Latest news with #BrendenJones
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How a disaster recovery firm pitched itself to North Carolina, years after losing prior contract
A storm-damaged home in western North Carolina. (Photo: North Carolina Department of Commerce HUD CDBG-DR Helene recovery Action Plan) The firm that will run North Carolina's Hurricane Helene recovery program in the western mountains, as it sought to win the critical contract, described itself as the only one up to the task. 'Only the HORNE Team has the system, expertise, and experience required to deliver this mission quickly and bring thousands of North Carolinians back home,' wrote one of the firm's partners to the state. Mississippi-based Horne LLP won the $81.5 million bid earlier this month. It will implement a $1.4 billion federal housing grant, overseeing an array of other contractors as western North Carolina looks to rebuild from the deadliest storm in state history. Horne's bid, which won out over four other firms, was first reported by Inside Climate News. Horne's successful application for the contract, obtained by NC Newsline through a public records request, details the company's extensive prior work and contracts: $31.5 million to rebuild in Florida in 2020, and $190 million in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Mentioned just once in the redacted version of the 350-page plan is the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the state office that tapped Horne as prime contractor from 2019 to 2022. The state did not renew the contract amid complaints of poor case management and communication across eastern North Carolina. Three years later, Horne will once again be at the helm of disaster recovery in the Tar Heel State. And the firm has pledged top-flight customer service, robust in-person staffing and expansive outreach to survivors. In a hearing Thursday morning, Republican lawmakers said Horne's return to North Carolina disaster work raised a red flag. 'This is a process that promised to learn from past failures, but it's already raising some serious concerns,' said House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R-Columbus), who co-chairs the General Assembly's committee on hurricane recovery. A spokesperson for Horne declined to comment, saying the firm was not authorized to speak for the program. The NC Department of Commerce, which is overseeing the federal grant money and Helene recovery program, provided materials to NC Newsline showing that Horne scored the highest of all bidders in grading by the state's contract review committee. The state's offer with Horne is set to span three years. After that period, the state can choose to re-up the contract for one year, up to six years total. In the first year, the firm projects the largest cost to be assessing damage and conducting an environmental review. That will cost an estimated $15.6 million. Outreach and intake for survivors and homeowners in the first year is expected to cost around $11 million. Key to Horne's outreach plan is partnering with local nonprofits and organizations. Patriot Relief, a North Carolina-based hurricane relief nonprofit, is set to knock on doors and use data tracking to find survivors who may be eligible. And the firm plans to blast out materials online, in local media and even by mail in both English and Spanish. 'Outreach efforts will have intentional focus to reach the unreachable and offer aid to those most in need,' Horne writes in its application. Among the other local groups Horne has tapped as partners: Endeavors, a Christian crisis care organization with offices in Jacksonville and Fayetteville; and SWCA, an environmental consulting practice with offices in Cary and Charlotte. The firm plans to set up three offices in western North Carolina — in Boone, Weaverville and Marion. The Marion intake center would remain open for the entire recovery process; Boone and Weaverville offices would be open for at least six months. Horne plans to source staff locally — outlining a series of three job fairs, including in Buncombe and Watauga counties. The state has required the contractor to have at least 25% of their staff locally hired; Horne wrote that it aims to 'hit or surpass 75%.' Details on how exactly Horne will oversee construction are scant. Portions of its application outlining the timeline, inspections, diagrams, warranties and more have been redacted. But the firm has pledged to work quickly, 'without sacrificing the homeowner's experience in the process.' In the bid, Horne included photos of rebuilt homes in Florida that remained sturdy under two hurricanes. 'Speed is no longer a goal; it is an expectation,' the firm wrote. 'When it comes to housing programs, speed is service. We know your homeowners have one goal in mind, and that is to return home as quickly as possible.' Horne has recently faced legal action in other states over disaster recovery projects. Last month, the company paid $1.2 million in a settlement agreement with the federal government in West Virginia. A spokesperson told Inside Climate News the company had not admitted any wrongdoing. State officials said Thursday that they learned of the West Virginia settlement after the contract window had closed. Horne provided the state with a copy of the settlement agreement. Included in Horne's application were three top staffers it planned to deploy to lead the Helene project. Kelly Huck is set to be the program director. Huck, who will be based in Raleigh, is the firm's director of government services. He previously led a project in Florida using the same federal grant money, serving as construction director after Hurricanes Ian and Michael. Milena Caterino, who served as a senior manager and deputy construction manager on the Florida contract after Michael, is the proposed construction manager. And Bob Harland, who has served as Horne's tech director on a number of disaster projects, has been put forward as tech manager. Both would be based in North Carolina. Gov. Josh Stein's advisor for western North Carolina, Jonathan Krebs, worked for Horne until April 2024, Inside Climate News reported. Krebs was last paid by the firm in December, the governor's office said. He was not involved in the review committee and 'will not financially benefit from it,' a spokesperson said. 'I do not participate or particularly care who they picked to do the work,' Krebs told state lawmakers Thursday. Jones, the House majority leader, argued that Krebs' role in drafting the state solicitation was a 'blatant conflict.' Krebs pushed back on that accusation, saying that 'recusing myself from that activity would nullify my role.' Another lawmaker viewed his prior work for the firm as a plus. '[He could] understand some of their processes, identify red flags,' said Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Caldwell). Horne's bid earned 184 out of 200 possible points from the state's five-person committee, according to a recommendation memo provided to NC Newsline. The committee noted the firm's experience with single-family housing, as well as 'glowing references' from South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi. Its technical plan was 'well-researched and planned.' And Horne's recommended leaders were qualified, the committee noted, but lacked experience building housing 'in places with characteristics similar to western NC.' 'Horne was by far the best vendor selection,' said Stephanie McGarrah, who is leading the new Commerce division tasked with overseeing Helene operations, on Thursday. Horne's price for the contract fell in between the other two bidders, according to the state. Hunt, Guillot & Associates, LLC, another bidder, earned the next-highest score at 161 points. That firm offered the highest price, at $87.1 million. And it was docked for its lesser experience in specific services, as well as key leaders not relocating to North Carolina. A third bidder, Tidal Basin, provided the lowest price but had 'significant weaknesses' in qualifications. Its recommendations were also lacking — the city of Brunswick, Georgia told the committee 'they would not recommend' hiring the group. Tidal Basin earned 140 points. Two other bidders were deemed non-responsive. McGarrah said Thursday she was 'personally very disappointed' that one of those bidders, IEM, did not submit a qualifying offer. They did not provide required financial documents. 'You need to understand, this is a very small group of companies that do this kind of work,' McGarrah said. The state review committee for the contract included McGarrah, Tommy Clark, the executive director of the NC Pandemic Recovery Office; and Konrad Wisniewski, public information officer for the Department of Commerce. Allan Sandoval, who is CIO at Commerce, and Mark Poole, who leads the Commerce Finance Center, served as subject matter experts. They did not have voting power. Asked by Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) whether she would redo the bidding process knowing what she knows now, McGarrah said she would not. The housing process is already expected to take three to four years, she estimated. 'I do think we made the right decision,' she said. 'I also think that it just slows the recovery down. It's slow already. It's so frustrating.' Horne LLP application
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC House OKs expanding Republican auditor's powers to hire, fire and investigate
The North Carolina House on Tuesday passed a bill expanding the powers of the state auditor, a typically low-profile office that Republican lawmakers have repeatedly sought to embolden since November, when it was won by a Republican for the first time in 16 years. 'It ensures the state auditor can do the job the voters elected him to do: protecting taxpayers, detecting fraud and holding public spending to account,' House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, the bill's sponsor, said. House Bill 549, which passed along party lines, would empower Auditor Dave Boliek to investigate any non-governmental organization that receives public funds, and would greatly expand his office's access to state databases. The bill would also give him more flexibility over hiring and firing staff in his office — a move critics warned could turn merit-based state jobs into political appointments. Starting July 1, the bill would exempt new hires in the auditor's office from the State Human Resources Act — a broad law which establishes protections for state employees. It would give current employees the choice to exempt themselves from the act. 'What you're saying, if you are seeking to make these positions exempt, is that political preferences should take precedent over merit — but for the employees in this office only,' Rep. Tim Longest, a Wake County Democrat, said. Longest attempted to amend the bill to remove the HR exemptions, but Republicans blocked that change. The State Employees Association of North Carolina also came out strongly against the bill's HR changes. 'I can think of no agency where it's more important that someone be impartial, nonpolitical — that somebody be a professional employee,' SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins told reporters last week. 'We want the best, not the best connected, working for the state of North Carolina.' Jones acknowledged the bill may require changes, but said they just needed to pass it before Thursday — which marks an important legislative deadline — and that they could make changes once it got to the Senate. 'This is not a bogeyman bill, as it's being presented,' he said. 'There's some issues on it and it's going to be worked through ... We all believe in our state employees, we all want to do what's right for the state employees — no one's trying to deny that.' Democrats also raised concerns about a portion of the bill that would give the auditor 'continuous and unrestricted view of databases, datasets, and digital records necessary for any purpose within the authority of the auditor.' House Democratic Leader Robert Reives questioned what could happen if a political appointee in the auditor's office were to investigate a business and had 'an ax to grind.' 'That's a lot of sensitive information that is suddenly available that has never been available before to anybody at any time under these type of circumstances,' he said. 'And that really makes me uncomfortable.' Wednesday's vote comes after Senate Republicans advanced their own proposal to expand the auditor's powers with a bill called The DAVE Act — a reference to Boliek's first name. It would give Boliek more power to recommend job cuts or the complete elimination of state agencies — though the legislature would still have the final say. The DAVE Act passed the Senate earlier this month almost entirely along party lines, with former Senate Democratic leader Dan Blue being the only member of his party to vote in favor of it. Last year, Republican lawmakers passed a bill stripping the governor of his appointments to the State Board of Elections and transferring them to the auditor instead. That bill, which the Court of Appeals allowed to take effect last week after a lower court had blocked it, makes Boliek the only auditor in the country with election oversight powers.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill targeting DEI within state government passes in North Carolina House
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A bill that would eliminate DEI from state agencies passed in North Carolina House Wednesday. House Bill 171, entitled Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI, seeks to remove DEI from state and local governments. It says state agencies are prohibited from promoting, supporting, funding, implementing, or maintaining DEI, including using DEI in state government hirings and employment, maintaining dedicated DEI staff positions or offices, or offering or requiring DEI training. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NC House lawmakers delay vote on bill that targets DEI within government Under the bill, state officers and employees who do not comply with the DEI ban are subject to removal from office or employment and a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for each violation. They may also be subject to civil action in county court. Republican sponsors of the bill described it as common sense fairness. One sponsor, Republican state Rep. Brenden Jones, told lawmakers he doesn't believe the bill is radical. 'This restores the principle that should have never been lost,' Jones said. 'Can you do the job? Did you earn it? Are you qualified?' Democrats said the bill is an attack on marginalized communities. They pointed to a 30% vacancy rate in state agency jobs, stating the bill will exclude more people from jobs they're qualified for. 'Bills like HB171 are being duplicated across the nation,' Democratic state Rep. Cecil Brockman told lawmakers. 'They are built on two false pretenses, that diverse means inferior and there are no more 'isms' in our society that need to be addressed.' The bill passed in the North Carolina House along party lines. It now heads to the North Carolina Senate. HB171 can be viewed below. House Bill 171Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC House lawmakers delay vote on bill that targets DEI within government
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – For the second day in a row, North Carolina state Republican representatives pulled a bill that would eliminate DEI from state agencies from their voting calendar. Democrats organized dozens of people to be at the General Assembly building to specifically protest this bill. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Republicans move forward bill to remove DEI practices from higher education in NC House lawmakers were scheduled to vote Wednesday on House Bill 171, which removes DEI requirements and practices from state government and agencies. Without warning, the bill was pulled from the calendar. Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said this occurred because the bill sponsor, state Rep. Brenden Jones, wasn't able to attend. Democrats said Republicans don't want to face their own constituents over the bill. 'I think it's cowardly not to face the people you represent in the state being able to actually say, 'This is why we're trying to pass this bill right now' and giving Democrats in the General Assembly an opportunity to stand up against it,' North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said. 'But I also think this shows disunity in the Republican caucus right now for the fact they've had to delay this vote now twice when you have a majority in the state and you could do anything you want to with it right now.' Said Hall, 'I'm not aware of any member of our caucus that's even remotely considering voting no on that bill. I think it's overwhelmingly supported by our caucus and the people of our state.' It's unclear when the House will take up the bill next. The North Carolina Senate is also voting on a bill to remove DEI from public higher education on Wednesday afternoon. Democrats are urging protestors to be at the General Assembly for that vote as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislation seeks to protect UNC-NC State sports rivalry
A new bill filed in the North Carolina House aims to ensure that the University of North Carolina and NC State University continue their historic sports rivalry by requiring annual matchups in several sports. House Bill 469, known as the Restoring Rivalries Act, mandates that UNC and NC State play each other annually in football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball. According to WRAL, this legislation comes amid concerns about potential conference realignments that could separate the two schools. 'Essentially what we want to ensure is that UNC and NC State will continue to play in a world where they are not both in the ACC,' said Rep. Brenden Jones, the House's Republican majority leader and a lead sponsor of the bill. The bill stipulates that in baseball and softball, the teams must play three games in an academic year. Both UNC and NC State are founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which is currently headquartered in Charlotte. ALSO READ: No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg The ACC has been facing challenges as it lags behind the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences in terms of revenue, prestige, and power in college athletics. A recent settlement with Florida State and Clemson reduces the penalty for schools that leave the league before 2036. Rep. Jones expressed hope that UNC and NC State would remain in the same conference, but the bill does not require it. 'If the Big Ten or SEC were to ever invite either State or Carolina, this bill would indicate that they are a package deal,' Jones added. The UNC System Board of Governors, which oversees public universities, has recently granted itself more authority over conference changes, reflecting the significant role politics can play in these decisions. Previous legislative attempts to mandate regular games between UNC, NC State, and other in-state schools like East Carolina and Appalachian State have not advanced. However, Jones, as a member of leadership, may have more influence to push the bill forward this year. Private schools Duke and Wake Forest are also part of the ACC, which hosts numerous championship events in North Carolina. Lawmakers have previously approved incentives to keep the conference headquartered in the state. The Restoring Rivalries Act seeks to preserve the historic sports rivalry between UNC and NC State, even as the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve. The bill's progress will be closely watched as it moves through the legislative process. VIDEO: No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
