Quarter-Cent Tax to Benefit AB Tech Made Official

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at their Dec. 6 meeting to levy the quarter-cent sales-tax increase approved by voters to fund capital improvements at A-B Tech.

The sales tax will increase from 6.75 cents on the dollar to 7 cents as a result of commissioners’ action. The resolution levying the tax directs that all proceeds go to building needs at A-B Tech. According to AB Tech President Hank Dunn, the first project will be a 25,000-square-foot building that will offer training for law enforcement officers, firemen and emergency management workers. Work on that should begin by summer at an estimated cost of $5 million and take about a year.

Work on a 220,000-square-foot building to house training facilities for health care workers and basic education programs like GED classes on the main A-B Tech campus should begin by Sept. 15. Its estimated cost is $55 million, although Dunn said officials hope contractors will bid lower, and construction is expected to take three years or more.

The tax is projected to yield $130 million over 17 years, with all proceeds going toward renovations and improvements at the schools’ main and Enka campuses. County officials plan to borrow money next year to pay for the building projects and use tax proceeds to repay the debt. Dunn praised commissioners for authorizing the referendum and said voters may be happier about the outcome once work begins.

In other actions, the board:

• Heard and voted unanimously to accept a “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report” on the state of the county government’s finances. Staff emphasized that the county has a AAA credit rating and the highest bond rating possible.

• Voted to help fund a pair of conservation easements that will preserve 120 acres in Upper Hominey and 35.5 acres in Sandy Mush. Commissioners agreed for the county to cover $41,000 in transaction costs.

• Voted reappoint Bill Stanley as the its vice chair. After serving on the Board of Commissioners for 23 years, Stanley recently said he plans to retire when his term expires next year.

• Denied a rezoning request that would have allowed for more development of an 8.58 acre parcel of land at 101 Farida Drive in the Weaverville area. The Planning Board had recommended denying the request, writing that it’s not consistent with the Buncombe County Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

• Voted unanimously to designate the William Nelson Camp Jr. House — located at 92 Flat Top Mountain Road in Fairview — as a “historic landmark.”

Here is David’s summary of the meeting: