Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Weaverville leaders plan outreach, job fair after Thermo Fisher layoffs
Summary
At a Jan. 12 workshop, council members discussed Thermo Fisher’s planned pullback from its Weaverville site, estimated local tax and employment impacts, and steps to assist displaced workers including outreach to major employers, WEDAC and NC Works.
Weaverville council members discussed steps to respond after Thermo Fisher signaled it would vacate a local site, potentially affecting hundreds of workers and reducing business personal-property tax revenue, at a Jan. 12 workshop.
The council debated outreach and workforce steps as the town learns more about what Thermo Fisher will do with its property. A committee member said the town did not receive a local WARN notice and estimated that once Thermo Fisher removed equipment the town could lose “about $115,000 in revenue” from personal property assessments.
Why it matters: speakers said Thermo Fisher’s site employs hundreds (participants referenced a figure of roughly 471 people associated with the operation) and that the site’s equipment and inventory will affect tax assessments in the next tax year. Council members framed immediate priorities as communicating with site leadership, contacting the listing agent if the company decides to list the property, and coordinating a labor transition response for affected employees.
What council members proposed and who would help: a speaker reported the town had received a Dun & Bradstreet extract listing the top 12 firms with Weaverville addresses and recommended dividing that list so council members and staff could visit and thank major taxpayers and build relationships. Multiple participants recommended engaging WEDAC (Weaverville Economic Development Advisory Committee), Land of Sky, county contacts and NC Works to explore hosting job fairs and other workforce services. One participant offered to contact Barry Morgan at NC Works to explore hosting a job fair locally.
On timing and assessments, a council member noted business personal-property inventories are filed in January, so removal of equipment would typically affect the following tax year’s roll. Participants cited approximate valuation figures mentioned in the discussion: about $115,000 of equipment and roughly $21,000 of building/land valuation used in an example during the meeting. Speakers emphasized those figures were estimates discussed during the meeting and may change with formal assessments.
Quotes from the meeting included an emotional account of the human impact: “that girl came in Monday morning crying… my husband just got locked out,” a committee member said, describing how the council first learned of layoffs. Another participant questioned whether company-provided education for exiting employees would be effective, calling it possibly public relations rather than a substantive workforce solution.
The council agreed to coordinate outreach: contact WEDAC and county partners (named in the meeting as Clark Duncan, Nathan Ramsey and Phil Barnett), prepare a targeted visit list to the town’s major employers, and pursue contacts with site leadership and any listing agent. Participants also discussed options for marketing or repurposing the property if it becomes available.
The workshop concluded with a motion to enter closed session under North Carolina statute NCGS 143-318.11 for attorney consultation, negotiation over real-property purchase terms and confidential personnel matters; the motion passed and the public portion of the meeting ended without a formal public vote on any policy action.
Next steps: council members said they would pursue the outreach plan and return to public meetings to report progress and any formal proposals related to property reuse or workforce programming.
