Alleghany County to transfer three surplus campers to neighboring Ash County as recovery needs persist

Alleghany County commissioners voted to transfer three surplus campers to neighboring Ashe County after hearing public comments describing continuing housing needs from Hurricane Helene recovery.

At a public-comment session before the vote, Michael Harzog, executive director of Ash Harvest Ministries in Ashe County, described a continuing shortage of housing for families displaced by the storm. "Ashe County is still struggling with the recovery," Harzog said, adding that he knew of "40 or 50 campers already in Ashe County" and that at least seven families were waiting for campers he could place. He urged help from neighboring counties.

Kim Miller, who introduced Harzog to the commissioners, said she appreciated Alleghany County’s willingness to assist neighbors. David Higgs, a longtime volunteer fire chief from Clay Creek, urged the board to prioritize local people when awarding concession and relief contracts and said he had a lead on potential campers.

The county clerk explained the legal and administrative process for transferring surplus county property. According to the clerk’s presentation, the recommended procedure is to title the campers to another county government, which would then determine distribution. "Resolutions [are] required in order for us to be able to surplus those 3 extra campers," the clerk said during the agenda item.

Commissioners moved and seconded a resolution to surplus the three campers to Ashe County and to request that Ashe County’s commissioners determine final placement. The motion passed by a 5-0 vote.

County staff said they have coordinated with emergency-management contacts in Ashe County and that Ashe County’s government would decide where the campers are distributed. The clerk said the county’s prior practice was to title surplus disaster-related units to another county and let that county determine final allocation.

Why it matters: Public testimony at the meeting indicated that families in Ashe County remain displaced months after the storm and that motel voucher extensions have been crucial to preventing immediate homelessness. The transfer of surplus campers is intended as a short-term, county-to-county relief measure while longer-term housing solutions continue.

Details and next steps: County staff will complete paperwork to title the campers to Ashe County government; Ashe County commissioners will decide distribution. The commissioners did not appropriate additional county funds for the transfer. Public comments at the meeting also urged the county to keep future surplus and relief decisions local when possible to benefit area residents.

Speakers quoted in this article were participants in the meeting’s public-comment period and the surplus-property agenda item.