►
Description
Briefing of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on August 1, 2023. The briefing is a chance for Commissioners to review agenda items before the meeting. No motions will take place during the briefing.
A
All
right,
then
we're
going
to
follow
the
agenda
as
it's
published.
Do
any
Commissioners
have
any
questions
about
any
items
on
the
agenda
for
the
regular
five
o'clock
meeting.
A
Okay,
great
so,
first
item
on
our
agenda
is
the
election
equipment
purchase
and
Karine
Duncan's
here
to
help
us
with
this
thanks
for
being
here.
B
All
right,
thank
you,
Commissioners,
for
giving
time
on
your
schedule
to
brief
you
on
the
election
system,
software
update,
so
the
the
short
of
it
is
that
we
have
requested
the
an
upgrade
of
our
high-speed
scanner
from
the
850
to
the
950,
and
that
requires
a
software
upgrade
and
the
State
Board
of
Elections
has
deemed
that
a
new
system,
and
so
that
requires
commissioner
approval.
So
that's
why
I'm
briefing
you
today.
B
This
is
not
a
major
change
from
what
we
do
now,
but
again,
because
the
State
Board
deemed
it
new
rather
than
just
an
upgrade.
Well,
we
do
need
the
the
approval
from
you,
so
it's
called
EVS
6300
and
it
enables
us
to
use
the
ds950,
which
is
the
equivalent
replacement
for
the
the
850s
that
we
currently
use,
and
those
are
machines
that
we
use
in
kind
of
in
the
background
we
use
them
to
process
absentee
by
mail
votes,
and
then
we
also
use
them
for
recounts.
B
If
we
need
to
do
that,
the
biggest
change
and
it's
a
very
positive
change-
is
a
switch
from
Windows
7
to
Windows
10..
So
that's
great,
and
then
there
are
some
more
minor
positive
things.
It's
more
streamlined
for
our
internal
reporting.
We
also
have
the
ability
to
scan
ballots
without
a
manual
pre-sort,
so
we
can
do
that
faster.
It
has
some
expanded
options
for
the
ds200,
which
is
the
tabulator
at
the
precincts,
as
well
as
the
express
vote,
and
it
has
bigger
fonts
on
the
results.
Tapes
for
poll
workers.
B
So
when
poll
workers
are
auditing
at
the
end
of
the
night,
it's
a
little
bit
easier
to
read
so
for
voters,
there's
not
a
lot.
There
are
the
more
options
on
the
express
vote
screen
which
could
be
faster
voting
depending
on
the
ballot
type,
because
you
could
display
more
than
one
contest
at
once,
or
if
the
ballot
was
really
small.
B
So
I
do
want
to
go
back
to
why
we
are
requesting
the
950
because
that's
driving
the
software
upgrade.
So
our
current
high-speed
scanners
for
the
past
two
years
have
needed
replacement,
so
they've
had
multiple
times
of
where
they've
failed
during
board
meetings
and
that
sort
of
thing,
and
so
the
equivalent
replacement,
is
the
950..
B
So
we
put
in
the
budget
for
to
replace
both
of
our
machines.
We
have
two
of
those
and
that
budget
appropriation
did
happen.
So
that's
great,
we
don't
that's
taken
care
of,
but
we
had
to
wait
to
purchase
these
machines
for
the
State
Board
of
Elections
to
certify
them.
B
So
that's
what
we
were
waiting
on
for
the
purchase
that
certification
happened
on
July
20th,
so
that
wasn't
that's
just
a
few
weeks
ago
and
that's
when
we
learned
that
the
software
upgrade
was
going
to
be
classified
as
a
new
voting
system,
and
so
what
we
have
done
so
far
is
the
the
board
of
elections
in
January
requested
that
we
request
from
the
Commissioners
to
purchase
the
two
950s.
B
So
you've
heard
that
before
and
then
in
June,
when
you
approve
the
budget
that
was
part
of
that
of
that
budget
allocation
and
then,
of
course,
the
State
Board
did
certify
the
equipment.
B
C
Good
afternoon,
commissioners
I
have
a
brief
presentation
this
afternoon
to
help
us
navigate
all
right
so,
as
requested
by
the
Board
of
Commissioners
Uncle
County
staff
have
taken
a
closer
look
at
our
Economic
Development
policy
just
want
to
propose
some
initial
thoughts
on
those
potential
changes
to
you
and
a
potential
schedule
for
doing
this
over
phases,
and
so
we'll
go
ahead
and
jump
into
the
content.
So
our
agenda
today,
quick
overview
and
I,
want
to
spend
some
time
talking
about
the
economic
development
policy
last
revised
in
2017.
C
We've
never
really
talked
about
it
publicly
since
in
terms
of
How,
It's,
structured,
the
goals
and
things
like
that
and
I
think
that
would
be
important
staff
prepared
a
number
of
options
for
how
the
policy
could
be
revised
and
so
I
want
to
walk
through
those
that
way,
commission
can
have
some
input
and
then
we'll
talk
through
next
steps,
so
overview
and
request.
Of
course,
this
is
the
briefing
so
no
request
of
you
today,
but
should
we
come
to
a
future
meeting?
C
We
would
have
a
request
of
commission
so
the
overview
the
economic
development
investment
policy
was
last
updated
in
2017..
C
At
that
time
there
were
a
number
of
substantive
changes
made
that
were
improvements,
one
change
that
was
not
made,
though
there
was
no
indexing
built
into
the
schedule
of
wages,
and
so
those
wages
have
basically
been
static.
Since
the
last
time
that
policy
was
updated
in
2017..
C
C
However,
it
goes
without
saying
in
recent
years,
we've
seen
a
lot
of
change
in
the
economy,
especially
locally,
and
so,
while
we've
seen
some
wages,
increase,
we've
also
seen
inflation
creep
into
those
gains
and
create
Rising
costs
of
living.
So
a
lot
of
challenges
in
our
community.
So
our
request
for
Commissioners
is
to
consider
the
recommended
changes.
C
We're
proposing
in
this
phase
one
to
the
economic
development
policy,
but
then
also
direct
staff
to
continue
the
work
in
a
subsequent
phase
to
get
a
little
bit
deeper
into
the
analysis,
and
we
can
talk
more
about
that.
What
that
would
include
so
by
way
of
overview.
Sorry
Economic
Development
policy
as
it
stands
today.
The
purpose
is
to
broaden
a
diversify
development
of
new
businesses
and
industries
in
Buncombe
County.
This
Authority
is
derived
from
a
specific
statute
which
I
list
there,
which
has
specific
requirements
to
increase
population
taxable
property
industry,
employment,
Etc.
C
One
thing,
that's
really
important
that
I
want
to
talk
through.
Just
for
a
moment
is
you
know
the
statute
is
built
on
this
concept
of
competition
or
necessity,
and
so
the
idea
that,
but
for
economic
development
incentives,
economic
expansion
would
not
occur,
and
so
that
could
take
the
form
of
a
new
business
that
comes
to
our
community
only
comes
but
for
the
economic
development
incentives.
C
More
importantly,
there's
some
ineligible,
Industries
and
those
are
listed
here
as
retail,
commercial
or
residential
projects.
So
you
know
you'll,
never
see
you
know
a
Walmart
project
come
from
us
to
y'all.
Just
like
you
wouldn't
see.
You
know
a
Housing
Development
where
we're
requesting
Economic
Development
incentives,
the
driver
of
our
policy
as
it
relates
to
the
statute
and
how
we
sort
of
stay
compliant
is
primarily
around
capital
investment.
C
And
so
that's
the
idea
that
there's
the
construction
of
a
facility
within
that
facility
there's
equipment,
all
of
which
is
taxable
that
taxable
equipment
and
facility
thus
allows
us
to
incentivize
businesses.
Additionally,
we
pay
close
attention
based
on
commission's
direction
to
the
jobs
that
are
created.
It's
not
just
about
the
taxable
income,
the
building,
it's
about
those
jobs
but,
most
importantly,
the
quality
of
those
jobs.
So
what
are
the
wages
that
are
paid
but
additionally,
and
which
was
indicated
in
the
2017
policy,
a
focus
on
what
we
call
Equitable
hiring?
C
So
that's
incentivizing
employers
to
make
the
right
decision
and
choose
hires
that
participate
in
programs
like
our
step
program
or
inclusive
hiring
partners
and
set
another
way.
You
know
these
are
historically
disadvantaged
marginalized
populations
that
we
want
to
make
sure
getting
the
same
opportunities
I'm
at
these
high
quality
jobs
that
we're
bringing
to
our
community.
C
So
that's
a
policy
as
it
stands
today.
This
is
an
example
of
the
tables
that
exist
in
the
policy
on
the
left.
You
can
see
capital
investment
thresholds.
The
basic
idea
here
is
like
the
smallest
project,
is
a
1.5
million
dollar
project,
and
then
we
would
allow
a
certain
number
of
years
for
that
project
to
grow.
Once
you
get
to
a
10
million
dollar
project,
you
have
basically
a
five-year
Runway
to
deliver
your
project.
C
C
We
know
now,
as
things
of
advance,
that
this
wage,
while
not
guaranteed
by
any
means,
are
considered
a
minimum
wage.
We
see
this
wage
sort
of
naturally
occurring
in
our
community,
and
so
the
question
the
commission
posed
to
us
is:
do
we
need
to
incentivize
a
wage?
That's
already
incurring,
and
the
answer
by
a
statute
would
be
no.
C
So
this
schedule
is
the
schedule
that
we
really
want
to
focus
on
today.
The
way
this
would
be
applied
in
an
actual
Economic
Development
incentive
deal
is
for
every
job
that
occurs
at
each
of
these
rungs
on
this
table.
The
company
would
be
eligible
for
an
additional
incentive,
which
is
that
far
right
column,
so
three
jobs
at
the
first
rung
would
get
you
fifteen
hundred
dollars
or
500
dollars
per
job
created
I'm
as
a
friendly
reminder.
C
This
is
our
policy,
but
there's
always
a
contract
that
is
used
to
govern
these
Economic
Development
incentives
and
that's
how
we
hold
companies
accountable.
We
also
have
an
approach,
that's
paid
for
performance
so
that
we're
never
paying
on
the
front
end.
That
way,
we
can
make
sure
that
you
know
companies
are
doing
what
they
say
they
will.
C
C
So
our
issue
with
our
wage
schedule
is
it's
not
index.
It
hasn't
been
updated
since
2017..
Our
recommendation
is
to
change
that
fundamentally,
so,
first
off
make
sure
that
we're
indexed
in
the
policy
so
that
this
updates
annually.
But
while
we're
taking
a
look
at
that,
let's
consider
what's
the
methodology
we
feel
most
appropriate
to
even
Define
the
rungs
on
that
schedule,
and
so
what
we've
done
here
is
we've,
given
you
three
examples
and
we'd
be
glad
to
look
at
others,
but
we
feel
that
these
are
are
pretty
pretty
strong.
C
So
the
first
is
an
average
wage
method,
and
so
this
is
our
current
method,
that's
applied,
and
if
we
revise
the
figures
to
be
compliant
with
today's
numbers,
so
2022,
the
20.93
number
that
was
the
Bottom
Rung
from
2017
would
go
to
24.25
and
from
there
we
would
just
escalate
that
using
a
formula
to
calculate
the
different
rungs
on
the
ladder.
C
C
C
As
we
go
to
look
at
our
third
option,
we
bounced
around
some
other
ideas,
but
we
said
you
know
based
on
our
strategic
plan.
Our
goal
in
some
ways
was
to
catch
up
or
exceed
the
state.
So
why
not
use
State
median
household
income
as
a
driver
for
us
here?
That
number
is
twenty
dollar
twenty
nine
dollars
and
nine
cents.
C
So
those
are
three
options
on
the
next
slide.
I'm
going
to
show
you
how
those
compare,
but
what
I
also
want
to
do
is
I
want
to
take
a
moment
because
there's
been
some
reporting
just
this
week
on
this
topic
of
median
household
income
and
wanted
to
just
share
briefly.
If
you've
read
that
article,
why
these
numbers
may
be
different,
the
main
reason
is
the
numbers
that
we're
presenting
to
you
today
are
based
on
census,
figures
and
the
thing
about
census
figures.
You
know
that's
a
formal
process
that
occurs,
but
it
also
lags.
C
So
you
know
it's
based
on
real
data,
real
survey
data,
but
it's
always
going
to
be
somewhat
old
because
we
only
do
the
census
once
every
10
years.
The
American
Community
survey
occurs
a
little
more
frequently,
but
still
it's
lagging
data.
The
data
that
we
saw
in
the
citizen
times
this
week,
also
good
data,
not
saying
it's
right
or
wrong.
What
that
is
is
more
of
a
projection
of
where
we
currently
are.
C
C
The
data
we're
presenting
to
use
based
on
Buncombe
County
today,
the
data
you
may
have
seen
in
in
the
articles
based
on
the
MSA,
which
includes
four
counties
and
so
there's
a
lot
of
differences,
but
just
wanted
to
share
that
as
we
sort
of
move
forward,
so
the
wage
schedules
just
to
do
a
quick
comparison.
You
know
your
far
left
column,
that's
going
to
be
the
per
job
incentive
that
you
receive
as
a
company.
That's
able
to
demonstrate
the
ability
to
hire
at
any
of
these
levels.
C
C
The
way
that
we
escalate
these
there's
no
science
in
kind
of
the
range
we
did
just
kind
of
a
six
percent
spread
just
to
increase
those
for
each
rung.
That
could
easily
be
changed
if
Commission
saw
fit
either
way.
The
point
to
take
away
from
this
is
a
revision
needs
to
occur.
If
we
go
to
an
average
wage,
we're
going
to
see
a
higher
Bottom
Rung
at
24.25,
we
go
to
Ami
substantially
higher
in
the
28.70
range
and
then
at
the
North
Carolina
Ami
range
going
up
to
29
dollars.
C
D
C
Sure
I
think
I'd
be
glad
to
bring
you
know
additional
pros
and
cons
on
this
I
think
you
know.
As
an
employer,
candidly
employers
are
going
to
say
that
that's
really
high
Tim.
You
know
like
why
and
I
think
we'll
say.
Well,
we
we
need
people
to
be
afford,
be
able
to
afford
to
live
in
this
community.
That's
why
and
that
our
incentives
are
just
that
their
incentives
they're
not
entitlements.
This
is
we're
incentivizing,
a
certain
type
of
behavior
from
employers.
C
I
think
the
the
trade-off
where
we
want
to
be
careful
is
we
want
to
make
sure
that
we're
not
creating
incentives
that
are
so
high
that
we
can't
sort
of
create
other
types
of
benefits,
and
so
on.
My
next
slide,
we'll
get
into
Equitable
hiring
like
I.
Don't
want
employers
to
just
walk
away
from
the
table.
I
want
them
to
be
at
the
table,
so
we
can
talk
about
high
wages
and
also
Equitable
hiring.
C
A
Tim
I've
got
a
question
please.
If
a
company
comes
in
and
says
we're
going
to
produce,
you
know
100
jobs
and
and
here's
what
they're
gonna
you
know,
here's
the
spectrum
of
what
the
wages
will
be
on
it.
A
I
mean
it
seems
like
once
we
pick
which
of
these
columns
we're
going
to
use
like
it
seems
pretty
easy
to
calculate
what
the
incentive
would
be.
But
if,
let's
say
like
only
half
their
employees
are
paid
enough
to
qualify
for
the
incentives
in
the
other
half
you
know,
don't
pay
very
well,
they
would
still
get
paid
for
the
good
paying
jobs,
even
though,
let's
say
half
their
Workforce
is
not
paid
very
well
sure.
Is
that
correct.
C
That's
definitely
how
that
could
work.
What
I
would
say
is
that
our
partners
in
this
that
you
know
the
EDC
in
particular,
we
were
recruiting
a
specific
type
of
company
when
we
talk
about
Economic,
Development
incentives,
there's
lots
of
folks
that
come
asking
many
of
those
do
not
make
it
through
to
y'all,
so
we
would
not
be
looking
for
an
employer
that
is
really
kind
of
you
know
at
the
lower
end
of
the
spectrum.
Typically,
you
know
we're.
C
A
See
one
I
mean
that's
been
my
sense,
based
on
the
projects
that
we've
seen
I.
Wonder,
though,
if
and
I
don't
want
to
make
this
too
complicated,
but
I
wonder
if
we
might
want
to
have
something
in
there.
A
That
says
something
about
that
as
a
policy,
because
to
me
that
that
kind
of
matters
a
lot
I
mean
if
you
know
that
that
that,
if
not
a
hundred
percent
at
least
a
very
high
percentage
of
the
workforce
is
being
paid
here,
because
yeah
part
of
the
we
have
such
a
low
unemployment
rate,
unlike
I
mean
there's
some
communities
around
this
state
and
country.
That
would
say
like
hey.
We
need
all
the
jobs
we
can
get.
But,
frankly,
that
is
just
not
the
case
that
we're
in
in
Buncombe
County.
A
We
have
a
shortage
of
workers
right,
there's
plenty
of
jobs
out
there.
What
we
need
are
good
paying
jobs,
so
I
would
not
want
to
be
in
a
position
where
we
are
asked
where,
basically,
our
company
could
say,
look
I'm
meeting
your
policy.
I
want
to
be
compensated
for
these,
even
though
a
high
percentage
of
their
or
substantial
portion
of
their
Workforce
is
paid
just
jobs
that
are
similar
to
what's
all
over
the
place
in
our
economy.
Absolutely.
A
There's
some
floor,
or
maybe
it's
something
saying
like
you
know,
X
percentage
of
the
workforce
has
to
be
paid
in
these
higher
wage
categories
and
it's
some
pretty
substantial,
maybe
not
100,
but,
like
you
know,
a
very
the
majority
of
the
jobs
are
jobs
like
this.
Something
like
that
I'd.
E
C
I'd
be
glad
to
bring
some
additional
ideas
forward.
You
know
in
the
policy
there's
one
of
the
last
pages.
It's
like
other
considerations
for
lack
of
a
better
term,
and
there
are
certain
requirements.
You
know
a
company
must
have
a
sustainability
policy
must
provide
some
type
of
health
insurance.
Those
different
types
of
things
so
I
could
see
a
world
and
where
we
could
propose
something
like
a
a
living
wage
floor
or
something
like
that
and
so
be
glad
to
float.
Some
ideas
like
that,
but.
F
C
Great
feedback.
Thank
you
any
other
thoughts
on
that
wage
schedule.
Before
we
jump
to
a
related,
but
slightly
different
topic,
you
can
always
come
back,
so
you
know
related
to
wages.
You
know
closely
related.
Is
this
concept
that
we're
talking
about
of
Equitable
hiring?
C
And
you
know
some
of
this
exists
in
the
policy,
and
so
what
you
see
is
you
basically
got
a
side
by
side
so
on
the
left,
we
have
our
current
policy
I
apologize
for
just
like
tossing
all
those
words
on
the
page,
but
that's
literally
what
it
says
on
the
right:
we've
got
some
recommended
changes
and
where
we've
kind
of
bolded
the
key
changes,
and
so
just
to
kind
of
paraphrase
we're
at
today
our
current
policy
encourages
hiring
from
certain
populations,
and
so
you
see
those
three
bullets
on
the
left.
C
Those
are
the
populations
that
are
currently
encouraged
and
for
each
of
those
you
know,
there's
a
requirement
to
being.
You
know
at
Living,
wage
or
whatever
and
a
500
incentive,
and
so
we've
been
using
this
to
some
success.
You
know
and
getting
better
at
figuring
out
how
to
make
it
work,
but
we've
got
some
thoughts
about
how
to
improve
it.
We
thought
with
this
quick,
these
quick
changes
to
the
schedule,
let's
go
ahead
and
make
some
changes
to
Equitable
hiring.
C
So
that
way
we
can
deploy
that
immediately,
given
where
we
are
economically
in
this
community.
So
the
recommended
changes
you
know
at
the
top.
We
would
require
that
an
employer
participating
this
program
participate
in
the
inclusive,
hiring
partners
program
or
an
equivalent
Workforce
Development
program.
So
like
right
off
the
bat,
you
must
participate
just
as
a
reminder
what
is
inclusive,
hiring
Partners.
This
is
a
partnership
with
the
chamber
where
we
link
employers
with
those
that
would
like
to
be
employed
to
guarantee
interviews
for
folks
that
are
participating
in
the
program,
the
inclusive
hiring
partners
program.
C
It
assists
folks
that
are
in
housing
and
other
programs
to
sort
of
you
know
build
their
skills.
It
provides
wraparound
services,
but
what
we
want
to
make
sure
is
that
you
know
folks
that
participate
in
that
program
have
an
opportunity
on
the
other
side,
so
that
guaranteed
interview
is
crucial
and
we've
had.
We've
got
a
number
of
employers,
including
Buncombe
County,
some
of
our
larger
employers
that
participate
in
this
program,
but
we
want
to
make
it
a
requirement,
not
an
optional
item.
C
Next
up,
we
want
to
open
up
those
sort
of
buckets,
you
know,
whereas
we
have
three
bullets
on
the
left.
You
know
we
want
to
continue
to
work
with
NC
works.
We
think
that's
great.
We
mentioned
our
step
program
here,
but
additionally,
we've
added
sort
of
our
Workforce
program,
which
is
closely
related.
C
The
final
sort
of
big
change
here
is
we'd
like
to
double
that
incentive
from
500
to
a
thousand
dollars
as
a
minimum,
and
then
you
know
that
would
vary.
You
know
if,
depending
on
the
the
wage
rate
of
the
individual
hired,
so
just
some
quick
changes
to
the
policy,
so
we
can
deploy
it
pretty
quickly.
I
would
welcome
any
input
from
y'all
on
this.
It's
an
area
we
continue
to
to
build
into
Economic
Development
agreements
that
come
before
you
and
where
we've
gotten
a
little
bit
smarter
in
recent
years.
So.
D
C
As
you
know,
there's
a
ton
of
folks
doing
really
great
work
in
this
space,
and
so
what
my
job,
the
EDC
job
becomes,
is,
let's
make
sure
we're
making
those
connections.
So
these
existing
programs-
you
know
sometimes
they
exist
outside
the
traditional
Economic
Development
sphere,
and
we
want
to
make
sure
that
they're,
connected
and
I
think
we've
done
that
in
recent
years,
still
more
work
to
do
to
be
clear,
but.
G
F
To
be
done
so
I
think
the
way
things
are
changing.
This
is
good
that
we're
looking
at
this
because
the
prior
amendments
17
when
we
made
those
changes,
we
hadn't-
that
was
the
first
time
in
10
years,
and
we
can't
the
way
things
are
changing.
Now
we
can't
wait
that
long.
You
know
we
have
to
stay
current
if
we're
going
to
be
competitive,
dealing
with
projects
we're
trying
to
get
in
Buncombe,
County
well,.
C
A
All
right
so
I
have
a
question
Tim,
please
so
the
minimum
job
instead
of
value
of
a
thousand
dollars
per
employee
I,
just
want
to
understand
how
that
incentive
interfaces
with
the
incentives
on
the
previous
page.
So
is
it
a
thousand
then
plus
whatever
you
qualify
for
on
the
previous
page,
based
on
salary?
So
if
it
was,
you
know
the
500
level
it'd
be
like
a
thousand
plus
five
percent
fifteen
hundred
dollars.
It's
that's
where
we
add
the
two
together.
That's
where
we'd
like
to
be
correct.
A
C
We've
we've
hired
at
that.
You
know
it
has
to
be
above
a
living
wage
whatever
that
is,
but
it
we,
it
has
to
be
above
a
living
wage.
That's
historically,
where
we
left.
A
C
C
So
I
go
ahead,
I've
got
one
slide,
and
so
one
thing
I'd
like
to
say
so
next
steps,
you
know
we're
at
the
briefing
today
I'd
like
to
come
back
to
the
regular
meeting
on
the
15th
I
will
have
kind
of
a
policy
document
that
features
these
changes.
C
You
know
you
may
have
to
do
an
app
we'll
work
through
the
logistics
on
that,
but
you
would
approve
a
new
policy,
ideally
on
the
15th
at
the
regular
meeting.
We
then
like
to
kick
off
sort
of
a
phase
two,
where
we
dig
a
little
bit
deeper
into
some
of
these
issues
and
convene
some
of
our
key
stakeholders
in
the
space
to
talk
about.
You
know
additional
changes
that
could
be
made
and
sort
of
refining
of
the
policy.
So
again,
I've
said
it
multiple
times.
A
All
right
any
other
feedback
for
staff.
At
this
time,
I
mean
it
sounds
like
part
of
it
is
like
selecting
which
of
these
columns
to
use
right.
I,
don't
hear
anybody
like
going
strongly
to
the
mat
on
one
versus
the
other,
so
it
sounds
like
there's
people
sort
of
thinking
about
that.
So
my
arguments,
you've
laid
out
the
pros
and
cons.
Well,
like
you
know,
raise
the
bar,
but
then
you
have
fewer
projects,
and
so
so
you
may
not
get
any
more
feedback
from
us
today.
Is
that
all
right?
A
H
Hey
hi
good
afternoon,
okay,
so
I've
been
here
before,
but
I'm
Rebecca,
Smith
I'm,
the
director
of
social
work,
just
in
case
and
I'm
here
today
to
talk
about
some
challenges
that
we're
facing
with
Staffing
our
child
protective
services
investigations
team.
H
This
is
really
about
our
Workforce,
without
whom
we
cannot
accomplish
our
mission
of
keeping
families
in
Buncombe,
County,
safe
and
well.
So
it's
really
important
topic
in
my
mind
and
I
appreciate
your
time
and
allowing
us
to
come
in
and
speak
about
what
we're
facing
we're,
hoping
to
have
a
conversation
about
turnover
vacancies
and
an
inability
to
fill
the
positions
that
we
have
available,
which
is
leading
to
extremely
high
workloads
and
inability
to
balance
workloads,
staff
being
more
and
more
burned
out
and
leaving
our
agency,
which
then
exacerbates
the
problem.
H
H
To
increase
the
applicant
pool
for
investigations
positions
and
to
increase
our
ability
to
move
through
the
hiring
process
from
interview
to
actual
hire
at
this
time,
what
we
or
what
we've
been
experiencing
for
the
last
six
months
or
so,
is
many
of
our
chosen
applicants.
Turning
us
down
for
the
positions
there
have
also
been
times
in
the
last
six
months,
where
we
have
had
absolutely
no
applicants
for
our
positions,
which
is
something
brand
new
that
we've
never
experienced
for
these
positions.
H
As
I
just
stated,
CPS
investigations
experiences
low
and
high
volume
times.
We
rely
on
those
lower
volume
times
like
June
and
July,
as
you
can
see
in
this
in
this
chart
to
for
staff
to
recover
and
ground
themselves
and
catch
up
on
documentation
to
get
prepared
for
the
next
busy
season,
which
is
right
around
the
corner.
H
H
As
you
can
also
see
in
this
chart,
the
the
darker
line
is
this
fiscal
year
or
this
calendar
year
and
those
dotted
lines
are
our
previous
calendar
years
and
you
can
see
that
we've
actually
maintained
a
pretty
decent
volume.
H
The
reason
for
that
is
we.
We
know
that
we
are
low
staffed
and
we
are
jumping
in
at
every
in
every
possible
way
to
try
to
keep
those
caseloads
as
low
as
possible,
and
an
example
of
that
is
right.
Now,
in
this
month,
we've
received
around
250
new
reports
and
our
caseloads
are
actually
under
that
they're
at
about
190..
So
the
fact
that
we've
been
able
to
maintain
those
despite
the
Workforce
shortage
is
really
a
testament
to
everyone
working
together.
H
Our
quality
assurance
staff,
our
management
team,
our
supervisors
all
pulling
together
to
try
to
keep
the
investigative
team
afloat
and
prevent
them
all
from
walking
out
the
door.
To
be
honest,.
H
So
here's
a
few
other
statistics,
so
in
May
we
were
in
a
place
where
I'm
just
going
to
be
honest,
our
entire
team,
our
staff,
they
were
crying
at
their
desks
and
it
was
really
hard
to
watch,
and
so
we
all
pulled
together
and
we
came
up
with
a
plan
and
we
all
jumped
in
and
started
initiating
cases,
including
myself.
Our
management
team,
our
supervisors
quality
assurance
just
to
try
to
help
support.
H
Our
team
you'll
see
that
19
total
staff
were
kind
of
repurposed
and
what
that
means
is
they
were
pulled
from
their
normal
jobs,
which
are
important
jobs
to
try
to
solve
this
problem,
but
we
can't
solve
it
in
that
way.
H
We
need
a
sustainable
plan,
so
you
can
see
from
this
slide
as
well,
that
in
may
we
had
11
vacant
positions
or
11
social
workers
in
out
of
29
positions
vacant
and
then
in
July
we
had
10
out
of
29
positions
taken
so
continuing
to
have
that
the
the
vacancies
there
and
and
continue
to
struggle
with
the
hiring
process.
H
So
we
have
already
put
a
few
things
in
place
to
try
to
address
this
outside
of
these
asks,
and
so
Sharon
is
going
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
what
those
things
are.
J
In
investigations,
I
never
know
what
I'm
going
to
get
and
I
like
that
other
jobs
at
mundane
and
kind
of
predictable.
But
here
every
day
is
an
adventure.
I
feel
very
supportive
at
Buncombe,
County
I
think
there
is
a
ton
of
support
with
management.
If
you
are
feeling
a
calling,
listen
to
it,
because
it
is
a
calling.
This
job
is
not
a
choice.
It
chooses
you
listen.
K
To
the
call
join
our
team
and
make
a
difference,
Buncombe
County
offers
a
very
rich
benefits
package,
including
a
401K,
with
an
8
contribution
from
the
county.
A
state
pension
first
in
class
health
insurance,
13
paid
holidays,
12
days
of
sick
leave
that
roll
over
each
year
vacation
time,
starting
at
10
days
per
year,
which
increases
with
service
and
much
more
apply
now
go
to
buncomcounty.org
jobs
to
learn
more
foreign.
I
So
this
is
just
one
of
the
initiatives
that
we
have
taken
over
the
last
few
months
to
try
and
address
this
issue.
One
of
the
first
areas
that
we
looked
at
was
what
are
the
barriers
and
some
of
the
barriers
that
we
found
was
the
the
degree
requirement
and
you
had
to
have
a
Social
Work
degree.
But
what
about
some
of
the
other
degrees
are
they
applicable?
I
We
also
executed
a
contract
with
Sparks
and
Sparks
is
a
temporary
agency,
and
it's
really
looking
at
folks
that
they
have
to
be
within
North
Carolina
for
some
state
regulations,
but
we
can
bring
them
on
to
assist
and
and
provide
some
caseload
assistance
on
that
we've
also,
as
you
saw,
increased
our
social
media
response
and
ads,
and
we've
done
everything
we
can.
We've
increased
our
presence
in
colleges
and
and
the
local
tax
just
to
see.
I
If
there's
anybody,
that's
you
know,
graduating
or
is
looking
at
changing
their
careers,
so
I
think
the
next
slide
is
is
showing
what
the
competitiveness
is
in
the
market.
And
so,
if
you
recall,
during
our
comp
study,
we
talked
about
the
regional
price
parity
and
that's
really
where
we
looked
at.
I
I
The
first
thing
we
want
to
do
is
start
with
an
allowance,
and
what
that
allowance
will
do
would
be
for
anybody
in
the
iatsw
OR
investigative
social
work
area.
It
would
be
a
200
per
week,
stipend
that
would
be
added
and
that
would
be
included
the
investigators
and
the
supervisors.
The
total,
if
you
looked
at
that
annually,
would
be
about
5200
5250
per
employee.
I
If
they
know
someone
and
they
refer
that
person
to
become
a
social
worker,
there
are
some
procedures
out
there.
But
if
if
that
person
is
hired
the
employee,
once
that
person
starts
on
day
one
the
next
available
paycheck,
they
would
receive
a
250
bonus.
After
that
person
successfully
completes
six
months.
They
get
no
250
and
then
once
they
met
a
full
year
that
employee
would
receive
another
250,
which
would
be
a
total
of
750.,
and
it's
important
to
note
that
that
there
would
be
no
additional
County
funds
being
requested.
I
I
So
today,
oops
one
more
slide
here,
so
just
for
some
transparency
here,
the
the
counties
and
out-of-state
metros
that
we
actually
looked
at,
and
so
today's
ask
is,
is
really
looking
at.
I
You
know
bringing
this
challenge
to
you
looking
for
some
support,
and
then
we
will
come
back
on
the
15th
and
request
you
review
this
for
a
vote
to
either
accept
it
or
deny
it
any
questions
either.
Rebecca
or
I
can
answer.
E
Just
say
quickly:
I
had
a
chance
to
do
a
ride
along
with
a
social
worker
this
spring,
and
just
it
was
a
certainly
very
inspiring
experience
to
see
that
kind
of
Frontline
work
and
the
commitment
of
folks
working
under
this
level
of
pressure
and
duress.
E
So
you
know
nothing
quite
brings
something
home
like
seeing
it
firsthand
to
appreciate
that
that
y'all
made
that
opportunity
available
for
me
as
part
of
the
HHS
committee,
and
also
many
of
these
issues,
kind
of
came
up
in
the
course
of
just
driving
around
for
a
few
hours
in
the
afternoon.
So
glad
that
we
have
an
opportunity
at
a
more
structural
level
to
to
try
to
invest
in
in
shifting
some
of
this.
A
M
great
thanks
Jasmine
all
right.
Thank
you
appreciate
it
all
right,
commissioner,
says
everything.
That's
on
the
agenda.
We
do
have
a
closed
session
prior
to
our
regular
meeting,
beginning
at
five
o'clock.
Mr
free.
Would
you
explain
the
purpose.
L
Yes,
sir,
this
will
be
a
closed
session
pursuant
to
General
statute.
143
318
11
A6
to
discuss
Personnel
matters
with
the
board
and
no
action
is
expected
back
in
Open
Session.