Press release from Buncombe County:
Work is wrapping up on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget as the Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on the spending plan during its meeting on June 7. While there have been some minor changes since its last presentation, the FY23 budget still holds the property tax rate at 48.8 cents and funds vital services and resources identified by the community while prioritizing the Commissioners’ 2025 Strategic Plan goals.
During the budget’s public hearing, Commissioners were presented with the following modifications:
Revenue changes
- $165,000 for Asheville and Woodfin contributions for homeowner grants
- $2,493 in additional Health and Human Service (HHS) revenue
- $2,493 in reductions to the appropriated fund balance
Total revenue change: $165,000
Expenditure changes
- $165,000 in additional funding for homeowner grants
Total expenditure change: $165,000
The proposed FY23 budget’s general fund is $399,377,222.
The next step is for Commissioners to adopt the budget, which is slated for a vote during their next meeting on June 21. You can see a detailed budget presentation here. There are also highlights and breakdowns below.
Budget highlights
The following are some of the ways the spending plan would align with community and Commissioner priorities.
Educated and capable community
- $104.9 million for education partners with a 11.9% increase for K-12 and A-B Tech
- $3.82 million for early childhood education
Environmental and energy stewardship
- $4 million for solar projects
- $1.6 million for alternatively fueled vehicles
Resident well-being
- $564,146 for recreation projects
- $326,055 worth of additional investment for the Community Paramedicine program
Vibrant economy
- $4.3 million for economic development programs
- $2.3 million for affordable housing support
Equity, operational excellence
- 63 new positions for 23 departments
- $5.1 million for implementation of the compensation study
- $2 million for reparations
Additional budget information
Revenue breakdown
The vast majority of the budget comes from property taxes. The following is a breakdown of the largest revenue sources:
Property tax: 63% or $240.3 million
- Intergovernmental: 12% or $45.8 million
- Local option sales tax: 12% or $47.8 million
- Sales and services: 5% or $17.9 million
Additional money comes from additional taxes and licenses, permits and fees, interfund transfers, and other sources of revenue.
Expenditure breakdown
Education, human services, and public safety are the three largest areas of spending for the proposed spending plan. The education funding would bring all locally funded Buncombe County Schools employees to a $15/hour minimum plus supplement ($16.62 per hour) or provide a 2.5% pay increase. The following shows a breakdown of expenditures:
Education: 27% or $109.2 million
- A-B Tech: $7.7 million
- Asheville City Schools: $15.3 million
- Buncombe County Schools: $81.9 million
- Pre-k funding and various education support contracts: $4.3 million
Human services: 23% or $91.6 million
Public safety: 21% or $82.6 million
General government: 17% or $67.8 million
Debt: 5% or $19.1 million
Economic and physical development: 2% or $8.8
Cultural and recreational: 2% or $9.9 million
Other financing sources: 3% or $10.3 millionCapital projects
County staff recommends seven capital projects for FY23 at a total of $16.5 million. Those projects include:
- Emergency Services base construction: $7,250,000 (debt)
- Public Safety Training Center generator: $230,000 (capital funds)
- Comprehensive Facility Assessment plan renovations and repairs: $4,010,000 (debt)
- Library renovations and repairs: $691,654 (capital funds)
- Recreation Services master plan: $200,000 (capital funds)
- Electric vehicle charging infrastructure: $120,000 (capital funds)
- Solar panel installations for schools and public buildings: $4,000,000 (debt)
Recommended tax rates
Only three tax rate adjustments have been requested, and County staff only recommends approving one of those for the FY23 budget.
Asheville City Schools
- Current rate: 10.62
- Requested rate: 12.00
- Recommended rate: 10.62
Barnardsville fire district
- Current rate: 20.00
- Requested rate: 22.00
- Recommended rate: 22.00
Skyland fire district
- Current rate: 9.80
- Requested rate: 10.30
- Recommended rate: 9.80
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