The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Buncombe County’s new budget proposal calls for higher fees for several services. Here’s an excerpt from the article (Click the link to read the entire piece):

Buncombe County commissioners expect to hold the line on property taxes during the coming fiscal year, but fees on development activities are another matter.

The county’s proposed budget for the 12 months beginning July 1 calls for new or higher fees for nine categories of permits or services provided by the county Planning Department, ranging from erosion control permits to rezoning requests.

Many of the changes are substantial, amounting to a 20 percent increase or even doubling the amount the county charges.

“With not being able to raise taxes, there’s a push to cover (the cost of) services,” Planning Director Jon Creighton said.

The fees will fall on a sector of the local economy that has been especially hard hit by the economic downturn.

“It’s not so much that there’s a huge increase, but any increase, whether it’s big or small, in those fees is definitely going to affect the builders and the construction industry in our area,” said Caroline Sutton, executive officer of the Asheville Home Builders Association.