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Asheville Savings Bank appoints branch manager

Hendersonville News

County demands School Board's answer on HHS

Henderson County commissioners delivered an ultimatum to the School Board on Monday night to cast a yes-or-no vote on the all-new Hendersonville High School plan next week. If the School Board votes no, commissioners said in a motion that passed unanimously, the county will shelve the HHS plan.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Lapsley wonders if county has too much money

Thanks to aggressive expense control, Henderson County ended the 2015-16 fiscal year with a gain of $2.8 million. News that the county has been fiscally cautious has in the past inspired hosannas by board members. That was not the case Monday night in the context of efforts by two commissioners to cut taxes. Commissioner Bill Lapsley, along with Grady Hawkins, lost in two efforts to tie support of a local option sales tax to a rollback of the property and both voted no on a 5-cent tax increase in the current year's budget. While Lapsley praised the work of "an excellent management team" in controlling expenses, "the bottom line I would point out again is that this is probably the sixth year in a row this board has added to the county's fund balance, in this case $2.8 million," he said. "I have a concern that we are bringing in much more money than the county needs for its budget to expand. I think we should look seriously at this when we discuss what the tax rate should be for this county." An audit by the Asheville firm of Martin-Starnes showed that revenue of $121.5 million fell short of the budgeted amount by $2.4 million. The county more than made up the shortfall with expense control. General fund expenditures of $118.6 million came in $5.24 million under the budgeted total of $123.9 million. That difference enabled the county to toss $2.8 million into its reserves. As a result, the unassigned fund balance grew to $27.7 million. "If I'm reading this correctly, we have almost double the amount of fund balance than our 12 percent policy," Lapsley said. The state requires counties to set aside a fund balance of 8 percent of its general fund and the Board of Commmissioners have a policy of keeping 12 percent in reserves, which translates into $14.2 million. "We're carrying close to 24 percent, maybe 23 percent at this point," Lapsley said. Wyatt confirmed that the county has been able to put leftover money into the fund balance five out of last six years either because of expense savings or revenues that beat projections or both.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

COUNTY SHOOTS DOWN HORSE SHOE DEVELOPMENT

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Monday shot down a rezoning request for a development of 225 rental cottages and apartments at Horse Shoe Farm, agreeing with 21 opponents that the high-density use was wrong for the winding South Rugby Road and rural character of the area.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Edney elected chair of Board of Commissioners

Michael Edney, a Henderson County native in his fourth term as a Henderson County commissioner, was elected chair of the Board of Commissioners Monday night, taking over for Tommy Thompson.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Ed foundation hires new director

The Henderson County Education Foundation has hired Henderson County native Summer Stipe to lead the 30-year-old nonprofit as its new executive director.Stipe, 33, a former Henderson County schools teacher assistant, spent the last eight years working for the Children and Family Resource Center in a variety of management roles. She has managed the Family Education and Support Center, which serves teenage parents in the Adolescent Parent Program and has helped launch and supervise a number of other initiatives that support families and children.A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Stipe earned a BA in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication in 2005 after graduating from West Henderson High School in 2001.A search committee made up of HCEF board members selected Stipe from an impressive pool of candidates, said Dan Poeta, HCEF chair and president of Horizon Heating and Air Conditioning. Stipe stood out because of her extensive relationships in the community and her successful experience grant writing, running events and fundraising, he added.“Summer brings a wealth of talents to the job,” he said. “Her energy and enthusiasm will ignite a very positive era. Our board is excited and energized to start working with Summer, who we know will help guide the Education Foundation to new heights.”Stipe follows retiring executive director Dr. Paul Knott, former director of Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Center for Graduate Studies in Asheville, who took over in December 2014.“We are grateful to Dr. Knott for helping us redefine priorities, enhance our fund raisers and rebrand the Foundation with a new logo,” Poeta said. “We hope Dr. Knott and his wife will enjoy a long, happy retirement.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

Playhouse treats firefighters to free show

Firefighters don’t need to travel back to 1830s London to appreciate a wood fire. They’ve lived it for the past month fighting the wildfire that consumed more than 7,000 acres in the Lake Lure and Gerton area. But firefighters can get two free tickets to the Flat Rock Playhouse production of “A Christmas Carol” by calling the box office.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

McCRORY CONCEDES

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory conceded the election to Democratic challenger Roy Cooper on Monday, ending a contentious monthlong vote-counting process and ushering in a period of divided government in the state for the first time since the Republican sweep in 2012. “I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken, and we now should do everything we can to support the 75th governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper,” McCrory said in a video his campaign posted around noon after it became clear that a recount of votes in Durham County would not change the outcome. “The McCrory administration team will assist in every way to help the new administration make a smooth transition." The Republican Governors Association applauded McCrory's service. “North Carolina is a stronger state thanks to Governor Pat McCrory’s steadfast leadership and fiscal discipline,” RGA Chairman Governor Scott Walker said in a statement. “With over 300,000 jobs created on his watch, 9-year low unemployment, a $450 million budget surplus and $4.4 billion in tax relief, North Carolina is thriving. While we hoped for a different outcome from this very close race, ensuring all of the legal votes that were cast were counted was the right thing to do. As soon as that was done, Governor McCrory respected the will of the voters. The RGA is exceptionally appreciative of Governor McCrory for his strong leadership and enormous accomplishments as governor.” The liberal Progress NC action was not as kind in its assessment. “After wasting plenty of time and taxpayer dollars with frivolous complaints and bogus accusations, we are thankful that the McCrory campaign has finally acknowledged Governor-elect Cooper’s victory,” Gerrick Brenner, executive director of the organization, said in a statement. “Now it’s time to move forward and for the General Assembly to start repairing North Carolina’s reputation by repealing HB2, raising teacher pay to the national average and looking out for people instead of polluters. North Carolina voters supported these priorities when they elected Roy Cooper, and it’s time to move North Carolina forward instead of backwards.”   Read Story »

Henderson County News

N.C. announces properties named to National Register

Three districts and 13 properties in North Carolina, including Berkeley Mills Park in Hendersonville, have been added to the National Register of Historic Places, the North Carolina North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced.   Read Story »

Henderson County News

County may sell prime lot on Sixth Avenue West

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners could take the first step on Monday night toward the possible sale of a one-third-acre parcel on Sixth Avenue West across from the new Health Sciences Center. It's a block that could become the next hot commercial zone in town.   Read Story »

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