More than 16,000 veterans call Buncombe County home, according to the latest numbers available from the Census Bureau. During their meeting on Nov. 7, Commissioners declared a proclamation recognizing Operation Green Light in conjunction with the upcoming Veterans Day holiday on Nov. 10. Operation Green Light is an effort aimed at connecting veterans with the resources they need to thrive in their post-military lives. To help draw attention to this important event, Buncombe County is lighting up the Courthouse and interior of the Health and Human Services building at 40 Coxe Ave. with green lights to help veterans know they are seen, appreciated, and supported.
The proclamation reads in part: “Buncombe County Veterans Services offers assistance to local veterans including life insurance, home loans, healthcare, vocational rehabilitation and training, disability benefits and more. And the Veterans Treatment Court assists justice-involved veterans through a voluntary, court-supervised intensive treatment court that has supported hundreds of veterans achieve stability and healing since it was established in 2015.” You can read the entire proclamation here.
If you are a veteran or know a veteran in need of help, please don’t hesitate to contact Buncombe County Veterans Services at (828) 250-5726.
Adoption Awareness Month
November is Adoption Awareness Month and Commissioners are honoring the importance of adoption with a proclamation. It reads in part: “In Buncombe County there are 341 children and 44 young adults aged 18-21 in County custody and 22 children were adopted from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023. Health and Human Services will continue to focus on children who need permanent adoptive families and honor families who have adopted children.” You can read the entire proclamation here.
For more information about adoption, click here and to sign up for an upcoming six-part course on fostering, click here.
CDBG quarterly update
Commissioners got a quarterly update on the Community Development Block Grants for neighborhood revitalization. The $400,000 in funding comes from the NC Department of Commerce and will be used to help with home repairs for low- and moderate-income homeowners. The program will provide upward of $30,000 per residence and help more than 40 homeowners with less than 70% of the area median income (AMI).
Currently, the County is working with Asheville-Area Habitat for Humanity to help select eligible homes and administer the funds. You can read the entire presentation here.
Personnel Ordinance updates
Commissioners approved changes to the County’s Personnel Ordinance. The update removes sections covering the following topics: code of conduct, discipline, separation, nondiscrimination and antiharassment, and grievance. Those sections will become separate policies and standard operating procedures. Additionally, the changes review the conflict-of-interest policy to include operating procedures and introduce a new alternate work policy, which outlines the County’s just-in-time workforce strategy and establishes criteria for the maximum duration and benefits for temporary workers.
You can view more about these updates here.
Procurement policy
Commissioners approved a new procurement policy that will help enhance equity to align with County goals and core values. Specifically, the policy states: “When soliciting for competitive proposals or bids, the County shall solicit directly to vendors who provide the goods or services needed for the purchase and are certified by the State Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) or have identified themselves as a Woman or Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (WMBE) through registration with the County.”
Additionally, the updated policy provides more clarity, removes unnecessary language, and moves procedural elements to a separate document. You can read more about the updated procurement policy here and view the policy itself here.
Justice Ridge rezone
Commissioners approved rezoning four parcels of land from residential to commercial service. The 6.46 acres of land is located along Justice Ridge Road and Clara Parker Drive in Candler. The rezoning was requested by Myron Gottfried of Justice Ridge Farm, LLC. Before going before Commissioners, the rezoning request was recommended for approval by Planning staff and the Planning Board.
You can read more about the rezoning here.
Easement resolution
Commissioners approved granting an easement for the Enka Intermediate School property to the Buncombe County Board of Education. The County-owned property is adjacent to Enka Intermediate School, which is home to a substation for Enka-Candler Fire and Rescue. The easement will allow the Board of Education to own property where a secondary road runs from the school to Jacob Holm Way.
You can read the resolution here.
Homeward Bound funding
Buncombe County will be providing additional funding to a Homeward Bound project that will provide housing for people making less than 30% of the area median income (AMI). Commissioners approved giving an additional $195,000 in ARPA grant funding to the Compass Point Village, which is rehabilitating an existing hotel to provide multifamily housing.
“We look forward to this project being completed, it will be great for the community. We appreciate everyone that’s worked on it,” said Commission Chair Brownie Newman.
Previously, Commissioners gave $3,000,000 of APRPA funding to the project. As of October, 42 of the 85 permanent housing units have been leased to people formerly experiencing homelessness, and the goal is to have all units occupied by the end of this month. Compass Point Village is located on Tunnel Road and you can read more about the project here.
School capital fund budget amendment
Updates and improvements are coming to several Asheville City and Buncombe County schools. Commissioners approved $40.4 million in projects for the current School Capital Fund Commission funding cycle. Asheville City Schools will get $9.3 million, and Buncombe County Schools will get just over $31 million. Some of the projects the money will go toward include:
- HVAC for Hall Fletcher Elementary
- Track replacement for Asheville Middle School
- Security upgrades for multiple Asheville schools
- Queueing drive for North Buncombe Elementary
- Stadium lighting at Erwin High School
You can view a complete list of projects here.
Budget amendment for Opioid Settlement Fund
Commissioners approved a budget ordinance to place $5.3 million in Opioid Settlement funding to create a specific budget for projects related to Opioid Settlement dollars. The move comes as new guidance provided to local governments requires Opioid Settlement funds be adopted as part of an annual budget ordinance. This will close out the project ordinances totaling $5,373,466 funded by strategy and reestablish an annual ordinance by function. You can read the budget resolution here.
Low-barrier shelter planning process
Commissioners approved a request by Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara to be designated as the liaison to discuss the potential for a low-barrier shelter as she meets with community members and other stakeholders. She will represent the Board at community meetings and serve as the primary point of contact on the commission for questions.