Andy Ashurst This is Me

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1. 1. Press Article | VisitNC.com

   www.visitnc.com/press_article. - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/30/2006   Last Visited: 12/1/2006

   · Andy Ashurst, Publisher of the Mitchell News Journal

2. 2. www.mitchellcounty.org

   www.mitchellcounty.org/minutes - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/29/2004   Last Visited: 2/5/2008

   , Also present were Mavis Parsley, Finance Officer; Lloyd Hise, County Attorney; Nathan Hall, Reporter with the Mitchell-News Journal; Eric Wiseman, Emergency Management Coordinator; Phil Byrd, Patti Jenson, Director of Travel & Tourism; Shirley Hise, Director of Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce; Keith Holtsclaw, Chairman, Mitchell County EDC, Andy Ashurst, Editor of Mitchell News-Journal; Claudia Bailey, Ed & Jana Reid, and Jan Godwin.
   ...
   Board that the following three items needed to be added to the agenda: ,Emergency Proclamation; EDC Request and the date for the October Board Meeting. ,Commissioner Burleson moved to add the items to the agenda. ,Commissioner Anderson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson told the Board he was here during the storms and there were people working who did not have to be there working. ,He said that he felt they needed to be compensated for the extra time they put in.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson stated that if the County did not take preemptive steps not only business would loose revenue but also the county would lose sales tax revenue.
   ...
   Commissioner Hollifield moved to adopt the resolution with the amended date of September 29, 2004 (a copy is hereby attached and becomes a part of the minutes). ,Commissioner Anderson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
   
   Emergency Proclamation , Commissioner Anderson moved to adopt the Emergency Proclamation (a copy is hereby attached and becomes a part of the minutes). ,Commissioner Hollifield seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
   ...
   County Manager Evaluation , Commissioner Burleson moved to go into closed session for the County Manager evaluation in accordance with NC GS 143-3181.11(6), which reads, to consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment or an individual public officer or employee or prospective public officer or employee. ,Commissioner Anderson seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
   
   Commissioner Anderson moved to go out of Closed Session. ,Commissioner Hollifield seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

3. 3. Mitchell County Commission Minutes for June 2, 2003

   www.mitchellcounty.org/minutes - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/4/2003   Last Visited: 2/5/2008

   Also present were Mavis Parsley, Finance Officer; Nathan Hall, Reporter for the Mitchell News-Journal; Steve Murphy, reporter with WKYK Radio Station; several members of Citizens for a Sound Economy; Van Phillips, EDC Director, Shirley Hise, Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director, Richard Canipe, Spruce Pine Town Manager, Andy Ashurst, Editor of the Mitchell News Journal and several other citizens of the Bakersville Merchants Association.
   ...
   The motion was seconded by Commissioner Anderson and carried unanimously.
   ...
   The motion was seconded by Commissioner Anderson and carried unanimously.
   ...
   The motion was seconded by Commissioner Anderson and carried unanimously.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson moved to adopt the Litter Sweep Proclamation (a copy is hereto attached and becomes a part of the minutes).
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson asked if the extra sample cost would be reimbursable from the Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson moved to allow Mr. Pat Price to prepare a Request for Proposal for the demolition of the jail.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson asked if there was an existing committee. EM Director Wiseman stated that there was, but these grants have a requirement that additional members be added to the committee, such as public works and municipalities.
   
   Commissioner Hollifield stated that he would like a report on the progress of the grant to include what is being purchased and the status of the grant. EM Director Wiseman stated that there had to be a cost report done every two weeks. He can forward that report to the Board.
   
   Commissioner Burleson asked if the state was going to give the County this money without any type of plan or schedule. EM Director Wiseman stated the committee would determine the needs of the county prepare the list and submit it to the state for their approval.
   
   Commissioner Anderson asked if the grants required any local match.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson said it was definitely something that needed to be pursued. He felt that each Board member needed to discuss this with County Manager Hembree individually.
   
   Commissioner Burleson stated that he had several questions, but he appreciated Chairman Slagle's opening statements concerning the ordinance. He pointed out that Madison County's Ordinance had a lot of things that he didn't agree with. In their ordinance it refers to zoning and the zoning enforcement officer. He stated that Mitchell County needed to be very careful that they were not backing into something that later on they would decide was not the best for Mitchell County. He said this was a very, very complicated matter and the Board gets different information from different organizations and sometimes the Board makes decision based on the information available at the time and later look back and wonder why the Board did that. Commissioner Burleson requested that the Board be very careful on how they proceed with this matter. He stated that he needed more information before he could make a decision and feel good about the decision. Commissioner Burleson said that he did not like the wording of Madison County's Ordinance at all.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson asked if the equipment would be available.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson pointed out that he didn't want to go back to the green box concept but there might be away to make a box available one or two days a week and the remainder of the time be secured.
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   Commissioner Anderson also pointed out that Mitchell County has to be ready to apply for these grants, because no one will apply for the grants for nothing.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson agreed, but he said that he would hate to throw a major project on her without having some time for some additional training. He agreed this would be a good long-range plan for Mitchell County to have someone who can apply and administer grants.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson stated that he felt there was a certain amount of expertise needed to administer a scattered site grant. He said that he would not feel comfortable handling the administration, but he would feel comfortable it Kathy Young handled it. He pointed out that he didn't feel that she could be pulled from her other duties to do the grant administration.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson asked the Board to be careful with this and not miss opportunities that they should take advantage of.
   
   Chairman Slagle stated that he was one the Board members who at one time hired a local guy by the name of Eddie Buchanan to administer a similar grant.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson pointed out that when the Board did the budget for this current fiscal year, the Board had held Toe River Health District to the same amount as last year. But, when Commissioner Masters came to him with a recommendation asking that Toe River Health District be given an increase, Commissioner Anderson stated that he trusted Commissioner Masters enough to say that since he is the representative on that Board and that he felt the increase was justifiable, he went along with the increase. Boards in the past has trusted members who serve on certain boards to make recommendations to the Commissioners and have gone along with those recommendations. Commissioner Anderson stated that jerking the rug out from High County Council of Governments at this late date would be completely unfair since they have done some work on this project. He suggested that the Board take a little time to consider whether they want to apply for and administer grants on their own. He stated that it was a great idea for the future, but not at this point.
   
   Commissioner Masters stated that the Board had taken Commissioner Anderson's recommendations on the Mental Health Reform, which the Board went against the grain of a lot of people that were present for that meeting. He said that this was not unilateral but bilateral.
   
   Commissioner Anderson asked that the Board consider his recommendation on High Country Council of Governments this one time, but if it is the wishes of the Board, he will go out of the meeting still being their friends.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson explained that the houses have to be chosen and the grant completed by October 15th.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson moved to allow High Country Council of Governments to administer the upcoming cycle of CDBG Scattered Site Grants. The motion died for a lack of a second.
   
   Commissioner Masters asked about the funding cycle. Commissioner Anderson explained that the application has to be completed and the houses chosen by October 15th.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson agreed that someone has to be in place to handle this grant.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson stated that if County Manager Hembree feels comfortable with doing at this point, then he wouldn't have any problem with that. Commissioner Hollifield agreed with Commissioner Anderson, but he didn't think that it needed to be put off on County Manager Hembree, he just felt there needed to be someone to handle it.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson asked County Manager Hembree if he felt comfortable handling this $400,000 grant. County Manager Hembree said he was not comfortable handling a CDBG Scattered Site Grant. He said that he did not have the expertise to handle this type of project. He told the Board that he has written grants and gotten grants before, but he has never gotten a $400,000 grant and has never administered one, that is not to say he couldn't administer one. Commissioner Anderson told the Board that he felt that bringing the grant administration in house was a great plan, but he felt they were rushing into.
   
   Commissioner Masters with drew his motion and asked County Manager Hembree to look at this and at the next special meeting bring to the Board a realistic recommendation on this matter.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson stated that he didn't have a preference; he was still trying to get a vote on High Country Council of Governments. He felt that the Board should have some ideas to present to the public.
   
   Commissioner Master stated that the Board needed to be very careful on how they dispose of County property and should be careful in ever looking at doing anything where someone wants 30% of the selling price to do something that this Board is charged in doing. He said that he felt that he had missed a step in this process.
   ...
   Commissioner Anderson moved to approve the Releases/Refunds of $100 and greater (a copy is hereto attached and becomes a part of the minutes).