News

Despite cost of Helene, county holds line on property tax rate

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]

By Bill Moss, Published: May 27, 2025

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.

Hurricane Helene recovery

“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:

• Infrastructure repair and reinforcement. Although the county owns no roads, “we do have an obligation to be sure that the citizens understand what’s going on within NCDOT, with major private dam repair, with private roads and private bridges,” Mitchell said. “The citizens look to the county for this information.”
• Long-term recovery. Along with the United Way and other nonprofits, the county is working “to pull in nonprofit resources from private sources to deal with the issues that arise outside of what you would call a normal government entity, so that you deal with the gaps.”
• Debris removal. “The debris side alone goes into the tens of millions. I believe the number is above $60 million — what we believe is going to end up passing through our books.” The total encompasses debris removal from private property, waterways and public right of way.
• Hazard mitigation, including home buyouts, landslide buyouts, “a program which did not exist in the past,” plus long-term housing support. “The state of North Carolina has secured $1.5 billion to build new houses and to work on houses that were damaged during the storm.”

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.”