1 year later, Buncombe County gives lowest-paid staff previously approved 1.5% raise

ASHEVILLE — Buncombe County's lowest-paid workers will receive a 1.5 percent raise.

County Manager Mandy Stone announced Tuesday night that 472 employees, all of whom make $45,000 or less, will get the raise as intended when approved by commissioners last fiscal year. Each of them will also receive a one-time $500 payment.

It will become effective next week.

"It includes administrative assistants, court security, bailiffs, landfill employees,  mechanics, library assistants and CNAs," Stone said, "very important individuals who show up everyday and serve our community with skill and compassion."

MORE: Wanda Greene spent $577,000 of taxpayer money on equestrian groups; was it worth it?

Though then-county manager Wanda Greene said last year that she planned to give the 1.5 percent raise to the lowest-paid employees, 16 of the 123  who initially saw bigger paychecks made more than $100,000 — including Greene and two of her relatives employed by the county: her son, Michael Greene, and a sister, Irene Wolfe.

The average salary among the recipients was more than $64,000.

Stone said it will cost $341,095 in the first year to grant the raises, and it will be covered by cuts already made through "reoccurring savings by salary adjustments at the highest end of the organization." The changes include reductions to the county manager's operating budget, the elimination of payments for assistant county manager duties and dual role and the difference in pay between Stone's salary and that of Greene.

"There's no additional impact to taxpayers," Stone said. "It's budget-neutral."

Greene, who retired June 30 after leading the county for nearly two decades, is under federal investigation. Recently re-sealed court documents revealed last month that days after her retirement, county attorney Michael Frue and District Attorney Todd Williams notified state and federal authorities of questionable financial transactions.

MORE: Documents: Wanda Greene under investigation for fraud

They include nearly $42,000 in gift card purchases, at least $900 worth of home decor items and about $9,800 in payments for a Verizon account not associated with the county.

Federal authorities said there is probable cause to believe Greene committed federal program fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud.

Though it's unclear whether they're part of the federal investigation, county officials have disclosed other controversial expenditures under Greene's tenure, including a $1.4 million retention incentive program and $577,000 in payments to the Tryon International Equestrian Center and related organizations. 

"In the last few months, Buncombe County employees have been, for lack for better words, dragged through the mud for no actions that they did," Vice-Chairwoman Ellen Frost said Tuesday. "People can drag commissioners through the mud all they want, but employees are our backbone.

"They come to work tirelessly. They don't care about political parties. And this was something that was promised to them a long time ago."

By the numbers

County Manager Mandy Stone said a 1.5 percent raise will be given to Buncombe's lowest-paid employees as previously intended. And it won't cost extra taxpayer money, she said, because of these cuts:

County manager salary reduction: $31,543

County manager operating budget reduction: $51,980

Elimination of assistant county manager pay and dual role supplements: $197,348

Changes made in upper management: $547,889

Total: $828,760