Are you better off today than you were a year and a half ago? You are not alone if you cannot answer with a resounding “Yes indeed!”. Many of us are looking for family budget adjustments to trim our spending and prepare for possible food shortages and energy blackouts.
However, your elected representatives on the Board of County Commissioners are happily budgeting to hire 63 new staff members, raise hourly wages to $17/hour, and provide a 4.69% cost of living pay increase to all county employees. It must be nice to work for the Buncombe County government! The County Manager has also proposed setting aside $2,000,000 for community reparations for black people in Buncombe County.
There will be a public hearing on the proposed budget during the June 7 County Commissioners meeting. Take a look at the budget presentation from the commissioners’ May 19 regular meeting. You owe it to yourself to be aware of where your local tax dollars are going. Don’t feel as though you must read the entire 84-page document. Instead, browse some of the following sections –
- Additional Staff Positions (Pages 17-20)
- Summary of expenditures and revenues (Pages 20-21)
- A more detailed breakdown of proposed spending (Pages 23-32)
- Discussion of Revenue Sources (Pages 36-42)
- Discussion of Expenditures (Pages 43-47)
- Grant Recommendations (Pages 57-69)
You don’t have to wait for the public hearing. Do not hesitate to talk to your elected representatives by either telephone or email. Share some truths about what kind of salary increases you’ve received over the past couple of years and what you expect to receive this year. Tell them about some of your family’s steps in response to record inflation. Tell them about some of the difficulties you encounter as a small business owner. Are you in favor of the county’s plans to set aside $2 million for “reparations”?
As long as we remain silent, they have every reason to believe that we are pleased with their actions. If we are displeased, we need to say something.
Who are my County Commissioner representatives, and how can I contact them?
