The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a special called meeting on Thursday, April 3, 2013, at 4:00 P.M. in Rhododendron #344. Richard Hurley, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were present: Tom Alexander, Wayne Brigman, Mary Ruth Fowler, Bill Hart, Don Locke, Kaye Myers, John Parham, Carol Peterson, Vice Chair Ray Spells, Mandy Stone, David Wyatt, Chair Richard Hurley, and Lin Orndorf, SGA President.
Others present for the meeting included: Hank Dunn, President; Martha Shanks, Secretary to the Board; Martha Ball, Communications Specialist, Community Relations and Marketing; Laura Pennington, Grant Writer; Scott McKinney, CFO; and Chris Campbell, College attorney.
Call To Order
Mr. Hurley read the ethics statement. No conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Shanks called roll. A quorum was present.
Mr. Hurley led the Board in a moment of silence to honor Mona Cornwell.
At 4:04 p.m., upon a motion by Ms. Fowler, seconded by Mr. Hart, the Board entered into closed session pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a (3) in order to discuss matters protected by the attorney-client privilege related to the lawsuit of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College v. Action Target, Inc. The motion was approved unanimously by the Board.
At 4:49 p.m., upon a motion by Mr. Alexander, seconded by Ms. Fowler, the Board unanimously approved to enter into open session.
The Board welcomed Wayne Brigman, a new Trustee appointed by the Madison County Commissioners, replacing Trustee Bobby Capps, who resigned from the Board on February 15, 2013.
Trustees discussed the relationship between Buncombe County Commissioners, the Board of Trustees, and the A-B Tech Community College administration. The recommendation was made to appoint an ad hoc committee of the Board to plan a Board retreat to discuss, among other things, future event/s involving the Board of Trustees and County Commissioners. Dr. Locke and Mr. Hart will serve as co-chairs of the committee.
Dr. Dunn explained the special construction delegation process under the state, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) previously signed with Buncombe County for construction projects utilizing sales tax dollars.
Mr. Campbell stated the Board of Trustees’ desire is to work with the County to get the best building possible; ultimately the County is in charge of that building and the College respects that authority. There are many levels of involvement and responsibility at the County level on these projects, and the College and Board need to work closely in cooperation with the County.
Trustees discussed the bill introduced to the legislature by Mr. Nathan Ramsey that would transfer control of all A-B Tech building projects financed through the sales tax referendum to Buncombe County. The County has stopped work on these projects until the concern about the auditorium in the Allied Health building is resolved. The County is concerned that creating a multi-use auditorium/room might negatively affect the tax-exempt status of the County bonds, raising the cost of the project.
Dr. Locke requested that a summary of the College’s 2010 Master Plan be brought to the May 6 Board meeting to refresh the Board on what they saw as needs when they approved the plan.
Trustees agreed they need to discuss at the May 6 Board meeting what they want to be included on the monthly meeting agendas going forward.
Adjourn
Upon a motion by Ms. Peterson, seconded by Mr. Alexander, the Board unanimously voted to adjourn at 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Shanks
Board Secretary