Buncombe County advisory panel reallocates $23,000, approves FY2026 funding recommendations and a transportation rate increase

The Buncombe County Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee voted Thursday to reallocate $23,000 in county supplemental aging funds, approved final fiscal year 2026 funding recommendations for aging services and authorized a $3-per-trip rate increase for Mountain Care transportation.

Committee members said the $23,000 reallocation — $5,000 to DayStay and $18,000 to OnTrack — reflected providers' differing abilities to spend down their current allocations before the end of the county fiscal year on June 30. The panel approved the reallocation unanimously after brief discussion and a motion to adopt the specific split.

The vote came as staff and committee members reviewed year-to-date “units of service” reports and Buncombe County supplemental aging fund spreadsheets. Members cited storm damage that temporarily closed congregate meal sites and mandatory water testing that delayed meal operations; congregate dining sites were reported at roughly 21% utilization in March because of those interruptions. Committee members also flagged several underused awards to newer providers as evidence they should increase technical assistance for grantees.

Why it matters: HCCBG (Home and Community Care Block Grant) funds and the county's supplemental aging dollars pay for meals, transportation, in-home aid, care navigation and other services that help older adults remain at home. The committee said underspending can create an impression that need has declined and could jeopardize future funding if dollars are returned unspent.

Key decisions and votes - Reallocate $23,000 in Buncombe County supplemental aging funds: $5,000 to DayStay and $18,000 to OnTrack. Motion made and seconded; approved unanimously. (Committee discussion and motion recorded during the April 23 agenda item on allocations.) - Approve final FY2026 funding recommendations. Motion seconded and approved unanimously. - Approve a rate increase for Mountain Care general transportation from $42 to $45 per trip. The committee approved the $3-per-trip increase on the condition that Mountain Care rework its budgets and fund the increase by reallocating money within its own program budgets (for example, moving underspent allocations from other programs the provider operates) rather than requesting additional county dollars; motion seconded and approved.

Officials and staff who spoke during the funding review repeatedly emphasized constraints built into HCCBG and county supplemental funding: the block grant is a one-year allocation and cannot be carried forward into the next fiscal year. Committee members said that constraint creates a year‑end “mad dash” to spend funds and that, when providers cannot expend money because of closures or compliance issues (for example, lead testing at meal sites), the county cannot simply hold the money for the provider into the next year.

Discussion highlights - Storm and compliance impacts: Committee members and staff said the recent storm and required lead testing disrupted congregate meal sites and contributed to low utilization numbers in some programs. - New providers and technical assistance: United Community Development (a new grantee in the housing/home improvement category) had used under $300 of its award and indicated it would return unspent funds. Staff reported that the grantee struggled with the county's ARMS reporting system and, despite offers of assistance, declined onsite help. Committee members recommended offering more start‑up support to new grantees so allocated funds are used as intended. - Program-by-program concerns: Members discussed whether to protect historically funded programs (for example, Land of Sky community health worker positions, senior companion, Meals on Wheels) or prioritize larger programs that serve greater numbers of people. The committee noted some providers were substantially overspent (one provider reported 329% utilization on its allotment) while others were well under target. - Transportation rate: Mountain Care requested an increase from $42 to $45 per trip. Staff explained a retroactive change would require budget revisions and potentially back payments, so the committee approved the increase contingent on Mountain Care reworking internal budgets and using underspent funds from its other programs to cover any present-year shortfall.

Clarifying details from the meeting - County directed a roughly 25% cut to the current allocation pool earlier in the year; committee members worked within that reduced total. - Committee identified $23,000 of county supplemental aging funds as available for reallocation and approved moving $5,000 to DayStay and $18,000 to OnTrack. - Several providers reported low percent spent in March: congregate meal sites ~21% (storm and lead-testing closures), in‑home aid ~22% spent. One new housing/home-improvement grantee reported using under $300 and plans to return the rest. - Pisco Legal (as listed in the units report) was cited as having spent 329% of its allocation to date; committee members discussed giving that organization a funding reduction in FY2026 because it receives significant funding from other sources. - The committee allocated two hours on the agenda for this funding discussion and worked to finalize recommendations so Allison (budget staff) could submit the county budget paperwork by Friday.

What comes next County staff will amend Buncombe County contracts as directed (the committee discussed amending contracts to reflect $5,000 for DayStay and $18,000 for OnTrack) and will ask providers to submit revised budgets (Form 7-32 or equivalent) if they change unit rates or reallocate funds among program lines. Committee members said they expect the reallocations and budget amendments to be revisited at the next meeting if spend-down patterns change before June 30.

Sources: meeting transcript of the Buncombe County Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee meeting, April 23, 2025; committee motions and staff budget notes recorded during the meeting.