Black Mountain mayor encourages kindness in trying times
Board of aldermen holds first meeting on virtual platform
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 14, 2020
A historic meeting of the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen, April 13, ended with a plea for civility during trying times from Mayor Don Collins.
“We’re all in this together,” Collins said in the final minutes of the board’s regular monthly session, which was held for the first time on a virtual meeting platform in an effort to allow public access while accommodating social distancing measures. “I don’t know how long this will go on, but we need to treat each other with kindness and respect.”
The Town of Black Mountain declared a state of emergency to “coordinate response and protective actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19” on March 12, and was one of the six municipalities included in the Buncombe County Stay Home, Stay Safe order that went into effect, March 26. That order, which was extended indefinitely on April 8, banned in-person gatherings of more than 10 people and closed nonessential businesses.
Aldermen met Monday to conduct essential Town business for the first time since March 9, limiting attendance in the boardroom to the mayor, board, essential town staff and a video crew that records public meetings and produces them for the county’s YouTube channel. Those in attendance were positioned at least six feet away from one another.
To comply with the state’s Open Meetings Law, the Town hosted the session on the virtual meeting platform Zoom, which allowed the public to watch online or listen over the phone.
“The high public health threat of COVID-19 is causing me to address you remotely for the first time in our town’s history,” Collins said to open the meeting.
The board was presented with an annual report from Recreation and Parks Director Josh Henderson and a citizen comment encouraging the Town’s support of the One Buncombe Fund before unanimously approving the eight items on the consent agenda.
Aldermen approved an emergency telework policy, which enables Town employees to work from home in an emergency situation, before adopting a separate policy that allows board members to meet remotely under similar circumstances.
Amendments approved by the board will provide financial relief to a pair of organizations that operate out of the town-owned Carver Community Center. The two programs, Black Mountain Montessori and Art In the Afternoon, will be allowed to forgo monthly lease payments through April and May, as their respective services have been suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Prior to the close of the meeting, Town Manager Josh Harrold advised the board that the public health crisis would likely have an impact on the upcoming 2020-21 budget.
“We are going to be economically challenged with this budget,” he said. “That’s going to be the case with everybody across the state and country. This will be a different budget than you’ve seen before.”
The board is scheduled to hold its next regular meeting Monday, May 11 at 6 p.m.