Haywood County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Haywood County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Town Manager Appointment
Waynesville just picked a new town manager, and the upside is that they already know the area. That matters because this person runs daily town operations and helps set the tone for budgets, development, and services—so the hire can affect how the town works day to day.
Economic Development and Workforce Training Wins
Commissioner Best presented data showing unemployment back down to 3% after Helene, nearly 400 new small businesses since 2020, broadband reaching all but 121 homes, and major job additions from employers like Drake Software and Velocity Truck Centers.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Expansion
Haywood now leads the state in recycling, and a new policy requires commercial haulers to register annually and route waste to the correct facilities to protect the aging MRF and landfill.
Planning Board vacancies
The Planning Board has an open at-large seat and a farmer position that has gone unfilled for months because no applicants applied specifically for the farmer role. The Board interviewed seven candidates to move toward filling the seats.
Justice Center bag prohibition
Starting August 1, you can't bring purses, backpacks or similar bags into the county Justice Center, with exemptions for attorneys, jurors, employees and medical needs.
Regional healthcare pressure on Mission Health/HCA
Haywood County joined other western North Carolina counties in a resolution pressing HCA and Mission Health to sit down with local governments about healthcare access, staffing and patient care problems across the region.
Brown Hollow conservation easement violation
A Brown Hollow property covered in junk and debris violates a conservation easement the owner granted to the Soil and Water Conservation District years ago. Enforcement requires a civil lawsuit by the district, with possible separate public health violations if campers are discharging waste.
Clyde Armory emergency shelter and EMS expansion
Two CDBG grants that paid for Phase 1 of converting the old Armory into an emergency shelter were formally closed out. The facility sheltered over 100 people during Hurricane Helene, and a $2.2M next phase will expand EMS garage and storage space.
Tropical Storm Fred Unmet Needs grant appropriation
The board adopted an ordinance to spend the remaining $2.5M of a $3.5M state grant for Fred recovery — with a tight 60-90 day spending window if new public safety projects are approved.