Board of Commissioners Meeting

- Good evening, I'd like to call to order our Board of Commissioners meeting. Please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Anyone parking for this meeting or using the bus may pick up passes on your way out this evening and it will be valid for today only. Ethics reminder to the board. In accordance with the code of ethics adopted by the board, all county commissioners have a duty to obey all applicable laws regarding official actions to uphold the integrity and independence of the office to avoid impropriety in the exercise of official duties, to faithfully perform the duties of the office, and to conduct the affairs of the governing board in an open and public manner. 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? 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. All right commissioners we move to our consent agenda and I think we need a motion to add the passenger rail letter. I move that we add the letter from the Commission to the General Assembly regarding passenger rail funding. Thank you. All right. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. We will add that to the consent agenda. Does anyone from the public have questions or comments about the consent agenda this evening? Thank you. All right, there being none, commissioners, do we have a motion to -- great. So moved by Commissioner Whiteside. So we have a second. Thank you, Commissioner Horton. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All right. Any opposed? All right. We will move forward with the agenda as presented. All right, we move to public comment this evening. The time limit for public comment to the board is three minutes. Please state your name before you begin speaking at the podium. If your time expires, you may leave any question along with your name, address, and phone number with the county manager. Board members are not expected to comment on any matters during public comment. This is your time to speak to us. All public comments must be directed to the board as a whole, not to individual commissioners, staff, or audience members. There is no clapping, snapping, or booing allowed. The board reserves the right to deny public address on any subject previously presented to the board during the same meeting. Please note that one group can elect one person to speak for 10 minutes if eight people in attendance relinquish their right to speak on the issue. Thank you. All right our first resident who signed up this evening is Gary Brunold. Gary please join us at the podium. Good afternoon. My name is Gary Brunold. I'm here today to ask for your help with resolving a dispute that has developed with the Buncombe County Permits and Inspections Office. By way of background, my wife and I have contracted with Kyle Chandler of KC Construction, he's a licensed contractor in North Carolina, to build a home for our son off of old Leicester Highway. We live up in Woodfin and my son is relocating to Asheville from Florida to start a woodworking business. In fact, the identical framing approach that the Buncombe County inspectors have not accepted has been approved under the same North Carolina Residential Building Code in five neighboring county jurisdictions in homes that my contractor, Kyle, has built. And this method is a widespread use in post-frame construction across the United States. and the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal as well. I also sent a letter to you this morning seeking your assistance on this matter. Because of this dispute, construction has been on hold for over three months. Every day that goes by costs us in terms of compounded interest on our construction loan, cost of temporary housing for my son, and storage costs for his furnishings. Our request to this board is for your direct administrative review of Buncombe County permits and inspections and their handling of our permits. More specifically, Kyle is asking this board to direct an independent reevaluation of the framing method and facilitate a meeting between Kyle, qualified county inspector representatives, and if desired, the project's engineering resources to resolve all the remaining questions. Thank you, Mr. Bruneau. You may leave your remarks with the clerk or the county manager. I'll do it. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate your time. First, I want to thank Chair Edwards and Commissioner Wells for responding to our recent report and email on the need for a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy for the county. We appreciate that you have accepted our invitation for continued dialogue and we look forward to that conversation. So we know that county leaders care about displacement. In fact, that's exactly why we're bringing this up and having this conversation. Since we first raised this issue back in November, we've done so on the premise that county leaders already understood the importance of preventing displacement, That's why Asheville City staff have been working closely with GAP and many other community stakeholders for several months to develop an anti-displacement analysis tool that can help identify risks and inform decision making before displacement occurs. We believe Buncombe County would be a valuable partner in that effort and we'd like to once again extend an invitation for you to join us. The county's already said that displacement matters, and we appreciate that. The next step is building the tools to measure it, track it, and prevent it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Greenson. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS THIS EVENING. THE 2025 GOVERNOR'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS. AND JENNIFER IS HERE TO PRESENT THE SERVICE AWARD TO THE FOUR WINNERS. AND I INVITE THEM ALL TO JOIN HER AT THE PODIUM AS WELL. I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO SPEAK AS SLOWLY AS I CAN. AS YOU ALL KNOW, I TEND TO GO A LITTLE BIT RAPID. Good afternoon, Commissioners. It is my pleasure to present this year's Governor's Volunteer Service Award, which honors the true spirit of volunteers in our community. The award recognizes individuals, groups, or businesses that make a significant contribution to their community through selfless act of work. The award program created by the Office of the Governor in 1979 recognizes North Carolina's most dedicated volunteers. Through the years, these awards have honored thousands who have shown concern and compassion for their neighbors, volunteers, and their local community. Buncombe County began accepting nominations for the 2026 Governor's Volunteer Service Award around November of 2025. At the end of April of 2026, Buncombe County received the names of those honors, and I would like to take a moment to properly acknowledge them, since they are often without reward or recognition for the work they provide for our community, while offering their time and energy to important causes. Thank you. This year's Volunteer Service Award for Buncombe County goes to Governor Lyndell Noyes-Brownwell, and I apologize if I've misspelled your name. Friends of the Black Mountain Public Library. Since 2018, she has devoted countless hours to the Friends of the Black Mountain Public Library, reviving the seed library as a welcoming space, sharing environmental knowledge and stewardship. Due to Lindell's effort, thousands of seeds have been shared in eight years, and after Tropical Storm Helene, Lindell coordinated a distribution of nearly 500 free seed starting packs, helping gardeners replant their Helmand seeds and reconnect the Black Mountain community to the land. Linda generously serves also includes managing the Friends Etsy shop, where her thoughtful creation and outstanding customer service have generated more than 60,000 in four years. Directly supporting the Black Mountain Public Library, they have been able to purchase new furniture and upgrade the increased capacity for patrons. WE NEXT HAVE BETSY WHITE. SHE WORKS VOLUNTEERS AT THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS, WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, BETTER KNOWN AS NAMI. AND AGAIN IF I MISPELLED ANYTHING I APOLOGIZE. BETSY WHITE PROVIDES UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AS MISSION WHICH IS TO SUPPORT, EDUCATE AND IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ANYONE AFFECTED BY MENTAL HEALTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. While she organizes, while the organization is fully staffed, it is still not, it still does not negate Betsy's amazing help. Thank you. Thank you. Garden leads, plants crop rotation, coordinates purchasing seeds and resources, and ensures the overall health and success of the garden. With the assistance of over 70 volunteers, the garden donated 3,439 pounds of produce to two local free food markets in 2025. Thank you, Chris. And finally, we have Anne Villan from Pisgah Legal Service. She has been volunteering at Pisgah Legal Service since 2022, supporting clients by helping attorneys gather all the documents and information needed to submit requests. Always willing to go the distance to help. She has even made two trips to Washington, D.C. for hearings and in the years since celebrated with the clients And I am going to do a little plug-in, so hopefully next year we have a little bit more volunteers and more staff, volunteering members in our community that are not sounded at. Thank you. Thank you, Jennifer, and thank you to each of the award winners. You all are shining examples of what makes Buncombe County the best county in North Carolina. Thank you for your efforts to make our community an even better place for so many. Commissioner, did they have anything they wanted to say? Can they come up front and get a picture with the board? We already did it. Oh. Okay. Avril, do you have a manager's report this evening? Just one quick one, ma'am. We do have a new department head with us this afternoon, so I want to take the time to introduce Josh Halinzy. So it is my pleasure this evening to introduce our newest Intergovernmental Affairs Director Josh Halinzy. Josh brings nearly his nearly 20 years of economic development experience back to Western, North Carolina. Most recently serving as Vice President of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. He grew up in the Asheville area, attended North Buncombe High School, and worked at the Grove Park Inn. After a nationwide search, Josh has significant experience with economic development in our state and the Western North Carolina region that stood out to us. He has served in multiple communities, including Henderson County, Transylvania, and New Hanover counties, and understands the unique geographic constraints, workforce, and industry strength of Western North Carolina. Josh holds a Master's of Public Administration for Appalachian State University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He's a certified economic developer through the International Economic Development Council and has completed the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute. His professional leadership includes service on the board of North Carolina Economic Development Association as well as service as a trustee for the Blue Ridge Community College. With close ties to this area and specialized experience in economic development, he's the perfect fit for Buncombe County's Intergovernmental Affairs Director. So if you wouldn't mind by joining me in welcoming Josh back to Buncombe County, his home. I WON'T DRAG YOUR MEETING OUT VERY LONG, BUT I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN TEAM BUNCOMBE COUNTY. I HAVE BEEN IN THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA REGION FOR MANY YEARS. MY WIFE AND I AND OUR KIDS ARE MOVING BACK FROM WILMINGTON. after a five-year stint leaving western north carolina was probably the hardest decision of my life coming back to ashville's the certainly the easiest so thank you for the opportunity can't wait to work with you and achieve great things from job creation to new taxable investment and being a resource for this community thank you thanks josh welcome to buncombe county but most importantly welcome back home we're happy to have you with us thank you Thank you, everyone. We do have a public hearing this evening. Melissa Moore is joining us to provide more background information on the open space bonds. Good evening. Good evening. So this evening will be the last action needed to move forward with making the November referendum official. So this evening I will start by presenting polling information provided by TPL. We'll go into public hearings first on the open space bonds. We'll adopt bond orders for the open space bonds. And we'll go into the public hearing for the housing bonds. We'll adopt the bond orders for the housing bonds. And we'll adopt a resolution setting a special bond referendum. So in May, Trust for Public Land engaged in public polling, surveying 410 voters across Buncombe County. We'll look at the results if I can turn my page here. The survey started with the first primary question reflecting draft and first part of ballot language. So for the first one, the open space bond asked if they were favorable for the bond at that amount with the stated types of projects. The initial question was favorable by 65%. The follow-up question added the average annual cost to a homeowner, and given that additional information, the favorable vote increased up to 70%. Looking at the same survey questions regarding the housing bonds, the initial question with the same type of information taken from draft and ballot language, it was favorable at 54%. With the follow-up question providing the average annual cost to a homeowner, favorable remained at 54%. So now we can move into the public hearings to give an overview. On this slide is the actual ballot language for the open space bond referendum item that voters will see on the November 3rd ballot. Just to highlight the language, the ballot language voters will see for open space bonds, will indicate that it is a 30 million bond plus interest. The bond funds will be used for items including protection and preservation of land, development of parks and greenways, and recreational purposes. Thank you, Madam Chairman, County Manager, and members of the Buncombe County Commission. I'm Dave Nutter, and I work with Connect Buncombe, a nonprofit 501 organization which devotes itself to advocating for the construction of greenways, trails, and So we are prepared, all of us at Connect Buncombe, to work hard to support you in every respect we can and to work with you throughout this entire process. Thank you very much. Thank you, Dave. Susan Bean. Thank you. As you all know, our community faces both a housing crisis and a climate crisis. The way to address both of these crises at the same time is to create more housing choices for people in the right places and to preserve our region's farms and forests. The more we can create homes where we already have infrastructure, like roads, schools, sewer and water pipes, and jobs, the better we pursue our housing goals while minimally impacting our climate goals. To achieve our climate goals, we have to reduce our carbon footprint. By reducing vehicle miles traveled, increasing energy efficiency as we heat and cool our homes, and capturing as much carbon as possible by protecting old growth forests and keeping agricultural soils intact. We simply have to invest in this future. We cannot afford to ignore the suffering of our neighbors and families who cannot find a place to live. We cannot afford to ignore the pace that sprawling development patterns keep eating up our farms and forests to build larger homes on large lots that are out of reach for average workers. We must be willing to commit our existing resources, however limited they may feel, to the work of building the future that we need. Mountain True supports the county's vision set forth in its strategic plan. And we support these bonds as a tool to ensure the county successfully implements that plan. We dream of a vibrant future for Buncombe County and ask you to vote yes on these bond referenda so we can work together towards that future. Thank you. Thank you, Susan. Is there anyone who did not sign up to speak about open space bonds who would like to? all right if not we will close the public hearing at 5:27 p.m. next I'll ask that you adopt the bond orders for the open space bonds Commissioners, are there questions before we call for a motion? I don't have any questions, but I do have a comment. It's really about both bonds, but since we're doing them individually, I'll just say that You know, our community clearly shared the importance of this work during our comprehensive planning process, and we were talking about our comprehensive plan and how important that is as a guiding document earlier during our briefing. And then we've also prioritized this work in our 2030 strategic plan. And I think that's really important that we're tying this to that. So, you know, we'll be tracking it We have targets with it. And then I think about the the great work we were able to do with the 2022 bonds and We've been able to make some really important progress for our community commissioner ball And I attended a groundbreaking at Rocky River over in Woodfin a few weeks ago and it was just great to see that project coming to fruition and that's because of our you know years of hard work that Buncombe County has done to lay the groundwork and then the fact that we had the bonds to bring that money to where we could bring in these developers to help and that's a hundred and twenty affordable homes for for people in our community and that's very exciting and those are going to be right there on that main transportation corridor and And then of course we know the excitement for our 340 acre Deaverview Mountain Park is palpable. We hear that all over the community. So there's many great things that we've been able to do with these, with the first bonds. So I'm excited about continuing that important work. And I also think about it in relation to our Helene Recovery, and it ties in directly with that because with these bonds, it allows us to leverage millions more investment in our community, and we know how important that is for us now more than ever. With that, we'll be able to activate the hazard mitigation grant property, some of those acquisition properties. If needed, we'll be able to use some of the Helene or help with some of the Helene recovery projects like Owen Park. And so I see this as part of the healing process for our community as well. So I think about it as an economic stimulus for areas like Swannanoa. And so this is about our community's health, physical, mental, and economic health. And that's about both of the bonds together because I think it's really important for our community to move forward with both of these. I appreciate the ongoing support and I appreciate folks coming and sharing their support this evening. And with that, I'm willing to make, unless somebody else has something they want to say, I'm willing to make the motion to authorizing the issuance of the 30 million general obligation open space bonds. Second. All right. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Second. Oh, no. Second. Second, yes. Motion by Commissioner Wells, seconded by Drew Ball. Move to call the question? Yes. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Motion carries. All right. So next we will move to the housing bonds. The housing bond ballot information is on the screen. This is exactly what the voters will see on the screen. that we acknowledged we still have a lot of gaps in our housing and a lot of goals to still reach in this. And that really struck me as he was speaking, knowing that we were heading into this particular hearing and vote this evening, because our affordable housing bonds are a great way to work towards addressing those gaps. We've made a lot of headway and a lot of progress. since 2022 with the bonds, including developing county owned land as well. And so I'm looking forward to supporting this particular motion this evening. Do we have a motion? - Chair Edwards, if I can also just note, as far as housing goes, there's a lot of requirements that we have to meet. With these bond dollars, it allows for flexibility. And as we've made tough decisions on the Affordable Housing Subcommittee, we've had an overwhelming amount of grant applications. And we were only, I think it was $15 million in total grant applications. And we were only, I have to look back at the numbers. We were only able to fund a small percentage of those, relatively speaking. But that goes to support our partners. I mean, it goes to support things like Cox Avenue, which is gonna be over 200 units of affordable housing. Hopefully, eventually, it'll be Ferry Road. But not just these county-centric projects, but also our partners at Habitat for Humanity, Physical Legal Services, Do we have a motion? All right, we have a motion on the floor and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right, motion carries. You still have more for us, Melissa. One final item. So the final item this evening is to adopt the resolution setting the special bond referendum. This resolution will be delivered to the Board of Election. Motion to set the special bond referendum. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you, Melissa. Thank you, Commissioners. We have a few items of new business this evening. We do have the approval of a few policy updates, and Rafael Baptista is here with additional information for us. Good evening, Commissioners. I'm here with a follow-up to the presentation we did at your briefing two weeks ago related to three policies: overtime pay, PCI compliance, and sustainable fleet. So the first policy is overtime pay policy. We do have staff from Human Resources here if you have any technical questions about this policy. Essentially this provides guidance for how overtime pay is compensated in accordance with Fair Labor Standards Act. It provides clarity regarding the standard work week. It confirms overtime calculation for non-exempt employees. It shares authorization and responsibility expectations related to this policy. In terms of revisions, we are proposing four primary revisions to this policy, including the agenda packet was a crosswalk of all the changes. But the overall time, the major revisions are one is the elimination of compensatory time as a payment option. All non-exempt employees would be paid time and a half for hours worked above 40 hours starting the week effective with the pay period starting June 27th. Funding for this was included in your adopted budget. Added management responsibility and reference law enforcement guidance per state statute. And added a section explaining criteria for exempt employees. Additionally, we are proposing and recommending this policy be moved to a county manager approved policy as it is currently a board approved policy. Overtime pay policy governs internal administrative functions, is aligned to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and board approval is not mandated by state statute. The next policy is the sustainable fleet policy. The key concepts related to policy are is that it supports the county's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It aligns with our strategic plan objectives and furthers our move towards renewable energy. It aims to reduce fleet fuel consumption through fleet right-sizing, deployment of telematics, and route optimization. Hey guys fleet procurement and outlines process for departments to appeal the vehicle. They have been assigned It applies to all departments and vehicles including those who are grant funded There's the additions and I apologize there was an error in this one we made the last minute update so I'll cover the error here in a moment, but I It edited language to align policy to practice and consultation with the fleet manager. It moved policy language to a procedural document or and ensures procedures provide guardrails for decision making to uphold policy intent. The last bullet here regarding board approval, we had intended to remove this and I apologize for it not being removed for this presentation. Last policy today is the PCI compliance. Couple of key concepts around this policy is the technical policy driven by the credit card industry and the changes in those in that industry. Includes a lot of items related to the training, logging, encryption, and it's meant to make sure that we're in compliance with the PCI standards. It applies to all Buncombe County departments and employees. AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE FENDER COMPLIANCE, GOVERNANCE, TECHNICAL CONTROLS, AND TRAINING. REVISIONS, IT UPDATED THE POLICY TO ALIGN WITH THE NEWEST PCI VERSIONS FOR ALL SYSTEMS HANDLING CARDHOLDER DATA. IT CLARIFIED THE ROLES OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR AND COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER. IT REPLACED TECHNICAL LANGUAGE WITH HIGH-LEVEL CONTROL REQUIREMENTS. IT UPDATED DEFINITIONS AND ADDED REFERENCES. This is another policy that we recommend you shift to county manager approved versus board approved because it is a highly technical policy that governs technical administrative operations and board approval is not mandated by state statute. Before I move into the kind of the discussion of board approved policies, are there any questions about any of the policies that I shared? - Yes, can you go back over the fleet policy? I think you said there were some changes since we had last seen this. Yes, the only change to that one was removal of the staff recommendation to shift it to county manager approval. Okay, that was, okay, I just misunderstood you. Thank you. I just want to quickly talk about board approved policies. Most policies are either board approved or county manager approved. Currently, we have 19 policies that require approval by the board of commissioners. You can see those ones listed. The vast majority of those are required to be board approved per state statute. But six of them do not have a state statute of requires board of commissioner approval. So over the next year or two as we review these policies, we'll be assessing them each individually to determine if a board approval is still the right approach for those. And as we bring those, we'll bring the relevant recommendation to you all. So, the request for Board action today is to approve the updated overtime pay and sustainable fleet and PCI compliance policies. Again, the language should read here and move future approval of the PCI compliance and overtime pay policies from Board approved. the county approved county manager approved policies maintaining sustainable fleet as a board approved policy and i'm happy to take any questions thank you rafael commissioners do you have questions does this language of this recommended motion need to be updated to reflect the sustainable fleet will still be approved by the Commission? Yes, sir. Okay. I can state it if you want me to. Go ahead, please, Commissioner Rawls. Commissioner Rawls, do you have a motion? I have a motion. I move to approve the updated overtime pay sustainable fleet and PCI compliance policies move future approval of the overtime pay and PCI to County manager approved policies all right do we have a second all right Thank You commissioner Horton all in favor say aye aye any opposed all right motion carries Thank You Raphael okay we have a resolution approving the design and engineering contract for the garren creek landslide and kevin madsen has more information Good evening, commissioners. Good evening, Kevin. Hi, Kevin Madsen, Bunker County Home and Recovery Officer. I'm going to talk this evening about the Garin Creek landslide and the contract for our engineering and assessment for that slide. So just a little bit of background information to start with. This is one of many slides that we received funding for from FEMA to conduct what the federal government puts as A&E, architectural and engineering, doing an assessment of these landslides that have been so heavily impacting Buncombe County. All of those A&E projects are obligated, and those funds have been transferred from FEMA to the state. All small projects that were under 1,037,000 came to us. Anything that's a large project is with our state partners. We have three projects in this landslide A&E. Project with FEMA and the category B project, it is Grovemont, which the contract was approved in December of 2025, and that work is currently active. GAREN CREEK THIS EVENING FOR CONTRACT APPROVAL. AND THEN OUR MULTI-LANDSLIDE GROUP THREE HAS COMPLETED RFQ AND A VENDOR HAS BEEN SELECTED, AND THAT'LL BE IN A FUTURE MEETING ON-- ONCE THAT CONTRACT IS COMPLETED. FOR THIS--THESE PARTICULAR PROJECTS, I WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THE COMMUNITY IMPACTS. WE HAVE EARLY ASSESSMENTS CONDUCTED WITH MUNCAH COUNTY TEAMS, STATE AND FEDERAL TEAMS. PART OF THE FEMA LANDSLIDE TASK FORCE WENT OUT TO GATHER INFORMATION. These assessments will give higher clarity and much more detailed understanding of what occurred at each of these landslides. So understanding those risks and the hazards for the communities that may still exist, or at least understanding what led to these landslides. And then of course identification of potential mitigation efforts. There isn't always going to be a mitigation solution. However, if we identify it as part of the development of this project, and then designing those engineering solutions for A&E as well. Speaking specifically about Guerin Creek, this is one of two landslides where we had lives lost. Obviously our Grovemont landslide, which we did in December, and then for this landslide we had 13 lives lost. The scope and size of this landslide at this time, our understanding is eight predominant slide areas. I will note though that for the Grovemont landslide, we indicated nine. Whenever we did our initial development, the contractors identified 18 initiation zones. So that assessment has actually generated better clarity on where each of those landslides started. The total length of those eight slides is 26,670 feet, approximately five miles long. This is our longest slide that we have in Buncombe County. And to put it into scope, the total cumulative area that was disturbed by this landslide was 351,825 square yards. That is about 72 acres of land from the slide. Okay. So a very large project, very impactful to the community as well. The project scope, and once again we look at this from that A&E perspective, which is phase one. We'll incorporate site evaluations, hazard modeling, quite a bit of field reconnaissance, and then of course identifying those potential mitigation solutions and what that turnkey solution would equate to if we did have a phase two that could then be submitted to our federal partners and state partners for review. Phase two right now is an unfunded project and will be dependent on the outcome of phase one. Estimated costs for phase one include multiple tasks. Each of these six tasks have different components to it. Obviously, we will see heavier lift in some components, which will be our LIDAR mapping and surveying. This also incorporates a contingency included for the contractor. This number may fluctuate. This is the highest end that they've projected for the contract. The same goes with 1F for engineering designs. There's $370,000 incorporated into this number for contingency costs as well. Total cost is not to exceed 1.8 million for this project. For reference, the FEMA obligation for this project that we received, the 90% funding from federal, 10% from the state, is over $5 million. As a large project, we get paid on actuals, so the $5 million isn't as relevant to the 1.8 as what we're looking at for this project. And then as associated with the timeline, 30 to 31 weeks, so roughly seven to eight months for project completion once we initiate the notice to proceed. You can see kind of the rough ballpark of the different efforts based on the complexity of 1F engineering designs. It'll be the longest perspective for developing those turnkey solutions. We're seeing that with the Grovemont slide right now. They're seeing more time for that effort. But once again, total duration is no less or not to exceed eight months and multiple of these different tasks can occur concurrently, allowing different teams to work. Multiple subcontractors like Appalachian Landslide Consultants is working with ECS on this project. As far as next steps, we are looking to have the signed contract submitted to North Carolina Emergency Management. Of that $1.8 million, we should get 75% upfront when we submit the signed contract to NCEM, which is $1,369,950. The remaining balance of that contract will be paid at project completion. So there are no costs incurred by Buncombe County. It's all funded through that FEMA and NCEM funding stream. And then, of course, the project will proceed once we have a signed contract. We're looking at a 30-day start after contract has been signed. And reiterating, eight months is the project window. So... Once they start, we may see that shortened, but it's not to exceed eight months for the project. Our ask for today is for approval for the ECS Southeast LLC contract execution for geotechnical engineering services for examining potential landslide hazard mitigation options in the Guerin Creek community as conveyed in the associated resolution. Happy to take any questions. - Thank you, Kevin. Commissioners, do you have any questions? If not, do we have a motion? Thank you, Commissioner Horton. Thank you, Commissioner Whitesides. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion carries. Thank you, Kevin. Thank you. We have a -- Brad Hughes is joining us to provide more information on the resolution to adopt a hazard mitigation plan. Good evening, Chairwoman, Commissioners, County Manager. Today we are presenting the 2026 update to the Buncombe-Madison Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan and requesting adoption of the plan through resolution. This is a FEMA-required plan that must be updated every five years. More importantly, it serves as our region's roadmap for reducing disaster risk and strengthening resilience through 2031. Over the next few minutes, we'll briefly discuss the purpose of the plan, how it was developed, key updates since 2021, how Tropical Storm Colleen influenced this update, and why staff recommends adoption. When people hear the word mitigation, they often think of response or recovery. Mitigation is different. Response saves lives during a disaster. Recovery restores what was damaged. Mitigation focuses on reducing future losses before the next disaster occurs. This plan helps us identify hazards, understand vulnerabilities, prioritize risk reduction strategies, guide future investments. At its core, this plan is about making our community safer, more resilient, and better prepared for future events. This plan was adopted as a regional effort involving Buncombe County, Madison County, and municipalities throughout both counties. Natural hazards don't recognize jurisdictional boundaries. Floods, landslides, severe weather, and wildfire impacts often affect multiple communities at the same time. Because of that, a regional approach helps us coordinate planning efforts, share information, identify common priorities, and pursue funding opportunities more effectively. So, hazard mitigation is essentially investing before the next disaster happens. The goal is to reduce future losses to people, property, infrastructure, and the economy. This plan helps support safer rebuilding, smarter development decisions, and long-term It also places greater emphasis on resilience and the integration of mitigation into long-term community planning. Together, these updates help ensure that the plan reflects current conditions and remains relevant for the next five years. Many of the challenges included in this update were influenced by the region's experience during Tropical Storm Helene. Helene reminded us that disasters rarely affect just one system. Transportation, utilities, housing, communications, healthcare, and public services can all be impacted simultaneously. The storm also reinforced the importance of thinking beyond immediate recovery and considering how today's decisions influence future risk. This plan also identifies wildfire, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, winter storms, and cyber disruptions as important regional hazards. Each hazard was evaluated based on likelihood, potential impacts, and overall risk. One of the strongest additions to this update is the focus on future conditions. Risk is not static. Development patterns change, infrastructure ages, population changes, and environmental conditions evolve. This plan places greater emphasis on understanding how those changes may influence future risk and resilience. Wildfire is one example. The large amount of storm damage timber left behind by Helene may increase wildfire concerns for some areas for years to come. This plan also places greater emphasis on social vulnerability, recognizing that disasters do not affect all populations equally. Looking forward helps us to ensure that our mitigation strategies remain relevant over time. Mitigation can take many forms. Sometimes it's a construction project such as flooding mitigation improvements, infrastructure hardening, backup systems, or facility protection. Sometimes it's environmental stewardship such as preserving floodplains, protecting watersheds, and maintaining natural systems that help reduce risk. And sometimes it's policy and planning, including development standards, public education, preparedness initiatives, and community outreach. The specific approach depends on the hazard and the community, but the goal is always the same: reducing future losses before disaster occurs. The slide summarizes the major mitigation priorities identified for the next five years. Flood resilience remains a primary focus. Landslide risk reduction continues to be important, protecting transportation networks, infrastructure, and communities. The plan also emphasizes wildfire preparedness, infrastructure resilience, community preparedness, and the integration of mitigation into long-term recovery efforts. Together, these priorities provide a framework for future projects, partnerships, and funding opportunities throughout the region. They also help to ensure that mitigation investments are aligned with the hazards and the risks identified in this plan. It's important to recognize that hazard mitigation planning is intended to produce action and not simply create a document. Since the adoption of the 2021 plan, participating jurisdictions have completed mitigation projects, strengthened regional coordination, continued resilience initiatives, and improved their ability to pursue mitigation funding. This demonstrates that the plan is a living document. It helps communities to identify priorities, to track progress, and continue building resilience over time. Adoption of this plan supports continued mitigation planning, resilience efforts, and regional coordination along with future project development. Most importantly, adoption preserves eligibility for FEMA mitigation funding and other state and federal mitigation grant opportunities. It is also important to note what adoption does not do. It does not commit the county to any specific project or expenditure. Rather it establishes the framework that allows us to pursue future mitigation opportunities and continue reducing disaster risk over the next five years. So in closing, this plan reflects regional collaborations, lesson learned from Tropical Storm Helene, updated risk information, and a continued commitment to reducing future disaster risk. Recovery restores what was damaged, mitigation reduces what can be damaged next time. For those reasons, staff recommends adoption of and appreciates your support of the 2026 Buncombe-Madison Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. We're happy to answer any questions that you all have. Thank you, Brad. Are there questions? I have one, Brad. I'm curious. When you were having those meetings, the discussion, what were some of the lessons that really stood out to you? Because I'm guessing there were some pretty robust discussions. Wildfire is not a medium risk. It's a high risk. That was one that was very -- there were some lengthy discussions had on that. Correct. So that would be one example you all want to share. Yeah, I also want to introduce Nathan Slaughter, who's our fellow planner, certified floodplain manager. And he's also our state-paired consultant through this process. And he helped us with the 2021 plan as well. I do want to also elaborate to your question, Commissioner Wells, that system redundancy was a common theme as well. Regionalism, the fact that when you have numerous small systems, you're you need to have backups and you need to have interconnectedness of systems. So that's one thing that stood out from my takeaway from the planning process. Thank you. Any other questions, comments? I'll just note that as our climate is changing and wildfires more likely, it's not just hurricanes, but I appreciate that we're partnering with fellow counties in the region to think ahead. This is really, really important 'cause this is exactly what the public wants to see us do. So thanks for your work on this. - Great work. Do we have a motion to approve? - I move that we adopt the 2026 Buncombe Madison Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. - Second. - Thank you, Commissioner Whitesides. Thank you, Commissioner Ball. All in favor, say aye. - Aye. - Aye. - Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you all. We appreciate the excellent work on it. And we have two budget amendments this evening, and Jay Shih has more information for us. Good evening, Commissioners. Jay Shih, budget analyst. So you may notice a theme around the following budget amendments tonight, which is year-end accounting. For our first item, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, or GASB, sets standards for local government accounting compliance. This series of budget ordinances across four annual funds complies with accounting adjustments required by GASB for two of the standards, GASB 87 on leases and GASB 96 on software subscriptions. These adjustments will book the life of new current year leases and subscriptions with offsetting revenues, along with reclassifications of some expenses from prior year subscriptions and leases. There is no new county funding required. Happy to take any questions if there are any. With the recent issuance of debt for FY2026, there are accompanying issuance costs and service charges for this action. Debt proceeds received from the issuance will be the offsetting revenue for these costs in three of our capital projects funds. if not do we have a motion to approve the amendments as presented thank you commissioner horton do we have a second thank you commissioner right sides all in favor say aye aye aye any opposed amendments are approved thank you jay all right commissioners we do have several board appointments to make this evening the first we have two reappointments and two recommendations for our strategic partnership grants committee Great. They've been reappointed as well. We also have four reappointments to the Economic Development Coalition and four recommendations. I move that we approve Kurt Ritchie, Sabrina Rakoff, Allison Blake, and oh my goodness. Abbie Biswas. Abbie Biswas. Do we have a second? Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. They are also reappointed to the EDC. Thanks, commissioners. Does anyone have updates from boards and commissions that you serve on? I can just note that last Friday, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association did their second annual Amplify Appalachia event. And part of that, they did a roundtable, a recovery roundtable that I was invited to be part of with DEQ Secretary Reed Wilson. as well as Jeremiah from our team did a great job. And we also had Senator Mayfield, Representative Ager, elected officials and other community leaders, nonprofit leaders from around the region. We had a great conversation about how we plan ahead for the next natural disaster. And a big part of that is building in clean energy. There's I think a general sentiment that we need to do all we can to build more solar battery storage as that was a clear asset, a valuable asset for a lot of folks in our community. Thank You Commissioner Ball. Anyone else? I would like to update you on the ATID board in Asheville downtown business district which has been interesting especially me living in the city. I've enjoyed being on the, you know, I'm ex-officer representing the county. And I'm enjoying being on it because I'm seeing a lot of progress in the downtown area. And if you go around now, you'll see what the ambassadors that they have employed are doing a good job cleaning it up. And we have a lot planned for the future. to do things to bring people back into the downtown area, especially locals. We're getting the tourists, but we need our local people, people who are here year-round. But I think that's successful. It's going a lot better. I had some reservations at first, but, no, I'm enjoying it, and I see they're making a difference too. Good. Thank you for serving on that. Anyone else? I was able to tune in to the continuum of care meeting last week. I just want to flag a concern that's happening in the community right now. The Salvation Army has had significant funding issues. They have over 80 beds in that facility. and there was concern they were going to have to close, but they are going to take a six-month pause and be able to reopen as a Code Purple shelter, depending on potential funding. It's not certain, but I just wanted to flag that that is a resource here in the community that we rely on and just give a quick update that I thought folks would want to hear. Thank you. All right. A few announcements before we adjourn. The July 7th meetings have been canceled. The next briefing and regular meeting of the board will be on July 21st, with the briefing starting downstairs at 3 p.m. and the regular meeting right here at 5 p.m. Kurt, do we have a closed session this evening? We do not. All right, do we have a motion to adjourn? So move. Second. All in favor? Aye. We are adjourned. Thanks, everyone.