ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) – The agency that promotes tourism in Asheville has a $9 million budget of public money, but doesn’t have to reveal how it spends a lot of that money.
Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Stephanie Brown told the Asheville Citizen-Times reports (http://avlne.ws/1O5it80 ) that the salaries and bonuses of agency employees are not public record.
Brown says the bureau employees are workers on contract from the private nonprofit Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, so even though they handle public money, they aren’t considered public employees like the city manager, police officers or firefighters.
North Carolina Press Association attorney Amanda Martin says it is appalling that so much money can be spent without reporting, itemizing or accountability.
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Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com
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