Buncombe County Commissioners Approve 2025 Legislative Agenda, Accept State Cashflow Loan, and More
2025 Legislative Agenda Approved
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a Legislative Agenda for 2025, which sets the policy and appropriations priorities for the year. Top priorities include allocation of recovery funds directly to local jurisdictions to assist with stabilization of local government revenue, law enforcement and public safety funding, and ongoing recovery efforts; permanent housing solutions for residents displaced by Tropical Storm Helene; and support for the Emergency Watershed Protection program.
Policy priorities include legislation delaying scheduled equalization of public service companies because of deferred 2025 property reevaluations and supporting additional mental and behavioral health resources for emergency responders, law enforcement, and state employees.
Appropriation priorities include additional state funding for state employees’ salaries, including K-12 and community college education employees; business recovery loans and grants; expansion of and redundancy for the water and sewer system; state funding for emergency response infrastructure, equipment, and vehicles; and reimbursement for the local school consolidation study.
“We've presented several of these over the years, and I feel like this is by far the strongest legislative agenda that we have approved,” said Board Chair Amanda Edwards. “It really digs in and addresses the needs we have as we continue to recover, rebuild, and become more resilient after Helene.”
Read the full 2025 Legislative Agenda here.
State Cashflow Loan Obligation Accepted and Associated Agreements Authorized
Commissioners accepted the first round of cashflow loan funding from the State of North Carolina to support Helene-related activities and authorized the execution of associated agreements. The program established zero-interest loans for disaster recovery activities, which are to be repaid between one and five years after initiation.
The loan amounts were decided based on Public Assistance project lists provided by FEMA, and each impacted county will receive a share of the allocated $100 million relative to those project costs. Buncombe County anticipates receiving a first-round loan of $8.45 million.
View the full presentation here.
Proclamations Recognizing School Resource Officer Appreciation Day and Ag Awareness Day
Commissioners heard a proclamation recognizing School Resource Officer Appreciation Day on March 4. The proclamation acknowledged school resource officers as valuable and essential members of the educational community. Read the full proclamation here.
Commissioners also recognized National Agriculture Day on March 18 with a proclamation celebrating Buncombe County’s more than 1,000 farms and emphasizing the importance of preserving local farmland. Read the full proclamation here.
Public Hearing for Limited Obligation Bonds
A public hearing was held in conjunction with a resolution to issue Limited Obligation Bonds (LOBs) in an amount not to exceed $70 million. The LOBs are intended to refinance the remaining debt related to bonds that were issued in 2015, and the resolution authorizes the County Manager and the Finance Director to carry out the transaction, make an application to the Local Government Commission, and retain the professional organization that will assist in completing the transaction. No public comment was put forth, and the resolution will go before the Board for approval on Tuesday, March 18.
View the full presentation here.
Update on the Continuum of Care
County staff presented the quarterly update on the work of the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care (CoC), a planning body that develops and oversees services designed to prevent and resolve occurrences of homelessness in the area.
The CoC has facilitated 63 Code Purple nights since July 2024, with each night averaging 48 people sheltered. In January, the CoC conducted the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count, and data from the count will be available in May.
With funding support from Dogwood Health Trust, Buncombe County and the City of Asheville also engaged the National Alliance to End Homelessness to identify local needs and develop the Within Reach Report, which provides strategies and action steps to guide work with the unhoused community.
A strategic plan draft will be presented to the Board upon completion.
See the full presentation here.
Declaration of Intent to Reimburse Vehicle-Related Expenditures
Commissioners passed a resolution that designates the Finance Director to officially declare the County’s intent to reimburse itself for vehicle and vehicle-related expenditures. The Reimbursement Resolution allows the County to purchase public safety vehicles, like ambulances, and other County vehicles using currently available funds, then use debt financing later in fiscal year 2025 to reimburse itself. The operating funds used for these purchases will not exceed $4 million.
For more information or to view the agenda, go to www.buncombecounty.org/commissioners. To view this or any Board of Commissioners meeting, visit www.facebook.com/buncombegov.