►
Description
Regular meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on May 2, 2023. To review the full agenda visit buncombecounty.org/commissioners.
A
A
A
A
A
And
let
me
review
the
process
for
public
comment.
The
time
limit
for
individual
comment
to
the
Board
of
Commissioners
is
three
minutes.
You'll
get
an
orange
light
when
you
have
about
30
seconds
left
in
a
red
light
when
your
time's
up-
and
we
do
ask
that
members
who
are
speaking
to
the
board
discontinue
their
comments
after
your
time's
up,
because
we
want
to
give
everyone
the
same
amount
of
time
board.
Members
are
not
expected
to
comment
on
matters.
During
the
public
comment
period:
This,
Is,
The
public's
chance
to
speak
to
the
board.
A
We
do
have
a
sign
up
sheet,
I'm
going
to
go
through
the
folks
who
have
signed
up,
but
if
any
other,
if
anybody
else
wants
to
address
the
Commissioners
during
public
comment,
there'll
be
an
opportunity
for
do
that.
To
do
that,
once
we've
gone
through
the
list,
first
person
that
signed
up
is
and
I
apologize
if
I
mispronounced,
anyone's
name
I
think
it's
Michael
Reynolds.
A
Okay,
thank
you
all
right
yeah,
so
we
are
having
a
public
hearing
on
the
the
cryptocurrency
mining
issue.
So
if
you
want
to
address
the
board
on
that
matter,
I
would
suggest
we
hold
that
till
we
get
to
the
public
hearing
on
that.
So
thanks
for
flagging
that
Lamar,
Dede
styles,
I
believe
all
the
other
folks
who
signed
up
were
all
interested
in
speaking
on
the
cryptocurrency
mining
issue,
but.
B
B
People
have
a
combination
of
various
reasons,
but
all
of
the
people
I
have
tried
to
encourage
to
come
and
speak
about
what
is
important
to
them.
Have
one
reason
in
common,
along
with
some
different
minor
reasons
like
they're
at
work
at
meeting
time,
or
they
have
to
be
home,
fishing
supper
for
their
children
and
the
reason
in
common.
They
say
they
don't
come
because
they
don't
have
money
and
they
believe
that
the
only
people
who
get
what
they
want
are
the
people
with
money,
and
why
do
they
think
that
here
are
a
few
examples?
B
There's
a
man
who
lives
up
in
the
back
of
grovemont
two
16-inch
water
lines
carrying
water
to
Asheville
pass
under
his
property
is
not
allowed
to
build
anything
over
the
pipes,
but
he
can
put
his
garden
there,
but
a
developer
was
allowed
to
put
a
road
over
the
pipes
and
develop
the
Mountainside
behind
the
man's
property.
Now
the
runoff
from
the
high-end
homes
up
there
often
ruin
the
man's
garden
with
muddy
water
and
silt
another
example.
B
A
man
applied
to
have
his
lot
rezoned
from
R2
to
R3,
so
he
could
move
his
elderly
father's
trailer
to
his
property.
So
he
could
look
after
his
look
after
him.
This
require
required
a
public
hearing
at
a
planning
board
meeting
at
that
hearing,
a
lady
whose
nice
new
house
was
down
a
lane
that
ran
by
the
property
in
question
said
she
didn't
want
her
friends
to
have
to
drive
by
a
trailer
on
their
way
to
visit
her.
Several
other
people
with
money
also
spoke
against
the
rezoning
the
rezoning
was
denied.
B
A
Great,
thank
you.
Are
there
any
members
of
the
public
who
we've
gone
through
everyone
on
the
list,
except
for
the
folks
who
I
think
are
interested
in
speaking
during
the
public
hearing?
Any
other
members
of
the
public
wish
to
address
the
board
during
public
comment.
A
C
C
Civic
and
Community
Life
Insurance
activities
are
responsive
to
individual
needs
and
preferences,
increasing
access
to
services
that
support
Aging
in
place,
embracing
the
diversity
of
older
Americans
in
our
community
and
emphasizing
the
positive
views
of
aging
and
acknowledging
that
all
of
us
are
aging.
Now,
therefore,
the
Buncombe
County
Board
of
Commissioners
do
hereby
Proclaim
May
2023
to
be
all
the
Americans
month.
C
C
D
A
E
All
right,
Asian,
Amer,
Asian,
American
and
Pacific
Islander
Heritage
Month,
whereas
Buncombe
County
is
committed
to
reflecting
the
concerns
and
needs
of
the
Asian
American
and
Pacific
Islander
communities,
and
whereas
Asian
American
and
Pacific
Islander,
Heritage
Month
seeks
to
honor
and
recognize
the
contributions
of
Pacific
Islanders,
East,
Asians,
South,
Asians,
Southeast,
Asians
and
West
Asians,
and
whereas
Asian
Americans
and
Pacific
Islanders
have
played
a
significant
role
in
Americans
history,
with
their
enormous
contributions
to
science,
Arts,
industry,
government
and
commerce,
and
whereas
Traders
from
the
asia-pacific
region
reached
North
America.
As
early
as
the
16th
century.
E
The
artistic
culinary
and
educational
contributions
are
immeasurable
and
whereas
we
are
also
aware
of
and
deeply
concerned
about,
the
dramatic
increase
in
the
violent
and
hateful
crimes
and
incidents
targeting
AAP
communities
and
whereas,
through
our
values
of
respect,
Integrity
collaboration,
honesty
and
Equity,
we
honor
aapi
individuals
and
stand
in
solidarity
with
the
aapi
community.
As
we
work
to
dismantle
systemic
racism
and
whereas
a
vast
diversity
of
languages,
religions
and
cultural
traditions
of
Asian,
Americans
and
Pacific
Islanders
strengthen
the
fabric
of
American
society
and
our
Buncombe
County
Community.
E
Now,
therefore,
the
Buncombe
County
Board
of
Commissioners
proclaims
May
2023
to
be
Asian,
American
and
Pacific
Islander
heritage
month
and
urges
our
community
to
join
together
in
celebrating
our
residents
of
Asian
and
Pacific
island
Heritage.
In
making
this
period
of
rededication
to
the
principles
of
justice
and
equality
for
all
people
signed
by
brownie,
Newman
chairman.
F
A
G
Good
evening
tonight
we
are
walking
through
the
third
quarter
financial
report
for
the
current
fiscal
year.
Information
presented
will
be
as
of
March
31st
of
this
year.
Our
point
in
time.
Reference
for
this
discussion
is
75
completion
of
the
current
fiscal
year,
so
we're
comparing
revenue
and
expenditure
activity
to
that
75
Benchmark.
But
we
understand
that
not
all
activity
aligns
to
our
standard
fiscal
cycle.
The
numbers
are
unaudited,
but
we
generally
don't
expect
any
future
adjustments
to
be
material
to
the
discussion
that
we
would
have
tonight.
G
F
G
So,
starting
with
the
general
fund
revenues
by
type
or
Revenue
Source,
the
expanded
budget
equation
is
in
the
upper
right
corner.
This
shows
our
amended
Revenue
budget
for
the
current
year
is
just
under
386
million
dollars.
The
appropriated
fund
balance
for
the
year
is
approximately
23
million
dollars
totaling,
just
under
409
million
for
the
complete
amended
budget.
As
of
March
31st
revenues
had
been
collected
at
81.6
percent
of
the
total
budget.
If
we
exclude
the
appropriated
fund
balance
and
consider
only
revenues,
we
expect
to
actively
collect
this
year.
G
We've
actually
reached
86
percent
collection
of
amended
revenues,
starting
from
the
left
of
the
chart
on
the
screen
are
the
County's
top
three
Revenue
drivers
remain
property,
tax
sales,
tax
and
intergovernmental
revenues.
The
property
tax,
of
course,
is
our
main
driver
of
Revenue
98.2
percent
of
current.
F
G
Budget
was
collected
as
of
March
31st.
The
current
year
collections
equal
235
million
dollars.
This
is
two
and
a
half
percent,
or
almost
six
million
dollars.
More
than
the
same
time.
Last
year,
sales
tax
is
at
49
of
budgeted
collections.
This
is
one
exception
to
our
point
in
time.
Collection,
rules
so
reminder
here:
sales
tax
are
on
a
three-month
lag
as
far
as
distribution
from
the
state,
so
where
we
would
expect
everything
else
to
kind
of
be
at
that
75
Mark.
Nearly
50
is
right
in
line
with
what
we
anticipate
for
sales
tax.
G
G
Finally,
intergovernmental
revenue
is
a
mixture
of
restricted
and
unrestricted
state
and
federal
funds,
which
are
primarily
used
to
offset
certain
program
expenditures,
primarily
Health
and
Human
Services
revenues,
and
these
revenues
are
generally
timed
to
match
the
expenditures
that
they
support
or
offset.
Seventy
percent
of
these
revenues
were
collected
as
of
March
31st.
It
was
a
slight
lag
against
the
75
percent
point
in
time.
Reference
34
million
dollars
is
the
collection
for
the
current
year
and
this
is
four
percent
greater
than
the
33
million
dollars.
G
The
same
time
last
year,
Medicaid
hold
harmless,
has
vulture
bolstered
the
revenue
stream
this
year
for
this
fund
contributing
approximately
4.8
million
in
unrestricted
Revenue
this
year,
moving
next
to
general
fund
expenditures
by
function,
general
fund
expenditures,
the
functions
represent
major
groupings
of
governmental
activities.
As
of
March
31st,
we
were
at
67
percent
of
budgeted
expenditures
that
equates
to
275
million
dollars
of
our
409
million
dollar
total
amended
budget
across
all
functions.
G
We
are
slightly
ahead
of
spin
for
the
same
time
last
year,
except
for
Human
Services,
where
the
spend
is
still
within
one
and
a
half
percent
of
the
same
time.
Last
year
we
are
tracking
behind
our
75
percent
point
in
time,
reference
by
approximately
7.6
percent,
which
represents
roughly
31
million
dollars,
but
as
of
March
31st,
approximately
13
and
a
half
million
dollars,
or
around
half
of
that
Gap
had
been
obligated
across
all
functions
for
future
payments.
G
Moving
on
to
general
fund
expenditures
by
category,
so
a
look
at
the
same
67
percent
of
budgeted
activity
organized
by
type
of
spend,
our
top
two
categories
of
spend
are
salary
and
benefits
and
program
support
salary
spend
was
at
70
of
budget
as
of
March
31st.
This
is
118
million,
which
is
about
11
or
11
million
dollars.
Ahead
of
the
same
time,
last
year,
program
support
spend
was
at
74
percent
of
budget.
G
This
equates
to
98
million
dollars
in
the
current
year,
which
is
about
six
and
a
half
percent,
or
approximately
six
million
more
than
the
same
time.
Last
year,
other
expenditures
which
you'll
see
to
the
far
right
of
this
chart
represent
Capital
activities,
payment
of
debt
service
and
transfer
to
other
funds.
G
G
Moving
on
to
Solid
Waste
fund
revenues
by
type
or
Revenue
Source,
the
expanded
budget
equation
for
this
fund
shows
11.6
million
in
anticipated
Revenue
activity.
This
year,
4.4
million
dollars
in
appropriated
fund
balance
for
a
total,
amended
budget
of
16
million
actual
revenues
collected
as
of
March
31st
were
approximately
8
million
or
51.9
percent
of
budget.
The
percentage
collected
increases
to
nearly
72
percent.
When
you
compare
the
current
year,
collection
activity
to
budget
budgeted
Revenue,
not
including
the
appropriated
fund
balance
sales
and
services,
which
are
the
landfill
and
transfer
station.
G
G
Next,
we
have
Solid
Waste
expenditures
by
category
or
spend
activity.
Expenditures
in
the
fund
were
at
44.6
percent
of
budget
as
of
March
31st.
The
primary
spin
drivers
in
this
fund
are
salary
and
benefits
and
operating
expenditures.
Salaries
make
up
around
25
percent
of
the
fund's
overall
budget.
Only
65
percent
of
budgeted
salaries
have
been
paid.
G
As
of
our
snapshot
for
today's
discussion,
salary
spend
is
ahead
of
this
time
last
year,
by
about
eight
percent
or
approximately
two
hundred
thousand
dollars
operating
expenditures
are
found
in
the
center
column
grouping
on
the
slide,
that
is,
the
primary
driver
of
spend
by
activity
for
this
fund.
They
make
up
roughly
50
of
this
budget.
Only
40
percent
of
that
budget
or
3.3
million
had
been
spent
as
of
March
31st.
G
So
as
of
March
31st,
total
revenue
in
the
solid
waste
fund
outpaced,
total
spend
by
just
over
a
million
dollars,
and
our
last
slide
is
a
high
level
snapshot
of
the
County's
Investment
Portfolio.
We
maintain
roughly
80
percent
of
the
County's
cash
between
the
North
Carolina
investment
pool
and
the
North
Carolina
Capital
Management
trust.
The
remaining
20
percent
is
managed
by
a
contracted
investment
advisor
with
our
investments
held
primarily
in
commercial
paper
and
treasury
notes.
A
H
Good
afternoon,
chair,
Commissioners
members
of
the
public
I
just
think
I'd
like
to
give
a
brief
summary
for
the
members
of
the
public
today,
and
then
we
can
go
right
into
the
ordinance
itself.
The
item
before
you
is
a
moratorium.
Another
way
of
saying
that
is
a
temporary
pause
for
the
land
use
identified
as
cryptocurrency
mining.
H
Brief
history
here,
I
think
a
number
of
you
have
been
contacted
by
members
of
the
the
public
or
residents
that
have
been
concerned
about
the
land
use
itself.
It
is
sort
of
an
emerging
technology.
It
is
something
that
we're
seeing
across
the
United
States
that
other
communities
are
are
dealing
with.
We
presented
before
you
all
in
a
briefing,
and
we
also
did
a
call
for
a
public
hearing
recently
to
introduce
the
public
hearing
tonight,
which
is
in
fact
the
moratorium.
The
action
you
would
take
tonight
is
the
approval
of
an
ordinance
authorizing
a
moratorium.
H
To
be
clear,
what
this
does
tonight
is
160d
of
the
North
Carolina
General
statutes
allows
you
to
basically
put
in
place
a
temporary
pause
for
a
specific
land
use.
Not
all
land
uses
are
allowed
to
take
advantage
of
this
provision,
but
this
one
specifically
is-
and
there
are
some
other
communities
that
are
evaluating
things
as
we
speak
right
now-
North
Carolina,
General
statutes
and
I'm
just
going
to
run
through
these
four
items,
because
I
think
there
are
some
speakers
on
this
item.
You
have
to
do
a
series
of
statements.
H
One
is
you
have
to
identify
the
issue
that
you're
seeking
to
address.
There
have
been
some
concerns,
as
it
relates
to
the
mining
operation,
its
use
of
electricity,
noise
design
standards,
those
sorts
of
things
there
needs
to
be
a
definition
of
what
constitutes
the
the
cryptocurrency
mine
itself,
that's
defined
in
the
ordinance.
You
need
to
identify
the
duration
of
the
time,
we're
seeking,
in
this
case
it's
a
one-year
pause
just
to
kind
of
catch
you
up
on
stuff.
H
Today
we
had
the
planning
Board
review,
the
comprehensive
plan
that
will
appear
before
you
all
on
the
16th
for
a
public
hearing.
The
reason
that's
important
is
because
we're
putting
in
place
a
pause
to
allow
us
to
craft
standards
in
tandem
with
the
passage
of
the
comprehensive
plan.
H
And
finally,
you
need
to
identify
next
steps,
and
what
we're
saying
here
in
the
ordinance
is
this
one-year
pause
gives
us
time
to
work
with
residents
planning
board
members
to
craft
standards
for
the
newly
defined
use.
We've
previously
talked
about
the
American
Planning
Association
publication,
that's
available
that
other
communities
are
looking
at,
and
this
also
gives
us
time
to
Benchmark
with
other
communities
and
see
what
standards
we
might
want
to
to
put
in
place.
That
being
said,
that
concludes
my
presentation.
H
A
All
right
should
we
open
the
public
hearing,
so
I
will
do
so.
Adam
I'll
call
the
public
hearing
to
be
opened
at
5
31
PM.
There
are
a
couple
members
of
the
public
that
have
signed
up
to
who
I
think
want
to
speak
during
the
public
hearing
I'm
going
to
go
through
that
list.
If
there
are
other
members
of
the
public
who
wish
to
speak
during
the
public
hearing,
everyone
who
wants
to
speak
will
be
given
a
chance
to
do
that.
Mm-Hmm
and
you'll
have
a
three
minutes
to
address
the
board.
A
The
three-minute
policy
still
applies
you're
in
the
public
hearings
right,
Mr,
fruit,
correct
the
three-minute
policy
still
applies
during
the
hearing
sales.
So
you
have
three
minutes
to
speak
during
the
public
hearing.
You'll
get
an
orange
light
when
there's
about
20
seconds
left
and
then
a
red
light
will
indicate
when
your
time's
up-
and
we
do
ask
that
you
discontinue
your
comments
after
that,
so
everyone
can
have
the
same
amount
of
time
and
the
first
person
that
signed
up
again-
apologies
if
I
mispronounced
your
name
is
Michael
Reynolds.
I
Have
a
copy
of
my
remarks.
I
I
Crypto
mining
facilities
are
really
warehouses
filled
with
stacked
computer
servers.
They
are
nothing
particularly
new.
They
actually
from
the
outside.
Look
very
much
like
a
power
substation.
A
large
power,
substation
I've
actually
included
a
picture
of
the
one.
That's
in
Murphy
North
Carolina,
so
you
can
see
that
Asheville
and
Buncombe
County
is
our
planting
director
has
said
we're
fortunate
to
have
other
communities
and
towns
that
have
already
located
mining
facilities
or
have
initiated
pauses
in
order
to
consider
what
they
might
do.
I
I
Another
is
jobs
and
taxes
and
the
finally
finally
soaring
power
bills,
crypto
mining
in
terms
of
extraction,
I
think
the
first
thing
you
always
hear
about
that
and
when
I
think
of
extraction
here
in
Buncombe
County
in
Asheville,
I
think
about
the
degradation
of
our
environment,
in
particular
its
beauty
and
its
value
as
a
destination
for
tourist
relaxation
parking
camping,
the
cryptocurrency
factor
Factory
will
usually
generate
about
95
decibels
on
a
24
hour,
seven
schedule,
and
this
again
comes
from
Murphy
and
I'm
sure.
I
All
of
you
have
followed
the
news
from
from
Murphy
and
the
complaints
of
people
there
and
its
impact
on
the
community.
I
Murphy
North
Carolina
resident
Mike
lukiewicz
appeared
on
Fox
and
Friends
to
discuss
his
concerns
about
the
crypto
mine
in
Murphy,
North
Carolina,
and
he
quote:
I
quote
him
and
he
says
the
noise
is
insane
and
if
you're
on
the
mountain
top
above
the
crypto
mine,
it's
even
worse,
I
don't
know.
If
there's
anything
much,
we
can
do
about
it
right
now.
A
You
very
much
we
appreciate
you
being
here.
Thank
you
so
much
all
right,
Chris
Doyle.
J
Good
evening
Commissioners,
thank
you
for
having
me
here
tonight.
My
name
is
Chris
choielle
I'm,
the
director
of
the
healthy
communities
program
for
Mountain.
True
I,
want
to
thank
you
for
being
proactive
on
the
issue
of
cryptocurrency
mining.
Mountain
true
has
seen
several
cryptocurrency
mines
operating
in
Western
North
Carolina,
especially
in
Cherokee
County,
as
a
gentleman
before
me
just
mentioned,
where
they
have
proven
to
be
a
nuisance
to
neighbors
and
a
threat
to
our
environment.
J
Crypto
mining,
especially
proof
of
work
currencies
like
Bitcoin,
require
vast
amounts
of
electricity
to
solve
the
arbitrary
and
increasingly
complex
mathematical
puzzles
needed
to
mine
new
coins.
The
miners
Banks
of
high
power
specialized
computers
and
fans
needed
to
cool
and
needed
the
cool
cause
can
cause
significant
noise
pollution
and
electronic
waste.
They
also
consume
massive
amounts
of
energy
that
would
otherwise
be
used
to
heat
and
cool
homes
and
to
power
far
more
socially
and
economically
beneficial
commercial
and
Industrial
activities,
there's
no
way
to
greenwash
crypto
mining.
J
Even
if
miners
claim
to
rely
on
renewable
energy,
their
operations
are
still
hogging
energy
that
we
need
to
meet
the
county
and
state
carbon
reduction
goals.
Let
me
repeat,
as
the
value
of
Bitcoin
rebounds,
the
growth
of
cryptocurrency
mining
operations
put
North
Carolina
in
danger
of
not
being
able
to
hit
the
goals
set
out
by
Governor
Cooper
and
the
north.
The
North
Carolina
general
assembly
with
house
bill
951..
J
A
K
My
name
is
Craig
Deutsch
and
I've
lived
in
Buncombe
County
for
nearly
a
decade,
I
have
watched
Asheville
grow
from
a
little
town
to
a
small
City
I
met
my
wife
here,
I
started
my
family
here
and
I
bought
my
first
home
here.
I
want
to
see
the
county
make
educated
policy
decisions
in
order
to
grow
Our
Town
consciously
in
a
way
that
is
mutually
beneficial
to
Residents
industry
and
local
economy.
My
goal
today
is
to
open
the
door
for
further
conversation
before
the
county
enacts
policy
that
stifles
Innovation
and
preemptively
limits.
K
Industry
I
watched,
The
Briefing,
where
the
mining
moratorium
was
introduced
and
I
was
encouraged
by
the
Commissioners
who
stated
that
they
didn't
know
much
about
the
subject.
It
made
me
hopeful
that
the
county
will
approach
this
topic
with
curiosity.
That
being
said,
I
do
not
believe
that
the
county
looked
at
alternative
solutions
to
a
moratorium
before
deciding
that
this
was
the
only
path
forward.
The
statute
requires
that
this
board
State
what
alternatives
to
a
moratorium
were
considered
and
why
those
courses
of
action
were
not
deemed
adequate.
How
did
how
did
you
look
for
Alternatives?
K
Did
you
speak
to
any
Bitcoin
miners
or
people
in
the
Bitcoin
industry?
There
are
a
plethora
of
resources
about
the
positive
impacts
of
Bitcoin
and
Bitcoin
mining
out
there.
If
you
know
where
to
look
to
find
good
faith
studies
and
many
people
who
are
knowledgeable
about
the
subject
are
more
than
willing
to
take
the
time
to
educate.
It
seems
to
me
that
this
moratorium
on
Bitcoin
mining
has
come
about
thanks
to
widespread
national
news
coverage
of
one
particular
mine
in
Murphy,
North
Carolina.
K
The
news
coverage
not
only
contains
wildly
inaccurate
claims
about
how
Bitcoin
mining
works.
It's
not
solving
complex
math
puzzles
it's,
but
also
glosses
over
the
two
other
mines
in
Cherokee
County
that
the
neighbors
don't
complain
about
because
they
use
sound
barriers
to
attenuate
the
noise.
Did
the
commission
reach
out
to
any
of
these
minors
who
are
operating
in
a
way
that
is
not
disruptive?
K
The
moratorium
mentions.
E-Waste
is
a
concern,
but
machines
from
2017
are
still
in
use
and
new
machines.
Also,
last
for
many
many
years.
According
to
the
EPA,
there
is
a
total
of
around
40
million
tons
of
E-Waste
disposed
of
each
year
in
a
critical
study
found
that
Bitcoin
contributes
less
than
0.1
percent.
Of
all
of
that,
the
moratorium
also
mentions
greenhouse
gas
emissions.
Bitcoin
mining
computers
do
not
emit
any
greenhouse
gases
similar
to
electric
vehicles.
K
Commissioner
Wells
has
been
quoted
as
saying
that
mines
don't
typically
create
many
job
opportunities,
but
the
Nebraska
Public,
Power
District,
would
say
otherwise.
They
recently
testified
in
the
senate,
about
Bitcoin
mining
being
a
boon
to
rural
communities.
One
site
has
had
an
economic
impact
of
65
million
dollars,
brought
about
200
Associated
jobs
and
5.5
million
in
tax
revenue.
I
urge
the
County,
Commissioners
and
planners
to
take
the
time
to
visit
Bitcoin
mines.
K
Do
research
about
bitcoin's
benefits
to
the
environment,
such
as
powering
Minds
from
one
flared,
natural
grass
or
deconstructed
waste
tires
as
part
commissioner
Sloan
has
mentioned,
and
listen
to
stories
about
the
positive
impacts
of
Bitcoin
for
underserved
and
underbanked
communities.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
all
Bitcoin
mining
do
mining,
computers
do
is
run
code
and
code
is
a
form
of
constitutionally
protected
speech.
K
I
am
hopeful
that
Buncombe
County
will
follow
in
the
footsteps
of
States,
like
Georgia,
Arkansas
and
Wyoming,
to
encourage
Innovation
and
bring
new
industry
to
the
area
where,
at
the
very
least,
explore
alternative
options
to
a
moratorium
that
will
only
discourage
business
in
the
area.
Thank
you.
Thank.
A
You
right,
that's
everyone
that
excuse
me
signed
up.
Are
there
other
members
of
the
public
that
would
like
to
address
the
board
I'm
sure
he
can
come
first
and
then
you
can
go
second
after
her.
L
Good
evening
my
name
is
Kimberly
Stonebreaker
and
I
have
lived
in
North
Carolina,
since
1999.
I
am
here
as
a
buyer,
holder
and
user
of
Bitcoin
I
passionately
believe
that
Bitcoin
will
help
to
restore
the
American
dream
and
will
bring
monetary
freedom
to
the
world.
Bitcoin
is
important
to
me,
and
minors
are
important
to
bitcoin
I'm
here
today
to
ask
you
to
look
Beyond,
The,
Narrative,
attacking
Bitcoin
mining
and
consider
other
alternatives
to
a
one-year
moratorium.
L
Bitcoin
has
been
in
the
news
since
its
Creation
in
2009,
but
I
passed
it
by,
because
the
narrative
said
that
it
was
for
money
laundering
and
drug
dealing.
It
wasn't
until
2020
that
a
trusted
friend
introduced
me
to
the
reality
of
Bitcoin,
but
even
then
I
listened
to
the
competing
narrative
that
it
consumed
too
much
energy
energy.
Finally,
I
did
my
own
Deep
dive,
and
the
narrative
is
a
distraction
from
the
truth
that
Bitcoin
is
about
making
money
better
for
everyone.
L
They
want
us
to
believe
that
inflation
is
only
six
percent,
but
every
time
we
pay
for
something
we
know
the
truth.
Inflation
is
at
least
double
that
U.S
debt
is
at
31
trillion.
Endless
money
printing
will
continue
to
devalue
the
dollar
and
drive
inflation
higher
and
higher
robbing
us
of
our
life's
savings.
L
We
hear
in
the
news
that
another
bank
has
failed
or
is
on
the
brink,
and
we
learn
that
the
banks
don't
actually
have
our
money
in
their
reserves.
We
hear
the
system
is
one
bad
rumor
away
from
a
bank
run
and
is
inherently
unstable,
with
the
Bitcoin
Network
I
can
directly
hold
and
control
my
own
money
and
don't
have
to
trust
the
banking
system.
L
We
hear
stories
of
how
Banks
cut
off
access
to
people's
accounts,
because
the
government
doesn't
agree
with
their
message.
Someday
someone
in
power
may
not
agree
with
my
message:
Bitcoin
cannot
be
censored
or
confiscated
I
control
it
and
it
can
transfer
it
directly
to
whomever
I
please.
It
is
being
used
by
missionaries
and
Muslim
countries.
Refugees
in
Africa
women
in
Afghanistan
and
immigrants
in
the
U.S
to
send
remittances
Bitcoin
is
run
by
rules
and
not
by
rulers
is
Equitable
and
just,
and
it
is
open
to
all.
L
It
includes
the
marginalized
and
people
that
have
historically
been
unbanked
around
the
world.
Bitcoin
is
allowing
people
to
control
their
money
for
the
first
time
in
history,
the
miners
secure
the
Bitcoin
Network
by
competing
to
write
a
transaction
on
The
Ledger.
They,
along
with
node
operators,
protect
the
value
of
all
the
Bitcoin
and
the
Integrity
of
the
network.
Bitcoin
years
users
are
diverse
in
ethnicity,
ideology,
socioeconomically
and
gender
identity
and
are
estimated
at
22
percent
of
the
U.S
population
and
growing
I
urge
you
to
keep
an
open
mind
and
consider
alternatives.
L
M
Hello,
my
name
is
Justin
norkney,
a
full-time
resident
in
Charlotte
North
Carolina.
For
the
last
three
years,
I
read
some
reports
that
I
emailed
to
you
so
I'm
happy
to
hand
them
out
as
well.
So
I'll
speak
to
them
here
in
a
moment
so
I'm
here
today
to
talk
about
the
benefits
of
Bitcoin
mining,
with
respect
to
integrating
more
Renewables
and
preventing
blackouts.
I
urge
you
to
refrain
from
passing
this
one-year
moratorium
before
us
tonight.
M
I've
been
an
electrical.
The
electric
industry
for
nearly
15
years,
starting
in
2007
in
rooftop,
solar
out
in
Arizona
in
2013
I
joined
the
local
electric
utility
scaling
rooftop,
solar
programs
demand
response
programs,
customer
Technologies,
including
batteries,
smart
thermostats
and
electric
vehicle
Chargers
I,
was
recruited
to
join
Duke
Energy
in
2019
for
three
years.
My
role
at
Duke
put
me
at
the
Nexus
of
new
technologies.
M
Raid
designs
system
operations,
demand
response
and
customer
programs
I
worked
hard
to
ensure
a
safe,
reliable,
affordable
and
clean
electric
grid
for
our
customers,
not
just
in
North
Carolina,
but
also
South,
Carolina,
Ohio,
Indiana,
Kentucky
and
Florida
I.
Currently,
work
for
standard
power,
an
infrastructure
as
a
service
company,
building
out
Bitcoin
mining
data
centers
in
Rural
America
like
take
a
brief
moment
and
brief
to
describe
how
electricity
remains
reliable
and
forgive
me
if
I'm
repeating
something
that
you
already
know,
but
at
every
instance
of
the
day
electric
generation
must
be
balanced
with
customer
load.
M
As
we
see
the
increasing
build
out
of
intermittent
renewable
generation
sources,
system
operators
are
losing
control
over
the
generation
source.
However,
at
the
same
time,
Electric
utilities
are
presented
with
the
opportunity
to
partner
with
customers
to
manage
load.
This
is
referred
to
as
demand
response.
M
However,
not
all
customers
and
end
uses
of
electricity
are
created:
equal
hospitals,
grocery
stores,
sports
stadiums,
large
corporate
data
centers,
like
Facebook,
Google
and
Amazon,
are
unlikely
to
curtail
their
operations
when
needed,
and
many
residential
customers
would
probably
feel
the
same.
Bitcoin
mining
is
unique:
dynamically
beneficial
as
a
customer
to
the
electric
utility
for
three
key
reasons:
it's
scale
agnostic
right
it
can
be
built
up
in
3.5
kilowatt
increments.
You
could
have
dozens
of
miners.
You
could
have
ten
thousand
thousands
of
miners.
It
can
be
location
agnostic.
M
It
can
go
anywhere,
it
can
go
to
Rural,
America
and,
most
importantly,
from
a
grid
perspective.
It
can
be
time
agnostic,
and
that
means
it
can
be
shut
off
at
any
particular
hour
of
the
Year.
This
makes
Bitcoin
mining
the
perfect
partner
to
integrate
in
more
renewable
energy
on
the
grid.
I
am
currently
this
report
right
here
is
an
executive
summary
of
a
study
with
one
of
the
largest
Electric
utilities
in
the
country
on
how
to
strategically
integrate
Bitcoin
mining
into
the
grid
and
further
their
decarbonization
and
reliability
goals.
M
During
this
and
then
just
with
respect
to
the
Christmas
Day
blackouts,
I
know
it's
important
for
you
guys
thumbs
up.
200
megapixels.
O
Foreign
thank
you
for
having
me,
my
name
is
Dennis
pasoliotis
I
am
the
founder
and
president
of
South
Carolina
emerging
technology,
Association
South,
Carolina's
trade
Association
for
emerging
technology,
as
well
as
the
founder
of
South,
Carolina,
blockchain
and
Enterprise
business,
designed
specifically
for
site,
location
and
event.
Planning
I
responded
to
the
memorandum
supporting
the
document.
With
a
memorandum
opposing.
You
know
the
document
at
various
locations
I
want
to
just
run
through
some
highlights
of
that.
O
I've
been
I've
already
presented
it,
so
you
have
it
on
file
specifically
I
want
to
reinforce
the
fact
that
Bitcoin
mining
specifically
does
not
produce
any
greenhouse
gases
itself.
It
uses
a
mixture
of
the
grid.
You
know
that
you
know
that
everybody
else
uses
you
don't
distinguish,
whether
it's
fossil
fuels
or
whether
it's
nuclear
or
whether
it's
or
whether
it's
Hydro,
whatever
the
case
may
be
Bitcoin,
is
the
leading.
O
Is
the
industry
leader
in
sustainability
has
almost
a
six
percent
last
the
last
report
by
the
Bitcoin
mining
Council,
which
is
an
international
Consortium
of
Bitcoin
miners.
You
know
he
reported
we
had
just
under
60
percent
of
a
sustainable
energy
mix.
You
know
there's
been
reference
to
the
E-Waste
associated
with
it.
My
colleague,
Craig
Deutsch,
has
referenced
that
in
the
past
previously,
noting
that
40
million
tons
of
E-Waste
are
generated
annually,
reported
in
the
EPA
study
that
cited
in
my.
In
my
note.
O
In
my
memo,
less
than
a
tenth
of
that
is
percent
as
E-Waste
associated
with
Bitcoin
mining.
You
know
the
the
industry
and
we
want
to
make
one
correction,
Mr
ortney
correct
me
earlier
that
you
know
the
retooling
cycle,
for
this
can
be
anywhere
from
five
to
six
years.
I've
I've
mentioned
four
years,
but
it
is
far
above
the
one
year
that
was
presented
as
testimony
to
the
commission.
Noise
and
other
impacts
are
already
addressed
in
a
noise
ordinance
in
Buncombe
County,
and
it
specifically
exempts
Industrial
and
Commercial
use.
O
So
obviously
you
know
that
that's
just
something
that
needs
to
be
handled
on
a
case-by-case
purpose
doesn't
necessarily
require
an
entirely
new
land
use
plan.
You
know
the
one
item
that
we
really
are
asking
you
to
be
cautionary
of
and
to
avoid
a
statutory
violation
is
to
explore
other
other
opportunities.
I
mean
the
you
know
the
the
DraStic
measure
of
moratorium.
It
was
only
if
there
were
applications
already
on
file.
You
might
understand
that,
but
the
reality
is
that
there
aren't
apparently
was
reported.
O
There
are
no
applications
on
file,
you
know
so
the
the
opportunity
here
for
the
for
the
county
to
actually
create
a
task
force.
You
know
that
could
study
this
and
on
a
county-wide
basis
and
how
you
implement
a
technology
policy
in
rural
parts
of
of
Buncombe
County,
very
important,
I
included
in
my
package.
The
supplementary
documents
you
know
proposed
sites
in
the
Incorporated
areas.
If
we
started
out
a
little
closely
I
think
you'll
find
you
know
where
you
could
ice
where
you're
going
to
isolate
these
opportunities
in
in
the
unincorporated
areas.
O
You
know,
but
a
number
of
reasons.
You
know
the
memo
does
not
support
yeah.
N
I
live
at
15,
Morning,
Star,
Drive,
Leicester,
North,
Carolina
I
was
speaking
on
behalf
of
the
Sierra
Club,
as
well
as
myself.
There's
three
reasons:
I
support
this
moratorium.
We've
got
to
get
it
right
now.
First
of
all,
is
noise.
That's
called
a
couple
times,
but
I
have
worked
with
some
of
the
residents
of
near
the
mine
in
Cherokee
that
have
had
to
sell
their
homes
because
of
the
noise.
N
I
live
in
the
rural
part
of
the
county,
and
you
know
we
live
out
there
for
a
reason
we
like
being
outside
at
night
or
being
outside
during
the
day
and
not
hearing
constant,
roaring
and
loud
noises.
If
one
of
these
are
situated,
it's
going
to
be
in
the
rural
parts
of
the
county,
as
the
gentleman
said.
So
it's
going
to
take
away
our
quality
of
life.
N
So
we
need
to
take
the
time
to
figure
out
what
regulations,
what
management
we
have
in
place
to
to
prevent
that
from
happening
in
neighborhoods
like
mine
number
two
is
solid
waste
in
Cherokee
when
they
put
that
one
in
they
ended
up
having
30
containers
of
Styrofoam
that
ended
up
in
the
local
landfill
and
created
some
major
problems
with
our
landfill.
We
don't
need
to
shorten
the
life
side
of
our
landfill,
but
thirdly,
and
probably
most
important
Bitcoin
mines
are
energy
hog.
N
It's
estimated
that
they
use
enough
energy
in
the
United
States
to
Power,
900,
000
homes
or
as
much
as
the
state
of
New
York.
You
were
smart
enough
to
pass
a
renewable
energy
goal,
as
part
of
that
is
reducing
and
conserving
energy,
not
dramatically
expanding
the
amount
of
electricity
we
need
to
use
is
to
make
that
happen.
I
live.
You
know
it's
a
kind
of
a
rural
area.
We
have
a
garden
and
every
now
and
then
we
get
a
groundhog.
It
shows
up
and
groundhogs
go
straight
for
the
garden
and
they
don't
share.
N
As
my
wife
puts
it,
they
eat
a
lot
of
the
stuff,
so
I
had
to
put
up
fences
around
all
the
raised
beds
to
keep
the
groundhogs
out
we're
asking
you,
as
a
county
to
take
this
year
to
study
the
moratorium
and
put
the
right
fences
up
to
protect
us
and
our
quality
of
life
and
our
energy
usage
in
Buncombe
County.
Thank
you.
A
A
All
right
anyone
else,
any
other
members
of
the
public
wish
to
dress
up
or
during
public
comment
all
right.
Well,
we
appreciate
everyone
who
came
out
and
took
the
time
to
share
their
perspective
on
the
issue
and
who
addressed
the
board
during
public.
The
public
hearing
I
will
adjourn
the
public
hearing
at
5,
54
pm
and
natives.
Are
there
any
additional
information
from
the
staff
at
this
time.
P
A
A
All
in
favor
say
aye
aye
any
opposed
all
right.
Thank
you
all.
Thank
you
all
who
took
the
time
to
be
here
for
consideration
of
the
ordinance
all
right.
The
next
item
on
the
agenda
is
the
county.
Manager's
report,
Miss
Pender,
all
right,
no
items
there
all
right.
The
next
item
on
the
agenda
under
old
business
is
a
review
of
open
space.
Bond
conservation,
easement
criteria
for
consideration
and
Jill
Carter
is
here
to
present
this
item
until
it's
our
open
space,
Bond
project
manager.
Q
Conservation
easements
projects
to
be
funded
by
the
open
space
Bond.
These
criteria
have
been
revised
based
on
feedback
we've
received
from
the
commission
as
well
as
The
Advisory
Board.
We
would
like
to
ask
that
the
commission
moved
to
adopt
this
criteria
tonight
before
my
colleagues
reviewed
the
revision
to
the
criteria.
I
did
want
to
give
a
brief
update
on
the
open
space
Bond.
More
generally,
we
have
revised
our
process
for
the
bond
to
include
an
expanded
internal
review.
Q
This
internal
review
will
not
only
include
a
financial
and
legal
review
of
every
project
selected
to
move
forward,
but
it
will
also
include
a
cross
evaluation
with
the
by
the
affordable
housing
committee.
This
evaluation
is
intended
to
make
sure
that
there's
no
conflict
between
the
open
space
Bond
and
the
affordable
housing
Bond.
Q
And
then,
as
a
quick
status,
update
all
of
the
advisory
boards
related
to
the
open
space,
Bond
Have
convened
and
Have
Been
briefed
on
the
draft
criteria.
Additionally,
a
staff
has
completed
orientations
with
all
of
the
members
of
the
community
oversight
committee
and
that
committee
will
have
its
first
full
meeting
in
June
and
then.
R
Good
evening,
chair
and
Commissioners
so
I'm
here
to
update
you
on
the
the
progress
that
we've
made
since
last
time,
we
presented
the
criteria
to
you
in
March,
so
at
the
last
meeting
as
Jill
mentioned,
there
were
some
changes
requested
to
the
agricultural
Advisory
Board
Bond
ranking
system,
and
so
we
have
now
Incorporated
those
changes
into
our
system.
R
So
just
to
recap
on
what
those
requests
were
we
you
wanted
us
to
make
sure
we
were
evaluating
the
leveraged
funding
coming
from
other
grants,
sources
or
private
funds
evaluate
charitable
landowner
donations,
as
well
as
removing
the
development
pressure
from
the
ranking
system
in
order
to
avoid
competing
with
the
comprehensive
plan
and
as
well
as
to
make
sure
we're
our
efforts.
Are
you
know,
working
well
with
our
affordable
housing
Bond
as
well.
R
So
here
is
the
updated
AG,
Advisory,
Board
evaluation,
ranking
system
so
where
the
development
pressure
section
has
been
completely
removed
from
our
ranking
system
and
has
now
been
replaced
with
the
funding
and
donation
leverage
section
that
you
can
see
in
the
yellow
box.
R
So
we
wanted
to
make
sure
we
were
doing
this
in
order
to
incorporate
those
two
important
pieces
into
the
ranking
system
and
basically,
all
other
sections
of
the
system
have
have
stayed
the
same.
R
So
here
is
a
recap
also
of
the
the
conditions
that
are
required
to
be
met
for
the
AG
Advisory
Board
to
recommend
a
project
for
easement
purchase.
So
in
addition
to
those
chain,
those
criteria,
we
have
made
sure
that
we
clarified
that
we
want
to
make
to
make
sure
that
at
least
two
of
the
conditions
Below
in
the
in
the
yellow
box
have
been
met.
R
In
addition
to
that,
we
want
to
make
sure
that
our
landowners
are
donating
at
least
25
to
50
percent
of
their
easement
value
in
a
bond
funding
project,
and
so
this
is
also
to
encourage
that
landowner,
donation
value
so
exactly
the
same
for
the
land,
conservation,
Advisory,
Board,
easement
purchase
requirements,
so
they
have
to
meet
those
different
conditions,
but
the
the
conditions
in
the
yellow
box
are
the
same
for
both
boards,
so
encouraging
landowners
to
donate
at
least
25
to
50
percent
of
their
easement
value,
and
the
bond
can
only
be
used
to
fund
up
to
50
of
the
easement
value.
R
So,
basically,
since
we
met
last,
we
have
brought
these
recommendations
to
the
agricultural
Advisory
Board.
We
met
on
April
18th
and
the
board
voted
to
recommend
these
proposed
easement
criteria
for
the
bond
funds,
and
then
we
also
presented
at
the
April
environmental
and
energy
subcommittee
and
the
subcommittee
voted
in
support
of
these
criteria
as
well.
P
A
A
A
A
That's
correct
I'm
I'm
happy
to
support
those
recommendations
on
these
appointments.
Okay,
make
a
motion
to
appoint
Lena
Stapleton
and
summer
Bartow.
A
A
All
in
favor
say
aye
aye
any
opposed
all
right.
We
appreciate
everyone
who
applied
and
serves
on
our
boards
and
commissions.
All
right.
We
have
a
couple
of
announcements
on
May
9th
at
8,
30
A.M,
the
County
Commissioners
will
hold
a
budget
work
session
at
the
East
Asheville
Library
three
Avon
Road
Asheville
North
Carolina
28805
on
May
16th
at
3
pm.
The
Commissioners
will
hold
their
briefing
meeting
at
200
College
Street
room
326
in
downtown
Asheville
on
May
16th
at
5
PM.
A
T
Yes,
sir,
pursuant
to
General
statute,
143
318-11
A3
have
two
attorney-client
matters
to
discuss
with
the
board.
One
has
to
do
with
settlement
Authority
on
a
general
liability
matter,
and
the
second
is
the
industrial
commission
case.
Ic
number
23-1969,
Katrina
Williams
versus
Buncombe
County,
and
we
just
need
direction
from
the
board
on
these
members.
A
All
right
is
there
a
motion
to
go
into
closed
session.
Second,
all
in
favor
say
aye
aye
any
opposed.
So
when
we're
finished
with
the
closed
session
items
that
Mr
free
just
mentioned,
we
will
go
back
into
Open
Session,
but
take
no
business
undertake
no
additional
business
and
we'll
simply
adjourn
the
meeting
we're
in
closed
session.