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State relief bill HB 1012 provides new Helene funds but leaves out small-business and revenue-replacement aid
Summary
Buncombe County staff summarized the June 26 state disaster-relief bill (HB 1012): the package adds roughly $700 million in the latest appropriation (about $500 million for direct recovery and $200 million reserved for future relief), but the county noted small-business grants and local revenue replacement were not included.
Assistant County Manager Tim Love briefed the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on July 15 about recent North Carolina legislative action supporting Helene recovery, noting a June 26 law that the county said increases statewide recovery support but omits some priorities local officials have requested.
Love said the new package brought "about $500,000,000" for direct recovery and an additional "$200,000,000 earmarked for future relief," and that taken together recent state action had brought the state's total Helene-related support to "about $1,900,000,000." He said the bill was signed June 26.
Love highlighted several line items the county expects to track, including $25 million for agricultural crop loss, $3 million for landslide mapping, $8 million to the Department of Public Instruction for public school repairs and $70 million for a newly created local-government capital program intended to fund projects ineligible for FEMA public-assistance reimbursement. He also cited $18 million for state fire-marshal grants (up to $50,000 each) and $31 million for public-school facilities.
Love noted two areas local officials had repeatedly requested that did not appear in the bill: small-business relief grants and local-government revenue replacement. He said the county will monitor program rules and timing and expects details to be released over time.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about how the new state capital program would be coordinated with FEMA public assistance and whether state and federal reviews would affect timing; Love said the state will look to avoid duplication of benefits and that the county likely will need to establish a clear demonstration that a project is not FEMA-eligible before it could access the new state capital funds.
