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Resident urges caution on conditional use permit and cites rising Buncombe County living wage
Summary
At the public forum a resident warned commissioners against rubber-stamping ordinances and highlighted rising living-wage figures for Buncombe County; Town Manager Savannah Parrish responded that all full-time town employees currently earn at least the 2025 living wage of $23.15 per hour.
Letta Jean Taylor addressed the Board during the public forum and urged commissioners to avoid adjusting ordinances to suit "one or two people," arguing that decisions about properties set precedents that will affect many in the future.
Taylor told the Board, "ordinances should not be rubber-stamped or changed to suit one or two people," and reminded commissioners that such choices carry long-term consequences for other property owners. She also cited Buncombe County's living-wage figures, saying the living wage for 2025 is $23.15 (up from $22.10 in 2024) and that it is expected to rise to approximately $25.00 in 2026; she asked the Board to keep those figures in mind during upcoming budget planning.
Town Manager Savannah Parrish responded to the living-wage point, saying that "all full-time town employees currently make at least the Buncombe County living wage of $23.15 per hour." No formal action on the conditional use permit was recorded during the public forum; Taylor's remarks were entered as public comment for the agenda item to be considered later in the meeting.
The forum adjourned at the end of public comment and the regular meeting convened at 6:00 p.m.
