“If a new budget is not ‘revenue neutral’ by lowering the rate of taxation the appropriate amount, then you are slapped with a tax increase from your blind side.”

“If a new budget is not ‘revenue neutral’ by lowering the rate of taxation the appropriate amount, then you are slapped with a tax increase from your blind side.”
“In fact, in most cases, the assessor is conservative in his values. If he is wrong, that is what the appeals process is for, and it’s available to everybody.”
“This majority is struggling as much or more than Buncombe County employees, but instead of getting a raise, they get to collectively pay $5.1 million in taxes in addition to what they are already paying.”
“Paying taxes to the county for services which it does not provide city residents and paying twice for some of them is outrageous.”
“Many people are definitely homeless because they can’t afford sewer hookups, septic tanks, leach fields or the land to put them in, and I don’t think they deserve this environmental burden.”
A combination of increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic and low staffing levels has led to emergency response times well above national standards, said Rafael Baptista, the county’s director of performance management, in an Oct. 19 briefing to the board.
“The overall tax rate did go down some, but due to my taxable value going up — my total taxes are up 13.76%, and I’m sure theirs also significantly went up.”
During a June 1 meeting, the county Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of agreement regarding the settlement of its litigation against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis.
For the median home in Buncombe County — worth $231,400 before revaluation and $291,000 now — the new rate would boost taxes by over 16%, from $1,224 to $1,423 per year. The percentage increase is greater than the roughly 14% rise commissioners approved in 2017.
“I appealed revaluation twice and received valuable adjustments each time.”
“Brownie Newman says that if we give tax relief to businesses that have suffered from the pandemic, we would have to raise taxes on everyone else in order to maintain county services.”
“Please reach out to those who control the taxes and our future direction with your complaints. We do have a voice, so please use it.”
After a unanimous Board of Commissioners vote on Sept. 1 to adopt a new Schedule of Values — the regulations used by Buncombe tax assessors to determine how much all property in the county is worth — owners have until Friday, Oct. 2, to file an appeal over the rules.
“This could be a catastrophic change in revenue year over year,” said Mayor Esther Manheimer about projections for fiscal year 2021. “Before we start spending new money, I want to know if we’re going to see a little bit of a normalization on the horizon. I don’t want to be sitting here with a $20 million deficit in the next fiscal year.”
“By being part of the solution now, we can avoid the worst costs of climate chaos and honor our responsibility to future generations.”
“As a community, we have the opportunity to change the direction and priorities of City Council by electing representatives who more closely reflect our values and vision for Asheville going forward.”
“To me, the biggest question of all is: What is our leverage to make sure this private corporation fulfills its contract?”
Beginning Aug. 28 and continuing through Tuesday, Dec. 11, a series of monthly meetings will explain to City Council members and the public how Asheville allocates over $180 million to provide a range of services. The first session set the general context for the budget through a discussion of community demographics and major city revenue streams.
The resolution sets the stage for the county to reimburse itself through bonds should it initially finance planned construction projects with operating funds. According to Internal Revenue Service regulations, wrote Interim County Manager George Wood, a bond resolution must precede spending money on projects that might later be refinanced using bonds.
ASHEVILLE, NC
Asheville, N.C.