Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Asheville staff present FY2025–26 budget with 3.26‑cent tax‑rate increase; council signals plan to add three firefighter trainees using fund balance
Summary
City staff presented a balanced FY2025–26 budget that includes a 3.26‑cent property tax‑rate increase, pay adjustments, and two options to fund three firefighter trainees in January 2026. Council members signaled support for using one‑time fund balance to cover the initial cost and asked staff to present the adjustment for adoption on June 10.
City staff presented a proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget June 5 that would raise the property tax rate by 3.26 cents and preserve a 15% fund‑balance policy target, while including pay adjustments and one‑time and ongoing investments across city services.
Tony McDowell, city staff, told the council “the budget is balanced with a 3.26 property tax rate increase,” and said the proposed total budget across all funds is roughly $256 million, about a 2.1% increase over the current year. McDowell said the general fund component increases by about $2.9 million, or 1.6%.
The budget would maintain a 15% fund balance target, fund a mix of recovery and capital spending, and include a compensation package that staff said provides a 3% increase for employees on the general pay plan and a set flat increase for employees earning below the city median. McDowell also said police staff receiving…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
