June 22, 2026
Members of the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a $82.5 million budget for 2027 Monday night without having to enact an increase in property tax rates. Jonathan Rich / BrevardBeagle.com
Jonathan Rich
BrevardBeagle.com
On May 26, Transylvania County Manager Jaime Laughter presented the local Board of Commissioners with a $82,536,220 proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year that did not include any increase in property tax rates for county residents.
Four weeks later, all five Commissioners unanimously approved a very similar budget with that same price tag Monday night still with no change in property taxes, but under the spectre that next year’s financial plan for Transylvania County will be very different.
2027 Budget Highlights
- Recommended General Fund Budget of $82,536,220, a 1.47% increase over FY 26, with no tax increase.
- Recommended Solid Waste Enterprise Fund Budget of $4,092,400, supplemented by $720,000 from the General Fund with additional recommendations to conduct public input sessions on options for the future funding of solid waste disposal.
- Recommended Fire Department District budget of $6,967,016.87.
- No increase in full-time county employees (one job reduction and six salary reclassifications).
- Health benefits to full-time employees are slightly lower when compared to those offered by other local governments.
Transylvania County Manager Jaime Laughter reads slides from her 2027 Budget Proposal to members of the Board of Commissioners Monday Night at the County Administration Building. Jonathan Rich/Brevard Beagle
“I fully support what we’re doing here,” said Commissioner Larry Chapman before attempting a moment of levity after Laughter had presented as the county’s basic financial plan for the next fiscal year. “It is a relief not to raise taxes, but it’s easy to raise taxes. We can spend your money right and left. And they may throw us all out, which is fine, too, but we look at what we’re spending on here, what is key to this community, and we budget accordingly based on the recommendations and review by county staff. It starts back in early year when every department head comes before this Board and talks about their needs and what they’ve done. Everything is transparent here and every citizen can look and see what this Board is doing and what we’re planning for.”
Transylvania County Board of Commissioners
Commissioner Jason Chappell echoed Chapman’s statements, but added that even when a budget passes the planning for the future does not end for county leadership.
“You said it started early, but the budget cycle never stops. It’s a continual process,” Chappell said. “There are things I wish were in this budget and I think that each and every one of us up here, as a person, would say that we wish it would be a little bit different, but that’s how a budget comes together every single year. The manager makes recommendations. We are providing input the entire year and how the manager and staff are able to pull all five of our opinions together in a budget always amazes me, but they always do and I very much appreciate that.”
“I agree with this budget 100%,” Chappell concluded before referencing last fiscal year’s decision to raise property taxes rates to $0.4105 per $100 of assessed value following a county-wide property reevaluation in 2025. “I appreciate the steadfast commitment to do what we promised we would do, but I will say again, this budget would be drastically different if last year we didn’t do what we had to do.”
Commissioner Jake Dalton, who along with Commissioner Chase McKelvey has stated he will not seek another term on the Board of Commissioners once their tenure ends this year, was solemn about the financial decisions for his colleagues next budget season.
“I don’t envy the decisions that await you other three are going to have to make next year,” Dalton said before taking state legislators to task for several issues he said he thinks will necessitate the possibility of future tax increases. “If the state does not step up, and I’m trying to mark my words without being censored here, and do something about the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which provides food benefits to low-income households to help buy groceries) and get their butts in gear about the teacher salaries and the Medicaid hold harmless, which a lot of people don’t understand. Just those three right there, you’re at three, three and a half cents that’s having to be spent now because of their … inability … to do what they’re supposed to do.”
“I appreciate that we agree to disagree on a lot of things, but we still come together and get things done,” Dalton said. “I will always appreciate that about us and the ability to do what’s right. But again, next year, it’s going to be hard. I just put that out there as a forewarning.”
The heaviness of those comments was not lost on Commissioner McKelvey, who said he hopes the forecasted increase in sales taxes might be able to help more taxpayers in the future.
“I hope you guys really push the sales tax next year,” McKelvey said. “I think you guys are going to be looking for ways to really look for other forms of revenue. I know it didn’t pass this last ballot cycle, but I hope that we can really educate our general public. Hurricane Helene did not help us. There actually was a political party that helped sabotage that too, but I really hope that the general population can actually see the meaning and the benefit of that sales tax that can actually help give us more relief to the tax-paying citizen of what that sales tax will actually do where that burden’s not on just the people that live here but also on the people that are actually coming in there can actually pay their fair share as well.”
“I do not envy the three of you guys,” McKelvey continued, making more comments similar to those of Commissioner Dalton. Both are small business owners of separate insurance agencies and expressed apprehension about what a compensation study analyzing the salaries of Transylvania County employees against those in neighboring counties and in the private sector could reveal.
“I know that we’re doing the right thing this year, but I do fear what’s coming in the years to come with SNAP and with the teachers’ pay, also with the compensation study that’s going to be going out. I know just in running a business, trying to stay competitive and trying to pay a fair wage and trying to be competitive in the market, that we’re not just looking at just county staff: we’re looking at (the) Sheriff’s Department, we’re looking at EMS, we’re looking at the whole county. I know what it costs to keep good people.”
“It’s a freight train coming, but I don’t have any doubt that the three of you guys can get through it,” McKelvey summarized. “I’m glad I won’t be here.”
Commission Chair Teresa McCall was even more direct.
“I would remind the citizens that over 90% of our budget is mandated by the state. We are mandated to provide certain services. This year, I think we’ll look back on this as being an easy year. This will be an easy year, this year,” she said.
“Last year, for me, was probably one of the hardest years voting on a budget,” McCall continued. “It was hard for me personally. It was gut-wrenching, but it had to be done. I made a comment then that I’ll make now. We’re all elected to do a job. We’re elected to be leaders and leaders have to make tough decisions. We did that to the best of our ability. And you’re right; going forward, is going to be a different story. We’ve talked about this the last several weeks, the things that we are facing as a county, as a Board of Commissioners. The decisions we are facing, we will look back at this budget as an easy budget. What does that mean? i don’t know what next year’s budget will look like, but it’s not going to look like this year’s budget. We have talked about those decisions. We can’t have a roadmap that maps out every decision that has to be done, because those things change daily, almost. We just learned that the grant requirements are changing, so that changes some of the things that we do. What we may have planned with grants, now we’re going to have to do with something different. Things change, but we have a staff and a county manager that stays in tune with those things and gives us wise advice. She listens to what we’re asking for and what our priorities are, and listens to the citizens of this county.”
“I’m pleased with this year’s budget; it’s going to be hard work going forward, the decisions that will have to be made,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of decisions in front of us that affect the well-being of this county and the well-being of our citizens. Decisions that will have to be made.”
“I don’t appreciate the fact that two have decided they are not going to be here, although I do with both of them the best” she said teasing Dalton and McKelvey, “but I do know that Commissioner Chapman and Commissioner Chappell and myself are committed to doing everything that we can for the citizens of this county.”
Click here to download a copy of the fiscal year 2027 Transylvania County budget ordinance.