Buncombe County Commissioners Approve Grant for Medicated Assistance Treatment Program, Buncombe County Commissioners
In this era of transparent and democratic government, the addition of critical-deadline items to public meeting agendas after members of the public have any chance to respond has become more of a feature than a bug. Bending the rules to accommodate 11th-hour requests rejects the adage that, "None of us is as smart as all of us."
Report Spotlights School Underachievement
Broadly speaking, only about half of the students in Buncombe County are considered proficient in terms of standardized test scores. The same is true throughout the nation. Although academic performance tanked during the COVID shutdown, the achievement gap was preserved.
Tourists to Subsidize Affordable Housing?
Citizens petitioned the Buncombe County Commissioners to lobby the General Assembly to modify how the room tax is allocated and divert funds into the creation of affordable housing.
Real Clear Choice in District 3 Candidates
For voters in Buncombe County District 3, the choices are clear for whom to vote for in the upcoming election. Amanda Edwards, the current commissioner, is the clear choice for those voters who believe that the county is headed in the right direction and want the commissioners to continue with the status quo for the […]
Is This How We Build a Free Society?
On the agenda for the Buncombe County Commissioners' September 20 meeting were a few items that unabashedly pushed forward those trends that give government its reputation as a power that bites the hand that feeds it, using tax dollars on campaigns to sell programs that foster dependencies, doing for others what they can do for themselves, and also draining its own tax base.
Tax Assistance: Where to Draw Line?
Discussion the night the Buncombe County Commissioners adopted their FY 2022-2023 budget was dominated by questions about how much liquidity persons receiving county tax abatement should be allowed.
Buncombe Reimagines Budgeting
Buncombe County is proposing holding the tax rate flat while floating bonds and searching out other source of revenue to fund extracurricular activities for government, like building affordable housing and zeroing out the human carbon footprint.
Commissioners Puzzle Over Gov. Funds
The Buncombe County Commissioners flexed their powers to spend federal money on affordable housing and Pre-K, local taxpayer dollars on an aggressive bond program for affordable housing & green spaces, as well as tourists' dollars on basic government services.
County Proposes $99M for Housing
Buncombe County is doubling down on subsidizing housing for persons earning as much as 120 percent AMI. Not only economics and date, but ethics suggest this is not going to work.
Buncombe’s 2022-2023 Budget Richly Subsidized
Conversations from the Buncombe County Commissioners’ first budget worksession for the 2022-2023 fiscal year indicate the commissioners, awash with funding from ARPA, the opioid settlement, Hurricane Fred relief, HCA, etc., need help from the public deciding how to spend it all. Focus areas selected by the commissioners include broad categories like “affordable housing” and “climate and environmental solutions.”