about us
our mission & goals
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.