I felt like a sucker at the meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners tonight. Questioning why I had never felt so before, I realized this was the first time I was hearing fiscal conservatism from the dais. Though swarmed by petitioners for money to bailout URTV, Commissioner Holly Jones said those who wanted URTV to survive would have to pool their mental resources and come up with a plan. Chair David Gantt echoed. He did not think it appropriate for government to be holding the purse strings of Public Access TV. Prior to public comment, consultant John Howell kept pointing his finger at the state for screwing the county out of revenues it could be channeling to URTV. When Howell said the commissioners had the option of giving URTV a special award, Commissioner Bill Stanley, replied thrice, “That’s not an option,” then added, “We can’t raise taxes.”
In addition, while giving a very abbreviated presentation on next year’s budget, County Manager Dr. Wanda Greene shared some worries. One was that the federal government, as anticipated, has been changing rules about the dispensation of ARRA grants. These changes tend to leave less money with the county. Another was that the state has a bad track record for revoking disbursements. Greene said new and pending legislation had been reviewed and found to read as if all promised moneys would really be forthcoming. The only concern was that the state would try to earn interest off amounts for an extra 30-45 days before delivering.
My joy does not mean I am fooled into thinking I need to pay higher taxes. I’m just happy to see government realize it has limits.
