Yancey County Commissioners have adopted a $31,305,162 budget with $106,143 of it coming from grant funds. Highlights of the budget include over $5 million for the school system, over $400,000 for the county’s portion for Mayland Community College, which includes $30,000 for repair to HVAC on the Yancey campus. The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office will receive over $5 million to cover expenses including patrol and investigations, dispatch, detention facility and county grounds security. Capital improvement plans include continued improvements to Ray-Cort Park, the Yancey Resource Center and the new public safety building which will house 911 dispatch, emergency management and the Sheriff’s office. Also a major investment comes in the new County Transportation Building which is funded with $2.2 million grant assistance from the Department of Transportation, leaving the county to pay 10% of the project cost. Community Health and Well-being is highlighted in the budget as the county took over operating the EMS system in 2020 and the Health Department in 2022.
In other business commissioners recognized new EMS Director Kristy Bryant. Bryant’s experience includes 4 years as a flight medic and supervisor of 19 county EMS systems. A discussion about the local library system was tabled until July’s meeting when all five commissioners are expected to be present.
