Swain County Manager Tommy Dills at a Sept. 1 commission meeting proposed the county purchase 67 Lakeview Drive, colloquially known as the airport property, for nearly $3 million. No tax increase would be necessary, he said, to finance the transaction. Commissioners appeared unanimously onboard with Dills’ recommendation.
But the chosen route of payment — an installment contract from North Shore settlement fund interest — appears less sound given the fund’s consistently waning spending power and the prior finance officer’s failure to secure a surety bond, both of which could indicate debt servicing that risks the county’s long-term financial stability.
Explaining that “no other property currently available in Swain…