Board of Commissioners Meeting

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners held its Regular Meeting on March 17, 2026, addressing a broad spectrum of administrative, financial, and community resilience issues. The session began with the Pledge of Allegiance and an ethics reminder, followed by the unanimous approval of the consent agenda. This approval included the minutes from the March 5, 2026, combined meeting, resolutions regarding pyrotechnic experts for firework displays, a letter of support for Buncombe County School Board calendar flexibility, and the identification of a Deputy Finance Officer to include the Tourism Development Authority. A specific resolution authorizing the purchase of the Deaverview Mountain property was moved to the regular meeting agenda and approved.

Significant discussion centered on community displacement, property reappraisal, and fire service modernization. David Greenson, representing the Government Accountability Project (GAP) AVL, presented a critique of the County’s approach to displacement resulting from development, advocating for systematic, publicly available impact analyses on housing, economic, cultural, and spatial dimensions. In response, Commissioner Edwards acknowledged these concerns and thanked Greenson for his input. On property values, County Manager Pender introduced Eric Crager, who detailed the finalized reappraisal values, online appeal access, and upcoming appeal clinics. Crager emphasized that value increases do not automatically translate to higher taxes and stressed the importance of accurate property record cards.

The Board also focused on agricultural recognition and fire service consolidation. Proclamations declaring March 24th as Buncombe County Ag Awareness Day and March as Red Cross Month were approved, with FFA and 4-H students and Jerry Goldberg from the Red Cross present to accept the recognitions. Kevin Tipton, the County Fire Marshal, presented a proposal to consolidate fire service districts into a unified tax district to improve financial sustainability, recruitment, and service standards. The Board discussed the viability of volunteer departments and newly adopted fire service standards, including response times. A public hearing on this unified fire tax district proposal is scheduled for April 21, with the tax rate to be included in the recommended budget shared in May.

Several infrastructure and financial resolutions were approved to support community resilience and operations. The Board approved a contract with McGill Associates PA for the School Shelter Resiliency Generator Project, which will provide backup power to schools for use as emergency shelters. Additionally, resolutions related to the issuance of Limited Obligation Bonds (LOBs) and General Obligation Bonds (GOBs) were approved, covering projects for Buncombe County Schools, Asheville City Schools, and county initiatives. Budget amendments were also approved regarding conservation easement funding and a disaster relief grant from the North Carolina Community Foundation for mental health training.

Looking ahead, specific actions and deadlines were established for residents and staff. Property owners are encouraged to review record cards and utilize online, mail, or in-person appeal methods, with a formal appeal deadline of May 5. The Planning Department will coordinate with advisory boards on conservation focus areas, and staff will continue pursuing funding for affordable housing developments, with full Low-Income Housing Tax Credit applications due in May. Melissa Moore is scheduled to return to the board on April 21 to request formal approval of the issuance resolutions for both LOBs and GOBs. The Board will also need to approve a budget amendment related to the community trauma grant received.