The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees convened a meeting on Monday, December 14, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. in the Magnolia Building. Joe Brumit, Chair, presided.
The following members of the Board were present: Chair Joe Brumit, Pamela Baldwin, Bruce Briggs, Wayne Brigman, Mike Fryar, Richard Hurley, Don Locke, Roger Metcalf, Kaye Myers, John Parham, Frances Ramsey, Nathan Ramsey, Mary Ann Rice, Mandy Stone, and Ana Frady, Ex-Officio.
Others present for the meeting included: Dennis King, President; Terry Brasier, Vice President Student Services; Melissa Quinley, Vice President Instructional Services; Shelley White, Vice President Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education; David White, Executive Director of Research and Planning; Lisa Lankford, Director of Business Services; Brian Willis, Vice President, Information Systems Technology; Kaye Waugh, Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development; Kerri Glover, Executive Director, Community Relations and Marketing; Chris Campbell, College attorney; and Carolyn Rice, Secretary to the Board.
Call To Order
Mr. Brumit read the ethics statement; no conflicts of interest were reported. Ms. Rice called the roll. A quorum was present.
Mr. Brumit informed the Board that Trustee Nathan Ramsey tendered his resignation from the Board effective December 15, 2015. Mr. Ramsey has accepted a position as Director of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board, which has contracts with the College.
On a motion by Mr. Briggs, seconded by Ms. Stone, the Board unanimously accepted Mr. Ramsey’s resignation with gratitude for his service on the Board.
County Presentation
Ms. Wanda Greene, County Manager; and Jon Creighton, Planning Director/Assistant County Manager discussed the following with the Board:
Renovation of the Haynes (Rhododendron) Building. Ms. Greene informed the Board that in order for the county to get a loan for the renovation of the building, the Haynes building must be deeded to the county to use as collateral for the loan. Renovations to the building will be paid for with revenue from the quarter-cent sales tax. In twenty years when the loan for the renovation has been paid in full, the ownership of the building will revert to the College.
On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Dr. Baldwin, the Board unanimously approved writing a resolution to the state requesting the transfer of ownership of the Rhododendron building from the College to the County.
- Mr. Creighton shared that the three finished county projects all went exceptionally well, all finished under budget, and on time.
- Potential south campus location. Mr. Creighton discussed an option for a south Buncombe county campus location at the Asheville Airport. A 100,000-square-foot building could be constructed on a ten-acre site that is available for a long-term lease. The building would be one level and would have exposure to and easy access from Interstate 26. Mr. Creighton wanted to inform the Board of the building location prior to pursuing any lease agreements, and stated a building at this location is a good opportunity for A-B Tech.
Dr. King suggested that all of the programming currently in Enka would move to the A-B Tech South with the exception of the Brewing program which will be housed on the Victoria Road campus. The south location would allow the College to sever the lease agreement with Mars Hill and would give the College the capability to offer complete degree programs at that location.
Ms. Stone added that finding a south campus location is a directive by the Board because all new growth will be in south Buncombe County.
Consent Agenda
Dr. Parham moved to approve the Consent Agenda: 1. A. Minutes of November 2, 2015; 1. B. Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, October 25, 2015; 1. C. Law Enforcement Jurisdictional Joint Agreement, and 1. D. Personnel Actions.
Mr. Briggs indicated that there is no such thing as “limited jurisdiction” as stated in the Law Enforcement Jurisdictional Joint Agreement, and asked for the wording to be corrected. Mr. Campbell stated that although the Agreement is legally binding that the wording may be changed. Mr. Campbell agreed to take the Agreement back to the City of Asheville for comment, and will then bring the Agreement back to the Board for approval.
On a motion by Dr. Locke, seconded by Mr. Hurley, the Board moved to give Chair Brumit the authority to sign an amended Law Enforcement Jurisdictional Joint Agreement on behalf of the Board.
The motion to approve the Consent Agenda was seconded by Mr. Brigman and was approved unanimously by the Board.
Resolution/Action Items
2. A. Dr. King discussed the 2015-2016 State Budget Resolution with the Board. State, Buncombe, and Madison county budgets have been finalized.
On a motion by Ms. Stone, seconded by Ms. Rice, the Board unanimously approved the 2015-2016 State Budget Resolution as presented.
2. B. Dr. King stated that employees were divided into five groups and given raises between $400 and $750. All county and grant-funded positions received salary increases as well. Position audits were completed on nine employees, and stipends were increased for department chairs. Although the Board typically does not vote on salary increases, Board approval is required this year. The General Assembly left the distribution of the funds to the College and strongly suggested not to use the funds for across-the-board raises.
Dr. Locke indicated that although he is supportive of the salary increases, the College has 43 employees who earn over $66,000 and did not receive a raise. Dr. Locke stated that the College is trying to equalize salaries in a sense, and when monies are distributed, the College needs to look at the core values and how we assign those values when an entire group is excluded.
On a motion by Mr. Hurley, seconded by Mr. Brigman, the Board approved the Salary Adjustment Plan for FY 2015. Dr. Locke abstained from the vote.
2. C. Dr. King discussed the Connect NC Bond Act Resolution with the Board. If the voters approve the bond referendum in March 2016, the College will receive $5.48 million to use for repairs to existing buildings. The City of Asheville and Buncombe County have both endorsed the bond resolution. This is the Board’s opportunity to show support for the resolution.
On a motion by Mr. Fryar, seconded by Dr. Parham, the Board unanimously approved to support the Connect NC Bond Act Resolution.
Trustee Business
3. A. The Board Retreat will be held on January 11, 2016. Details will be forwarded prior to the end of the year.
President’s Report
Dr. King shared the following news with the Board:
- The College received a five-figured gift from a donor who toured the Ferguson Allied Health Building this morning.
- Phi Beta Lambda won a variety of awards at the Fall Leadership Development Conference. Ms. Veronica Dooly attended and informed the Board that the fall conference focuses on preparing students to be active on campus.
- Ms. Kerri Glover shared that the Community Relations department won ten Medallion Awards for the College’s campaign and commercials. The College’s Viewbook won the gold award for being printed on campus. Ms. Ramsey commended Ms. Glover for the College’s billboards.
- The dedication of the Ferguson Allied Health Building was a wonderful event. It is a beautiful building and Mrs. Ferguson’s comments were truly touching.
- Culinary students placed second in the state competition. Unfortunately, this resulted in the teams’ elimination from further competition.
- In an effort to be proactive, Dr. King is requiring every instructor to show a video made by Auburn University regarding active shooters on campus to every class. The video has several good tips on how to deal with an active shooter and students need to be educated on how to deal with any potential situation. Police have keys to all classrooms to use in case of a lockdown.
- The findings from the state auditor’s office concerning the College have been released. The findings stated that the College was splitting purchases to avoid the bidding process, and also violated a purchasing policy by taking possession of items prior to generating purchase orders. Dr. King informed the Trustees that the College accepted responsibility for the issues, and controls have been put in place to prevent bidding and purchasing issues from recurring. For example, a business manager has been hired for the Plant Operations Department. This individual reports directly to the CFO.
SGA Report:
SGA President Ana Frady informed the Board that she, Michele Hathcock, and Tim Geib attended a National Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. The group attended several workshops focused on student mental health, and how to deal with student shootings on campus.
The College now has 14 clubs, and eight societies, three of which are new. The SGA clubs did an excellent job of sponsoring children and making the Annual Children’s Holiday party very successful. Ms. Frady gave a special thank you to Michele Hathcock and Tim Geib for knowing what it takes to keep students engaged and to push them to be leaders.
Adjourn
The Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 4:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn H. Rice
Board Secretary