Wednesday, May 28, 2025
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Henderson County’s budget priorities include Helene recovery, farmland preservation, a new ag services building, the new Clear Creek sewer system and a new school bus garage. The budget also sets aside debt service on the new $160 million courthouse-jail expansion, the largest capital project in the county’s history. [HENDERSON COUNTY BUDGET PRESENTATION]
Henderson County’s first budget since Hurricane Helene struck the N.C. mountains last September covers the ongoing cost of storm recovery, the first year of construction of the largest capital project in county history, the new Berkeley Park sports complex, a new agriculture building and other priorities.
And, in something of a surprise, it does so with no tax increase.
“The Board of Commissioners has been talking about Hurricane Helene in every single one of their meetings after the hurricane, and that’s going to continue to be the prime issue as we go forward through this next fiscal year,” County Manager John Mitchell told commissioners last week as he framed the $204,542,012 spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Despite “the largest natural disaster in the history of the state of North Carolina,” Mitchell’s recommended “non-expansion budget” holds the tax rate at 43.1 cents per $100 valuation.
That revelation caused Commissioner Jay Egolf to wonder whether any other county affected by Helene had managed to keep its tax rate level.
“I’m going to say that this county is unique among its neighbors,” Mitchell responded. “I know there’s a proposed tax rate (increase) in Rutherford, Polk and Buncombe County at this time. Some of them are quite significant.
“Henderson County commissioners over the years have had a budget and a budget process which prizes security, and security for the taxpayer, above all other things, and you’re going to see that kind of play out in the budget framework that we have here,” he added.
It’s been the board’s practice for many years to keep the rate steady between quadrennial real property revaluations.
“This is the fourth year that this rate has been at this number and, assuming we adopt it, historically it stays the same for four years,” Commissioner Rebecca McCall said. “The last time we changed it, it actually was lowered 13 cents,” to the revenue neutral rate after the 2023 revaluation.
The budget covers priorities that include farmland preservation, recreation funding, a land development code update, MRTS funding (maintenance, repair, technology and security) for public schools and BRCC, a new agricultural building at Jackson Park (housing the agriculture extension service, 4-H clubs, the federal Farm Service Agency and Soil & Water Conservation Service), digitizing Register of Deeds records, wellness expansion, organizing and digitizing the Baker-Barber photo collection, repairing and upgrading the Etowah sewer system, moving forward on the new Clear Creek sewer system, building a new school bus garage, expanding broadband service and supporting volunteer fire departments.
“I’ve left Hurricane Helene recovery because it has its own slot,” Mitchell said. “The hurricane caused immense damage. It required this local government to do things that it had not previously done.”
Hurricane Helene repair, rebuilding and recovery includes:
The budget also funds positions needed to secure state and federal grants to pay for rebuilding and recovery.
“We have the resources allocated from the Henderson County Board of Commissioners and the will in order to make it happen,” he said.
At the tail end of his written budget message, Mitchell waxed a bit more poetic.
“Mark Twain is credited as saying that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” he wrote. “I believe this is true. This is not the first or the last natural disaster which will impact our home, and we will recover from this one as our citizens did in the past — by hard work, faith and reinvestment in a brighter future.”