Politics

Who got what in city budget?

By Bill Moss, Published: May 10, 2023

The Hendersonville City Council agreed last week to fully fund requests that boost farming and industry recruitment, support public transit and promote water quality of the Mills River and agreed to partially fund 29 other requests from nonprofits in human services, education, health care, the environment and the arts.

The council’s action came at the tail end of a four-hour budget workshop during which council members tentatively signed off on a $55 million budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Fully funded requests, which totaled $294,709, went to:
• Agribusiness Henderson County (AgHC), promote agribusiness through recruitment and retention, $5,000.
• Henderson County Economic Investment Fund, economic development, $50,000.
• Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, economic development, industry recruitment, $25,000.
• Henderson County Planning Department, cover 50 percent of cost of city riders on Apple Country transit, $102,709.
• Henderson County Rescue Squad, in case of disaster or major accident, $15,000.
• Interfaith Assistance Ministry, water bills and water repairs for needy families, $15,000.
• Merchants and Business Association, enhanced quality parades, $2,000.
• Mills River Partnership, water quality of the Mills River, $80,000.

Of the $385,725 in requests from 29 nonprofit agencies, the council funded $129,527, the council appropriated $129,527. Award recipients were:
• Arts Council of Henderson County, support arts education for 200 students in Title 1 schools, $3,900.
• Blue Ridge Literacy Council, recruiting tutors, teach adults to read, purchase workbooks, $4,700.
• Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County, support youth programming, $6,860.
• Flat Rock Playhouse Vagabond School, theater arts education, $800.
• Henderson County Education Foundation, support Muddy Sneakers, an outdoor learning program, $5065.
• Henderson County Education Initiative, digitize history of public schools, $300.
• Henderson County NAACP, partnership with Pardee Foundation and BRCC to provide medical training, $5,890.
• Hendersonville Community Theatre, $1,400.
• Hendersonville Shuffleboard Club, $1,200.
• Hendersonville Symphony, free concerts for third and sixth graders, $800.
• Hendersonville Symphony Youth Education, support high school orchestra, $700.
• Mineral and Lapidary Museum, educational materials for school tours, $900.
• Team ECCO, support STEM education through shark tracking, $1,600.
• Western North Carolina Air Museum, create exhibits and refurbish airplanes, $400.
• Blue Ridge Health, primary care, behavioral health and pharmacy services for 81 homeless people.
• Blue Ridge Humane, support spay-neuter surgeries for pets of low-income city residents, $5,000.
• Children & Family Resource Center, support developmental screenings of children ages 3-5, $10,000.
• Henderson County Council on Aging, Meals on Wheels for city residents, $13,544.
• Henderson County Young Leaders (Camplify), support counselors-in-training, $1,900.
• Interfaith Assistance Ministry Rental Assistance, food and housing assistance, $17,000.
• Medical Loan Closet of Henderson County, support program that provides free medical equipment for patients, $3,000.
• Only Hope WNC, provide food, clothing and school supplies for homeless youth, $9,700.
• Pisgah Legal Service, Domestic Violence, legal support for victims of domestic violence (matched by federal grant through the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission, $1,800.
• Pisgah Legal Service, Homeless Prevention, , legal support for low-income clients (matched by federal grant through the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission, $1,800.
• Safelight, job training to empower domestic violence survivors, $5,228.
• St. Gerard House, support school for children with autism and their families, $6,900.
• The Mediation Center, funding for a community mediation coordinator, $1,440.
• Thrive, funding for staff that helps clients at risk of losing shelter, $5,800.
• True Ridge, support for clients who are victims and crime, staff training for legal interpretation services, $1,900.