Doug Hay resigns from Black Mountain Town Council after budget vote

Doug Hay resigned from the Black Mountain Town Council effective immediately Tuesday morning, stepping down just after members adopted the town’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget at a special-called meeting at Town Hall, 160 Midland Avenue.

Hay read from a resignation letter during the 8:30 a.m. meeting and said, “Serving on the Black Mountain Town Council for nearly six years has been one of the deepest privileges of my life.” He said he was first elected two months after his youngest daughter was born and told fellow council members he needed to step away so he could better provide for his family.

Black Mountain has spent weeks wrestling with a budget built around a nearly $1.8 million general-fund shortfall and a $918,000 water-fund deficit. Town staff put the gap at roughly $2.8 million, and the draft spending plan included a property tax rate increase to 34.1 cents per $100 of valuation and a $3.50 monthly solid-waste fee increase.

The budget debate drew six residents to a June 15 public hearing, and many urged the council to protect public safety funding, especially for the fire department. The fire budget was listed at nearly $3.9 million, with 59% paid by the town and 41% by Buncombe County. Black Mountain’s starting firefighter pay was $48,000, the lowest in Buncombe County. To close the gap, council members and staff discussed cutting or freezing positions, including the assistant town manager, project manager and public information officer.

Hay’s resignation changes the balance of influence in a town council made up of a mayor and five council members elected at large to staggered four-year terms. His term was listed as expiring in 2028, but the seat now moves into the town’s appointment process, which requires applicants to be at least 21, registered voters in Buncombe County and residents of Black Mountain. Whoever is appointed would serve until the November 2026 election.

Pam King resigned April 24 while the town was searching for a new manager and relocating police and fire operations to temporary space after an engineering report found the public safety building unsafe for occupancy.