# Special Meeting: Infrastructure Recovery Board Orientation (In-Person) (Nov 4, 2025) **Body:** City of Asheville — Infrastructure Recovery Board **Date:** November 4, 2025 9:00 AM EST (2025-11-04T09:00:00-05:00) **Location:** Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, 87 Haywood St, Asheville, NC 28801, USA - Banquet Hall **Link:** https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083 ## Summary On November 4, 2025, the City of Asheville’s Infrastructure Recovery Board held a special in-person orientation meeting. This session served as the initial gathering for the newly formed board, which was established in response to Hurricane Helene to support the city’s long-term recovery efforts. The meeting focused on providing foundational information about the board’s role, legal responsibilities, and operational framework before transitioning into specific discussions regarding the board’s scope of work. The meeting began with a welcome from Mayor Manheimer, who emphasized that the recovery process is rooted in resilience, unity, care, and readiness for the future. Staff then presented an overview of the Recovery Board Framework, explaining that the four priority areas for recovery—People in the Environment, Housing, Infrastructure, and Economy—stem from a February 2024 City Council decision. Officials noted that recovery is a multi-year process, with the boards committed to an initial 18-month term, and highlighted that a significant portion of the effort will be funded by a $225 million federal grant from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program. City Attorney Brad Branham provided a detailed legal overview, outlining the board’s obligations under North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law. Key points included the requirement for proper public notice, the necessity of a quorum (more than half of the board members) for official votes, and the status of board communications as public records. The presentation also covered conflict of interest disclosures and the need for the board to formally adopt its own Rules of Procedure to govern meeting operations, including quorum and voting standards. During the Infrastructure Recovery Breakout session, the board reviewed its specific scope and initial agenda items. The board’s work plan focuses on rebuilding damaged infrastructure with an emphasis on long-term resilience, improving water systems and flood management, and supporting parks, greenway, and recreation infrastructure. The board will also review funding sources, including FEMA Public Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and provide feedback on project selections. Additionally, board members were directed to review recent meetings of the Policy, Finance, and Infrastructure (PFI) Council Committee to ensure alignment with broader city recovery goals. The primary formal decision taken at this meeting was the adoption of the board’s regular meeting schedule. Shuvonda Harper moved to adopt a bi-monthly, hybrid meeting schedule, which passed. Under this schedule, the board will meet on the first Tuesday of every other month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the first-floor conference room of City Hall. The first meeting under this new schedule is set for November 10, 2025, with subsequent meetings scheduled for January 6, 2026, March 3, 2026, May 5, 2026, and July 7, 2026. No public comments were taken during this informational session. Regarding next steps, the board identified several future agenda items, including the adoption of Rules of Procedure and the election of board officers, which will be addressed at upcoming meetings. Staff also noted that the City Clerk’s Office will offer a New Member Training on November 19, 2025, and a Chair & Vice-Chair Training on December 11, 2025. The Infrastructure Recovery Board is scheduled to operate until June 30, 2027. ## Agenda - [Overview of Recovery Board Framework (40 Minutes)](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2409) - [CALL TO ORDER](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2406) - [Legal Overview (40 Minutes)](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/21491) - [City Clerk Overview](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2411) - [A. Welcome from Mayor Manheimer](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2408) - [Trainings Save The Dates:](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2412) - [C. Legal Overview](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2410) - [New Member Training](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2419) - [Chair/Vice-Chair Training on](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/21492) - [Review Board Scope & Initial Agenda Items (20 minutes)](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2415) - [Review Board Scope & Initial Agenda Items (20 minutes)](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/19921) - [2. BREAK](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2413) - [Adoption of Regular Meeting Schedule (20 minutes)](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2417) - [CALL TO ACTION / FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS (15 minutes)](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/21493) - [Adopt Rules of Procedure](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/21494) - [Board Officer Elections](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/21495) - [Board members to review previous Council Committee agendas and meetings](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2418) - [ADJOURNMENT](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083/item/2420) ## Votes - Shuvonda Harper moved to adopt the regular meeting schedule as follows: Bi-Monthly, hybrid, in the first-floor conference room of City Hall on the first Tuesday of every other month from 10:30 to 12:00 pm. Motion seconded by Michael Holcombe and carried on a unanimous vote. — Passed ## Video & Transcript - Recording: https://youtube.com/live/n0ejNMcR7fk?feature=share - Transcript: https://sunshinemeetings.org/transcript/731/segments ## Documents - [Recovery Board Legal Overview 2025.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2365) - [Infrastructure Recovery Board Anticipated Initial Agenda Items - PFI.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2366) - [Infrastructure Recovery Board Meeting Schedule.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2367) - [Helene Recovery Boards Framework.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2368) - [Infrastructure Recovery Board Minutes 11.4.25.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2363) - [Infrastructure Recovery Board Minutes 11.4.25.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=13390) - [agenda_2025-11-04.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2362) - [Infrastructure Recovery Board Agenda 11.4.25.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=2364) - [minutes_2025-11-04.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/1083?document=13388) ## Sources - [City of Asheville WordPress](https://www.ashevillenc.gov/government/meetings/special-meeting-helene-recovery-boards-orientation-in-person-nov-4-2025/)