Jennifer Bowman | The Citizen-Times

Wochit

ASHEVILLE – Through nearly $600,000 in economic development money, Buncombe County taxpayers paid for two sponsorships at horseback riding events and about 60 advertisements in an equestrian publication, according to documents released to the Citizen-Times late Friday.

County records show former manager Wanda Greene signed off on using public money to pay three organizations: Tryon International Equestrian Center, Equestrian Sport Productions and The Chronicle of the Horse.

None is based in Buncombe, and all are associated with the same person who built the multimillion-dollar facility in Polk County.

Officials also said one related invoice provided by Greene a year ago to the Citizen-Times was doctored, with current records showing the payment was $100,000 more than initially reported.

Courtesy of Erik Olsen

Commissioners never voted on the payments, and Chairman Brownie Newman said Friday that he first learned about the Tryon deal in the 2016 article.

Newman called it an "egregious" waste.

"The fact that Buncombe County taxpayer money is going to this millionaire, billionaire horse facility in a different county, I think, is really one of the biggest wastes of money I've ever seen," he said.

A week after the Citizen-Times filed a public records request seeking records of the Tryon deal, the county issued a series of news releases to acknowledge "discrepancies."

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They join more unknowns stemming from Greene's tenure, including hefty bonuses and a so-called retention incentive program that cost more than $1.4 million.

Buncombe County's news releases did not mention whether the equestrian-related payments or the retention incentives are part of the federal criminal investigation into Greene.

Court documents have disclosed that investigators believe she may have committed fraud.

Courtesy photo

Following the county's Friday news releases, additional records were provided to the Citizen-Times that show the county paid Tryon four times, with all but $897 of the $577,116 covered by an economic development incentive account.

Located in Mill Spring, the roughly 3-year-old equestrian center cost $125 million to build and has an operating budget of about $31 million. It will host the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

Greene told the Citizen-Times last year that the funding to Tryon was to help promote the Asheville Regional Airport.

The equestrian center at the time was doing advertising and promotions at a popular competition in Wellington, Florida, known as the Winter Equestrian Festival. Officials were looking to promote the direct flights to AVL, Greene said.

Spokeswoman Tina Kinsey said the airport was told by the county "that the sponsorship was an economic development effort for our region."

"We were not involved in the sponsorship agreement between the county and the (Tryon center)," Kinsey said in an email Saturday. "The airport did not contribute financially to the sponsorship, but we did utilize the marketing benefits associated with the sponsorship to promote air service and the airport."

Kinsey said while not attributed solely to the county's Tryon sponsorship, airport officials believe the promotion helped make Florida among the top destinations for flights from AVL.

The Tryon Equestrian Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the weekend.

It's owned by Mark Bellissimmo, who also owns two other vendors paid by the county: Equestrian Sport Productions, which received $150,689, and The Chronicle of the Horse publication, which received $150,000.

A bill provided by the county shows The Chronicle of the Horse, based in Middleburg, Virginia, was paid for 42 magazine spots and 12 online banners.

Newman said commissioners since have changed policies to require a vote on all economic development fund expenditures. All projects now must be located in Buncombe County, he said.

Officials confirmed Friday that an internal auditing process uncovered "questionable" financial transactions.

Previously sealed court documents reported by the Citizen-Times this week revealed that county attorney Michael Frue and District Attorney Todd Williams approached state and federal investigators days after Greene retired.

The county said Friday that an internal audit uncovered "questionable" financial transactions.

Investigators have looked into expenditures that show $42,000 worth of gift cards and at least $900 in home decor were purchased while Greene was county manager, according to a search warrant. About $9,800 was used for a Verizon account that was not associated with the county.

"The county continues to cooperate fully with investigators including abiding by any restrictions on the release of information, recognizing that the first priority is to ensure that the investigation is in no way compromised," a news release said Friday. "In addition, the county will continue to provide, as allowed, updated information to the public."

While the county has responded to several requests for extensive salary records and retention incentive documents, it has declined to disclose other details, including gift card information and a litigation hold notice issued as part of the federal investigation into Greene.

By the numbers

Buncombe County released information Friday that showed nearly $600,000 in payments to equestrian-related organizations during former manager Wanda Greene's tenure. Almost all of it was covered with economic development incentive funds, which is part of the county's general fund.

Tryon Equestrian Center

June 6, 2015: $125,000. Economic development incentive account.

June 30, 2015: $897. County manager's miscellaneous operations fund.

July 9, 2015: $530. Economic development incentive account.

Aug. 9, 2016: $150,000. Economic development incentive account.

Equestrian Sport Productions

Feb. 10, 2015: $50,000. Economic development incentive account.

Sept. 22, 2015: $100,000. Economic development incentive account.

Jan. 20, 2016: $689. County manager's dues and subscriptions fund.

The Chronicle of the Horse

Aug. 9, 2016: $150,000. Economic development incentive account.