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Rep. Mark Pless visits Haywood County, warns of limited recurring state funds and Medicaid uncertainty
Summary
State Representative Mark Pless briefed Haywood County commissioners on the state budget, warning that a continuing resolution and limited recurring funds could constrain aid for Medicaid and recovery programs; he urged counties to submit project lists for possible direct appropriations.
State Representative Mark Pless told the Haywood County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 that the legislature is operating under a continuing resolution and that local governments should be cautious about assuming new, recurring costs.
"We sent $600,000,000 recurring to DHHS to cover what they said they needed until next spring when we go back in session," Pless said, framing recent budget choices that he said leave the state with limited recurring revenue. He urged local officials to submit project lists so legislators can pursue direct appropriations where appropriate.
Pless raised concerns about the state’s Healthy Opportunities pilot and said DHHS had not offered clear, written explanations of how some funds were used. "They also make it out that about $90,000,000 is kind of what we're losing to draw down this huge amount of federal money," he said, later adding the pilot was "costing the state of North Carolina over 180,000,000 to maintain." Pless said budget chairs paused further funding until DHHS provides a clearer accounting.
He described the state's rainy-day fund and the need to preserve recurring money rather than spend one-time reserves to cover ongoing costs: "If you look at it, we've got I think last count I had was 3,800,000,000 sitting in the rainy day fund. Everybody wants us to take that. Well that would be great for 1 year. That's not gonna help us when we roll back into budget in '27."
Pless also addressed disaster recovery and loan programs, saying some loans were structured to be forgiven or to improve grant competitiveness. He invited county officials and residents to contact him with needs and offered to pursue direct appropriations for critical projects. "If you need something, you know how to get a hold of me," he said.
Why it matters: Pless’s comments signal that state-level uncertainty about recurring funding and program administration could affect Haywood County’s planning for services such as Medicaid-covered care and disaster recovery work.
