Buncombe County Commissioners approved a new budget of over 430 million dollars at their meeting of June 20, 2023, the commissioner, and raised charges at the county’s solid waste facilities in hope of encouraging users to better sort their waste for recycling.
The vote to raise the county’s property tax rate to provide increased funding for local school districts was unanimous.
The general fund budget increases the property tax rate by 1 cent to 49.8 cents per $100 of taxable value, or about 2%. The owner of a home valued at $300,000 will pay about fifteen hundred dollars in taxes, roughly $30 more than last year.
Commissioners agreed to the tax hike after hearing complaints by teachers and staff for months during public comment about the difficulties of living on current salaries, but the raises in the new budget won’t meet the demands of those who’ve spoken before the commissioners.
According to a presentation by Budget Director John Hudson, the tax increase will raise an extra $5.1 million over the revenues estimated during the June 6 public hearing on County Manager Avril Pinder’s recommended budget.
Hear more, from Asheville FM’s news director Mark West, in this week’s Civic Roundup.
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