Buncombe first hired Ward and Smith last May, agreeing to pay the firm $72,000 annually to advocate for the county’s interests at the state legislature. A Jan. 30 gathering at the DoubleTree hotel in Biltmore Village marked the first extended public discussion of the lobbyists’ work since that contract was inked.
![Buncombe County Board of Commissioners legislative meeting](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/20230130_113207-330x248.jpg)