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Buncombe LCAB delays officer election as vacancies and term rules remain in transition
Summary
The Buncombe County Land Conservation Advisory Board postponed selection of chair and vice chair while staff described new three-year term limits, posted vacancies and an application process; members discussed ex officio options to retain institutional knowledge.
The Buncombe County Land Conservation Advisory board postponed election of officers and discussed membership transitions at a meeting where staff said four vacancies have been posted and term rules limit members to two consecutive three-year terms.
The board’s vice chair, Bob Kerwin, opened the meeting and read a conflict-of-interest reminder. Staff and members then discussed how the county’s clerk has posted four vacancies and will collect applications; until a vacancy is filled, incumbents may continue to serve, staff said.
That matters because county rules now limit advisory-board members to two consecutive three-year terms, after which they must step down for at least one year before reappointment. Staff said the clerk had incorrectly listed one member’s term and is correcting that posting.
Staff described the appointment process: the LCAB reviews applications and recommends candidates to the Buncombe County commissioners, who make the formal appointment. Staff encouraged members to recruit candidates and said applications will be sent to the board for review.
Members asked about options for stepping aside from voting while remaining engaged. Staff said the board can vote to make a departing member an ex officio or associate member who may attend and participate in discussion but may not vote; the position is intended to preserve institutional knowledge during any one-year gap between terms.
Board members noted the board’s staggered terms and expressed interest in keeping some continuity as several longer-tenured members approach term limits. Staff said some applicants will be prioritized for specific geographic slots (for example, a vacancy in Candler/Arden/Hominy), and confirmed one open seat on the Agriculture Advisory Board for that region.
The meeting schedule and format were also discussed: the board will continue to meet by Zoom for now, with staff present in the physical meeting room to meet public-access requirements; members may attend in person periodically.
Votes at the meeting were limited to routine business: the packet included minutes from the prior meeting and staff asked for approval; Nancy (chair) moved approval and the motion was seconded. No further formal officer elections or appointments were taken at this meeting.
Looking ahead, staff said they will circulate application links and a meeting calendar; LCAB members were asked to provide candidates and help publicize openings to maintain quorum and preserve continuity.
