Woodfin council reviews fiscal 2025-26 expansion budget; keeps tax rate, adds communications tool and $20 bulky-item fee

Woodfin Town Council met in a special work session on Tuesday, May 13, to continue planning the town’s fiscal year 2025-26 budget. Staff presented a recommended expansion budget of $669,623 that would require roughly $208,000 from the general fund balance, recommended keeping the property tax rate at 33 cents per $100 of assessed value and outlined several one-time and recurring additions including a new communications platform, park repairs and personnel adjustments.

The presentation came as town staff told council members that costs and reimbursements from storm damage related to Hurricane Helene remain unsettled. Sherry Powers, the staff member who presented the budget, said FEMA will likely cover most storm-related costs but that timing and final approvals are uncertain, and she urged the council to “act in a with a sense of caution because there are a lot of unknowns that could dramatically affect a small town with limited budget capacity.”

Why it matters: The expansion items and pending FEMA decisions affect the town’s near-term spending flexibility and could change whether reserves or additional fund-balance allocations are needed. The council will formally receive the proposed budget next week, set a public hearing in June and is scheduled to vote on adoption in June.

Staff overview and FEMA uncertainty Sherry Powers walked the council through an expansion package that excludes FEMA-reimbursable storm response costs so the town could compare year-over-year operating changes more meaningfully. The recommended expansion package totals…