Update Regarding Transfer of our Tax Dollars to Asheville Chamber of Commerce

On August 23rd, I shared information with you about Haywood County's annual transfer of $75,000 of our tax funds to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce, supposedly for economic development within Haywood County. The next day, August 24th, Kevin Ensley, Chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, emailed me a reply implying that I was misinformed and had posted false information.

In his email, Chairman Ensley tried to justify the Board's decision to annually transfer $75,000 of our tax dollars to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce. His response was a carefully worded political reply, with comprehensive claims that offered no evidence to support his assertions and provided no links to county-initiated studies that confirmed his claims.

In fact, the Mountaineer News published an article about the Economic Development agreement between Buncombe-Asheville and Haywood County, written by Vickie Hyatt. In that article, Ms. Hyatt states, "The team approach between the chambers has worked well, landing $2.3 billion in investments and 17,000 jobs for the region, meeting documents stated. While none of the investment was directly in Haywood County, in two and a half years, the county has had 27 site visits and been a finalist in three projects." So, the reality is that despite the hundreds of thousands of dollars in Haywood County taxes that we have paid to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Haywood County received zero dollars and zero jobs out of that $2.3 billion and 17,000 jobs Asheville attracted to its area.

As the information in Ms. Hyatt's article clearly shows, whether or not our County transfers any money to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce, they would still be implementing their economic development plan, still be drawing in new businesses and companies to their area, and still be attracting needed Haywood County workers to fill the jobs those new businesses create. The only difference would be that Haywood County would not be helping them pay for a successful program that only benefits the Asheville area.

Between Ms. Hyatt's published information and Chairman Ensley's response, several questions arise regarding the logic behind our Board of Commissioners' decision to allocate our tax dollars to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce. To help clarify and understand the validity of that funding transfer, on August 24th, I responded to Chairman Ensley's explanation, asking several legitimate questions concerning his reasoning.

Not expecting a response from Chairman Ensley, I also submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Haywood County Manager's office. I requested copies of all documents regarding the Economic Development Agreement between Haywood County and the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Specifically, I asked for any studies that assess the actual impact of the Agreement on attracting businesses, companies, and jobs directly to Haywood County as a result of the joint Agreement. Additionally, I asked for copies of all contracts between Haywood County and the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce related to the Economic Development initiative.

My email to Chairman Ensley read as follows:

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To: Kevin Ensley

Fr: Le Cossette

Subj: Economic Development

"This email concerns the email message you sent me regarding the Haywood County Board of Commissioners’ (HCBOC) justification for transferring our county tax dollars ($75,000 annually) to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Having been involved in politics my entire adult life, I expect, whether right or wrong, to receive a politically crafted response that will not directly answer my question.

However, since you seem to express a willingness to provide detailed information, I have the following questions:

You stated: 'We partner with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce and the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce for our economic development services, not the City of Asheville’s government.'

Questions:

Are you stating that the Haywood County Board of Commissioners (HCBOC) is transferring that $75,000 to the Asheville Chamber of Commerce? If so, isn't the Asheville Chamber of Commerce an entity of the city of Asheville?

 If so, considering that a city’s Chamber of Commerce is a local business network aimed at supporting and advocating for its local businesses, why should we trust the Asheville Chamber of Commerce (ACoC) to use our tax dollars to promote our business community and growth within Haywood County? 

You stated: 'We started this model several years ago, and it has made a difference in our ED efforts.'

Question: Has the Haywood County Board of Commissioners commissioned or conducted any published studies that can confirm that this “model” has positively impacted the growth of businesses in Haywood County by or on behalf of the residents of Haywood County? If so, how can I obtain a copy of that study?

You stated: 'Most of our workforce travels to Buncombe County for their jobs. The loss of our century-old paper mill has increased our workers’ need to get high-paying jobs by traveling a short distance to that area. Many have gotten better-paying and safer employment since the plant closed.'

Questions:

Why has the Haywood County Board of Commissioners given up and decided to accept that our county residents must travel to Buncombe County for their jobs or good-paying jobs in general?

Has the Haywood County Board of Commissioners published any studies showing whether these remote jobs are contributing to a decline in Haywood County's population due to county residents relocating to Buncombe County for work? If so, how can I obtain a copy of that study?

Why wouldn't we use our tax dollars to create or attract businesses to Haywood County so our residents can find good-paying jobs nearby and stay in Haywood County?

You stated: 'The chamber’s efforts have been paying dividends by signaling our former mill’s work ethic and the value of those former employees. This has resulted in many of our residents getting positions to enhance their value and income.'

Questions:

I assume you're talking about the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Since Asheville is an intensely blue socialist city, how can you think that its Chamber of Commerce wouldn't also reflect that same socialist ideology and ethics, which don't align with the values or ethics of most Haywood County residents?

Wouldn’t having our county residents work in Asheville improve their well-being while exposing our Christian conservative residents to Asheville's socialist values, and at the same time increase their city’s revenue?

You stated: 'The Asheville Chamber of Commerce was responsible in attracting Pratt & Whitney to locate on part of the Biltmore Estate property in South Asheville. They have also landed other businesses and industries in our area. They are currently partnering with us to find potential industries to locate on the site of the old Canton mill.'

Questions:

Does the Haywood County Board of Commissioners have any published studies supporting your claim that the Asheville Chamber of Commerce has brought businesses and industries to our area?

What exactly is the Asheville Chamber of Commerce doing to help us identify potential industries for the old Canton mill site?

Why should we believe that the Asheville Chamber of Commerce would not prioritize convincing any business or industry to locate in the Asheville area over areas within Haywood County, since doing otherwise would go against their responsibility to advocate for their city?

You stated: 'Before we went with this approach, the county spent over $200,000 a year on staff and office space. We changed this method because it saved taxpayer money and produced results.'

Questions:

Were the staff members we spent that $200,000 per year on county employees, city employees, or City Chamber of Commerce employees?

What actions were those staff members taking for Haywood County businesses and residents?

Were they so incapable of handling those responsibilities for Haywood County residents that we had to look to Asheville to find staff able to advocate for Haywood County?

Does the Haywood County Board of Commissioners have any published studies supporting your claim that the Asheville Chamber of Commerce has brought businesses and industries to our area?

You stated: 'Our Chamber of Commerce offices are in the business of helping businesses and industries be successful. That is just one reason why I support this plan.'

Questions:

If our Chamber of Commerce offices are truly in the business of helping businesses and industries succeed in Haywood County, why then have they transferred this responsibility to the Asheville Chamber of Commerce? Or,

Are they involved in helping Asheville businesses and industries succeed?

In conclusion, I believe that just because all our past county commissioners have supported this program doesn’t mean it’s the right choice; it simply shifts the responsibility to another city, allowing blame for the lack of progress to be placed on that city’s Chamber of Commerce.

I look forward to your responses to my questions!"

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As of August 30th, I am still awaiting Chairman Ensley's responses to my questions.

Regarding my FOIA request to the Office of County Manager, they emailed me links to financial documents, supposedly regarding payments to the Buncombe-Asheville Chamber of Commerce between 2020 and 2025. Unfortunately, I was unable to access those documents. Within minutes of receiving that email, I received a second email advising me that the previous email is rescinded because the links provided were to the wrong documents. The email further stated that the documents I had requested would be sent to me on August 29, 2025. I have not yet received the requested records.

In my opinion, the Haywood County Board of Commissioners is failing to be transparent regarding these expenditures and whatever back-room agreements they are making, which are not in the best interest of Haywood County taxpayers.

My research indicates that this is far from the first time that Chairman Ensley has been challenged regarding this expenditure, with no satisfactory answers forthcoming. This failure on the part of the Board to be good stewards of our tax dollars and an unwillingness to be transparent, must be corrected.

The means by which "We the People" can address what, in my opinion, is the failure by several members of the Board to represent Haywood County in a manner that is in the best interest of our taxpayers is at the ballot box. Elections do have consequences, and electing individuals who do not adequately represent their constituents leads to unfavorable outcomes and misappropriation of taxpayer dollars.

Candidates with the level of honor and integrity that we demand of our elected officials must be recruited and supported in their campaigns.