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Board approves $1.8M engineering contract for Garen Creek landslide, adopts regional mitigation plan and several policy updates
Summary
The commissioners approved a geotechnical A&E contract not to exceed $1.8 million for the Garen Creek landslide (FEMA/state-funded), adopted the 2026 Bunkham–Madison regional hazard mitigation plan, and approved updates to overtime, PCI compliance and fleet policies as part of a package of new business.
The Bunkham County Board of Commissioners approved multiple measures on June 18 including a geotechnical engineering contract for the Garen Creek landslide, adoption of a regional hazard mitigation plan update, and several administrative-policy revisions.
Kevin Madson, the county’s Helen Recovery Officer, requested approval to execute a contract with ECS Southeast LLC for architecture and engineering services to evaluate the Garen Creek landslide. Madson said the slide includes roughly eight predominant slide areas with a combined disturbed area of about 72 acres and that the county’s requested A&E contract is ‘‘not to exceed $1.8 million.’’ He said FEMA and the state are obligating the work, with the federal/state obligation for the project recorded at more than $5 million and the A&E phase funded with 90% federal/10% state contribution; staff indicated no local cost will be incurred for phase one. Commissioners approved the contract by voice vote; Madson told the board the A&E phase is expected to take roughly 7–8 months and may include field reconnaissance, hazard modeling and engineering design tasks.
Separately, Brad Hughes presented the 2026 update to the Bunkham–Madison regional hazard mitigation plan, a FEMA-required five-year update that strengthens future-conditions analysis, social-vulnerability assessment and mitigation priorities across the region. Hughes said the update places particular emphasis on flood and landslide risk, and elevates wildfire, infrastructure resilience and system redundancy as priorities. The board adopted the plan by motion; staff noted adoption preserves eligibility for federal mitigation grants but does not commit the county to specific projects.
In new business, Raphael Baptista presented proposed revisions to three county policies: overtime pay (eliminating compensatory time in favor of time-and-a-half for non-exempt employees for hours beyond 40; effective with the pay period beginning June 27), PCI compliance (updated controls and vendor responsibilities aligned to current industry standards), and sustainable fleet (policy language aligned to practice and retention of board approval). The board approved the updated policies and accepted staff’s recommendation to reassign future approval authority for the overtime-pay and PCI policies to the county manager while keeping sustainable fleet as board-approved.
Budget analyst Ji presented year-end accounting amendments required by GASB guidance for leases and software subscriptions and a separate debt-reconciliation amendment tied to recent FY2026 debt issuance; commissioners approved both ordinances.
What’s next: Staff will execute the ECS contract, submit it to North Carolina Emergency Management to secure upfront funding, and begin field work under the A&E contract once the notice to proceed is issued. The mitigation-plan adoption preserves eligibility for federal mitigation grants; departments will return to the board when specific mitigation projects or funding requests arise.
