Buncombe County advisory committee flags reporting error, readies year‑end reallocation of HCCBG funds

The Buncombe County Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee on June 24 reviewed month‑to‑date service reporting after staff flagged an apparent spreadsheet error that overstated a provider’s percent‑served and discussed how to reallocate year‑end funds to reimburse providers.

The committee—chaired by an unnamed committee chair—heard from Zach, the staff member who manages HCCBG reporting, who identified the anomaly. "Piscal grant percentage served 890%. Help me understand what that means exactly," Zach said, describing a line that reflected "units served but not reimbursed" and a calculation that traced 206 units at a unit rate to about $39,000. Zach told members the figure likely stemmed from a computing error in the Excel sheet and said staff request providers continue to enter units even after they reach 100% so the county can shuffle available funds at year‑end.

Why it matters: HCCBG reallocation decisions determine which providers receive leftover funds and how unmet needs are prioritized. The committee was told an additional $25,000 in regional funding has been allocated to Buncombe County and will be added to the pool used in the year‑end redistribution to reimburse providers who reported units beyond their initial allocation. "That is to the tune of $25,000 extra," the chair said.

Committee members discussed the reallocation method used in prior years: address the smallest shortfalls first and then move upward so as many providers as possible are made whole. Members also emphasized that fiscal and legal staff will be involved in final reallocations and that staff should confirm other funding sources reported in provider budgets before reallocating.

Staff reviewed the status of key grantees and outstanding invoices. The committee was told the Conscious Center for Living and Dying has a pending invoice; Evelyn Charities had sent its additional allocation; Meals on Wheels expects to complete car repairs and invoice in June; and Mayheack’s finance office appeared unaware of an additional $8,000 and staff is awaiting clarification. Members asked staff to follow up with late or missing invoices—particularly for providers shown as markedly underspent, including Land of Sky Health Promotion (reported at about 49% spent).

On process and timing, staff said reporting runs a month behind—monthly reports are issued around the 13th with a wrap for all counties by the 15th—so the committee weighed whether to begin reallocation reviews earlier in the fiscal year (March was discussed) to avoid last‑minute crunches. No formal change to the reallocation timeline was adopted at the meeting; staff will continue follow‑up and present final proposals when year‑end numbers are available.

The committee also scheduled a presentation by Better Together for its July meeting. Members asked staff to notify existing grantees that the presentation will be livestreamed and requested that the presenter prepare roughly 20 minutes of remarks (limited slides) addressing data (pickup locations and destinations), referral and intake processes, illustrative client stories, daily operations and how additional funds would be used to expand services (for example, adding vehicles). "If we run over, we run over," the chair said, but asked the presenter to plan for about 20 minutes.

Next steps: staff will follow up with providers about late invoices and budget details, incorporate the additional $25,000 into year‑end reallocation planning, notify grantees about the Better Together presentation on July 22, and return with updated spending reports and reallocation recommendations at a future meeting.

(Attendance and procedural votes: the committee approved the meeting agenda and approved the prior meeting’s minutes by voice vote.)