►
Description
Regular meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on April 4, 2023. To review the full agenda visit buncombecounty.org/commissioners.
A
Chair
Newman
is
not
able
to
be
with
us
this
evening
and
I'll
be
serving
in
this
role
this
evening.
The
let
me
announce
that
parking,
validation
and
bus
passes
are
now
available
for
commission
in
case.
Anyone
needs
that
anyone
parking
for
this
meeting
or
using
the
bus
can
pick
up
passes
from
security
on
your
way
out,
and
it
will
be
valid
for
today
and
let's
take
a
moment
of
gratitude
to
thank
our
fire
departments,
EMS
Fire
Marshals
and
the
forest
service,
who
had
a
very
busy
weekend
with
multiple
fires.
A
Is
there
any
item
on
the
agenda?
The
outcome
of
which
will
have
a
direct,
substantial
and
readily
identifiable
Financial
impact
for
any
board.
Member
also
does
any
board
member
have
a
financial
interest
in
any
public
contract
coming
before
this
board.
Today,
there
being
none
all
board.
Members
have
a
duty
and
obligation
to
vote,
and
now
we
will
look
at
our
consent
agenda.
Do
any.
Does
any
Commissioners
have
any
questions
on
any
item
on
the
consent
agenda?
A
A
A
And
now
it's
we'll
come
to
public
comment
and
whenever
I
call
your
name
if
you'll
come
up
there
to
the
podium,
there
is
a
a
light
there.
It's
about
three
minutes
total
and
when
the
yellow
light
comes
on,
you
have
about
30
seconds
or
so.
So,
if
you'll,
please
limit
your
comments
to
that
time.
We'd
appreciate
it.
That's
respectful
of
giving
everyone
the
same
amount
of
time
and
if,
for
some
reason
you
have
more
comments
than
what
your
time
allows,
you
may
leave
that
information
with
our
Clerk
as
well.
B
My
name
is
Dee
Styles
and
I
live
in
Lytle
Cove
in
Swannanoa.
At
past
meetings,
I
have
been
here
to
talk
about
the
water
problems
out
west.
To
talk
about
how
cities
Downstream
depend
on
the
mountains
for
drinking
water
and
to
tell
about
how
I
have
seen
how
steep
slope
development
is
already
affecting
creeks
and
what
that
may
mean
for
the
future
of
water
quality
and
quantity
in
Buncombe
County
with
so
much
at
stake.
We
better
take
some
time
to
make
sure
we
are
not
putting
our
water
future
water
supply
at
risk.
B
B
C
Hello,
I'm
Andrew
Clark
legislative
director
for
Bedingfield
scheidle,
chapter
14,
Disabled,
American,
Veterans,
DAV,
chapter
14
is
dedicated
to
a
single
purpose:
empowering
veterans
to
lead
high
quality
lives
with
respecting
dignity.
I'm,
here
today
to
thank
Buncombe
County
for
supporting
the
veteran
population
of
this
community
moving
forward,
the
expectations
you
should
have
for
DAV
chapter
14
is
receiving
a
copy
of
our
legislative
goals
for
2023.
C
plan
publication
distribution,
Before,
Memorial
Day,
additionally,
mailed
correspondence
from
the
office
of
DAV
chapter
14,
commander
and
Dav
chapter
14
legislative
director
with
information,
informative
of
the
needs
of
disabled
veterans
and
proven
programs
that
support
America's
Heroes
and
their
families.
Returning
back
to
civilian
life
programs,
we
asked
Buncombe
County
to
provide
additional
funding
to
support,
including
programs
not
funded
through
federal
spending
at
the
Charles
George
VA
Medical
Center.
C
The
county
investment
in
in
programs
can
help
ensure
that
Asheville
does
not
make
the
list
of
the
proposed
VA
closers
closures
in
the
future.
According
to
militarytimes.com
7
out
of
17
sites
recommended
a
few
weeks
ago
for
VA
closures,
the
the
calls
was
the
decline
in
veteran
population
as
a
reminder
to
the
local
government
that
continually
choose
to
not
fully
invest
in
veterans
and
uphold.
The
promises
made
Congress
authorized
the
VA
secretary,
the
authority
to
receive
land
and
building
donations
to
meet
the
increased
needs
for
veterans
through
the
chip
in
Act
of
2016..
C
A
A
E
I'd
like
to
thank
all
the
Commissioners
tonight
for
the
recognition
for
our
telecommunicators,
they
are
very
dedicated
to
the
job.
I
think
that
was
evidence
this
weekend
on
Saturday
during
the
Windstorm
that,
even
with
the
Staffing
crisis
we
were
staffed
to
cover,
we
had
to
answer
calls
throughout
the
county
and
at
times
we
actually
did
not
have
ambulances
or
fire
service
vehicles
to
send
to
the
cause.
So
they
were
able
to
triage,
as
we
say,
work
with
the
callers
and
it
worked
out
very
well.
E
We
appreciate
again
appreciate
the
recognization
and
also
just
a
background
National
Public
Safety
tale
communicators
week.
It
actually
started
in
1981
by
dispatcher
named
Patricia
Anderson
in
a
County
Sheriff's
Office
in
California,
and
she
started
it
to
honor
the
telecommunicators
for
their
commitment
service
and
sacrifice
that
they
provide
to
communities
and
again
we
thank
you
tonight.
G
Thank
you
Commissioners
for
recognizing
Public
Health
week
and
I
also
want
to
take
this
opportunity.
There
could
be,
you
know,
probably
more
appropriate
week
for
me
to
formally
introduce
you
to
our
new
Public
Health
director
in
Buncombe
County,
so
it's
my
pleasure
to
introduce
Ellis
Matheson
tonight
as
the
new
Public
Health
director
for
Buncombe
County
Ellis
is
no
stranger
to
Buncombe.
County
she's
came
here,
I
think
19
years
ago
as
a
contract
nurse
and
she's
a
prime
example.
G
If
you
hire
bright,
dedicated
people
and
you
just
give
them
an
environment
where
they
can
Thrive
and
grow,
they
will
because
she's
held
many
leadership
positions
in
Buncombe,
County,
Public
Health.
Since
that
time,
she's
really
recognized
at
the
local
level.
As
a
leader
in
public
health,
she
teaches
at
the
UNCA
Gillings
public
health
program.
She
leads
the
regional
immunization,
Coalition
she's
been
recognized
our
state
by
our
state
as
an
outstanding
professional
in
public
health
and
I
believe
100.
G
H
Thank
you.
I'm
really
excited
to
continue
my
public
service
in
this
new
role
as
a
public
health
director
here
in
Buncombe
County,
which
I'm
really
proud
of
the
public
health
services
that
we
provide
in
Buncombe
County,
and
it
leads
me
really
to
wanting
to
take
this
opportunity
to
recognize
our
amazing
Public
Health
Workforce,
which
I
have
some
of
them
joining
us
tonight,
I'm
very
excited.
H
A
I
I
I'll
read
the
proclamation
aloud
and
then
Rebecca
Smith
will
make
some
remarks
to
accept
it:
County
Buncombe
Proclamation
and
recognition
of
Child
Abuse
Prevention
month,
whereas
children
are
vital
to
our
state's
future
success,
prosperity
and
quality
of
life,
as
well
as
being
our
most
valuable
assets.
I
Now,
therefore,
be
it
proclaimed
by
the
Board
of
Commissioners
for
the
county
of
Buncombe
as
follows:
that
the
month
of
April
2023
be
proclaimed,
Child
Abuse
Prevention
month
in
Buncombe
County,
that
this
board
does
hereby
call
upon
every
citizen
to
join
the
child
protection
organizations,
groups
and
individuals
in
observance
of
the
month
with
appropriate
programs
and
activities,
and
that
this
Proclamation
be
effective
upon
its
adoption,
adopted
this
fourth
day
of
April
2023..
Thank
you.
J
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
just
say
a
few
words
in
regards
to
the
significance
of
this
month.
The
main
thing
that
I
want
to
bring
forward
is
that
it
takes
people
to
do
the
work
of
preventing
child
abuse
and
neglect
in
our
community,
and
we
are
facing
unprecedented
Workforce
shortages
across
all.
You
know
all
areas
of
of
Life
at
postcovid,
and
that
is
impacting
us
as
an
organization
in
in
our
child
protective
services
units.
J
It's
also
impacting
our
community
providers
and
I
just
wanted
to
just
take
a
second
to
celebrate
the
people
who
are
doing
the
work.
We
have
almost
100
social
workers
and
supervisors
that
work
for
this
County
who
dedicate
24,
7
365
their
lives
to
this
work
and
I
just
want
to
elevate
them
and
celebrate
them
and
then
also
say
how
important
it
is
for
us
to
have
such
strong,
Community,
Partners.
I
can't
say
enough
about
the
mountain
Child,
Advocacy
Center
and
the
work
that
we
do
together.
J
Ashley
and
I
have
known
each
other
for
a
really
long
time,
even
before
we
were
in
Buncombe
County
and
the
dedication
that
that
this
group
has
to
being
trauma-informed
and
evidence-based
and
working
with
our
most
vulnerable
children
who
have
experienced
complex
trauma
in
their
lives.
I
can't
say
enough
about
how
much
I
appreciate
the
way
that
the
mount
Child
Advocacy
Center
shows
up,
and
does
this
great
work
with
families
and
then
also
taviah
and
Angie.
Garner
is
here
and
she's.
J
She
worked
with
us
at
Health
and
Human
Services
for
a
while
and
then
moved
on
to
Via,
but
the
the
Partnerships
that
we
have
built
through
October
Road
and
family
preservation,
services
and
Youth
Villages,
and
being
able
to
access,
trauma-informed
and
evidence-based
assessments
for
both
children
and
families
in
our
community.
I
just
want
to
highlight
those
as
successes
and
again
celebrate
the
the
people
that
do
this
work
every
day
in
our
community.
J
A
K
L
Okay,
very
good
and
I'm.
Sorry,
we
had
a
little
show
for
you,
but
but
I'm
in
now,
so
Commissioners
I'm
glad
to
be
here:
I'm
Robert,
Brown,
I'm,
an
architect
and
project
manager,
General
Services
here
in
Buncombe
County
as
an
architect,
my
mother
used
to
tell
me
that
I
could
draw
Like
the
Wind
regarding
public
speaking.
She
took
the
fifth
so
bear
with
me
all
right.
L
I'm
gonna
try
to
walk
through
this,
and
forgive
me
for
looking
down
because
that's
where
I
have
it
so
I'm
here
to
introduce
the
the
general
Services
is
going
to
move
forward
with
the
Asheville
primary
school
property
feasibility
study
and
the
temporary
mobile
EMS
base,
and
and
again
that
would
be
on
the
site
and
which
Avril
just
spoke
to
a
little
bit
of
of
what
I
want
to
discuss.
Is
the
feasibility
study,
the
purpose
and
an
overview?
L
Secondly,
it's
for
the
placement
of
a
temporary
EMS
base.
It's
a
temporary
mobile
EMS
base
go
ahead
and
have
EMS
services
in
in
that
area
as
soon
as
possible.
L
L
So
the
process
that
we
will
step
into
next
is
the
RFQ
and
design
firm
selection
jointly
between
the
county
and
Asheville
City
Schools.
We
will
develop
a
scope
for
the
RFQ.
L
We
will
then
advertise
the
RFQ
for
architectural
planning
and
Engineering
Services.
There
we
go
okay,
yeah
advertise
the
RFQ
for
architectural
planning,
Engineering
Services,
and
then
with
the
Matrix
that
you
see,
we
will
score
the
firms
and
the
the
selection
of
the
firms
are
based
on
the
high
score.
We
also
we
prioritize
those
firms
in
a
one,
two,
three
selection
and
that's
in
case
negotiations
with
the
first
firm
doesn't
go.
Well
then,
the
second
firm
is
in
line.
L
Which
we're
directly
oh
there
you
go.
Our
proposed
schedule
is
to
finalize
the
RFQ
scope
by
April
14th.
Pretty
fast.
Excuse
me
file
yeah,
finalize
the
RFQ
scope
by
April
14th
advertise
from
April
14th
through
May
1st.
L
Select
the
qualified
firm
from
May,
8th
to
May
19th
contract
negotiations
and
execution,
May
22nd
through
June
16th,
and
then
do
the
work
or
design
development
June
26
through
November
21st,
which
is
approximately
five
months
and
then
at
that
time.
If
everything's
successful
into
a
conclusionary
point,
we
we
intend
to
come
and
discuss
the
the
outcome
with
this
board
on
December
the
5th.
I
Just
share
briefly
that
I
had
the
opportunity
to
join
County,
Manager
Pinder
in
a
really
productive,
positive
conversation
with
and
meeting
with
mem
with
the
ACs
superintendent
and
members
of
the
school
board,
and
it
was
really
great
to
hear
some
of
what
their
priorities
are
and
how
they're
thinking
about
potential
uses
on
this
campus
and
then
also
to
be
able
to
share
what
some
of
our
top
priorities
are
from
a
county
perspective
and
and
I.
I
Think
both
sides
expressed
just
a
a
lot
of
openness
to
figuring
out
what
some
potential
collaborative
approaches
could
be.
That
could
sort
of
make
sure
that
the
highest
and
best
uses
in
terms
of
community
needs
are
addressed
through.
What's
located
and
co-located
on
the
campus,
so
I
felt
like
just
a
really
positive
productive
conversation,
I'm
so
glad
it's
led
to
this
point.
A
K
Have
a
draft
letter
at
your
place:
if
you
have
we
don't
this
is
just
draft
okay,
you
can
take
it
read
it
or
you
can
give
us
guidance
to
finalize.
This
is
anything
you
see
that
we
need
to
change
in
this
slider
I
thought?
If
not,
the
plan
would
be
for
us
to
go
ahead
and
get
this
before
you
tonight
to
vote,
and
we
can
get
this
finalized
and
send
off
to
secretary
Kinsley
by
the
end
of
the
week.
A
I
L
I
K
A
M
Good
evening,
Commissioners
members
of
the
public
we're
going
to
pull
up,
there's
four
statements
that
I'd
like
to
show
you
on
a
slide
and
that's
all
we
have,
in
addition
to
the
request
for
board
action.
But
basically
what
this
item
is
is
to
call
for
a
public
hearing.
This
public
hearing
would
take
place
on
May,
2nd.
The
purpose
of
the
public
hearing
is
to
consider
an
ordinance
imposing
a
temporary
moratorium
on
the
land
use
described
as
cryptocurrency
mining
previously
been
before
you
in
a
briefing
to
explain
what
this
land
use
constitutes.
M
We
have
if
we
could
pull
up
the
four
statements.
That's
on
the
board
agenda,
please
those
are
more
information.
M
That's
fine,
as
we've
discussed
before
what
we
are
interested
in
having
a
look
at
are:
are
these
operations
that
are
commercial
level
that
have
a
bank
of
servers
that
basically
perform
really
complex
algorithms
and
mathematical
computations
in
these
buildings,
or
in
other
instances,
in
areas
where
we
found
that
they've
used
cargo
containers
and
other
means
by
which
that
they
have
all
these
servers
that
perform
these
calculations.
M
N
D
O
A
P
So
I'm
Kendra
Ferguson,
the
chair
of
the
audit
committee,
thank
you
for
having
me
as
well
as
Mason
here
tonight.
We
also
have
a
short
presentation
that
I'm
not
sure
if
we
have
there,
we
go
perfect,
so
I
wanted
to
quickly
remind
everyone
just
quickly
about
the
audit
committee.
The
audit
committee
is
tasked
with
assisting
the
Board
of
Commissioners
in
oversight
of
the
external
annual
Financial
audit,
and
we
had
been
with
our
previous
external
Financial
auditor
for
five
years
at
the
end
of
fiscal
year,
2022.
so
as
a
best
practice
every
three
to
five
years.
P
It's
good
to
put
that
service
out
for
a
request
for
proposal.
So
if
you'll
go
to
the
next
slide,
please
or
how
do
I?
Do
that
never
mind?
Thank
you.
I
want
to
just
give
an
overview
of
our
process.
So
at
the
beginning
of
January,
we
issued
a
request
for
proposal
for
independent
external
Financial
audit
services,
and
we
received
four
responses.
So
on
March,
8th
and
9th,
the
audit
committee
held
public
meetings
to
interview
each
of
those
four
firms.
P
All
of
those
meetings
were
attended
by
myself
and
Al
and
various
members
of
the
finance
department
and
the
internal
audit
Department.
The
audit
committee
met
on
March
the
21st
and
discussed
the
responses
to
the
RFP
and
actually
made
a
recommendation
which
I
am
here
to
present
to
you
tonight.
Thank
you.
So
we
did
receive
responses
from
Clifton
Larsen
Allen,
who
was
our
auditor
for
the
previous
five
years
for
this
Malden
and
Jenkins
and
Thompson
price
Scott,
Adams
and
Company
next
slide.
Please
thank
you.
P
the
amount
of
the
contract
for
fiscal
year.
2023
is
185
thousand
dollars
some
distinguishing
factors
that
we
noticed
with
malnat
and
Jenkins.
They
are
a
large
Regional
firm
based
in
the
Southeast
I'm
leaving
on
14
offices.
They
have
a
dedicated
local
government
team
which
really
can
help
them
stand
out.
The
proposed
audit
team
has
lots
of
local
government
on
it.
Experience
similar
to
counties
within
as
Buncombe
County,
including
orange
wake
and
more
counties
next
slide.
Please.
So
we
do
have
a
request
for
board
action
to
accept
the
audience
recommendation
and
authorize
fiscal
year.
F
O
It
is
the
experience
they've
had
with
us,
because
you
know
the
audit
firm
we
did
have.
Who
was
great,
who
some
tough
times
for
us.
You
know
what
the
county
unfortunate
situation
we
had,
but
we've
reached
the
point
now:
The
Firm
that
we're
looking
at
they
do
have
other
counties
in
the
state
that
they
work
with.
O
Where
the
firm
we
were
working
with,
they
don't.
You
know
we
would
only
firm
in
North,
Carolina
and
one
of
the
things
we
looked
at
too.
Let's
talk
about,
we
were
we
looked
at
coughs,
you
know
getting
the
best
for
our
money.
Of
course
you
never
know
about
costs
until
he
get
in
and
start
doing
the
job,
but
we
go
with
what
we've
got,
but
after
we
looked
at
it
and
compared
we
were
fortunate.
O
P
A
O
P
A
Q
Q
Q
In
the
grants
fund,
12
grants,
totaling
8.8
million
dollars
are
being
closed.
There
are
no
Grant
savings
as
unused
dollars
are
either
not
drawn
down
or
returned
to
the
funder
in
the
article
46
sales
tax,
Capital
fund
or
the
A
B
Tech
fund
the
fiscal
year.
20
Energy
savings
project
is
being
closed
with
Savings
of
173
763
dollars
to
be
reallocated
to
the
fund
in
the
public
schools,
ADM
Capital
fund
two
projects
and
prior
year
funding
are
closed.
Q
Q
Lastly,
in
the
solid
waste
capital
projects
fund,
three
projects
are
being
closed.
The
transfer
facility
has
Savings
of
eighteen
thousand
one
hundred
sixty
seven
dollars
that
will
remain
in
the
fund
for
fiscal
year.
24
Pago
projects,
two
projects
are
no
longer
being
pursued.
The
GPS
system
has
not
moved
forward
due
to
coverage
issues
at
the
landfill,
and
there
are
operational
changes
regarding
the
need
for
the
service
truck.
Q
A
A
A
And
we
have
some
announcements:
April
18th
at
3,
P.M
there'll
be
a
commissioner's
briefing
at
200
College
Street
room
326
in
downtown
Asheville
April
18th
at
5
PM,
a
commissioner's
regular
meeting
at
200
College
Street
room
326
in
downtown
Asheville
and
on
April
25th
at
8
30
a.m.
Commissioners
budget
work
session
at
200,
College,
Street,
room
326
in
downtown
Asheville
and
Mr
fruit
I
believe
we
have
reason
for
a
closed
session.
Is
that
correct.
N
First,
one
Hyatt
versus
Miller,
which
is
the
United
States
district
court
for
the
Western
District
of
North
Carolina
19
cv250.
The
second
is
to
discuss
Buncombe
County
versus
green
Buncombe,
County
superior
court
file,
number
22,
CVS
2473,
and
we're
just
looking
for
direction
from
the
board
and
no
more
action
and
Open
Session
anticipated.
Okay,.