Buncombe County FY 24 budget what to know: Salary increases, public safety, homelessness
ASHEVILLE - While record inflation levels, lack of housing affordability and a high cost of living complicate Buncombe County's 2024 fiscal year planning, the recommended budget includes increased spending for a slate of board priorities — such as $6.6 million in additional public safety dollars, which will fund 24 new positions, five ambulances and investments to training, inmate medical and the Family Justice Center.
It also includes a 7.28% cost of living salary increase for all regular employees, encompassing 1,776 positions in the general fund, said Budget Director John Hudson, and no property tax increases.
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Buncombe's total proposed 2024 operational budget is $602.6 million, including a general fund budget of $423.5 million, a 3.5% increase from the 2023 amended budget. According to the 2024 recommended annual budget in brief, the increase is driven by new positions, spending on education and investment in commissioner's five top priorities, which are:
Public Safety and Expansion of Emergency Medical Services
Homelessness and Continuum of Care
Early Childhood Education Workforce Development
Consolidation of School Systems
Infrastructure in Unincorporated and Growth Areas
County Manager Avril Pinder presented the recommendations to County Commissioners May 16. A public hearing will be June 6, with budget adoption scheduled for June 20.
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Staffing shortages, few applicants, increased service demand
The "challenging" economic environment is complicated by other budget factors, said Pinder, such as staffing shortages, low applicants for vacancies and increased service demand, particularly in planning and development, social services and public safety.
"It is within this backdrop that we prepared the 2024 budget,” she said, noting that 84% of it is invested in the community focus areas.
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Hudson was also quick to note inflation, and said its impact, which means "everything costs us more money," is one of the most defining characteristics of this fiscal year's budget. The two-year trend of inflation is about 7%, he said, but in that time, the county has only seen an about 3% growth in revenue from property tax.
“It’s costs 7% more to do the same things we’ve been doing, and we don’t have the revenue to cover that. So it’s really the first lean budget year that people have seen in a lot of years.”
Per Pinder's presentation, reductions to the budget include $7.9 million in requested positions — the bulk of which are positions requested but not recommended, but also reductions resulting from staggered start dates and positions referred to opioid settlement money or grant-based funding.
There was also $6.3 million in reductions to operating requests, such as maintenance, training and equipment.
In all, the budget recommends 44 new positions across 14 departments in the general fund, which includes multiple library assistants, a park ranger, an assistant county manager and more.
Of note is $698,000 of investment in homelessness and Continuum of Care budget items, which includes:
$430,000 for Homeward Bound through Vaya Health
$70,000 contract for library-based outreach and coordinated assessment
$60,000 for code purple winter shelter
Included in this is funding are two new positions.
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Who could be getting what in 2024?
According to the county's budget explorer and budget-in-brief document, these are some of the departments and groups that scored the highest proposed general fund spending for the 2024 fiscal year:
Education: $115.7 million overall in fiscal year 2024 spending — it was $109.2 million in the amended 2023 budget.
Who is getting the most money in this area?
Buncombe County Schools: $90.3 million
Asheville City Schools: $16.8 million
Human services: $94.5 million overall in fiscal year 2024 spending — it was $94.6 million in the amended 2023 budget.
Who is getting the most money in this area?
Social Services: $58.4 million
Public Health: $25.3 million
Public safety: $89.6 million overall in fiscal year 2024 spending — it was $83.05 million in the amended 2023 budget.
Who is getting the most money in this area?
Buncombe County Sheriff's Office: $26.5 million
Buncombe County Detention Center: $24.1 million
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New positions recommended for the public safety workforce, totaling $1.5 million, include:
18 part-time EMT paramedics
Six starting July 1
Three starting Oct. 1
Nine starting Jan. 1
911 Administrative Coordinator starting Feb. 1
911 Training and Support Specialist starting Oct. 1
Two detectives
Arson Investigator
EMS Operations manager
Reclass the pre-trial screener to Case Manager
The budget also includes increases to the training budget, equipment maintenance and contracted services.
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What's in the FY 24 Buncombe budget proposal? Public safety and more
