City of Asheville Adopts Budget for Fiscal Year 2026

The Asheville City Council approved its budget for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). This budget allocates $256.26 million over this time period. The budget includes a property tax increase to 44.19 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to balance the budget.

Budget Highlights:

• Maintaining existing city services at their current levels, including protecting public safety, supporting public spaces, maintaining cleanliness, preserving infrastructure, boosting economic development, enhancing water quality, and more.

• 3.0% compensation increase for all permanent staff on the General Pay Plan whose salaries are above the median pay of $58,000 and $1,740 flat increase for those below the median.

• Moving sworn officers in the Police Department to a new pay plan, which includes compression adjustments and a 3% one-time payment to officers not receiving a compression adjustment.

• 3% compensation increase for employees on the Fire pay plan, plus funding to establish a new shift structure and 3 additional firefighters for the Fire Department, which will begin a long-term process of decreasing firefighter hours by adding new staff.

• $5M in one-time revenues from a FEMA Community Disaster Loan to cover decreased revenue projections after Tropical Storm Helene.

• A robust capital program which includes Helene recovery projects, General Obligation Bond projects, and other capital improvements.

The full budget document will be posted on the City’s website in July.