Candidates in the Asheville City Board of Education 2022 primary race share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. Senate District 46 — Republican
Candidates in the N.C. Senate District 46 Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. Senate District 49 — Democratic
Candidates in the N.C. Senate District 49 Democratic 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: N.C. House District 115 — Republican
Candidates in the N.C. House District 115 Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Asheville City Council
Primary candidates for the 2022 Asheville City Council race share their positions with Xpress.
2022 Primary Voter Guide: Buncombe County Sheriff — Republican
Candidates in the Buncombe County Sheriff Republican 2022 primary share their positions with Xpress.
Buncombe sheriff seeks raises for jail employees
In an effort to boost recruitment, Buncombe County Sheriff Miller is asking the Board of Commissioners to approve a salary increase of up to $7 per hour — roughly 37% — for detention officers. Since last January, 83 officers have resigned from the jail, while only 64 have been hired.
Green in brief: MountainTrue seeks ban on single-use plastics
A study conducted by MountainTrue found an average of 19 microplastic particles — pieces smaller than 5 millimeters, formed by the breakdown of larger plastics — per liter of water in local river systems. Exposure to microplastics has been tied to allergic reactions and other health impacts in humans, as well as negative effects on fish.
Council to hear updates on boards and commissions proposal, reparations
Aside from voting on its consent agenda, Asheville City Council isn’t scheduled to take any action during its meeting of Tuesday, April 12.
Buncombe considers affordable housing partnership with UNC
As outlined in an April 5 presentation to the Board of Commissioners by Tim Love, Buncombe’s director of economic development and governmental relations, the county is exploring a nearly $221,000 contract with the school’s Development Finance Initiative.
From CPP: Tackling stormwater with ARPA funds in Brevard
The city in North Carolina’s rainiest county is putting much of its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds toward stormwater infrastructure.
Development roundup: Ingles to redevelop Patton Kmart site
The company intends to construct an 89,000-square-foot Ingles Market at the former Kmart location on Patton Avenue, along with a 6,500-square-foot Ingles pump station and 55,000 square feet of additional retail space.
Asheville airport to borrow $275M for improvements
According to minutes from a March 17 meeting of the airport authority, work to be financed with the revenue bonds includes expansion and modernization of the terminal, construction of a central energy plant and a new air traffic control tower. While none of the debt will be the responsibility of Buncombe County taxpayers, the county Board of Commissioners must still approve the bond issue.
Buncombe plans hiring push for next fiscal year
As presented to the Buncombe Board of Commissioners during a March 29 work session, County Manager Avril Pinder hopes to expand her current staff of over 1,600 employees by more than 70 in the next budget cycle, which starts in July.
Council outlines priorities in annual retreat
An exchange between protesters and Asheville City Council member Sandra Kilgore marked the start of Council’s March 17-18 retreat, where the elected officials heard feedback from top city staffers and plotted their approach to the coming year.
Six-lane track unanimously approved for Memorial Stadium
Neighborhood residents had been asking for a new track as part of renovations to Memorial Stadium since 2017, after Asheville voters approved a $74 million bond issue in 2016.
No violations of local nondiscrimination ordinances found so far
The number of complaints filed under nondiscrimination ordinances with city and county governments has yet to top 25, and it appears that no one has been found in violation of the rules so far. According to public records obtained by Xpress, Asheville had received five complaints as of January, and Buncombe County had gotten 17 as of early March.
From CPP: ARPA funds helping Buncombe nonprofits recover from pandemic
Eighteen nonprofits aiding mountain residents with services like housing, diapers, food, the arts, education and advocacy receiving more than $13.9 million of Buncombe County’s ARPA funding.
City Council to discuss ‘community cleanliness’
Listed on Council’s agenda for Tuesday, March 22, is a presentation about Asheville’s “community cleanliness strategy.” The discussion comes two weeks after the Asheville Downtown Association released its annual survey, in which respondents gave the city’s core a 2.2 out of 5 in terms of cleanliness.
From CPP: Connecting some rural areas of WNC to high-speed internet getting boost from ARPA
Many areas of rural mountains in NC have limited internet access or people are forced to rely on satellites. Infusion of funds may change that.
County sets affordable housing targets for 2030
Buncombe will commit to creating or preserving between 2,800-3,150 affordable housing units by 2030, requiring new county investments of an estimated $54 million. Up to 1,850 of those units would be rental properties affordable to residents making 80% or less of the area median income.