Buncombe County Releases Draft Budget for 2026
Fees set to increase on dozens of items
This week, Buncombe County released the 2026 Recommended Annual Budget in Brief, outlining how the County plans to spend money and raise revenue in the coming fiscal year. The draft budget notes the devastating impact of Helene and highlights the various ways the County plans to address the impact of the storm.
Top Line
Buncombe County plans to budget for $624,058,019 overall. To balance the budget, the tax rate will be increased to 55.2 per $100, a 3.26 cent increase, or about a 6% property tax increase.
General Fund $434,984,111- see below for more details.
Special Reserve Fund $124,144,450. Special revenue funds for various projects, including the Transportation Fund, Forfeiture Fund, and School Fines & Forfeitures Fund.
Enterprise Fund $16,687,293- This is two funds tied to solid waste collection and the Inmate Commissary and Welfare program.
Internal Service Fund $48,242,165- This fund provides for insurance coverage for County employees.
The proposed budget recommends an expenditure of $434,984,111 for the General Fund in fiscal year 2026.
Education receives $121,804,21, about 28% of the total budget. This represents a 23% increase over the last four years.
Public Safety receives $99,097,960, about 23% of the total budget.
Human Services receives $97,270,899, about 22% of the total budget. This supports programs like Medicaid, Child Support, Child Care Subsidy, and other programs.
General Government receives $66,306,741, about 15% of the total budget. This supports the office of County Manager, Elections, Register of Deeds, and other essential administrative services.
The budget allocates $18,33,933 to meet its debt obligations for capital improvement projects, about 4.0% of the total budget.
Cultural and Recreation receives $12,242,739 in the proposed budget, about 3% of the total budget. These funds primarily support county parks and libraries.
Interfund Transfers receive about $9,073,617 in the proposed budget, about 2% of the total budget. These funds support Early Childhood Education, Conservation Easements, and Economic Development Incentives, as well as some Transportation and Reappraised Reserve Funds.
Revenue
The proposed budget notes that property tax revenue is budgeted for$288,471,850, an increase of $11,140,056 (3.9%) if the County Commission approved the 3.26 per $100 property tax increase.
Sales tax revenue is budgeted at $45,534,597, a decrease of $1,094,869 from last year. The drop in sales tax revenue is expected to be a lasting impact of Helene.
Intergovernmental Revenue is budgeted at $49,592,608, which is a decrease of $331,233, due to the loss of reimbursement for mandated social services and uncertainty around federal funding.
In addition to the property tax increase, the proposed budget lays out numerous fee increases. Here are some of the top examples.
Buncombe County Board of Education Filing Fee increase by $5 to 1% of annual salary to comply with NC General Statute.
Clinical Services at the Buncombe County Public Health plans to monitor prices and insurance reimbursement rates throughout the year.
Recreational services plan fee increases for different services available at the park.
Landfill tonnage fee increased from $45 to $50 a ton.
Transfer Station tonnage fee increased from $52 to $60 a ton.
