Staffing Under Consideration as Asheville Faces $26 Million Budget Gap. The Long-Term Challenge: Building the Tax Base

Asheville employs more municipal workers than similar-sized cities. Is it necessary for a busy tourist town or a sign of bloat? • Asheville Watchdog

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Staffing under consideration as Asheville faces $26 million budget gap. The long-term challenge: building the tax base

The city’s authorized number of employees, 1,396, is higher — in many cases dramatically higher — than those of five of the six North Carolina cities closest to Asheville’s size, according to their fiscal year 2026 budget documents.