Summary: We wondered whether any racial demographic information was being collected, tracked, or analyzed, and whether that data might be included on the “transparency dashboard.” The answer to all those questions appears to be “no.”  

The Facts: The Buncombe County Commission will receive an “Annual Report of the G.O. Bond Oversight Committee” at their August 6th meeting. This is a review on work outlined in two bonds passed by Buncombe County voters in 2022: $30 million for Open Space and $40 million for Affordable Housing. From the report: “The goal for the Open Space bond is to protect farmland and natural resources… The goal for the Affordable Housing bond is to increase construction of housing for people of low to moderate incomes.” The County set up an Oversight Committee to “ensure transparency with the public” and “review projects… to ensure compliance with legal and financial requirements.” The Committee has developed a “transparency dashboard” on the County webpage, based on “appropriate data sources” as determined by the County’s Strategy and Innovation department. (No link to the dashboard was provided in the report; the presentation lists its publication as “pending.”)

Sources: G.O. Bonds Oversight Committee – Annual Report, Presentation Slides

Our Assessment: As is too often the case, it’s unclear whether or not these bonds will be evaluated with a racial equity lens. Has racial demographic data been prioritized by the Strategy and Innovation Department to be collected in coordination with the projects that will be funded, and will this data be included on the “transparency dashboard?” When will that transparency dashboard be available to the public? While we’d like to see such data for both bonds, it seems especially important for the one that is funding affordable housing, given the well-documented racial disparities in housing access.

Questions like this arise almost every time the County gets a report like this, which is why we’ve been asking for several months now whether the County plans to implement a comprehensive strategy for tracking and analyzing racial demographic data. (You can read the history of our requests here.) The County has yet to respond to that question, which means we have no evidence that any such overarching approach has been established. Until they make a definitive response, we will continue to advocate for a sweeping strategy of collection and tracking of racial demographic data, and will also raise specific instances (such as this one) where crucial demographic data relevant to racial equity appears to be missing.

Our Ask: We suggested that folks reach out to County leaders to clarify whether they plan to share racial data on the impact of these multi-million dollar bonds.

Report Back

The County’s dashboard for the G.O. Bonds was published, and does not contain any racial demographic data. (To read more about this issue, check out our campaign for the County to track racial demographics for all of their programs and funded projects.)

GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 4

Recipients and Responses:

Buncombe County 

• County Manager Avril Pinder: No response
• County Chief Equity and Human Rights Officer Noreal Armstrong: No response
• County Commissioner Brownie Newman: No response
• County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara: No response
• County Commissioner Amanda Edwards: No response
• County Commissioner Martin Moore: No response
• County Commissioner Parker Sloane: No response
• County Commissioner Terri Wells: No response
• County Commissioner Al Whitesides: No response