First Tuesday Asheville

 Shining a light on waste, fraud, and abuse in local government.

This is your one-stop hub for resources, volunteer opportunities, and investigations led by the Buncombe County Local DoGE Team — a citizen initiative to hold local government accountable, inspired by Elon Musk’s national DoGE movement.

 📋 Volunteer Signup Form
We need researchers, public meeting monitors, writers, and watchdogs of all stripes. Let us know how you’d like to help. 

🗳️ Public Engagement Survey
Tell us what issues concern you most — and where you think local government is falling short. 

(Survey coming soon)

🔍 Buncombe County Boards & Commissions Vacancies
One of the best ways to promote accountability is to serve. See which boards have openings — and consider applying. 

📄 Review our Helene Grant Investigation Closure Report
Learn what we uncovered — and what’s still unknown — about how Buncombe County handled millions in Hurricane Helene recovery funds. 

🔗 Explore Our Early Childhood Education Investigation Our team is tracking how the county awards early childhood grants, who benefits, and whether taxpayer funds are used efficiently and fairly. 

The HHS Board oversees millions in public health and assistance programs—but are our tax dollars being spent wisely? Explore our findings → 

Local government doesn’t police itself. That’s our job as citizens. Whether it’s $4 million in grant money, a bloated committee budget, or a board that rubber-stamps every decision — someone has to ask the hard questions.

Join us — and help restore transparency, efficiency, and accountability to Buncombe County.

While our Local DoGE Team was inspired by Elon Musk’s national call to expose waste, fraud, and abuse in government, we’re encouraged by parallel efforts at the state level — particularly those led by North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek.

Auditor Boliek graciously joined our organizational meeting to share insights and offer guidance, and he has personally advised us on matters where we sought his input. Although we don’t yet have a formal cadence of engagement with the Auditor’s office, we value his support and share a common goal: holding government accountable to the public it serves.

• 📄 Senate Bill 474 (The DAVE Act)
  Establishes the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency (DAVE) within the State Auditor’s Office to evaluate how agencies manage taxpayer dollars and identify inefficiencies.
   
• 🔎 Our SB 474 Support Page
  Learn how the DAVE Act aims to bring real oversight to state government — and why we believe local watchdog efforts like ours are a necessary complement to it.