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Board presses county for public briefing on warehouse plan after storage concerns
Summary
Board members asked Buncombe County officials to present a public plan for temporary warehouse space after the county proposed moving elections equipment during a multi-year building schedule; members raised flood-risk and machine-security concerns and set a September meeting to review county plans.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY — Board of Elections members told county staff they want the board at the table as the county develops a temporary warehouse plan to relocate elections equipment while a county-owned site at 50 Cox Avenue is demolished for affordable housing.
Executive Director Corinne Duncan said the county informed the elections office that the current warehouse site is slated for redevelopment and that a temporary site will be needed between demolition of the current building and completion of a planned replacement facility on Canute Lane. The county’s projected timeline calls for groundbreaking on the housing project around 2027, Duncan said.
Board members said they had already shared storage and operational requirements with county staff, but they argued that discussions to date had been largely staff-to-staff and that the board itself must be engaged in public sessions. Members repeatedly stressed the sensitivity and value of the equipment and materials stored in the warehouse: "These are our machines. They're millions of dollars worth of machines," one member said.
Members raised two principal concerns. First, they objected to a proposed temporary site on Riverside Drive, which staff acknowledged is in a floodplain. "In a flood area. Does not make sense," a board member said, noting the risk to equipment and election records. Second, members questioned the county’s timeline and the operational disruption of multiple moves; several said they do not want elections operations disrupted.
Board members directed staff to request that county representatives present the warehouse plan and alternatives in a public meeting. The board set aside a September meeting to receive the county’s presentation, to provide the board’s storage requirements (square footage, staffing, security) in writing, and to discuss next steps. Members signaled they may seek outside counsel if needed to protect the board’s operational needs.
Duncan said county staff (represented in discussion by Tim Love and other county contacts) had been searching for interim locations for months; board members said they want those searches and plans shared directly with the board so the board can evaluate alternatives and ensure continuity of election operations.
Ending: The board asked staff to schedule a public briefing with county officials in September and to circulate a written list of elections storage and operational requirements before that meeting.
