some businesses like restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and hotels that use a lot of water and can operate on tight margins, such an increase can create a serious hardship.
Several business owners and residents turned out at a meeting on Aug. 27 that offered a chance not only to vent frustrations but also to get some answers from elected officials and town staff. The meeting became contentious to the point that Mayor Tom Sutton shut it down after about two and a half hours.
The meeting began with Sutton explaining the situation.
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“You’re probably wondering how this got started,” he said. “We’re in the midst of inflation just like everybody else in this country.”
But the crowd wasn’t having it and grew more restless — and more vocal over the course of the meeting. One of the biggest issues with the outrage over the new water rates is the lack of communication between the town and the water system’s customers.
“We’re working on our communication,” Sutton said. “No one’s going to tell you’ve we’ve done as good as we could in communication.”
Sutton noted that the town was developing a new website that will improve communication and that it’s also trying to bolster its social media presence. He also encouraged residents to get on the town’s sunshine list, which enables them to receive emails noticing upcoming meetings, including budget workshops and the like.
The speaker who drew perhaps the loudest applause and the most attention once he left the podium was Paul Valone, a conservative author and activist who is especially prominent in the statewide pro-Second Amendment movement. He currently heads up the group Grass Roots North Carolina. Valone told the board that he has plenty of experience lobbying at the local and state level for and against certain ordinances and legislation, which can make him an effective thorn in the side of the town board.
“The easiest way I can see to alleviate this problem would be to create a political action committee to start … raising money and removing members of the town government,” Valone said. “I really don’t want to do that, but if need be, I’m going to start organizing the citizens of this town in a way I do not think you will find pleasant.”
Valone also added that he is no stranger to litigation, should things go that way.
Ultimately, in September, the town — heeding the voice of the masses — adopted a water rate reduction.
