Special Meeting: Economy Recovery Board Orientation (In-Person) (Nov 4, 2025)

On November 4, 2025, the City of Asheville held a special in-person meeting for the Economy Recovery Board, which served as an orientation session for newly appointed members. This meeting was part of a joint session involving four newly established recovery boards—Economy, Housing, Infrastructure, and People & Environment—created by City Council in February 2024 to guide the city’s response to Hurricane Helene. The primary purpose of the gathering was to provide an overview of the recovery framework, explain the specific roles and expectations for the boards, and outline the legal requirements for their operations.

The meeting began with a high-level overview of the city’s recovery process, presented by Assistant City Manager Ben Woody. He emphasized that the recovery is a long-term effort involving multiple simultaneous phases, noting that while the boards are currently in the "identifying recovery projects" phase, most of their work will focus on implementation and tracking in the coming months. The boards are expected to operate for at least 18 months, with a potential extension depending on their effectiveness, and will work toward a recovery vision rooted in resilience, unity, care, and readiness. Following this, City Attorney Brad Branham provided a detailed legal briefing on North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law. He stressed that the boards are legislative advisory bodies that must adhere to strict transparency rules, including proper meeting notices, quorum requirements, and public records access. Branham specifically urged caution regarding email communications among board members, warning that digital deliberations could inadvertently trigger open meetings requirements.

During the Economy Recovery Board breakout session, members reviewed the board’s scope, which includes providing input on policies for economic recovery, resilience, and diversification. Key areas of focus include land management, workforce development, expanding the contractor pool, and supporting small and underrepresented businesses. The board also reviewed anticipated initial agenda items for its upcoming meetings, which include education on Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) opportunities, updates on small business grants, and reviews of the Economic Development Corporation’s 5x5 plan.

The only formal vote taken at the meeting was to adopt the board’s regular meeting schedule. Jeffrey Burroughs moved to adopt a schedule of bi-monthly, hybrid meetings held in the first-floor conference room of City Hall on the third Thursday of each month at 9:00 a.m. The motion passed with a vote of 8-0. This schedule establishes the first regular meeting for November 20, 2025, with subsequent meetings planned for January 15, 2026, March 19, 2026, May 21, 2026, July 16, 2026, September 17, 2026, and November 19, 2026.

There were no public comments or community input sessions during this orientation meeting. Regarding future steps, the agenda identified several items for upcoming meetings, including the adoption of Rules of Procedure and the election of board officers. Board members were also asked to review previous City Council committee agendas and meetings. Additionally, the City Clerk’s Office announced upcoming training sessions: a "New Member Training" on November 19, 2025, and a "Chair & Vice Chair Training" on December 11, 2025. The next meeting of the Economy Recovery Board is scheduled for November 20, 2025.