Buncombe County Commissioners: Highlights from the May 3 meeting

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.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

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.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

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.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.