What does a Board of Commission do? How long do members serve? How do they vote?
Find answers to these questions and more in this guide to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Have a question we haven’t answered? Email us at lastnight@bpr.org.
What’s the basic structure?
How many members does the county commission have and how long do they serve?
Buncombe County Board of Commission has seven elected officials who serve four-year terms, including the chair, vice chair and five members. Each member of the commission has the same voting power.
The terms are staggered so that three commission seats open up every two years. The chair is elected through a separate race every four years. The vice mayor is appointed by members of the commission.
Do commissioners represent certain parts of the county?
Yes. The county is divided into three districts. Each district has two commissioners:
- District 1 - Southern and Eastern Buncombe, including South Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat, Fairview and parts of Swannanoa
- District 2 - Western and Northern Buncombe, including Leicester, Weaverville, Barnardsville, Candler and parts of Swannanoa and Woodfin
- District 3 - Central Buncombe, including most of Asheville and parts of Woodfin
There is also one chairman at large who represents the entire county. Brownie Newman currently holds that seat.
See the county’s map to determine which district is yours.
What’s the relationship between the commissioners and county staff?
Like many other North Carolina municipalities, including the city of Asheville, Buncombe County has a “strong manager, weak council” system, meaning the county manager serves as Buncombe’s chief executive officer.
The commission decides who to hire as county manager and whether to extend or terminate their contract.The manager wields more power over the county’s day-to-day municipal operations and county staff, hiring and firing.
The commissioners control the county’s financial decisions, including final say over the annual budget, and exclusively hold the local power to do things like COVID stay at home orders and disaster emergency funding applications.
What does the county manager do?
The county manager oversees the county’s 1,700-plus employees. With a $245,468 annual salary,Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder is the highest paid county employee. She handles day-to-day administration of county government. The manager's responsibilities include:
- Preparation of a recommended annual budget, financial report
- Recommendations and implementation of policies established by the Board of Commissioners
- Coordination of all county agencies
- Implementing county programs and services
- Representing the county in dealings with other governmental units and agencies
What does the county manager do?
The county manager oversees the county’s 1,700-plus employees. With a $245,468 annual salary,Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder is the highest paid county employee. She handles day-to-day administration of county government. The manager's responsibilities include:
- Preparation of a recommended annual budget, financial report
- Recommendations and implementation of policies established by the Board of Commissioners
- Coordination of all county agencies
- Implementing county programs and services
- Representing the county in dealings with other governmental units and agencies
What does the county commission do?
While the county manager wields much of the power in local governance, the Buncombe County Board of Commission still makes major decisions, especially in the areas of growth, financial decisions and strategic planning. They also have hiring and firing authority for the county manager role.
According to state law, the commission has the authority to:
- Determine policy in the fields of public health, planning, traffic, law and order, public works, finance and recreation
- Appoint and remove the county manager, as well as the county attorney and county clerk
- Appoint advisory boards, committees, councils and agencies
- Adopt the budget, levy taxes, collect revenues, and make appropriations
- Authorize the issuance of bonds by a bond ordinance
- Establish administrative departments, offices and agencies
- Inquire into the conduct of any office, department, or agency of the city and make investigations into municipal affairs
- Provide for an independent audit
- Provide for the number, titles, qualifications, powers, duties, and compensation of all officers and employees of the city
How much do county commissioners make?
Commissioners are paid $28,916 annually, according to the county’s compensation dashboard.
What does the commission chair do?
Like any other commissioner, the chair has voting power. The chair can also call a brief recess at any time, adjourn during an emergency, rule motions in or out of order and determine whether a speaker is out of line. The chair does not have veto power.
How much does the commission chair make?
The chair is paid $37,650 annually.
What does the vice chair do?
If a chair can’t perform their duties, the vice chair – currently Parker Sloan – performs the chair’s duties. Vice chairs rotate every year and the role is filled during the first meeting in December.
How much does the vice chair make?
The vice chair is paid $32,548 annually.
Who is the county attorney and what role do they play?
The county attorney serves as lead legal counsel for the county and oversees all legal affairs, including drafting ordinances, leases, deeds and rights of way documents. They also serve as department director for the county attorney's office.
The county has three attorneys on staff, in total, and they provide general legal support to county departments. Attorneys also offer special support in the realms of litigation, land use, employment matters, constitutional issues, contracting, etc.
How much does the county attorney make?
The lead county attorney is the fourth highest paid county employee with an annual salary of $185,141.
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How do the meetings work?
How do commission members vote?
The commission uses a parliamentary procedural process, meaning any proposed action must be put forward as a motion by a voting member (any commissioner, including the chair and vice chair).
All motions also require a second by a separate member. The vast majority of votes can pass with a simple majority, besides the rare ones that require a unanimous vote, according to the county.
What decisions have to be unanimous?
Items on the consent agenda require a unanimous vote, unless the commission removes an item to go before a separate, regular vote.
The only other items that require a unanimous vote are ordinances that are being considered for the first time without public notice, according to county spokesperson Lillian Govus.
This rule only applies to ordinances that don’t legally require public notice. For instance, a trash dumping ordinance that does not have a public hearing would require unanimous vote.
What rules govern the county commission meetings?
Voting, procedure and administration is governed by North Carolina general statute. The meeting is also governed by the county’s adopted Policies and Procedures.
Current members
Who sits on commission now and how long have they served?
- Chairman at Large: Brownie Newman, third term, 2020-2024*. Newman has served as chair since 2016 and originally joined the commission in 2012.
- District 1: Al Whitesides, fourth term, 2022-2026. He was first appointed to the commission in 2016 and elected for a four-year term in 2018.
- District 1: Terri Wells, first term, 2020-2024*
- District 2: Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, second term, 2020-2024* She first joined the commission in 2016.
- District 2: Martin Moore, first term, 2022-2026
- District 3: Amanda Edwards, second term, 2022-2026. She first joined the commission in 2018.
- District 3: Vice Chair Parker Sloan, first term, 2020-2024.* He became vice chair in 2024.
* = Seat up for election in 2024
Who is the county manager?
Avril Pinder has served as county manager since 2019. Prior to this role, she served as the deputy manager and finance director for New Hanover County. She previously served as the county's finance director. She is Buncombe County’s first Black county manager.
Who is the county attorney?
Michael Frue has served as the county attorney since 2013. He has worked for the county since 2000 and earned his law degree from Campbell University School of Law.
How can I get involved?
Can anyone go to a meeting?
Yes! The N.C. Open Meetings Law mandates that any commission meeting and any committee meetings are open to the public, with exemptions for closed-door executive sessions – permitted for narrow use.
Members of the public can sit in any open seat. Although sometimes showing up a few minutes late to an especially packed meeting may mean that you have to sit in the overflow room rather than the commission meeting room.
When and where is the meeting?
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College St., Room 326 (the third floor) in downtown Asheville, beginning at 5 p.m.
Meetings can also be viewed live via the county’s Facebook page.
How do I get to speak?
There are several ways to speak at a Buncombe County Commission meeting.
The most straightforward is to sign up for public comment, which can be done with a county clerk (who sits outside the meeting room) at the start of the meeting. Residents can either sign up to participate in the “Informal discussion and public comment” section of the meeting, which occurs at the very end, or sign up to speak on a specific matter during a “public hearing.” Public hearings only take place on some of the agenda’s action items, such as a rezoning request or ordinance change.
A resident or group may also request to be added to the agenda. Members of the public can make a request to the commission for an item to be added, which will either be accepted or rejected by the county manager.
What are the rules about speaking at the meeting?
In general, people addressing the commission may only speak for three minutes or less and “basic rules of decorum” must be observed. The rules include using respectful language and refraining from profanity, foul language, personal attacks, and any disclosures that would be prohibited by the Personnel Privacy Act, i.e., information such that would compromise the privacy of a city employee.
If a person wishes to speak for longer than three minutes, they can assemble a group of four other people, thus allowing that person to address the council for 10 minutes.
If a public hearing lasts for more than one hour, the commission chair and city attorney have the right to change the rules around how long someone can speak.
Can I take photos?
Yes.
Can I record the meeting?
Yes.
Where do I see a meeting I missed?
Meetings are available on the county’s Facebook page. Or, of course, you can follow BPR’s recaps.
What does this term mean?
What is a closed session?
“Closed session” means that commission members may speak privately among themselves. In order to go into a closed session, there must be a motion, vote and mention of a specific statute or legal rationale for the decision.
Under state law, closed sessions are allowed only when meeting topics involve confidential records, attorney consultations, some aspects of economic development, real estate negotiation, employment contracts, criminal investigations, and personnel issues.
What can be done if I think a session shouldn’t be closed?
If the commission has a legal justification, they can conduct a closed session. If an individual believes the session was improper, they can file a lawsuit.
Are there minutes from closed sessions?
The county clerk maintains minutes taken during closed sessions; however, those minutes are kept confidential until the reason for the confidentiality expires.
What is a special meeting?
The commission chair or a majority of the members of the board can call a special meeting for any reason with 48 hours notice by signing a written notice stating the time and place of the meeting and the subjects to be considered. A special meeting counts as anything not previously listed on the meeting scheduled.
What is an emergency meeting?
An emergency meeting does not require advanced public notice. Any member of the commission may call an emergency meeting if there is an item in need of immediate consideration or involves an unexpected matter. Only business connected with the emergency may be discussed at the meeting.
What is a public hearing?
“Public hearings” are a form of public comment that allow residents to express their opinion on a matter before commission members vote on it.
Public hearings are required before a vote on the budget ordinance, a bond ordinance or a zoning ordinance or amendment. Commissioners may also opt to hold a public hearing on select topics, such as a noise ordinance change or long-range planning vote.
Can a member of the public request a public hearing?
The public generally cannot request a public hearing as state law only requires one for certain matters like rezoning requests.
What is a consent agenda?
The “consent agenda” is a list of “routine, noncontroversial items” prepared by the county manager for commission action but “little or no deliberation.” Consent agenda items may include bid awards, approval of minutes, board appointments, and the authorization of leases, contracts, and other action items for the county attorney, clerk or manager to perform.
The consent agenda must receive a unanimous vote to get adopted and items on it do not get debated. A commission member can also make a motion to remove an item from the consent agenda and place it on the regular agenda so that it can be discussed. The removed item can then get passed with a simple majority vote.
What is a work session?
A “work session” gives commission members an opportunity to meet ahead of a formal meeting to discuss upcoming agenda items.
No votes take place at a work session, and there is also generally no public comment available. Work sessions are open to the public and are streamed online from the county’s Facebook page.
What is a recusal? When does a member have to recuse herself?
The state’s Ethics Act requires public servants to abstain from voting or participating in discussions in which there’s a conflict of interest between the public and their personal or business interests. If a conflict of interest is identified, a public servant must “recuse” from participating in formal action regarding that topic.
What about other meetings commission members hold with staff?
Commission members occasionally hold check-ins with staff members, according to county spokesperson Lillian Govus, but “not as a matter of regular business.”
During these check-ins, no business is conducted and no votes are allowed.
How does the agenda get made?
The agenda is prepared by the board and county manager. The agenda is published no later than 5 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding the meeting.
Commissioners, as well as residents, may request additions to the agenda. Requests must be made in writing to the county manager. The county manager and board hold the ultimate say over what makes it on the agenda.
Commissioners can force an item onto the agenda with a written request signed by three or more members. Items can also be moved off the consent agenda to new business at the request of two commissioners.
What is the budget process?
The budget process is lengthy and involves multiple drafts, public hearings and opportunities for community feedback.
The budget process for fiscal year 2024-25 (which runs from July 2024 to June 2025) kicked off in mid-January and concluded in mid-June when commissioners approved the final budget in a vote.
Still have questions? Email us at lastnight@bpr.org.
