When we last left Billy, he was letting the matches burn down to his fingers and screaming and cursing them out. The Haywood County Commissioners, by contrast, exercised something that used to be called wisdom in supposing the thrill of the pyromaniacal mesmerization did not outweight the pain later on. They they questioned the acceptance of a federal grant for traffic enforcement in the amount of $220,000 that would saddle the county’s budget with an extra $110,000 annual match after the first four years of small-beans matching. Questions about the budget were answered with explanations of the need to hire more deputies. The commissioners are expected to give Sheriff Bobby Suttles a hard time at their next meeting.

Back to Billy, in Asheville, City Councilman Gordon Smith pulled from the consent agenda the question of accepting $540,000 from the Department of Homeland Security now and saddling the city with what was deemed a perpetual annual match of half that amount starting in year three. The city is having to scrounge around for partners and other methods of creative financing for a continuation budget. The state, which otherwise might provide a bailout grant, is in a similar situation. Assistant Fire Chief David McFee fielded questions about the budget with comments about how badly the department needed staffing to fulfill OSHA, NIOSH, and other federal requirements needed to maintain its ISO rating.