The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners recognized essential community services, approved multiple budget ordinances, adopted a resolution urging HCA to engage with stakeholders in Western North Carolina, and received several informational presentations during its May 5, 2026 regular meeting.

The Board proclaimed May 6-12, 2026 as National Nurses Week, honoring Public Health Nurses for their commitment to community health, emergency preparedness, maternal and child health programs, communicable disease response, and preventive care. View the National Nurses Week proclamation.

The Board also proclaimed May 3-9, 2026 as Hurricane Preparedness Week and May as Wildfire Preparedness Month. Both proclamations encourage residents to help protect their families and loved ones - sign up for BC Alerts by texting “BCReady” to 67283, develop emergency plans, and build supply kits. View the Hurricane Preparedness Week and  Wildfire Preparedness Month proclamations.

The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment shared an annual update on the quasi-judicial committee’s work. Consisting of seven regular members and seven alternates, the Board of Adjustment rules on variances from development ordinances, special use permits, and appeals to decisions of development ordinance administrators. View the presentation.

The Trust for Public Land provided commissioners with a presentation on the feasibility of voter-approved funding for land conservation and affordable housing in Buncombe County. The Board did not take action. View the Trust for Public Land presentation.

County Manager Avril Pinder presented the FY2027 Recommended Budget along with the corresponding Budget Message. View budget details are contained in this separate release.

In new business, the Board approved a revision to the Farmland Preservation Ordinance to meet general statute requirements. View the presentation.

Buncombe County Solid Waste was recently awarded $3.5 million from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service for a construction and demolition (C&D) infrastructure diversion project. The grant funding will be used for construction, enhancement and investment in infrastructure and equipment that will expand the ability to sort, aggregate and market recyclable materials from incoming C&D waste. This project aligns with the Solid Waste Department 2030 Strategic Plan goal to increase diversion of C&D materials by 20%. The Board voted to accept the grant and approve the corresponding budget amendment.

The Board also voted to approve budget amendments for:

• Health, Employment, Property & Casualty Fund by adding $7.2 million for higher-than-projected claims
• Woodfin Project Development Financing transfer of $533,079 for debt service obligations
• The closure of 14 Special Projects Fund projects totaling $5.3 million and reallocating $206,000 in unspent funds toward conservation easements. An additional $1.5M will be repurposed next year for economic development incentives and sustainability

Commissioners also added an agenda item from the briefing: a resolution urging HCA to engage with stakeholders in Western North Carolina. View the resolution passed by commissioners, which in part states: the Board of Commissioners for the County of Buncombe call on Mr. Sam Hazen, as the leader of HCA, to come to Western North Carolina and meet with elected officials, healthcare advocates, and other community leaders, be accountable for HCA's decisions a t Mission Health, and engage in a collaborative and transparent dialogue to develop a plan for long term, permanent improvement at Mission Hospital and throughout the Mission Health system.

The next regular meeting for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will be held on May 19. To view this meeting, go to www.facebook.com/buncombegov. Agendas and meeting materials are available at www.buncombenc.gov/commissioners.

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