Mayor Esther Manheimer presented a city budget update to nearly 40 attendees at the May 2 Council of Independent Business Owners (CIBO) meeting, held at the Sherrill Center at UNC Asheville. The presentation included a proposed property tax increase for fiscal year 2026; according to Manheimer, the recommendation predates Tropical Storm Helene.
“In North Carolina, there’s just a structural imbalance of natural revenue growth and the cost of delivering service,” Manheimer said, referencing the service costs associated with employee salaries and benefits. “It doesn’t match up. So with these sales tax revenues flat or down, year over year, even without the hurricane, you would still be seeing a problem in terms of our need to raise taxes.”
Manheimer was joined by Vice Mayor Antanette Mosely and City Council member Maggie Ullman…