Our Vision
Buncombe County is a caring community in harmony with
its environment where citizens succeed, thrive, and
realize their potential.
Our Mission
- We promote a healthy, safe, well-educated, and thriving community with a sustainable quality of life.
- We provide effective and efficient government our citizens can trust.
- We deliver needed service through a responsive work force committed to excellence, integrity, and teamwork.
SERVE
We in Buncombe County government have a responsibility to provide leadership in our community. That's an important service. So important that our values reflect this commitment to S E R V E.
S how pride in our work.
E xhibit caring in all we do.
R espect others.
V alue and practice honesty.
E xercise responsibility.
And that's what makes Buncombe County great!
General Government
- Improve communications with citizens through public
meetings, media, and integrated technology.
- Provide high-quality, cost-effective, fair and
equitable service through process improvement, efficient
use of resources, contracted services, materials,
and equipment.
- Ensure high quality service by attracting and retaining
a qualified work force through competitive compensation,
employment benefits, employee training, and employee
recognition.
- Continuously improve internal and external customer
satisfaction through ongoing analysis and response
to customer feedback.
- Assure fiscal and programmatic accountability to
citizens through internal and external reporting and
well documented, clearly communicated procedures.
Human Services
- Encourage client independence and self-sufficiency
by providing basic care and protection while promoting
self-reliance.
- Address the current and changing needs of individuals
by making efficient use of available resources.
- Respond effectively to the needs of individuals
and families by providing flexibility in service delivery.
- Maximize the effectiveness of county services by
establishing collaborative planning, development,
and evaluation of human service programs among county
departments.
- Enhance human service programs by encouraging collaboration
through community partnerships.
Culture & Recreation
- Meet the changing needs of our diverse community by developing, supporting, and encouraging access to appropriate technological, educational, and recreational programs.
- Improve the cost-effectiveness of recreational services
by developing recreation facilities and programs that
are self- maintained through user fees, sponsorships,
donations, and grants.
- Enhance citizens’ quality of life by developing
library and recreation facilities with easy access
to neighborhoods.
- Respond to the growth and diversity of community-wide
programs and facilities through appropriate staffing
levels.
- Ensure the quality of recreation and library facilities
by establishing and maintaining county-wide construction
and operation standards.
Environmental
- Minimize the cost of solid waste disposal by utilizing
the most appropriate, environmentally sensitive, and
economically sound technologies available.
- Improve water quality through pollutant source reduction
and public education.
- Reduce the amount of disposed household hazardous
wastes through effective public education initiatives.
- Improve customer convenience and service by streamlining
the permitting process.
- Improve air quality through public education and
cooperation between agencies, departments, and private
corporations.
Education
- Improve the likelihood of students’ school
success by assuring that all children enter primary
school equipped to learn and gain maximum benefits
from their educational opportunities.
- Create an environment which encourages high school
graduation including: expectations of both a demonstrated
competence in fundamental skills and knowledge at
the end of the 8th grade and a commitment to either
college prep., tech prep., or occu-prep.
- Enable students to succeed in the technology-oriented
global marketplace by graduating them with the necessary
skills, setting uncompromising standards of high performance,
and requiring accountability for the educators, students,
and parents.
- Meet the region’s complex education needs by
establishing programs which make education more accessible,
expand graduate programs, and promote high-quality
research, technology transfer, and economic development.
Economic & Physical Development
- Attract and sustain companies providing above average
wages through the recruitment, development, and retention
of a highly skilled and competent work force.
- Strengthen economic vitality by attracting and retaining
high-wage industries with emphasis on technology-driven
companies while maintaining a balanced mix of employment
opportunities.
- Balance the need for additional economic and population
growth opportunities with environmental stewardship
through well-planned infrastructure expansion.
- Promote economic development within the region by
fostering cooperative partnerships with local, regional,
and state entities.
- Facilitate economic growth by eliminating impediments
to small business and entrepreneurial expansions.