At its May 6 regular meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a new program to reduce permitting fees associated with Helene damage, recognized our Public Health Nurses and Air Quality Awareness, and more.
Reduce to Rebuild
The Reduce to Rebuild program was originally shared with Commissioners at their April 1 briefing and would reduce certain planning and inspection permit fees by 50 percent through Dec. 21, 2025, for repair and renovation work on residential structures damaged by Tropical Storm Helene. While the County is under a current budget strain, this program would serve residents with a focus on rebuilding Helene-impacted primary residences. This would reduce the range of planning and inspection permit fee costs per project from $305-$1,890 to $152-$945. The anticipated revenue impact of this program would be approximately ~$641,000-$843,000 spread over two fiscal years.
Click here to read the ordinance. More information.
Recognizing Nurses Week and Air Quality Awareness Week
Recognizing the hard work and dedication of Public Health Nurses, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners proclaimed May 6-12, 2025, as National Nurses Week in Buncombe County. Buncombe County’s Public Health dedicated team - including clinic nurses, Care Coordination, Nurse Family Partnership nurses, Communicable Disease nurses, Mobile Team nurses, and Quality Improvement/Assurance nurses and Public Health Nurses exemplify unwavering dedication, compassion, and respect. Read the entire proclamation.
Commissioners also proclaimed May 5-9, 2025, as Buncombe County Air Quality Awareness Week. Buncombe County’s strategic plan includes a vision of “high quality air, water, farmland & renewable energy for future generations.” The County has set a goal of reaching 100 percent renewable energy for County operations by 2030 and for the entire community by 2042, and residents are encouraged to promote air quality and air quality awareness in their communities by taking simple steps to reduce emissions and implement energy efficiency measures at home and work. Read the entire proclamation.
The Board also:
- Approved the FY25 contract with the County’s external auditor Mauldin & Jenkins with revised pricing that recognizes the County’s ongoing recovery efforts. See the contract and more information.
- Heard an annual report from Asheville Regional Airport. Click here to learn more.
- Approved ordinances that closed capital projects, special projects, and grants across seven multi-year funds. Click here to learn more.
- Approved a budget amendment that would increase the budget expenditure for projected health claims by $3M. Offsetting revenues are available thanks to unbudgeted stop loss credits projected to be around $1M, and rebates already $1M more than budget with more to come. See the ordinance here.
- Approved a budget amendment for the Sheriff's Office appropriating $740,460 of fund balance in the Inmate Commissary and Welfare Fund to pay $507,732 in medical care for Buncombe County inmates being housed at other locations, and $232,728 for excess outside medical care for local inmates. See the ordinance here.
- Approved an amendment that increases the current $29M budget of the Hurricane Helene grant project by an additional $8,449,311 to accommodate expenditures to include insurance claims, cost of replacement of insured property included in the FEMA Damage Inventory, contracting costs for Tetra Tech and address budget capacity for future permanent work. See the ordinance here.
The next regular meeting will be held on May 20 and will include a public hearing for Buncombe County’s FY26 budget. To watch this or any Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, head to BCTV.