Henderson County commissioners review FY2027 budget; schools seek just over $40 million as sheriff flags staffing, housing gaps

Hendersonville — The Henderson County Board of Commissioners spent much of its May 20 meeting on a FY2027 budget workshop that highlighted a school system request of just over $40 million and multiple staffing and funding questions across county departments.

Superintendent Mark Garrett told commissioners the district’s "all-in" county appropriation request totals just over $40 million and described the district’s technology footprint, saying students in grades 6 through 12 receive individual Chromebooks while grades 3–5 primarily use shared classroom devices. Garrett said Chromebook unit costs have risen from about $230 per device to nearly double that amount, and HCPS information-technology staff manage roughly 20,000–30,000 devices across the system. "Those increased device costs are a significant driver of our request," Garrett said.

The budget workshop also included a presentation from Blue Ridge Community College, capital-projects updates and departmental budget reviews. Assistant County Manager Chris Todd told the board staff will present any sole-bid contract proposals for Board review before executing a contract, after Chairman William Lapsley raised concerns about single bidders on a capital project.

Sheriff Lowell Griffin urged the Board to consider salary increases to address recruitment and retention, saying several employees "cannot afford to live in the county they police." Griffin reported vacancies in School Resource Officer positions and asked commissioners for figures to support proposed salary increases; County Manager John Mitchell agreed staff would provide the requested numbers and figures on lapsed salaries for further discussion.

Commissioner Rebecca McCall pressed staff on social-services staffing needs, identifying two unfunded positions in Adult Protective Services—a Social Worker II (Intake) and a Social Worker III (Adult Protective Services Investigator)—and requested cost estimates. Register of Deeds Lee King advocated establishing a county passport office, estimating about $30,000 in startup costs and noting the county would retain roughly $50 per passport issued, with King saying he expects the office to recoup costs within two years.

Finance Director Samantha Reynolds previewed new interactive budget software that will go live on the county website May 22 and said the software will provide a more interactive view of each department’s budget. County Manager Mitchell said staff will compile the Board’s requests and provide a report showing the tax-rate equivalent of additions and modifications before the June 3 public hearing; he reminded the Board the budget must be adopted by the June 30 statutory deadline.

The meeting record shows commissioners requested further information on FY2026 occupancy tax revenue increases, the IT Depreciation Fund balance for future IT projects, the Heritage Museum’s fund balance, and whether revenue from properties no longer in the Farmland Preservation program should be recorded in the Farmland Preservation Fund.

The Board reconvened from a closed-session brief on property acquisition and attorney–client matters and continued the budget workshop; no final budget vote was taken at the May 20 meeting. The Board will review the staff report and the public hearing is scheduled for June 3 ahead of the June 30 adoption deadline.