Balancing city priorities, such bike lanes, police officer pay and renewable energy initiatives, is no easy task. Getting public input is the next step in a multi-month process.
Asheville City Council will do just that at its next meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28, giving members of the public their first opportunity to share their thoughts on the 2023-24 city budget.
According to the agenda, Tuesday’s meeting will start at 4 p.m., an hour earlier than usual, and Spanish language interpreters will be present. Those who wish to comment on the upcoming budget must attend in person and sign up at the door, as no live remote comments will be permitted. Prerecorded voicemail messages can also be left at 855-925-2801, meeting code 3540; written comments can be sent to ashevillecitycouncilfeb282023@publicinput.com until 9 a.m. Feb. 28.
In addition to providing public comment during the meeting, members of the public can also participate through the city’s budget priorities survey which is available until Friday, March 3. The survey is available in Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian, as well as English.
A project page for the city’s 2023-24 budget states that information from the public comment session and the survey will be compiled and presented to City Council during its budget work session on Tuesday, March 14. A timeline for this year’s budget process includes three work sessions and a public meeting scheduled for March 28.
The proposed budget will be presented officially to Council Tuesday, May 9, with a public hearing slated for Tuesday, May 23. The final vote on whether to adopt the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13.
In other news
Council will also consider a pair of zoning applications. The first would rezone the property located at 234 Hendersonville Road from Office and Highway Business to Highway Business so that the property will no longer be split-zoned.
A second request would change the zoning for the property located at 43 Redfern St. from Institutional-Conditional Zoning to Residential Multi-Family Medium Density, to provide more opportunities for housing.
Consent agenda and public comment
The consent agenda for the meeting contains nine items, which will be approved as a package unless singled out for separate discussion. Highlights include the following:
- A resolution authorizing City Manager Debra Campbell to execute a $115,000 contract with Opticos Design, Inc. for a study that will assess city policies that reduce the availability of missing middle housing — which includes townhomes, accessory dwelling units, duplexes and other housing types — and determine strategies to reduce displacement of residents. The study is expected to begin in March and be completed by the end of 2023.
- A resolution authorizing City Manager Campbell to enter into a $200,000 contract with Steri-Clean NC for biohazardous waste cleanup and a $300,000 contract with WNC Landscaping LLC for roadside litter collection. Funding for the project was awarded via the American Rescue Act in 2022 for the creation of a litter and cleanliness program.
- A resolution authorizing City Manager Campbell to enter into an agreement with MHG Asheville MX, LP to temporarily close the Biltmore Avenue Parking Garage to accommodate construction needs of the Moxy Hotel. The closure will begin Saturday, March 25 and end Saturday, April 8 and impact more than 400 parking spaces (including 150 spaces for the Aloft Hotel; 110 spaces for the City’s monthly parking accounts; and 152 spaces for public hourly parking). Information about alternative parking options will be released from the city Wednesday, March 1.
Council members will gather in their chambers on the second floor of City Hall, located at 70 Court Plaza, starting at 4 p.m. The meeting will also be carried live on Charter/Spectrum Channel 193 and livestreamed through Asheville’s public engagement hub and on the city’s YouTube channel. Members of the public can also listen live by calling 855-925-2801, meeting code 3540.
Those who wish to speak during the meeting must attend in person and sign up at the door. No live remote comment will be permitted. Prerecorded voicemail messages can also be left at 855-925-2801, meeting code 3540; written comments can be sent to ashevillecitycouncilfeb282023@publicinput.com until 9 a.m. Feb. 28. General comments for City Council can be sent at any time to AshevilleNCCouncil@AshevilleNC.gov.
The full meeting agenda and supporting documents can be found here.
What nonsense to request paublic input on the budget. And then, not surprisingly, Brooke starts off with bike lanes as a priority. Exhibit A as to why soliciting input is an exercise in privilege.
Council, do your real job. No more proclamations aboput things not under your authority. Focus on crime, housing and how about terminating the nonsensical Merrimon experiment for the elite tiny bike minority.
What nonsense to request public input on the budget. And then, not surprisingly, Brooke starts off with bike lanes as a priority. Exhibit A as to why soliciting input is an exercise in privilege.
Council, do your real job. No more proclamations about things not under your authority. Focus on crime, housing and how about terminating the nonsensical Merrimon experiment for the elite tiny bike minority.
Asheville asks for input and then totally ignores it in every instance always. Council members each have their own agendas and screw what the residents want.
Do we need to move to a district system of electing City Council so all neighborhoods, all constituencies are represented?