Chairman· 2024-12-02–2028-12-04 (current term: re-elected Nov 5 2024, county board of elections certified Nov 15 2024 per Smoky Mountain News; start = first Monday in December 2024 per N.C.G.S. § 153A-26 which has county commissioners take the oath and assume office on the first Monday in December after the general election, statute text read at ncleg.gov; end = first Monday in December 2028 when the successor is seated; first-office day before this term not sourced)
Kevin Ensley
Haywood County
No biography on file yet.
Voice
- Meetings spoken in
- 14
- Total speaking time
- 2:48:19
- Avg per meeting
- 12:01
- Segments
- 3287
Want every word Ensley has said?
The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has Ensley said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.
Top issues during term (20)
County fiscal pressures from Hurricane Helene and lost papermill tax base
About $33 million in FEMA buyout funding requested; $30 million in public assistance obligated so far.
$3M school funding request and potential property tax increase
A $3 million increase in county funding — roughly $460 more per pupil — that commissioners say could drive a property tax increase.
Grant-funded Health and Human Services Programs
No local tax impact — funded entirely by opioid settlement funds structured over roughly 17-18 years.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Expansion
Proper waste routing is intended to minimize future rate increases for taxpayers.
2027 Property Revaluation and Schedule of Values
New property values effective January 1, 2027 will determine individual tax bills; most properties will see increases after a six-year gap since the last revaluation.
Waynesville Charity Horse Show Donation to Meals on Wheels
$13,500 donated to Meals on Wheels for meals to eligible seniors.
Economic Development and Workforce Training Wins
Job additions include 43 positions from the Giles Building reuse, 50 from Drake Software, 35 from Velocity Truck Centers, and 16 from Boojum Brewery.
Jail expansion costs and 'jails over schools' debate
Most equipment was funded by grants, donations, or asset forfeiture, keeping the burden off county taxpayers; the board also approved a $5,000 donation-funded budget amendment.
town manager appointment
No specific dollar impact is attached to the hire, but the manager's budget decisions could affect town spending priorities.
municipal election results
Your town's property tax rate and spending priorities now rest with a new set of hands, though the real money decisions won't land until the next budget cycle.
Free industrial park land for two local businesses
Land valued at $150,000 and $130,000 is conveyed at no cost, against projected ten-year revenues of $218,200 and $170,000.
Affordable housing and the revolving loan fund
The county accepted a $625,691 FY26 HUD HOME allocation, and the consortium manages roughly $600,000 annually plus $1.96 million in HOME-ARP funds.
Farmland preservation funding squeeze
Rollback taxes could add roughly $65,000 per $1 million of farmland sold to a preservation fund, per one speaker's estimate.
Brown Hollow conservation easement violation
Little East Fork camper encampment and illegal discharge
No direct county cost identified yet; enforcement is being handled through existing legal and health department processes.
Planning Board vacancies
Canton-Clyde-Waynesville emergency water interconnect
County contributes $2.08 million from a post-Tropical Storm Fred economic development grant; towns' shares are largely forgivable state loans.
Justice Center bag prohibition
Regional healthcare pressure on Mission Health/HCA
Septic permitting complaint
Decisions during term (107)
Recorded while Ensley was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.