News

Hawkins seeks to ax planning agency membership

Commissioner Grady Hawkins wants Henderson County to drop its membership in the Land of Sky Regional Council.

By Bill Moss, Published: March 8, 2015

Although Commissioner Grady Hawkins wants Henderson County to drop its membership in a regional planning agency, other commissioners weren't sure whether the county would pay a price down the road.

"What kind of impact would it have if we were no longer a member of Land of Sky?" said Hawkins, who has repeatedly questioned the value of the Land of Sky Regional Council. "We were coming up with $13,000 for a report we never got and probably never will get. I don't think we get $58,000 worth. I've sat over there on the MPO board and all they did is plan. They make a plan for a plan."
Henderson County pays $38,426 a year to belong to Land of Sky and $20,000 a year for the French Broad MPO, which guides the priority setting for state and federal road projects. Land of Sky provides planning for housing grants, aging services and workforce development in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties. The regional planners don't do any work that Henderson County planners can't do, Hawkins said.
It's possible, county administrators said, that dropping out of the Land of Sky could cost Henderson County federal grants for things like affordable housing and elderly services.
"There was some aging services money that flows directly through the council of government to the counties," County Manager Steve Wyatt said. The action as it applies to the federal Community Development Block Grant funding "gives me pause," Assistant County Manager Amy Brantley added.
Hawkins withdrew his motion in favor of further research by the staff into the consequences of pulling out of the regional planning agency.