Buncombe County Commissioners Receive Helene Updates, Approve Disaster Rental Assistance Programs
Buncombe County Commissioners met for a regular meeting on December 17, 2024, where they approved disaster rental assistance funding from the state, reallocated COVID funds, viewed a presentation on the school consolidation study, and more.
Fund Reallocations
To address ongoing impacts from Hurricane Helene, Buncombe County Commissioners have approved reallocating $656,794.26 in ARPA funds. This adjustment reduces funding for previously identified ARPA projects and redirects the resources to Helene Recovery Personnel. The reallocated funds will cover administrative costs, including salaries and benefits, which have placed increased pressure on the FY 2025 budget.
Disaster Leave Policy
Commissioners approved a new policy to provide additional paid leave to support employees who were impacted by Helene and have depleted their accrued leave balances. Eligible employees may be granted up to 40 hours of paid Helene Disaster Leave, which must be used specifically for Hurricane Helene recovery-related needs. After exhausting Helene Disaster Leave, employees may use their accrued sick leave for absences for Helene recovery-related needs.
Disaster Rental Assistance Funding
County Commissioners approved a budget amendment for Disaster Rental Assistance funding from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Funds come from the N.C. Disaster Recovery Act to provide rental assistance to residents of counties qualifying for FEMA individual and public assistance. After administrative costs, $189,331 will be administered to the public as a one-time rent payment to income-eligible residents at or below 200% Federal Poverty Level. This will be helpful in leveraging the footprint of the application process and pool of applicants.
Helene Updates
County Staff provide a Hurricane Helene update including updates on several recovery support resources including debris management, economic revitalizations, education, health and social services, housing, infrastructure and access, and natural and cultural resources. Some key takeaways include:
- Debris Management: About 521,113 cubic yards of debris and 9,740 tons of soil have been collected from the public right-of-way collectively in Buncombe County, Town of Black Mountain, and the City of Asheville. More than 1,352 applications for the County’s Private Property Debris Removal Program have been received and 99 inspections have been completed.
- Economic Revitalization: The Rebuilding Together Business Grant received 843 applications, and 25 organizations are participating in business response planning. Applications for help with rent, mortgage, and utility bills through the Helene Recovery Housing Assistance Grant are open until December 18, 2024, at 5 p.m.
- Health and Social Services:
- The County provided community response through Community Care Stations, four of which are currently open. They provided 37,223 showers, 34,660 loads of laundry, 1,250 meals per day through mass care feeding efforts, 1,000 vaccines provided by the County’s Public Health, and sheltering a maximum of 585 people during the height of the storm.
- Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: 16,950 applications received to a total of $10,125,551 disbursed.
- Low-Income Energy Assistance Program: $440,700 funds have been approved to date supporting 1,251 individual households.
- Crisis Intervention Program: 1,372 applications for a total of $559,378.
- Housing: residential unit damage data is still in progress with the scale of impact growing. So far, 9,234 residential units suffered damage, of these, more than 331 residential units have been destroyed. Some FEMA updates include 1,403 Buncombe County households are currently in Transitional Sheltering Assistance in 37 hotels and 147 households have been approved for direct housing and 171 approved for rental assistance. Community Navigators are canvassing harder hit areas to direct individuals to programs.
- Infrastructure and Access: More than 300 residential properties are potentially dealing with damaged or destroyed bridges. More than 1,000 Helene-related permit applications were filed across more than 900 unique locations. More than 2,400 commercial and residential structures have been reappraised.
Click here to view the full presentation.
FY 2025 Financial Report
The FY 2025 Buncombe County Quarterly Financial Report ended on September 30, 2024. The report includes general fund revenues and expenditures, Solid Waste revenues and expenditures, and capital projects. General fund totals are $440.4 million, solid waste totals are $16.5 million, and capital project totals are $154.6 million.
General Fund Revenues:
- Year-to-date actuals are $52.1 million, which is higher than last year’s due to growth in property taxes.
- General Fund Expenditures: Year-to-date actuals are $95.3 million, 2.2% higher than the same time last year.
- Solid Waste Revenues: Year-to-date actuals are $3.3 million, 8.7% higher than the same time last year.
- Solid Waste Expenditures: Year-to-date actuals are $2.1 million, 11.5% higher than the same time last year.
- County Capital Projects: Year-to-date expenditure is $52.7 million.
Click here to view the full report.
Continuum of Care Update
The county’s Continuum of Care (CoC), a collaborative planning body that provides funding and resources to address homelessness, provided updates on program applications, response during Helene, and a shelter update.
- CoC received 10 project applications and provided a total funding of $2,474,432. Applicants included Helpmate, Homeward Bound, and the City of Asheville.
- Helene Response: Before the storm, service providers and public safety staff provided direct outreach and communications to unsheltered individuals. After the storm, evacuated Code Purple participants and veterans residents to county shelters, the lead agency and county staff provided regular outreach with shelter providers and housing agencies to assess needs and facilitate information and resource access; coordinated with the American Red Cross on missing persons, coordinated with the American Red Cross to support shelter residents and solve for continued shelter need and more.
- Shelter Update: Two Code Purple shelters are being operated by ABCCM, a disaster-related shelter for people displaced by the storm is operated by WNC Ministries with county staff and partner support with transitioning out of the shelter.
Click here for the presentation.
School Consolidation Study
An update was provided on the study for the feasibility of a merger between Buncombe County and Asheville City school systems, as mandated by the N.C. General Assembly.
Prismatic Services Inc., a consulting firm, has been leading the work which includes 1,143 data request items, 53 focus group participants, 168 interviews with personnel, 10 community forums, 7,245 surveys completed, and 35 school observations.
The next phase of the project is for a report to be received by the end of 2024 and a presentation of findings and recommendations to County Commissioners and school boards on January 16, 2025.
Click here for the full report.