The Haywood County Manager presented the recommended budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027 to the Board of Commissioners during a regular meeting on May 4. The proposed budget is now available for public inspection.
This development allows residents to review and understand how county funds may be allocated in the coming year. Public access to this information supports transparency and gives community members an opportunity to engage with local government decisions.
Copies of the recommended budget are available at several locations: at the office of the Clerk to the Board in the Administrative Offices on the third floor of the Historic Courthouse at 215 N. Main, Waynesville, on weekdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; at the Canton branch of Haywood County Public Library located at 11 Pennsylvania Avenue, Canton; and online at www.haywoodcountync.gov. A public hearing regarding this budget is scheduled for May 18 during a regular meeting of county commissioners in Waynesville’s Historic Courthouse courtroom.
Recent data about local education outcomes provides context as officials plan next year’s spending priorities. Of senior students taking the science portion of the ACT in Haywood County school districts, twenty-six percent were considered ready for college in the 2022-23 school year according to state education data. Among junior students, that figure was nearly twenty-eight percent according to state education data. For reading, forty-two percent of seniors and just over forty percent of juniors met college readiness benchmarks according to state education data. In math, twenty-six percent of seniors and nearly twenty-eight percent of juniors were considered ready for college according to state education data.
A separate notice regarding details about participating in or commenting during the May 18 public hearing will be published on May 6. Amy L. Stevens, Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners, signed off on this announcement.
