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Burke County manager touts $1.1M hauling savings, $2.4M EMS revenue gain and pending $11M FEMA aid in year‑end report
Summary
County Manager Brian Eppley told the Burke County Board of Commissioners that FY 2024–25 produced operational gains including roughly $1.1 million saved by bringing municipal solid‑waste hauling in‑house, a 41% increase in EMS billing revenue and an $11 million FEMA public‑assistance application still under federal review.
County Manager Brian Eppley presented Burke County’s FY 2024–25 year‑end financial report on Sept. 15, telling the Board of Commissioners that the county closed the year with roughly $113.8 million in total revenue and several operational improvements that reduced pressure on the property‑tax base.
Eppley highlighted a transition of municipal solid‑waste hauling to county operations “this year,” which he said produced “savings to taxpayers [of] about $1,100,000.” He also said the county’s decision to bring EMS billing in‑house increased collections from “about $5,100,000 to $7,500,000,” a roughly 41% rise that Eppley described as “unrestricted revenue that helps offset the cost of the department.”
The manager reviewed revenue composition and trends: property tax accounted for about 53.64% of revenue, sales tax was about 16.75%, and restricted intergovernmental grants (public health and social services) were the county’s third largest revenue source. Eppley pointed to increased investment income—about $2.1 million for the year—while noting that some cash had been spent on capital projects (EMS, animal services and courthouse work).
Eppley flagged disaster recovery spending and federal reimbursement: Burke County applied for FEMA public assistance tied to Hurricane Helene and related debris‑management efforts, a claim “a little over $11,000,000” that Eppley said remains under review in Washington, D.C. He characterized the resulting drawdown of fund balance this year as temporary and said county staff expect FEMA reimbursements to restore the balance over time.
On operational metrics, Eppley credited staff for shortening on‑site septic inspection turnaround from roughly 12 weeks to under 30 days, improving building‑permit timeliness and reducing Department of Social Services caseload ratios (from about 31:1 to approximately 10–11:1). He also briefly discussed debt service and capital planning, reporting total county debt around $28.4 million and noting a sharp debt‑service decline after a payoff in March 2026.
Board action: After the presentation, the chair called for a motion to accept the report; the board voted unanimously to accept the manager’s year‑end report.
What’s next: Eppley said staff will continue audit work with the county’s CPA firm (on site the week of the meeting) and will bring further budget and operational details as the audit and grant‑reimbursement processes progress.
