Buncombe County HHS board extends wastewater permit fee waiver for Helene-damaged properties to June 30, 2026

BUNCOMBE COUNTY — The Buncombe County Health and Human Services Board voted to adopt a resolution extending a temporary waiver of environmental health permit fees for properties damaged by Tropical Storm Helene, moving the waiver deadline from Dec. 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

David Sweat, a Health and Human Services staff member, read the resolution and its background to the board, saying that “on 09/27/2024, Buncombe County was devastated from the effects of Tropical Storm Helene, including but not limited to widespread flooding and power outages,” and that state disaster‑recovery law provided the authority for fee waivers for storm‑damaged structures. The resolution asks that the county extend the Public Health Division’s waiver of environmental health permit fees for lien‑impacted properties for an additional six months.

The extension was requested by the Buncombe County Board of County Commissioners and, if approved by the commissioners, would align the county’s fee policy with similar actions taken by nearby jurisdictions, according to staff. The board voted by voice and the chair announced the motion carried; no recorded opposition or abstentions were entered in the meeting transcript.

A board member said they were “heavily in favor” of the extension but asked about the operational impact on Health and Human Services and how many properties had been affected. Sweat said staff did not believe the number of properties that reached the permitting fee stage had been substantial so far and that exact figures could be provided after the vote. He clarified that waived fees are absorbed into the county’s pool of resources.

The resolution cites the county’s emergency declarations related to Tropical Storm Helene and references state action taken in 2024 to permit disaster recovery fee waivers. The transcript also referenced “North Carolina section law 51” (the 2024 disaster recovery act) and a North Carolina General Statute (read as “15‑a‑77 b 1” in the record) as the legal context for the board’s authority; the board’s staff recommended the extension and will forward the adopted resolution and associated documents to county attorneys and the county manager before the Board of County Commissioners considers it in January.

The meeting was brief; after the vote the chair announced a Narcan training for board members to be held after adjournment. The motion to adjourn carried and the meeting closed.

What’s next: The adopted resolution will be placed on the Buncombe County Board of County Commissioners’ January agenda for final consideration. Staff committed to providing the board with precise counts of impacted properties and any additional data on operational costs after the vote.