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Avery County commissioners outline $41.3M 2025-26 budget, adopt drug-plan change and authorize sheriff vehicle orders
Summary
At a April 29 budget workshop, the Avery County Board of Commissioners reviewed a proposed $41,312,807 budget that relies on about $3.5 million in fund-balance appropriation, agreed to a negotiated Blue Cross Blue Shield drug plan that limits the premium increase to roughly 1%, and authorized a May budget amendment to order three sheriff vehicles; the board also agreed to offer $600,000 for a radio station property.
The Avery County Board of Commissioners on April 29 reviewed a proposed $41,312,807 Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget and agreed on several staff recommendations, including adopting a negotiated change to the county’s Blue Cross Blue Shield drug benefit that limits the premium increase to about 1% and placing a budget amendment on the May agenda so three Sheriff's Office vehicles can be ordered immediately.
County Manager Phillip Barrier, Jr. told commissioners the draft budget holds the property tax rate steady from the prior year and will require a fund-balance appropriation of about $3.5 million. "The proposed budget is $41,312,807 with the same tax rate as last year," Barrier said, and he noted $929,000 was available for appropriation to cover items such as a potential cost-of-living adjustment or additional school system requests.
Barrier also reviewed employee benefit projections, saying Blue Cross Blue Shield membership stood at 381 and that the initial renewal produced a roughly 12% increase. Negotiations produced an option to adopt a new pharmacy/drug plan that would reduce the county’s premium increase to about 1% under the negotiated tiers; the board reached consensus to take that option.
The meeting included several budget pressures and revenue notes: staff stated that one cent on the tax rate equals $622,996 for Avery County and that employer retirement rates had risen (state pension to 14.42% from 13.6% and the law enforcement retirement rate to 16.01% from 15.04%), which increases personnel costs in the coming year.
Commissioners discussed capital purchases and agreed to schedule a budget amendment for the May meeting to allow immediate ordering of three Sheriff’s Office vehicles. Barrier described capital and departmental budget needs and summarized special-appropriation requests, saying the draft carries over last year’s numbers for outside nonprofits.
Debate over airport funding produced a notable exchange. Vice-Chair Dennis Aldridge, after researching the airport authority over the past six months, said he would let the authority operate autonomously and remove county funding, stating, "If they want to operate autonomously, I vote that we let them and cut their funding." The board later reached consensus to keep special appropriations at last year’s levels except to cut funding for the airport.
Barrier also reported administrative items: the county is prepared to close on the Liars Table building, staff were moving out of Eseeola, home-delivered meals will be prepared at a Forest Service facility, and that Philip Adams had secured $80,000 in grants to support county activities.
On the question of county property, commissioners authorized making an offer of $600,000 for a radio station property. Barrier concluded the session with a recap of decisions and next steps: the airport funding change, a May budget amendment to order three sheriff vehicles, adoption of the BCBS drug plan option with the roughly 1% premium increase, placement of the $600,000 offer for the radio property, and maintaining nonprofit funding at last year’s levels.
The workshop adjourned at 3:53 p.m. after a motion by Wood Hall Young, Jr. and second by Dennis Aldridge; the vote was unanimous among those present (3-0).
