At its Nov. 19 regular meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing for the small business economic recovery grant program, approved interlocal agreements for debris removal, approved economic household assistance for Helene recovery, and more.
Interlocal Agreements for Storm Debris Removal
The Board approved Buncombe County entering into an interlocal agreement with the City of Asheville and the Town of Black Mountain to administer the intake process for private property debris removal (PPDR) through the County’s disaster recovery consultant Tetra Tech.
The interlocal agreement governs the PPDR intake for Asheville and Black Mountain. It is anticipated that FEMA will reimburse the County for these services entirely, but to the extent that they are not reimbursed, the municipalities will reimburse the County for the actual costs incurred by the County to administer the PPDR intake for Asheville and Black Mountain residents. Once the intake process is complete, Asheville and Black Mountain will each engage a third-party entity to remove the debris.
This impacts about 4,000 property owners in the county (including the incorporated municipalities) who may qualify for no-cost private property debris removal (PPDR) by a third-party debris-removal entity and FEMA. In order to qualify for no-cost PPDR, property owners must participate in a detailed intake process involving an application, insurance verification, a right-of-entry, and inspection.
Tetra Tech, Inc. has been tasked with designing and implementing a PPDR intake process which includes outreach in person at intake centers, online through a PPDR dashboard, and via a call center. Find more information here.
Economic Assistance for those Impacted by Helene
County Commissioners approved a resolution to contract Grace Covenant as the administrator of the County’s Household Assistance relief funds. On November 1, the Board of Commissioners approved the reallocation of ARPA funds for Helene Relief Programs. These funds will be used as follows:
- Grace Covenant: $300,000 for Helene Relief including rental assistance.
- Economic Services: utilize the remaining $1.2 million to administer Helene Relief including rental assistance via Buncombe County Government.
These funds will be used for life essential needs such as utility bills, fuel, rent/mortgage, internet access and will be paid directly to service providers. These payments are slated to be distributed on a rolling basis starting in December. Find more information here.
Commissioners viewed several presentations:
Financial quarterly update (4th quarter, FY2024): The Finance Department provided a quarterly financial report (unaudited) which included General Fund budget versus actual budget, Q4 FY2024 year-to-date actuals versus Q4 FY2023 year-to-date actuals, a summary of major revenue sources, current net county cost actuals, a Solid Waste summary, a Capital Project overview, investments, debt, and donation activity. Click here to view the full report.
Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization quarterly update: The Buncombe County Home Repair Program, administered through the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, has selected nine more Home Repair Sites to a total of 14 sites. While this program began before Helene, there are communications with the N.C. Department of Commerce on the possibility of using funds for Helene-related home repairs. Click here for the presentation.
November is Native American Heritage Month: Commissioners declared November as Native American Heritage Month. In part, the declaration states “we encourage our residents to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures of indigenous people, to learn more about the storied history of Native Americans and honor the important contributions that Native Americans have made and are making to our community and our nation.” Click here to view the proclamation.
Proclamations honoring Commissioner Beach-Ferrara and Chairman Brownie Newman for years of service: This meeting was the last meeting for Commissioner Beach-Ferrara and Chairman Newman in their current roles on the board.
- Commissioner Beach-Ferrara has served as a Buncombe County Commissioner since being elected in 2016. “Beach-Ferrara demonstrated thoughtful leadership and dedication to the well-being of our community through addressing critical issues facing our region, including homelessness, opioid addiction, early childhood care, public health, and criminal justice reform,” the proclamation states.
- Chairman Brownie Newman has served as a Commissioner since 2012 and was elected as Chair in 2016. “Chairman Newman’s leadership has been marked by his commitment to improving the quality of life for all residents of Buncombe County, particularly through advocacy for environmental sustainability, affordable housing, and economic development,” the proclamation states.
Commissioners also held three public hearings:
Small Business Job Retainage Grant Program: Following a public hearing the Board approved a resolution authorizing $1.5 million economic development appropriation for Helene Relief; and authorized the County Manager to contract with Mountain BizWorks to administer the program. The Small Business Job Retainage Grant program aims to assist small businesses that have suffered substantial financial damages due to Hurricane Helene.
This program will be eligible for businesses with fewer than 25 employees impacted by Hurricane Helene who can rehire and retain employees for six months. There will be a focus on BIPOC, women-owned, and sole proprietorships. Find more information here.
Permitted Use Text Amendments – Cryptocurrency, Data Centers, and Government Protection Services: A public hearing was held on the proposed text amendments on the uses of Cryptocurrency Mining Operations, Data Centers, and Government Protective Services in the Buncombe County Zoning Ordinance. The text amendment adds definitions to data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations, allows data centers meeting special requirements and prohibits cryptocurrency mining operations. ?The board voted to approve these text amendments to the zoning ordinance of Buncombe County. Click here for the full presentation.
Emergency Housing Standards Text Amendment: Following a public hearing, Commissioners approved an amendment to the Buncombe County Code of Ordinances to create standards that allow Emergency Housing within Buncombe County in response to Tropical Storm Helene. This short-term temporary housing can help meet the needs of people experiencing a housing impact after a declared federal, state, or local disaster. To view the text amendments and special requirements, click here.
Commissioners also approved:
COVID Recovery Funding Reallocation: Commissioners approved the reallocation of COVID Recovery Funding awards by reducing Ferry Road Infrastructure funds by $3,732,743 and creating and allocating $3,732,743 to Coxe Avenue Affordable Housing Development. This recommendation came from staff due to the Ferry Road project requiring an access road and other infrastructure to be built making the project more difficult to construct at this time. The Coxe Avenue Affordable Housing project will be able to move much quicker, allowing funds to go toward meeting the need of affordable housing in the community.
Cellular Connectivity Leases: Commissioners approved public safety radio tower structures/land leases and co-location leases for Verizon Wireless. Execution of these agreements will allow the County to continue to operate the Broad River tower for twenty-five years; give formal permission to Verizon Wireless to co-locate their equipment on the Broad River radio tower; and to allow Milestone Towers to market the vacant space on its radio towers via 12 structure leases. This will greatly improve the cellular connectivity in the Broad River/Garren Creek areas which is sorely needed, especially after Helene.
Mountain Community Capital Fund Operating Agreement: Commissioners approved an updated Mountain Community Capital Fund (MCCF) agreement which evergreens the document by defining roles and removing references to specific organizations, establishes a five-year term with option to renew, allocates eligible losses based on funding sources, and moves the description of funds to a separate exhibit. MCCF is a loan guarantee fund for small business loans in Asheville and Buncombe County established in 2018 between local partners Mountain BizWorks, the City of Asheville, and Buncombe County.
Equipment Purchase for Solid Waste: Commissioners approved a budget amendment to allow Solid Waste to purchase three pieces of equipment currently on a month-to-month lease basis. These include: one wheel loader, one landfill compactor, and one excavator for $280,293.
911 Operations Purchase: Commissioners approved funds of $859,927 to be used for backup center equipment, recorders, additional training, increased telephone expenses, fire station alerting, Computer-aided dispatch upgrades, and equipment maintenance and monitoring.
Good News
For the 29th consecutive year, Buncombe County has received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the FY2025 Budget Document. The award recognizes budget documents of the highest quality based on best practices in state and local government budgeting and finance. Additionally, the budget received special recognition for strategic goals and strategies and capital program.
Written by Buncombe County.