During a debate organized by the Council of Independent Business Owners on Oct. 5, candidates vying for seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners talked school safety, affordable housing and how the county should respond to the fallout from the Wanda Greene investigation.
No matter one’s political affiliation, it is difficult to deny that recent politicking at the national level has departed from traditional norms. Based on the Sept. 26 League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County candidate forum at the West Asheville Library, local races are sharing in that unconventionality as well.
At the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 13th annual Elected Officials Reception on Aug. 16, local politicians acknowledged that the intensity of recent city and county government scandals have sometimes pushed other issues to the side.
Two pivotal items on the board’s agenda were the approval of the FY 2019 budget and the appointment of an interim county manager after the sudden departure of former manager Mandy Stone.
ASHEVILLE, NC
After criticizing a list of proposals circulated by three county commissioners last week, Sheriff Van Duncan worked to find common ground at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 10.
ASHEVILLE
Last month, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with litigation against the opioid industry and now it officially has a federal lawsuit against pain pill manufacturers and distributors.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a measure to strip the chair’s ability to shepherd items onto the agenda in favor of solely giving that procedural power to a group of three or more commissioners.
A group that’s receiving funding from Buncombe County’s Isaac Coleman Community Investment Grants has been instructed to take corrective action after discontinuing one component of its programming, a masonry skills job training course. County staff says it is working with United Community Development to find a solution.
Buncombe County commissioners signed off on amending economic development incentives, expanding preschool offerings and moving forward with a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.
Former Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene cashed out on a $500,000 payday for six months of work in 2017 and more than $1.6 million over the past four years.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved changes to the county’s personnel ordinance that establishes a whistle blower hotline and providers more detailed language on immediate family members working together.
The number of opioid-related hospital visits in Buncombe County is up 172 percent from the previous year and commissioners and looking to the courtroom for relief.
As questions swirl around an ongoing FBI probe into former Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene, some top officials are scrutinizing the results of a directive they say was meant to boost the earnings of the county’s lowest-paid employees.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners tapped Duke Energy for a solar farm project at the old county landfill and unanimously denied a rezoning request.
A budget amendment for iPads initiated a conversation about what programs funds from the county’s detention center commissary should go toward.
Pre-noon alcohol sales in unincorporated parts of Buncombe County gain approval while pro-cannabis advocates urge commissioners to lean on state lawmakers for medicinal marijuana approval.
Xpress takes a look at how Buncombe County commissioners set the tax rate during off-the-record phone calls and in-person meetings.
Commissioners are looking to allow alcohol sales in unincorporated areas of the county. The law allows for restaurants and grocery stores to sell alcohol starting at 10 a.m. but does not allow for state-run ABC stores to open.
Buncombe County staff presented commissioners with an update on opioid use on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Statistics from Buncombe EMS show some 520 responses to overdoses and poisonings in the first half of this year.
