May 7 of this year, BorgWarner announced it would create 154 jobs in Buncombe County and invest $55 million in the local economy. The news was in the Asheville Citizen-Times, the Hendersonville Times-News, and most recently in the Mountain Xpress.
As dufuses out here in the community, we are told about this “but for” clause that requires businesses to demonstrate they cannot expand “but for” gifts of corporate welfare before they may receive any. And so it is that on the May 13 agenda for the Buncombe County Commissioners is a public hearing on whether or not the county should give BorgWarner $1,926,600 in corporate welfare for said expansion.
As an aside, the public hearing will be held simultaneously with the Asheville City Council meeting, but across the street. Is it coincidence that the commissioners scheduled their great Project X meetings during city council meetings as well?
As another aside, going back to 2008, on June 4, we learned that Borg Warner would get $1 million from Buncombe County for expansions. On August 6, we learned Borg Warner would be cutting 70-100 employees.
