With education spending making up the largest portion of the General Fund, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved its budget during the regular meeting on June 3. The new spending plan is for fiscal year 2026 (FY26), which runs from July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026. While addressing challenges from post-Helene budget realities that include a loss of $11.4 million in revenues, the FY26 budget still prioritizes funding of Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems and A-B Tech Community College with $121.8 million.
The budget’s general fund comes in at $433.1 million with a tax rate of 54.66 cents per $100 of appraised value, an increase of 2.9 cents. As Buncombe County navigates a post-Helene economic landscape and prioritizes recovery efforts and education, Commissioners are working hard to meet the challenges and diverse needs of our community while keeping the tax rate as low as possible.
In response to the loss of $11.4 million in revenues, the County has looked to find ways to reduce its costs with the following measures:
- Reduction of $4.6 million in County operating budgets
- Reduction of $7.5 million in salary budget accounting for potential vacancies, turnover, and staggering start dates
- Decrease of $4.6 million in discretionary community investments
- $1.7 million in debt service savings from debt refunding
- $446,767 reduction in the transportation fund
- No pay-go capital projects
- No FY26 debt service costs from new capital projects
The Board also approved a resolution proactively approving the use of Article 39 Sales Tax funds should either HB183 or SB 131 become law in North Carolina. If passed, the Board of Commissioners intends to utilize this funding source to return the schools to pre-Helene FY25 funding levels.
The FY26 budget also prioritizes public safety, human services, culture, recreation, and more. You can see a breakdown of expenditures by function:
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The breakdown of education funding is:
- $8.4 million for A-B Tech
- $17.3 million for Asheville City Schools
- In addition to the Local Current Expense allocation, Asheville City Schools will also get an estimated $16.5 million ($12.3 million from property tax and $4.2 million from sales tax) via the Supplemental Taxing District set at 11 cents
- $95.8 million for Buncombe County Schools
Additionally, Asheville City Schools will get $2.4 million and Buncombe County Schools will get $8.5 million for school capital projects such as stadium repairs, roofing work, security upgrades, and more.
The budget also puts an emphasis on funding community programs with $5.7 million going toward early childhood education, the Homeowners Grant Program, conservation easements, and a number of grassroots initiatives via the Isaac Coleman Grants.
The FY26 budget includes the following special district tax increases:
- Asheville City Schools: 11 cents up from 10.62
- Enka-Candler fire district: 13.5 cents up from 12
- French Broad fire district: 22.7 cents up from 22.2
- Reynolds fire district: 13.11 cents up from 11.24
- Swannanoa fire district: 15 cents up from 14
- Upper Hominy fire district: 20.6 cents up from 19
- West Buncombe fire district: 15 cents up from 13.5
Below are some additional highlights from the FY26 budget. You can view the budget presentation made to Commissioners here. For more information, a full FY26 budget, and more, you can visit the County’s budget website here.
FY26 Budget Highlights
- $121.8 million in education funding for Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems and A-B Tech. Education is the largest portion of the General Fund with an increase of $23.5 million over the past four years.
- $98.4 million for Public Safety for Emergency Medical Services, Fire Marshal, 911 Communications, the Sheriff’s Office, Detention Center, community paramedics, firefighter training, Family Justice Center, and more.
- $96.6 million for Human Services supporting Medicaid, child support, foster care, septic and well permitting, the animal shelter, and more.
- $66 million for General Government that will provide support for property assessment and the 2026 general reappraisal, public engagement, general services and the fleet services portfolio, information technology, and more.
- $12.2 million for Cultural and Recreational services like libraries, preschool outreach, summer learning programming, parks, sports fields, recreation programming, and more.
- $10.8 million for Economic and Physical Development to ensure permitting and inspection work, allow for creation of a small area plan for the Swannanoa community, and other important efforts in Planning and Agriculture and Land Resources.
- $5.7 million for community investments in Early Childhood Education, Isaac Coleman grants, and supplemental aging funds among others.
- 3.09% COLA for full-time employees.
For more information or to view the budget explorer, go to buncombecounty.org/budget. View the meeting at facebook.com/buncombegov.