Asheville City Council: Redux

A vote on a living wage was delayed, the Business Improvement District was shelved, and Asheville City Council once again voted for a resolution opposing state legislation taking its water system.

Council declared its unanimous opposition to the latest incarnation of state legislation proposed by local Republican representatives to forcibly transfer Asheville’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District. Council’s opposed the idea for the past few years, claiming it will result in less efficiency and a major hit to the city’s budget. City Manager Gary Jackson presented the city’s case this morning before the house finance committee, where the water bill passed on a party line vote. It goes before the full house tomorrow.

Jackson also noted that while the bill prohibits privatizing the water assets, it could open the way to administrative privatization in the future.

Also: Council will hold another budget town hall April 18 at 6 p.m. in South Asheville.

Council also approved 5-2 two signs outside a McDonald’s in the Weirbridge Village commercial development in South Asheville. Council members Chris Pelly and Cecil Bothwell voted against the measure. Bothwell said he believed the city should stop granting variances to bigger business, while supporters of the move felt that it was a necessary response to the city’s outdated sign rules.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Asheville City Council: Redux

  1. Meiling Dai

    HB488 – Section 162A-85.29. No privatization.
    The district board may not in any way privatize
    the provision of water or sewer to the customer and the district unless related to administrative matters only.

  2. Meiling Dai

    CORRECTION:
    Section 162A-85.29 No privatization.
    The district board may not in any way privatize the provision of water or sewer to the customers of the district unless related to administrative matters only.

  3. sharpleycladd

    The NCGA has voted to seize Asheville’s water system, probably in violation of the state constitution (“It’s really a local bill, but it is phrased generally to get around the constitution.” – Rep Paul Stam). The Moffitt camp manufactured a lot of lies to get the theft done, and I am very disappointed that our local media, including Mountain Xpress, didn’t do a better job of calling out the liars and their motives.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.