The Asheville Citizen-Times’ Jon Ostendorff reported late this afternoon that Buncombe County officials have suspended work on A-B Tech’s expansion project.
The college wants an 800-seat auditorium to host allied health and workforce development programs, but the county says taxpayers could be out tens of millions of dollars if the auditorium is used more for conferences than classes.
The county’s finance office says the federal government could charge a 39 percent penalty if the IRS deems the auditorium doesn’t fit with the tax-exempt bonds the county used to build it.
Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton, in a letter dated April 3, told the contractor, land surveyor, engineer and architect on the project that work is suspended because of “significant concerns” about the auditorium and its tax status. …
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.