Here’s a list of highlights from the Nov. 15 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. We’ll have a full report in the Nov. 23 issue of Xpress. There’s also Twitter-based coverage of the meeting here.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners:
• Heard an update from representatives of the N.C. Cooperative Extension on its “10% Campaign,” which encourages residents to commit to buying 10 percent of all their food products from local farmers and producers. Since the program’s inception in Buncombe County last July, 104 consumers and 13 businesses have taken part, contributing roughly $152,000 to local food producers.
• Unanimously voted to pass a resolution recommending the N.C. Department of Transportation dedicate the I–26 bridge that crosses over Long Shoals Road as the “Justice Harry C. Martin Bridge.”
• Heard a report from General Services Director Greg Israel on the county government’s carbon footprint. Between 2005 and 2010, the amount of carbon county government operations released into the atmosphere rose from 23,416 metric tons to 26,096 metric tons, according to the report. That was due mostly to a jump from nearly 1.3 million square feet of county-owned facilities in 2005 to more than 1.5 million square feet five years later. During the same period, the county actually reduced its energy use per square foot, replacing windows at the courthouse and updating heating and air conditioning systems.
• Pushed back a decision on who to appoint to the Buncombe County Planning Board until its next meeting Dec. 6.
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