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City staff warn of early $30 million FY27 shortfall as budget process begins
Summary
Budget staff told Asheville City Council an early FY27 estimate shows roughly a $30 million gap driven by rising health care, transit and other operating costs; staff proposed an early, multi-month engagement with public hearings, multiyear forecasting and contingency planning.
Lindsay Spangler, the city’s Budget and Performance Manager, told the Asheville City Council on Jan. 13 that preliminary work on the FY27 budget shows a substantial gap between projected revenues and expenses and that staff brought the issue to council earlier than usual to allow time for options and public input. Spangler said the current balanced budget relied in part on one-time actions last year (about $5 million in spending cuts and a $5 million FEMA community disaster loan) and warned against using fund balance for ongoing operating costs.
Spangler and other finance staff outlined major cost pressures driving the shortfall: an estimated $5–6 million increase in employee health care costs; roughly $0.5…
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