Proposal to create unified fire tax district for unincorporated Buncombe County will go to commissioners in March; public hearing set for April

Lina Herrera, a bilingual information and communication specialist with Buncombe County, described a proposal to create a Unified Fire Tax District that would consolidate taxation for fire services in the county's unincorporated areas and distribute funds uniformly across fire departments.

"The current model is smaller districts taxed at different rates," Lina said. Under the proposal, taxes for unincorporated areas would be standardized so residents pay the same rate and departments would receive more equal funding to ensure a consistent level of service countywide.

County staff will present a report to the Buncombe County commissioners on March 17, and a public-notice posting is planned for March 18, with the public hearing and commissioners' vote scheduled during the County Commission meeting on April 21. Lina told listeners that the April 21 meeting is when community members can make public comments and when commissioners will vote on the proposal.

The broadcast did not include a staff presentation or a commissioner response on air; Lina urged residents to attend the hearing and provide input.