Buncombe County has spent or dedicated more than $26 million toward Tropical Storm Helene recovery efforts so far and has gone public with the details using an online dashboard.
Buncombe has spent $9.07 million in the two months since the disaster and has contracted with more than 60 entities for an additional $17.5 million. About $12 million of the contracts are dedicated to three companies –– a disaster recovery consultant and two services related to debris recovery.
Asheville Watchdog reported Nov. 14 that the city of Asheville had committed $21.7 million to disaster recovery, with the largest portion of the money going toward emergency repairs on its damaged water distribution system. Combined with the Buncombe expenditures, the total for storm recovery comes to $47.7 million.
County officials unveiled the details of the fiscal toll leveled by the storm when they announced at Monday’s daily Helene briefing that the online dashboard was up and running.
The county’s dashboard shows specifics about the spending, delineating and categorizing individual expenditures.
A screenshot of Buncombe County’s public dashboard shows spending on Helene recovery efforts.
Money already spent is labeled and categorized in the dashboard — $3.5 million went toward payroll and benefits and $3.4 million went toward contracted services.
The payroll and benefits are overtime related to the storm response, county spokesperson Kassi Day said.
The dashboard will be updated monthly along with the closing of the county’s ledger, Day said.
The largest contracts that the county has committed to include:
$8.03 million for Tetra Tech Inc, a disaster recovery consultant
$2.8 million for DebrisTech, a debris removal monitoring service
$2.4 million for Southern Disaster Recovery, a debris removal service
$1.03 million for MHC Kenworth to replace six dump trucks at the county’s transfer station
$689,693 for EnviroServ to bring potable water to the county jail
$665,400 for Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel to replace six refuse trailers at the transfer station
$371,613 for Cotton Commercial USA for emergency mitigation services
Details about the contracts are not posted on the dashboard.
When asked why, Buncombe County’s Financial Planning and Analysis Manager Matt Evans said the contracts “are not completed accounting transactions and are more fluid” than actual spending. Evans said that once there is actual spending, the dashboard will include the details.
Like the city of Asheville, Buncombe will seek reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We will be requesting reimbursements for expenses, but we will not know the status of those until approved,” spokesperson Lillian Govus said.
When those payments come in, however, they won’t be reflected on the dashboard, Day said, citing FEMA’s lengthy reimbursement process.
Asheville’s transparency efforts pending
As of Nov. 27, the city of Asheville did not have a public-facing method to show exactly how it’s using taxpayer dollars on Helene recovery.
After The Watchdog obtained documents that revealed the city’s Helene spending, City Councilmember Kim Roney said the city was working with an emergency management consulting firm, Hagerty Consulting Inc., to create a public dashboard.
Asked this week when the city’s transparency effort would move forward, spokesperson Kim Miller said various arms of the government are working on it but did not provide details.
“In our continued commitment to transparency with the community, development of the City’s dashboard is currently underway,” Miller said. “City Council will have an opportunity to provide feedback on some of the preliminary data that we plan to make available in a public dashboard at the December 5 Agenda Briefing meeting.”
With Buncombe and the city of Asheville’s expenditures and commitments totaling more than $47 million, area leaders say they need more financial assistance and traveled to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20 to meet with President Joe Biden and members of Congress to ask for aid.
Those requests totaled more than $2 billion, The Watchdogreported Nov. 19.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 13:55:00
(The Center Square) – Diversity polices in state government would be eliminated if legislation passing the North Carolina House of Representatives becomes law.
Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI, known also as House Bill 171, is in the Senate’s Rules Committee after clearing the lower chamber 69-45. No Democrats supported it, and no Republicans were against.
“Bureaucracy has grown, not to serve but to sort, dividing people by race, sex, background, and calling it progress,” Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, said in his floor speech for the bill he authored. “It puts an end to the idea that the background should outweigh ability. It stops public jobs, promotions and contracts from being awarded based on political agendas, and it restores the principle that should have never been lost: Can you do the job? Did you earn it? Are you qualified?”
He told the chamber the proposal will ensure hiring and promotion decision based on qualifications. He also took time to explain it will not ban Black History Month, Pride Month or any cultural celebrations; rather, he said, “it explicitly protects them.”
“It bans unequal treatment funded by the public,” Jones said.
Rep. Robert Reives, D-Chatham, leader of the minority party in the chamber, on the floor said, “Rep. Jones said, ‘We value diversity.’ But the first line of this bill says, ‘an act eliminating diversity initiatives.’ You cannot value what you are seeking to eliminate.”
The bill says, “No state agency shall promote, support, fund, implement, or maintain workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), including using DEI in state government hirings and employment; maintaining dedicated DEI staff positions or offices; or offering or requiring DEI training.”
The Senate has passed bills banning DEI in higher education and K-12 schools.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article presents a factual report on the legislation in North Carolina that seeks to eliminate diversity policies in state government, particularly those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). While it quotes both Republican Rep. Brenden Jones and Democratic Rep. Robert Reives, the tone of the article leans more toward reporting the bill’s proponents’ arguments and framing them in terms of qualifications and fairness. The language used by Rep. Jones emphasizes the idea of “restoring” principles and focuses on qualifications rather than background, which suggests a right-leaning stance. The article does not delve into a detailed counter-argument but merely reports the stance of Rep. Reives, the opposing Democrat, creating an imbalance in the attention given to the two sides of the debate. Additionally, the mention of bills already passed banning DEI in higher education and K-12 schools supports the right-wing position of the bill, without offering a deeper critique from the opposition’s perspective. This focus on the right-wing perspective aligns the article with a Center-Right bias. The content adheres to factual reporting, but the selection of language and emphasis on the arguments from proponents suggests a more conservative stance.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 08:16:00
(The Center Square) – Taxpayers in North Carolina will face an average tax increase of $2,382 if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of the year, says the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
Results of analysis were released Thursday morning by the nonprofit organization billing itself a “nonpartisan research and educational affiliate of the National Taxpayers Union.” Its four state neighbors were similar, with South Carolina lower ($2,319) and higher averages in Virginia ($2,787), Georgia ($2,680) and Tennessee ($2,660).
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of eight years ago was a significant update to individual and business taxes in the federal tax code. According to the Tax Foundation, it was considered pro-growth reform with an estimate to reduce federal revenue by $1.47 trillion over a decade.
Should no action be taken before Jan. 1 and the act expire, the federal standard deduction would be halved; the federal child tax credit would decrease; higher federal tax brackets would return; the federal estate tax threshold will be lower; and some business tax benefits will be gone.
The foundation, in summarizing the impact on North Carolina business expensing, says the state conforms to Section 168(k). This means “only 60% expensing for business investments this year and less in future years. State policymakers could adopt 100% full expensing, particularly since the state conforms to the Section 163(j) limit on interest expense and the two provisions were meant to work together.”
The foundation says business net operation loss treatment policies in the state “are less generous than the federal government and impose compliance costs due to lack of synchronization with the federal code and are uncompetitive with most other states.”
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation also says lawmakers “should at least be conscious of any retroactive provisions when selecting their date of fixed conformity.” North Carolina is among 21 states conforming to the federal income tax base “only as of a certain date” rather than automatically matching federal tax code changes – meaning definitions, calculations or rules.
The foundation said nationally the average filer will see taxes raised $2,955. It estimates an increase for 62% of Americans. The biggest average increases by state are in Massachusetts ($4,848), Washington ($4,567) and Wyoming ($4,493) and the lowest are in West Virginia ($1,423), Mississippi ($1,570) and Kentucky ($1,715).
Individual wages, nationally, are expected to go down 0.5%, reducing economic growth by 1.1% over 10 years.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content primarily reports on the potential impact of the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relying heavily on analysis from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization but is known to advocate for lower taxes and limited government intervention, positions typically aligned with center-right economic policies. The article uses neutral language in presenting facts and data and does not explicitly advocate for a particular political viewpoint; however, the emphasis on tax increases and business expensing challenges following the expiration suggests a subtle alignment with pro-tax-cut, business-friendly perspectives associated with center-right ideology. Thus, while the article largely reports rather than overtly promotes an ideological stance, the framing and source choice reflect a center-right leaning.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 21:25:00
(The Center Square) – Authorization of sports agents to sign North Carolina’s collegiate athletes for “name, image, and likeness” contracts used in product endorsements is in legislation approved Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate.
Authorize NIL Agency Contracts, known also as Senate Bill 229, is headed to the Rules Committee after gaining favor in the Judiciary Committee. It would likely next get a full floor vote.
Last year the NCAA approved NIL contracts for players.
Sen. Amy S. Galey, R-Alamance
NCLeg.gov
“Athletes can benefit from NIL by endorsing products, signing sponsorship deals, engaging in commercial opportunities and monetizing their social media presence, among other avenues,” the NCAA says on its website. “The NCAA fully supports these opportunities for student-athletes across all three divisions.”
SB229 spells out the information that the agent’s contract with the athlete must include, and requires a warning to the athlete that they could lose their eligibility if they do not notify the school’s athletic director within 72 hours of signing the contract.
“Consult with your institution of higher education prior to entering into any NIL contract,” the says the warning that would be required by the legislation. “Entering into an NIL contract that conflicts with state law or your institution’s policies may have negative consequences such as loss of athletic eligibility. You may cancel this NIL agency contract with 14 days after signing it.”
The legislation also exempts the NIL contracts from being disclosed under the state’s Open Records Act when public universities review them. The state’s two ACC members from the UNC System, Carolina and N.C. State, requested the exemption.
“They are concerned about disclosure of the student-athlete contracts when private universities don’t have to disclose the student-athlete contracts,” Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, told the committee. “I feel very strongly that a state university should not be put at a disadvantage at recruitment or in program management because they have disclosure requirements through state law.”
Duke and Wake Forest are the other ACC members, each a private institution.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on the legislative development regarding NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts for collegiate athletes in North Carolina. It presents facts about the bill, committee actions, and includes statements from a state senator without using loaded or emotionally charged language. The piece neutrally covers the issue by explaining both the bill’s purpose and the concerns it addresses, such as eligibility warnings and disclosure exemptions. Overall, the article maintains a factual and informative tone without advocating for or against the legislation, reflecting a centrist, unbiased approach.
