At its regular meeting Jan. 7, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously appointed Drew Ball to serve as District 3 commissioner. The Buncombe County Democratic Party elected Ball to the seat in December to replace Amanda Edwards, who was elected board chair Nov. 5.
“Obviously, we have a lot of work ahead of us right now,” Ball said after being sworn in. “It’s going to be a tough road to recovery, but as our community has shown, we are ready to get to work and take care of each other, and I am eager and excited to get to work with this community.”
Ball is a volunteer firefighter at Reynolds Volunteer Fire Department, board member of the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club and a musician. He was nominated by state Rep. Caleb Rudow, District 116.
Homeowner grant requests pour it
During a briefing before the regular meeting, commissioners heard an update on the Homeowner Grant Program from Phillip Hardin, Buncombe County Health and Human Services economic services director. The grant provides $300 to each eligible applicant to help with mortgage, insurance or tax payments. An additional $200 is available for those residing in the City of Asheville.
To date, 90% of applications have been processed with 64% approved. The application period initially ran from July 15 through Sept. 30 but reopened Nov. 11-15 in response to the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene. Nearly as many applications (575) were submitted during the November extension as were in the previous three months combined (676). To date, Buncombe County has approved $145,500 and the City of Asheville just under $130,000 in grant money.
Tax collections lag 2023
A tax collection report presented to the commission showed that as of Nov. 30, the county was about 2% behind in overall collections and 2.5% behind in real estate taxes compared with the same period in fiscal year 2024. Jennifer Pike, tax collections director, attributes the difference to the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene. She noted that 1% of tax collection equates to over $2.5 million.
Jan. 6 was the last day to pay property taxes without incurring a late fee. Many expressed outrage on social media after the county confirmed that residents who experienced partial or total loss of their homes during Tropical Storm Helene are still responsible for paying property taxes.
“We really encourage members of our community to contact us if they need help with the payment arrangement. We are more than happy to work with them,” Pike said during the meeting.
In other news
Curt Euler, senior attorney for the county, was appointed interim county attorney. Longtime county attorney Michael Frue retired in 2024.
Each commissioner agreed to serve on several boards and committees, including the Affordable Housing Subcommittee, the Economic Development Coalition and the Health and Human Services Board, among others.
Commissioners appointed Diana Blackett to the Mountain Area Workforce and Development Board; Nate Pennington to the Metropolitan Sewerage District Board; and Rebecca Smith, David Denninger, and Daysha Chaney to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Banta Whitner, Jorge Redmond, Elizabeth Kraft, Jeremy Bricker, and Brandon Priester were reappointed to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.
Commissioners passed a resolution supporting funding to repair the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Blue Ridge Rising Strategic Plan and creating a coalition that will advocate for the BRP. A specific funding request was not made.
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