ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Buncombe County officials are exploring the creation of a single fire district tax rate for unincorporated areas in an effort to provide consistent fire protection services and establish a more equitable and sustainable funding model.
The county does not operate its own countywide fire department. Instead, it contracts with independent fire service districts and departments, which are governed by their own boards, to provide protection in unincorporated areas. Each district proposes its own funding needs, and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners reviews and approves those rates annually as part of the county budget process.
Under the current system, the county collects and distributes fire district tax revenue and oversees how funds are used, while local departments handle day-to-day emergency response and operations.
County leaders say studying a single fire district tax rate would help address immediate and long-term fire protection needs, accommodate growth and population shifts, and work toward meeting nationally recognized staffing and response standards. The proposal outlines a multi-year transition aimed at ensuring the fire protection system is funded in a way that supports achieving those standards over time.
If adopted, the new funding model would not change which fire department responds to 911 calls. Residents would continue to receive service from the same primary department in their area. The proposal would affect only how fire district property and sales taxes are collected and distributed in unincorporated parts of the county.
County officials emphasized that the effort is separate from the county’s property revaluation process. Revaluation determines assessed property values, while the proposed single fire district tax rate would address how fire protection funding is allocated. The Board of Commissioners would set any new tax rate.
County management has presented the proposal during public budget work sessions, met with fire chiefs and the Board of Commissioners, and briefed local fire department boards of directors in January. Mailers explaining the proposal are expected to be sent to affected property owners in March.
An information session is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Koontz Intermediate School. The meeting will include a presentation and question-and-answer session. Spanish interpretation will be available, and the event will be streamed live on the county’s Facebook page.
More information is available on the county’s website.