Our Mission & Goals

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 residents can trust.
• We deliver needed service through a responsive work force committed to excellence, integrity, and teamwork.

To achieve this mission, Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

VALUES

Respect

Integrity

Collaboration

Honesty

Equity

General Government

• Improve communications with residents 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 residents 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 residents’ 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.