Buncombe County -- June 3, 2026: Buncombe County commissioners have officially approved a $484.4 million budget for fiscal year 2027, prioritizing heavy investments in education, public safety, and long-term disaster resilience.
To fund the expansion of core county services and recovery efforts, the Board of Commissioners approved a property tax rate of 43.20 cents per $100 of assessed value. While this rate is slightly lower than the county manager's initial proposal of 43.52 cents, it represents a 3.98-cent increase above the revenue-neutral rate.
A Sustained Commitment to Education
Education remains the largest single general-fund expenditure in the county’s financial blueprint. The FY2027 budget continues to provide robust operating support for Buncombe County Schools and necessary supplemental operating funds for Asheville City Schools. Beyond daily operations, the plan secures essential capital outlay funding aimed at updating school facilities, deferred maintenance, and enhancing campus safety features.
Public Safety Overhaul and New Mall EOC Site
Public safety and emergency management received significant structural and logistical upgrades in the new budget cycle. Most notably, the county authorized the acquisition of the former JCPenney building at the Asheville Mall, which will be transformed into a new, centrally located Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and multipurpose facility. The location is strategically designed to improve coordination, communication, and response times between law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), local fire departments, and 911 communications during future crises.
In a major administrative shift, the commissioners also approved the consolidation of 20 separate rural taxing districts into a single, unified Buncombe County Fire District. The restructuring includes a flat fire tax rate of 11.96 cents and provides a unified $14 million funding boost to support local fire services.
Federal Grants Drive Watershed and Disaster Recovery
Infrastructure and environmental resilience are heavily bolstered by outside funding sources in the FY2027 plan. The county officially accepted a $37 million federal recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program. These funds are explicitly earmarked for critical streambank stabilization, erosion control, and watershed recovery initiatives following the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene.
Additionally, the county voted to close out its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, reallocating $3.78 million directly into ongoing Helene response operations and purchasing upgraded communications equipment for the Community Paramedic Collaborative.
In response to declining federal revenues and fee collections on the local level, the budget also transitions the former Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency into a fully county-funded department, ensuring environmental oversight and monitoring continue without interruption.
Balancing Services with Long-Term Resilience
The approved budget reflects a concerted effort by county leadership to safeguard everyday public services while aggressively leveraging federal recovery dollars. By focusing on school funding, establishing a permanent, modern EOC, and funding aggressive watershed stabilization, the county aims to build long-term capacity and structural resilience for all Buncombe County residents.