Controversy has swirled for weeks about the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners going against staff recommendation to give the county's bank business to United Community Bank instead of SunTrust.
At the core of the uproar: United Community Bank will charge between $30,000 and $50,000 a year for banking services that SunTrust offered at no charge in its proposal.
The County Commission may move to defuse some of the heat Thursday night, when it may announce that United Community Bank -- which is still negotiating its contract -- has offered to waive the fees.
In a letter dated May 16 to Commission Chairman Brian Tam, Forsyth United Community Bank President Tim Heard wrote that the bank, at Tam’s request, is “pleased to waive all service charges related to Forsyth County’s bank deposit relationship.”
Commissioner Todd Levent said he expected the announcement Thursday night, though it could be delayed.
The move may not silence all the criticism that followed the commission's 2-1 vote -- with Tam and Commissioner Patrick Bell in favor; Commissioner Jim Boff opposed -- to give the business to United Community. Levent and Commissioner Pete Amos were absent.
Amos said this week that he and other commissioners have heard from probably 50 residents, about half in favor of the deal, about half against it. Most who opposed the deal were angry about the fees. Those in favor said they preferred that a local bank get the business.
A smaller but loud contingent of opponents has made issue of the ties between United Community, which is based in Blairsville, and local zoning attorney William Emory Lipscomb III. Lipscomb, who has business before the commission at nearly every public session, is an advisory director for the bank.
In 1978 Lipscomb pleaded nolo contendere to federal charges of “receiving directly or indirectly benefits from certain loans from the Federal Land Bank and Farm Credit Administration.” He was sentenced to three years' probation.
Local activist David Milum -- who has written often and virulently about the Lipscomb bank connection on his blog -- said the county should have gone with the staff recommendation and SunTrust.
“If I had a choice of banks and both of them can dish up equal amounts of service and equal amounts of financial backing, I believe I would choose the bank that didn’t have a convicted felon sitting on the bank board,” Milum said. “Especially considering that the particular bank director was sentenced for federal land bank fraud.”
Lipscomb, who is not on the bank board, declined to comment Wednesday.
Levent and Amos both said they have no problem with Lipscomb being on the advisory board.
Boff, who has been the sole opposition in two commission votes, said he is concerned that Lipscomb’s ties to the county and the commission are too close.
Boff said Lipscomb is the lawyer for the county's development authority, serves on the bank's advisory board and also represents "the overwhelming majority" of people seeking zoning changes from the county.
“At a minimum," he said, "that’s just too much influence or power or connection to not be of concern.”
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