[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6509139,"mediaKeyId","5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd","parentId",5442678,"title","Resident urges Ashe County to update FEMA mitigation plan before CDBG-DR funds arrive","audioSeconds",210,"startMs",185000,"endMs",395000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd&start=185&end=395","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd/thumbnail_185000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6509139/Ashe-County/North-Carolina/Resident-urges-Ashe-County-to-update-FEMA-mitigation-plan-before-CDBG-DR-funds-arrive","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6509139-7bb37046f3d7d776db6573c93ecd413c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452538&Signature=Xqwh0SuyNg61iz10sTR0HFTsshrDHCQVypp8TAYFpEAK9YK~iaXDwI7UPFAhZITh99Iz5UHZQLzEGbtllZwf3l9SkRBlInsTrfX0wwIAFKtTuH~ivGnCNg8rhrD-KDi~5gU-XGs6acCajoMlzuq-rYqJhp4Jzdmu3SlolnJ51QP4svEO34W3Bt8fxv3ZG8BCMcZiL1JMtSbtGc0nfXEaAa52SXtKhb6f6Hqpmzhb~6b6uBN-nloaoxhs~v8bFIKduyg0lZhMO9qdHE5-p~daWDbI0P-Cm-Uh-vePew0jIEtpalX4dnmY7JxKaT~9KtVOFk96bn28Vo0dkn8ZVTcoxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ashe County","date","2025-07-21T00:00:00Z","article","Sally Kinka, a resident of Todd in Ashe County, used the board's public-comment period on July 21 to ask commissioners to update the county's FEMA mitigation plan before the one-year anniversary of the hurricane that struck parts of the county. She said the county's 2022 mitigation plan likely did not address hurricanes and asked the board to complete an updated plan by Sept. 27, the anniversary date she cited.

Kinka told commissioners that the mitigation plan update would not cost Ashe County local funds, saying the anticipated Community Development Block Grant'Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds would cover mitigation planning and projects if the plan is in place before the state begins awarding disaster-recovery resources. She urged the board to act quickly and framed the request as an opportunity for the commissioners to show leadership.

Direct quote: \"This is a chance to be a hero, and I know that you all have it in you,\" Kinka said.

Context: Kinka referred to storm damage in Lansing and the broader county recovery work; the county has been active in long-term recovery efforts since the storm and county staff later described planning for a Sept. 27 recovery event in public business.

What the transcript records and what it does not: Kinka asked for the mitigation plan to be updated by Sept. 27 and linked that work to forthcoming CDBG-DR funding. The transcript records her request and framing; the board did not take an immediate vote or produce a formal response during public comment in the excerpt provided. Any formal staff response, timeline or board direction would be in subsequent staff reports or future meetings, not in the public-comment excerpt.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ashe County - County Commission on 2025-07-21 9:00 AM - Jul 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","During public comment, resident Sally Kinka urged the board to update the county's FEMA mitigation plan by Sept. 27 so it will be in place before anticipated Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds arrive.","taxTitle","Ashe County, North Carolina","taxId",45072,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6509144,"Ashe County DSS seeks foster parents, outlines energy-assistance outreach and recovery events",671,705000,1376000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd&start=705&end=1376","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd/thumbnail_705000.jpg","/articles/6509144/Ashe-County/North-Carolina/Ashe-County-DSS-seeks-foster-parents-outlines-energy-assistance-outreach-and-recovery-events","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6509144-2703e6b5b80b76e46ae445ad38685d36/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452538&Signature=MfYEY7F5OmOOEPiSrPrUMp5n5r8KAiF2Bn5Ip4G6IeeoSygHgIPjhIqylVtY9iLaAjlEYF~cegsv1X2jTR9Tk0Znj0MlnAQPGVLmbb28ORL2hTp-4uR9mS83H3aQ~zFDwlKlW3qIW02mC1nhpL3Qu2qL7GGyVt7fEF5467xwOUKC2CwWQ-dPXZFPpNwpr-80pG78N490zwOPlQBhaSyHi2icrB2xlNQML9wlGiF~wUq8h1HzQ8hY2Rbb9qzHQXFEfXlY-6BReDLcUtt~~rH-WbK4RDPqZPDozG4Ff1bw-IMB7hbzAcbMdGY0nRi5Nwj-tdbZOMt1PWLNbVSSoZeybA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tracy, director of the Ashe County Department of Social Services, told the Board of Commissioners on July 21 that the department is emphasizing foster-parent recruitment, cross-training staff for income-maintenance hearings and finalizing an energy-outreach plan the board approved so the county can apply for seasonal energy-assistance funds.

Tracy said the department needs more foster homes, especially for adolescents, to allow young people to remain in their schools and communities. \"A lot of our adolescents are really well behaved kids,\" she said, and the department is using a recruitment and retention action plan led by Tory Logle and a dedicated training program for foster parents.

Why it matters: foster placements affect children's school stability and community continuity; shortage of adolescent foster homes was cited as a priority by department leadership.

Key DSS updates

- Foster care recruitment and retention: The department is actively recruiting foster and adoptive parents, with particular emphasis on families willing to take adolescents. Tracy noted staff efforts including a training program, appreciation events for foster parents and community outreach at recent festivals.

- Hearings officers and internal training: A long-serving hearings officer is preparing to retire; DSS trained new hearing officers and held a mock hearing to transfer institutional knowledge and maintain continuity in income-maintenance appeals.

- Energy outreach plan: The board approved the outreach protocol the department will submit to the state. Tracy said the plan lists the county's advertising and notification steps for the crisis-intervention program and LIHEAP/SIP-related outreach and must be submitted by July 30.

- Disaster energy assistance spending: Tracy said the county received a disaster energy assistance award that totaled $447,000 in two allocations: an initial $147,000 and a later $300,000 supplement after the county demonstrated need. The department spent nearly all of those funds before the program's June 30 end date, leaving approximately $9,000 unspent when the program closed.

- Ongoing federal-funding uncertainty: Tracy warned that future LIHEAP and SIP allocations are controlled at the federal level and that the county's baseline energy-assistance funding in prior years has been about $100,000 each for SIP and LIHEAP; current amounts for the coming season were not yet known.

- Fiscal audit: Tracy presented the county's fiscal-year audit to the board and reported the county passed the audit; no action was required.

Long-term recovery anniversary event

Tracy and volunteers with the Long Term Recovery Group and Ash County Recovery and Restoration are planning a Sept. 27 family-oriented recovery event from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to mark the one-year anniversary of the hurricane that hit parts of the county. The event, described as a \"celebration of resiliency,\" will include resource tables for recovery services, children's activities, food and local entertainment. Tracy said organizers are coordinating with community partners in Lansing, which is planning its own anniversary activities earlier in the day.

Potential venues include the county's new Ag Center and Jefferson United Methodist Church; Tracy said the county's insurance would cover events held at the Ag Center if the county sponsors the event there. Dr. Calhoun and Amy Walker were cited as partners who have tentatively approved use of the facility; Britney Duncan was cited as a Lansing contact coordinating the town's activities.

What board approved: The board approved the energy outreach plan by voice vote, authorizing DSS to submit the required materials to the state and to carry out the outreach protocols outlined in its packet.

","Department of Social Services Director Tracy updated the board on foster-parent recruitment and internal staffing, outlined energy-outreach procedures the board approved, summarized disaster energy-assistance spending and previewed a Sept. 27 long-term recovery event.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6509149,"Ashe County commissioners approve property option, energy outreach plan and routine items",0,600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd&start=600&end=600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442678-5a0f67b488650f5b852a8e872af1f4dd/thumbnail_600000.jpg","/articles/6509149/Ashe-County/North-Carolina/Ashe-County-commissioners-approve-property-option-energy-outreach-plan-and-routine-items","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6509149-9e74fee3d84b47d5ea1ce2f466ca2b7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452538&Signature=R~T-kJJ9U8IMmTXODUoHIr16IamT0nmbc4RbQWpamJcS14yIIEkT70at6awdaUUHpHVD8VkS-mGZUuemlgVGMj5tHNT8gJ4Md-uObPhF8VF4cjT92clR8MVgPBrm4VdVxzGpO5AQLa7RUdFasCdWcloO5rCNCh4J84OI~5bzDUSqG72gPEd9cHQMQShZ6sePIRgzSd6oKaiEcnXbz0OT-UQMxRmMXzE2vPakzlTGJnMLLP15fGsD72IkJHLAVT497q4XtEjH9G~gHWfQz0NPSPrVMA2y00DG-Xa2ol2YyyMP-Gh4-o8QpO9BEqOFmxZyMhTT7Xjhm9KlBjSxsp8xtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ashe County Board of Commissioners on July 21 approved the consent agenda and adopted the meeting agenda, voted to approve the county's energy outreach plan, and after executive session authorized a six-month option to acquire a parcel in Creston Township.

The routine consent agenda and the agenda itself were approved by voice vote early in the meeting. Later, following a Department of Social Services presentation, the board agreed to the energy outreach plan the department presented to state officials to secure energy-assistance funding. After an executive session on property and economic development, the board voted to exercise an option on a Creston Township parcel with an option price capped at $15,000 and a purchase price not to exceed $789,000, and directed the county attorney to draft the contract.

Why it matters: the energy outreach plan is the county's required protocol for notifying residents and deploying limited energy-assistance dollars during warm and cold weather seasons; approving it allows county staff to submit the required documentation to the state by the July 30 deadline. The property option starts a six-month period in which the county can decide whether to complete a purchase under the agreed price ceilings.

What the board approved

- Consent agenda: approved. (Routine departmental and administrative items were bundled; no separate discussion recorded.)

- Adoption of the agenda: approved.

- Energy outreach plan: approved. The plan sets the county's public-notification procedures for energy-assistance programs the Department of Social Services administers and allows the county to apply to the state for seasonal crisis-intervention funds.

- Property option (Creston Township): approved. The board exercised a six-month option with an option payment not to exceed $15,000 and a maximum purchase price of $789,000, and directed county attorney John Kiwi to prepare the purchase contract.

Meeting procedure and votes: The transcript records motions, seconding and voice votes for the routine items, the energy outreach-plan approval and the property option after executive session. Individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the public transcript excerpts provided; recorded minutes should be consulted for a numeric roll-call if required.

Looking ahead: Approving the outreach plan lets staff submit paperwork to the state before the end-of-July deadline for seasonal energy programs. The option on the Creston Township parcel commits the county to a six-month decision window and to have the county attorney prepare the transaction documents for a potential closing.

","At their July 21 meeting the Ashe County Board of Commissioners approved routine consent items and the county's energy outreach plan, then returned from executive session and authorized a six-month option on a Creston Township property with price limits.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Resident urges Ashe County to update FEMA mitigation plan before CDBG-DR funds arrive

Ashe County DSS seeks foster parents, outlines energy-assistance outreach and recovery events

Ashe County commissioners approve property option, energy outreach plan and routine items