ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — About $1.37 million in unused Buncombe County transportation funds could boost Asheville’s bus service.

Buncombe County commissioners were expected to vote Tuesday to rescind the funds to Asheville in support of the city’s ART transit system, county officials said.

“Most of these funds were a part of annual allocations that were automatically apportioned to Buncombe County in support of urban transit. A smaller portion of these funds, about $100K, were applied for by Buncombe County to support the Trailblazer deviated fixed route service,” Buncombe County Communications Manager Kassi Day said.

Day said the county had received urban transit funds under the CARES Act and ARPA that were required to be spent first and that money has not been exhausted.

So, commissioners are expected to approve a motion during Tuesday’s meeting to rescind $1,374,797 of suballocated FTA Section 5307 annual and JARC funds to support the ART system in fiscal year 2025 under the following conditions:

  • Accepting the funds under the expectation that no additional funds will be requested for the continued operation of the New Leicester Highway Extension & Route 170 in FY2025
  • Rescinding $138,830 in FY2025 Section 5310 Traditional funds to Buncombe County to support County transportation for older adults and individuals with disabilities
  • Evaluating WE2 Route changes to improve safer connection to Buncombe County’s EnkaCandler Trailblazer Route
  • Evaluating increased trip frequency for the S3 and S6 routes serving south Asheville

“Under the 2017 local agreement governing the allocation of Section 5307 funds, the county is only required to alert the French Broad River MPO that the funds are to be rescinded to the city of Asheville in order to complete the rescission,” Day explained.

The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization is a partnership between local and state governments that makes decisions about transportation planning in urbanized areas and meets planning requirements established by federal authorizing legislation for transportation funding.

“Because the funds have been automatically allocated to Buncombe County, and not applied for like a grant, most of the funds were never programmed to a specific purpose, though they would have been used to support Mountain Mobility capital or operating costs,” Day said.

Commissioners meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at 200 College St., Suite 326 in downtown Asheville.