Buncombe County Commissioners: Highlights from the May 3 meeting

Posted on by Jake Frankel

Here’s a list of some highlights from the May 3 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. We’ll have a full report in the May 11 issue of Xpress.

On May 3, the Board:

• Heard a report on Western North Carolina Community Health Services, which began handling much of the the county’s primary care services in January, 2010. According to the report, the transfer has resulted in increased adult patient capacity and more efficient leveraging of federal funds. The county plans to transfer more services there this year as part of its ongoing efforts to reshuffle the department.

• Heard a report on the area’s Adult Care homes. According to the report by the Buncombe County Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee, the county has 82 Adult Care homes, more than any other county in the state. The facilities serve a total of 1,240 residents, and are designed to provide care to an older or physically challenged population. However, members of the committee said that they’re “alarmed”  that the homes are being increasingly populated by younger, mentally ill residents.

• Appointed Sabrina Stone and Dixie Barkdoll to the Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee.

• Unanimously approved a pair of rezoning requests for parcels of land that had previously been incorrectly mapped within Black Mountain’s city limits. The planning department and the planning board recommend approving the request.

• Unanimously agreed to send a letter to the state Senate outlining the board’s opposition to legislation that would change Buncombe County’s commissioner elections. The Senate is set to consider a bill that would expand the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners from five to seven members and mandate district representation in place of the current at-large elections.

• Heard from several producers and board members from the WNC Community Media Center, which operates public access television station URTV. The station is in danger of shutting down and URTV board members are considering taking legal action against the county.

• Unanimously voted to proclaim May to be Motorcycle Awareness Month and Foster Care Month.

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About Jake Frankel
Jake Frankel is an award-winning journalist who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, from politics and government to business, education and entertainment.
View all posts by Jake Frankel →

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One thought on “Buncombe County Commissioners: Highlights from the May 3 meeting”

  1. Illuminatti_01

    Youtube clip: Board Member Dale Joyner trys to blame Holly Jones @ County Commissioner’s meeting 4/3/11

    http://youtu.be/xYe3VbTx8w4

    Holly Jones is having none of it, and lays responsibility of URTV’s issues squarely where they belong.

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