Black Mountain council gets clean audit; approves community garden plan, parks donation and reinstates development fees

The Black Mountain Town Council on Feb. 10 received a clean audit opinion for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024, and took a series of recovery- and operations-related votes including adoption of a community garden site plan, acceptance of donated park fencing and bleachers, and reinstatement of most development fees suspended after Hurricane Helene.

Auditor Travis Keever of Gould Killian told the council the firm issued an unmodified (clean) opinion and found no material weaknesses in the town's internal control over financial reporting. He said two Local Government Commission benchmarks were triggered: expenditures in excess of appropriations in the golf fund (a one-time lease-related event) and a roughly $66,000 deficit fund balance in the grant fund driven by timing of receipts, both of which auditors and staff said should resolve in FY25.

Finance Director Tammy presented current-year cash and budget figures and storm-recovery updates. The town's total budget stands at $25,299,190; revenues collected to date were about $6.5 million (roughly 58.6% of the current budget, excluding appropriated fund balance and transfers). Tammy told the council that planning-permit revenue is down by about $61,000 from the prior year because permit collections were temporarily suspended after the storm; the water fund lost approximately $150,000–$180,000 in revenue when the town could not bill or disconnect service during interruptions. She noted the town's available fund balance was about 21% of annual expenditures at the time of the presentation.

Council business and votes

- Community garden: The council adopted the conceptual site plan for the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden. Recreation and parks staff and Leonora Stefnile, the garden manager, described planned features including an accessible path from parking, a replacement barn-building with classroom space and electrical service, a greenhouse/glasshouse and potting area, city-water hookups for drinking and produce washing, a proposed wash-and-pack station for donated produce, and solar-power opportunities. Stefnile said the garden's irrigation strategy must change after Hurricane Helene and that staff will pursue a funding opportunity next month to drill a well for agricultural-scale irrigation.

- Veterans Park donation: Council accepted a donation to cover $43,000 toward fencing for Field 1 at Veterans Park (to match work already authorized for the other three fields) and to purchase new bleachers. Staff said Asheville Fence has begun work on the other fields and an additional donated project is expected for split-rail and playground fencing.

- Development fees reinstated: After discussion, council members voted to reinstate development fees effective immediately for work not related to Hurricane Helene recovery. Staff said the town will use an applicant-driven (honor-system) approach to identify recovery-related work that will remain exempt; the building-inspection workload remains heavy and a part-time inspector is being hired.

- Amended Hurricane Helene project ordinance and budget: The council approved recognizing additional storm-related funding, including an expedited FEMA payment for emergency expenses (about $860,666 as presented), a $200,000 NCDEQ infrastructure technical-assistance grant for engineering related to an infrastructure loan, and roughly $659,143 in insurance proceeds received from NCCMT for vehicles and equipment. Staff said additional amended ordinances and grant recognitions are likely as more reimbursements and claims are processed.

- Interlocal wayfinding agreement: The council approved continuation of an interlocal agreement with the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority and neighboring towns for maintenance and replacement of county-funded wayfinding signage.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minutes, tax collector report, partner resolution for Climate Resilience Funds grant application, and budget amendments): approved unanimously (motion to approve the consent agenda as amended). - Adopt Dr. John Wilson Community Garden site plan: motion to adopt passed (unanimous). - Accept donation for Veterans Park Field 1 fencing and bleachers: motion to accept passed (unanimous). - Reinstate development fees for non–storm-recovery work, effective immediately: motion passed (unanimous). - Approve amended Hurricane Helene project ordinance and recognize FEMA, NCDEQ and insurance receipts: motion passed (unanimous). - Approve interlocal agreement with Buncombe County TDA for wayfinding program: motion passed (unanimous).

Why it matters: The clean audit and no-material-weakness finding support the town's financial reporting as the council finalizes recovery spending decisions. Recognizing FEMA, state grant and insurance proceeds lets the town budget for repairs and equipment replacement; reinstating development fees restores an ongoing revenue stream but keeps waivers for storm recovery work. The community-garden plan and donated park improvements are capital projects that could proceed as recovery funding and budget priorities are finalized.

Council next steps include a special meeting to discuss financing on Feb. 17; staff also plans to submit damage inventories to FEMA and pursue state and federal recovery programs as they become available.