FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

City leadership has the wrong budget priorities, is neglecting the basic needs of its citizens, and callously raises taxes to fund their pet projects.

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The Role of Government & Budget Priorities

Brevard city leadership's fiscal irresponsibility results from several factors: choosing inappropriate priorities, failing to consider alternative tax strategies, blaming the county for tax increases, and lacking the skills needed to fund and oversee capital projects effectively. 

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Brevard leadership’s irresponsible fiscal management begins with their view of the government's role. Their primary priorities are increasing tourism and developing 'affordable housing.' The government’s role should be limited to ensuring public safety, maintaining reliable infrastructure, and keeping taxes low for residents. This is how the Transylvania County government operates. the city of Brevard fails in all three areas. They have nearly abandoned efforts to ensure public safety, the infrastructure has been deteriorating for decades, and they don't prioritize keeping taxes low. You can find more information about public safety and infrastructure issues elsewhere on the website.

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Voters in Brevard City elect new leaders every odd-numbered year. In 2025, they'll select a mayor and two of the five city council members. Usually, only about 25% of registered voters vote in these elections. This small group is either happy with how their leaders are running the city or just not paying attention.

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Tourism fuels Brevard's economy. It’s unclear if the town can diversify, as it has never focused on other industries. This heavy dependence on tourism makes the Brevard economy susceptible to downturns caused by events like natural disasters, such as Hurricane Helene and wildfires, or nationwide economic declines.

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Brevard prioritized 'affordable housing' when Mayor Maureen Copelof was elected in 2021. They currently have no public plans to develop subsidized housing. Instead, they have purchased property and loaned money to developers. Besides being an inappropriate government role, Brevard and Transylvania County face significant challenges in constructing any housing, especially ‘affordable’ housing. About 55% of the county is publicly owned and protected. Due to the terrain and environmental concerns, it is estimated that only 2 to 4% of land in the county is suitable for development. Outside the city, there is no water or sewer infrastructure. Brevard and Transylvania County are highly desirable places to live, attracting wealthy retirees and remote workers from across the country. The strong demand and limited supply have caused real estate prices to skyrocket. This presents two challenges for ‘affordable housing’: they compete for land to develop, and once built, properties will face high real estate taxes. None of this slows down Brevard city leadership. It’s full speed ahead.

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Spending & Taxing

To fund these initiatives, Brevard leadership increased spending in the FY26 budget by 10.3%. Here are some examples of the city’s misaligned spending priorities included in their FY26 budget:

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• ‘Affordable’ housing ($198K) - taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize others' housing costs. This is a role for the private sector.

• Debt: Principal and Interest on Azalea Ave. Property ($215K) – see above.

• Charitable contributions ($111K) – individuals, not the government, should determine which charities to support.

• Administrative Expenses ($1.45M) - Administrative costs have risen by 37% since the FY23 budget was adopted. Has your take-home pay increased by 37%? Probably not..

• Community centers ($191K) - Does Brevard really need to operate and maintain three community centers? How often do citizens use them?

• Sheriff Department Outsourcing ($285K). Due to mismanagement of the Brevard Police Department, the city is paying the County Sheriff’s Department to provide security during overnight shifts.   

• Instead of paying the market rate for labor, the city has decided to pay a minimum hourly rate of $17.55/hr. Should taxpayers be compelled to pay more in taxes to meet an arbitrary “fairness” goal set by the Mayor and City Council?

 

To fund this, they increased citizens’ property taxes by an additional 8.3% on top of the recent county property tax adjustment. This could be the most irresponsible decision Brevard leadership has made.

 

Brevard leadership raised taxes to fund ‘affordable housing’ and other priorities unrelated to infrastructure, making it now unaffordable for multi-generational families to live in Brevard. To avoid accountability, they blamed Transylvania County for the significant property tax increase.

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Managing Capital Projects

Unlike the Transylvania County government, the city of Brevard lacks considerable experience and skills in managing capital improvement projects. The most urgent project they need to fund and oversee is the sewage management system. For decades, the city sewage treatment plant on Wilson Road, located along the banks of the French Broad River, has overflowed during most heavy rainfalls. Millions of gallons of raw sewage have been documented, and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has taken enforcement action against the city.

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Brevard city leadership has finally recognized the need to overhaul the sewage treatment system. Initial estimates are as high as $100 million. City officials have never managed a project of this size. Most governments would use a public bond to fund such a project, but the city leaders admit they have no experience with bonds. They have previously relied on bank loans to finance ongoing ‘affordable housing' projects, even lending $1 million to a developer for another initiative.