Government Spending

Consent Agenda: Asheville’s Silent Spending

By Jim Fulton April 9, 2024Asheville City Council, Government Spending

In its March 12, 2024 meeting, the Asheville City Council rapidly approved several high-value items under its “consent agenda.” This procedural mechanism allows multiple items to be approved without individual…

Asheville Council Funds $113K Civic Engagement Tool

By Jim Fulton April 6, 2024Asheville City Council, Government Spending

Summary: On March 12, 2024, the Asheville City Council approved a resolution under the consent agenda to fund Cityzen Solutions Inc., doing business as Public Input, for community engagement software…

Show Them the Money!

By Jim Fulton March 16, 2024Accountability, Government Spending

They'll Find a Way to Spend It At their March 7 regular meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners engaged in one of their favorite activities – spending our money. …

Fiscal Stewardship: Addressing Unspent COVID Relief Funds

By Jim Fulton January 15, 2024County Commissioners, Government Spending

Don’t sit idly by and allow politicians to find some way to spend these funds.

Questioning Buncombe’s Multimillion-Dollar Spend on an Environmental Agenda

By Jim Fulton November 2, 2023Government Spending

The October 17 unanimous decision by the Buncombe County Commissioners to allocate nearly $4 million towards the Barnardsville Dillingham Creek Stream Restoration Project, while commendable for its environmental intent, has…

A boondoggle is a project that is considered a waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy or political motivations.

Boondoggling Basics

By Jim Fulton January 1, 2023Government Spending, Wasting Money

At the last regular meeting of Buncombe County Commissioners for 2022, County Manager Avril Pender recommended that the county spend $153,438 on the BC Creative Equity Mural Project. Of course,…

July HCCBG Meeting

By Jim Fulton August 14, 2022Citizen Committees, Government Spending

Unfortunately, a technical glitch kept us from joining the July meeting of the Home & Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee. We spoke to Adult and Aging Services Program Manager…

More City Funding for Non-Profits

By Jim Fulton July 24, 2022City Council Committees, Government Spending, Housing and Community Development Committee

At their July 26 meeting, the Asheville City Council will vote to hand out $375,500 of your money to local nonprofits. The nonprofits plan to spend it on programs supportive…

General Obligation Bond Public Hearings

By Jim Cowmia June 11, 2022Government Spending4 Comments

These nonprofits will do what they must to make sure this deal goes through. They are experienced and passionate on these matters. This is not their first rodeo.

Passionate Public Hearing on Proposed County Budget

By Jim Cowmia June 11, 2022Government Spending

Twelve employees of Buncombe County Schools and the Asheville Area Arts Council Executive Director spoke during the proposed 2023 county budget public hearing. Buncombe County Schools employees attested that they…