Preliminary projections from Town of Waynesville show a tight budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Elected officials don’t want to raise taxes, fees or utility rates, but a variety of factors that all came together in a perfect storm will leave Town Council with some tough decisions after a budget retreat held March 21. 

Two members of Waynesville’s Town Council, Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter, have come forward with a bold proposal that could save the town thousands of dollars over decades if they can find a way to pay for it. 

Waynesville Police Chief David Adams had a simple answer when Town Council Member Jon Feichter asked him if he thought the department’s utilization of a social worker to handle some calls had been worthwhile. 

“Yes sir,” Adams said. 

Saying 2024 was an “eventful” year for the Waynesville Fire Department may have been an understatement by Chief Joey Webb, Sr., but so is saying the department “made many great strides forward.”

Hoping to build on the momentum of a successful off-year election cycle, even amid violent threats, members of Western North Carolina’s LGBTQ+ community are wary of what might happen in the General Election and are calling for the codification of rights already enjoyed by other Americans. 

A rare public impasse by Council Members over the Town of Waynesville’s proposed budget will leave things unsettled for the time being, foreshadowing prolonged negotiations over an all-but-certain tax increase. 

Amid complaints from neighbors, the new owners of the Waynesville Inn and Golf Club once again saw their proposed 12-unit Longview development shot down after Town Council found it to be inconsistent with several aspects of the town’s land management plan. 

Waynesville’s town government has kept taxes as low as possible for as long as possible, but is quickly finding truth in the adage, “It’s easier to keep up than to catch up” — over the years, capital spending hasn’t kept up with the town’s needs, and now taxpayers may be looking at a costly game of catch-up. 

Raines Company can now move forward with plans to open up development for 13 custom-built single-family homes on 11 acres off Greenview Drive and adjacent to the rejuvenated Waynesville Golf Club and Inn after Waynesville Town Council concurred with a prior planning board recommendation. 

Waynesville’s North Main Street has been an important economic engine for the town and the county for decades, and the town’s municipal service district has played a significant role in that success.