Drew Ball was officially sworn in as Buncombe's newest commissioner at last night’s Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting.
He will serve for the next two years in the District 3 seat, replacing Amanda Edwards, who now serves as commission chair.
Ball was selected from among 10 candidates on Dec. 18 by local Democratic Party members, through a special appointment process. Commissioners unanimously confirmed his appointment.
“It's an honor to serve on this commission,” Ball said, in a brief address. “Obviously we have a lot of work ahead of us right now. It's going to be a tough road to recovery. But as our community has shown, we are ready to get to work and take care of each other. And I am eager and excited to get to work for this community.”
Commissioners also confirmed Curt Euler as the county’s new interim county attorney.
Storm recovery updates
At a briefing before the commission’s action meeting, county leaders provided an update on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. A few takeaways include:
- Temporary housing: There are currently 1,371 households using FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance. Of those households, 529 – or less than half – are eligible to remain in the program, which pays for hotel stays, after Jan. 24. There are currently 26 households living in a FEMA trailer.
- Rent assistance: More than 5,800 people have applied to Buncombe County’s household assistance program. Of those who applied, 75 applications have been approved and there are 150 additional applications pending, according to county spokesperson Lillian Govus. The county has a total of $1.6 million available to distribute; so far, it has distributed $187,000.
- Debris: As of this week, 664,106 cubic yards of debris have been collected. The county estimates around 10 million cubic yards of debris in total must be collected.
See the full presentation for more updates.
Another tidbit
- As part of the consent agenda, commissioners approved $1.5 million for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The money will be used for tourism, conservation and outdoor recreation. It builds on a $5.13 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Local partners – including Explore Asheville, Dogwood Health Trust and the National Park Foundation – have also contributed money to the cause.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College St., Room 326, in downtown Asheville beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording and agenda of the Jan. 7 meeting.
