How Asheville is run
Who runs Asheville, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Asheville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Asheville
A city manager hired by the council runs daily operations and hires department directors. The council of seven, including the mayor, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager, city attorney and city clerk.
What they are paid
Asheville city staff
1,388 full-time-equivalent positions, including Fire 303, Police 272, Water Resources 179, Parks and recreation 99. FY2026-27. City of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
North Carolina has no statewide public pay database, and we found no city-published list of pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Asheville in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $24M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance at or above 15% of the general fund operating expenditure budget. Any amount above 15% may be appropriated by the council. The city is below this target. City of Asheville · Nov 14, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $24M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property tax$107M · 57%
- Sales and other taxes$42.4M · 23%
- Intergovernmental$14.9M · 8%
- Charges for services$12M · 6%
- Licenses and permits$5.6M · 3%
- Miscellaneous$3.1M · 2%
- Other (investment earnings, other sources)$3M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fire$44.2M · 24%
- Police$41.8M · 22%
- Capital and debt service$22.3M · 12%
- Public works$15.8M · 8%
- Parks and recreation$13.8M · 7%
- Transfer to transit$8.4M · 4%
- Other departments (general government, development, transportation, net of cost allocations)$41.2M · 22%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar an Asheville homeowner pays outside special districts, about 45 cents goes to the city. North Carolina school districts do not levy their own countywide tax; Buncombe County funds the schools. Downtown properties also pay a business improvement district tax.
45¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Asheville
- Buncombe County (also funds the public schools)61.54 · 55%
- City of Asheville50.78 · 45%
- Total (cents per $100 of value)112.32
FY2026-27 rates for a home in the City of Asheville (Buncombe County). City of Asheville FY2026-27 Adopted Budget and 828newsNOW report on the Buncombe County rate · Jul 17, 2026
See what a Asheville home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Asheville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityAsheville Police DepartmentCity of Asheville · Nov 14, 2025
- FireThe cityAsheville Fire DepartmentCity of Asheville · Nov 14, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe countyBuncombe County, under a cost-sharing agreement with the cityCity of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Asheville Water ResourcesCity of Asheville · Nov 14, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Asheville Public Works, Sanitation DivisionCity of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
- Streets and stormwaterThe cityCity of AshevilleCity of Asheville · Nov 14, 2025
- Public transitThe cityAsheville Rides Transit (ART), run by the city's Transportation DepartmentCity of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Asheville Parks & RecreationCity of Asheville · Nov 14, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtAsheville City Schools and Buncombe County SchoolsThe city does not fund the schoolsCity of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | LincolntonNC | HendersonvilleNC | AshevilleNC | RaleighNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,465 | 15,867 | 93,523 | 506,306 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $265,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $5,125 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,524 | $2,140 | $2,005 | $1,289 |
| Debt per resident | $74 | $6,745 | $2,957 | $3,401 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $667 | $1,127 | $821 | $518 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 13.6 | 20.4 | 14.8 | 9.2 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Asheville publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe council's Dec. 5, 2025 resolution ratifying the employment agreement is posted, but we found no copy of the agreement itself. City of Asheville
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Asheville
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows a combined amount for mayor and council pay and expenses but no per-member pay. City of Asheville · Jul 17, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no city-published pay list by position on the city's finance and budget pages. City of Asheville
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $24.0 million on June 30, 2025, below the $25.8 million the city's 15% policy called for. When does the city expect to be back at its target?
- Total debt was $276.5 million on June 30, 2025, and capital and debt service takes $22.3 million of the FY2026-27 general fund. How much new borrowing is planned in the five-year capital program?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presents the proposed budget in May (May 12, 2026 this year), the council holds a public hearing in late May (May 26) and adopts the budget in June (June 9, 2026). After state law changed which property values apply, the council reset the tax rate on July 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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