Following a presentation on the City of Asheville’s municipal budget for 2018-19, Mayor Esther Manheimer fielded at least two questions accusing the city of favoring its transit system — Asheville Redefines Transit — over its fire department based on its budget spending allocations.

The new budget takes effect July 1.

The action occurred June 8 during an early-morning breakfast meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners at UNC Asheville’s Sherill Center. About 65 people attended, including CIBO members, their guests, the public and the press.

Manheimer had been scheduled to give the presentation on the budget, but upon approaching the lectern, she called on the city’s Chief Financial Officer Barbara Whitehorn to review the specifics instead.

Among the many details Whitehorn shared were that the total $124.2 million budget amounts to a 2.9 percent increase over the previous spending plan.

She said the property tax rate would remain at 42.89 cents – and that the city has AAA credit rating — “the tops, which saves taxpayers money.”

Whitehorn noted that in the category of capital investments, $780,000 is alllocated in the new budget to enhance firefighter safety with an sdditional set of turnout gear, while $3,595,000 is being allocated for fleet replacements in the transit system, including three electric buses.

In a question-and-answer session after the budget presentation, an unidentified man asked about what he termed as the “under-manned fire department.”

In response, Manheimer said, “We’ve done quite a bit for fire this year. They had a request concerning turnout gear. And we also did another 2 percent to their 457 retirement plan — to the full 6 percent.” She added that the fire fighters “are not under Social Security.”

As for the city budget, the mayor asserted, “Please know (that) we’re probably embarking on the biggest-ever municipal budget.”

CIBO member Mac Swicegood asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to put more money into the fire department, rather than put more money into the underused transit system?”

“I share your concern about transit,” Manheimer told Swicegood. “It costs $7 for every $1 customer” to run the city’s buses. “Transit is not cheap. We cannot go backwards on transit, we can only go forward. 

“Employers need it (the transit system) to get their employees to and from work. You’d be amazed by how many people struggle with just that issue of transportation. The only way for it to go is we’ve got to double the frequency” of  routes.

“But it really is a benefit if you can get people to their job. One way or another, you’re going to have to pay for it as a society — either pay for transit, or pay for that person to receive social services.”

A man then asked about the potential sale of locally based nonprofit Mission Health to Nashville-based, for-profit HCA Healthcare, noting that the sale would “create a windfall to the city and the (Buncombe) county.

“Has there been any consideration” for how the windfall of taxes to the city would be spent? he asked.

“That’s a really good question,” Manheimer replied. “Right now, we’re conservatively estimating that the sale will bring in an additional 10 percent to (city’s) property tax revenues. We want to think about where to spend it… Of course, it may be an opportunity to reduce property taxes.”

She added, “On the Mission sale, we’re having a meeting of City Council, the county commissioners and Mission” on June 12.

“The endowment created from the sale will be $1 billion to $2 billion — the second largest n the state,” the mayor noted. 

On a second matter, an update was given onplanned improvements as well when work will begin on the Interstate .

About 65 people attended the early-morning breakfast meeting.

VeHaun I-26 pressentation was given by Jerry VeHaun, who is a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization. He also is the mayor of Woodfin.

CIBO had asked him specifically to addresa questions about the “projected timeline” and if some are “trying to delay” the project and, if so, why.

He began his six-minute presentation by defining the MPO, which, he said, “works with DOT (Department of Transportation) on highway projects, among other things.

VeHaun added that the MPO is comprised of people from Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Haywood counties.

“We met on May 24 to decide whether or not to ‘cascade‘ certain projects, one being the I-26 project through West Asheville. (The group gave the OK to trash last email.

“Anyway, based on the points system, the MPO can add 100 points to the DOT point system. The MPO voted to ‘cascade’ three projects,” including:

• I-240 through West Asheville.

• I-40 from Monte Vista Road to Wiggings Road.

• I-26 from U.S. 64 to U.S. 25 in Henderson County.

“Now there is one more vote the MPO” will cast on the aforementioned projects on June 28. To that end, he urged CIBO members to share their views with the MPO during the public comment period that ran through June 22.

He noted that the MPO already had received “a tremendous amount of input” from the public on the I-26 project.

What’s more, VeHaun noted, “As a side note, the Liberty Road project in Candler will not be affected by any of these actions.”

After winding up his brief update, VeHaun prompted laughter when he quipped that, “I’ll take questions from anyone except Mac.” (VeHaun’s reference was to CIBO member Mac Swicegood, who is known for his tough questioning of guest speakers at CIBO meetings.)

During the question-and-answer period, an unidentified man asked, “Is this (MPO vote) mainly to get it (I-26 improvements) done faster?

“Yes,” Vehaun replied.

State Rep. John Ager, D-Fairview, added that “there is a bill going through the (state) legislature that hopefully will free up funds to speed this up” even more.

Another man asked, “So the other two sections (exluding West Asheville) are through (as far as funding goes), but this would speed up the final section” in West Asheville?

“Yes, this will bring it in line so it is finished at same time as other sections,” VeHaun answered.

On a third matter, commissioners’ Chairman Brownie Newman introduced Jim Holland, who presented the county’s budget.

Holland began by noting, “The commission has been very involved since July of last year… to work dedicated to the budget. That’s been a critically important aspect.”

Holland said the effort has resulted in a $315.3 million budget ,with a tax rate of 52.9 cents , which amounts to a one-cent reduction

The city was “able to save one-cent on the tax rate, which enabled us to absorb the increase in education by keeping the tax rate flat.

“In a nutshell, the city’s budget totals $318,720,851,” with a tax rate of 53.9 cents per $100 valuation.

However, the new budget proposes that the tipping fees be increased when the tipping station opens in August.

Follwing is a listing of some of what Holland termed the key projects “delivered” through the new budget:

• Affordable housing

• Greenways/trails (Enka, Woodfin and Black Mountain)

• Lake Julian playground and dock

• New East Asheville library

• Renovations to Enka library

• Community investment grants

• Commissioner strategic priorities

During a question-and-answer period afterward, an unidentified man in the audience said, “ I’d like to say bravo to all of your comments.”

CIBO’s Swicegood added, “I’d like to say thanks for showing us all of the working parts. We’ve never had this before.”

A woman asked about space for classrooms for teachers.

Holland replied that “we’ve been working with the school board and they’ve presented a very solid plan for physical space” for teachers in the schools.