County Forced to Raise Taxes Amid State Laws | Asheville News

Asheville News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 15, 2026 · 1m

Buncombe County is facing a budget crisis after new state laws forced them to use outdated property values, hiking the tax rate by 18.34 cents per $100 of value — a move that hits lower- and middle-income residents hardest. County commissioners, already frustrated after approving their budget in June, are now scrambling to amend it, calling the state’s interference a blow to local autonomy and disaster recovery efforts. Chair Amanda Edwards slammed the state for ignoring their needs and forcing a costly redo. To protect essential services like schools and emergency responders, they chose to…