“There are a host of things the city and county could do to help small businesses thrive, but for a start the city and county can simply do their jobs,” says Tod Leaven, who is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on Asheville City Council.
If the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approves a contract next month with global waste management company FCC Environmental Services, whose U.S. headquarters is in Texas, residents will see an almost $5 a month increase on their trash bills next year.
“A common misconception about Asheville City Council is that members are distant from everyday community concerns. In truth, Council members are community members too, deeply invested in Asheville’s well-being,” says Roberto “Bo” Hess, who is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on Asheville City Council.
Safety and hospitality ambassadors for a downtown Asheville business improvement district would be perceived as a welcome addition by some — additional “eyes and ears” on the street. But others aren’t sure that such a program is a priority.
“We need to reach across the gaps between neighborhoods, across industries and between social groups to talk to folks older and younger than ourselves and ask what they can teach us,” says Charles “CJ” Domingo, who is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on Asheville City Council.
Buncombe County’s proposal, filed April 3, is just the latest development in the web of litigation that HCA faces over its management of Mission Health, which operates hospitals and other health care services in several Western North Carolina counties.
Buncombe joined representatives from eight other municipalities and counties around the state to form a language access collaborative, which met throughout 2023 to develop a language access plan.
The county derives 62% of its more than $400 million budget from property taxes, which relies on the accurate assessment of thousands of properties, a process that happens every four years in Buncombe County. State law requires counties to perform reappraisals at least once every eight years.
Asheville City Council learned during an April 9 budget work session that a 4.11% pay raise for city employees next fiscal year would drive the city’s undesignated general fund balance below its preferred minimum.
In February, former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan surpassed the 8,295 signatures required to get on this year’s ballot for chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Duncan, a one-time Democrat who served as sheriff from 2006-18, is running as an unaffiliated candidate.
Incumbent Buncombe County Commissioner Park Sloan will run in an uncontested race for this District 3 seat. Sloan joined the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in 2020, where he serves as chair of the newly formed Buncombe County Climate and Environment Committee.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on April 2 to invite private developers to partner on a $59.1 million complex for 200 affordable units at 50 and 52 Coxe Ave., directly across from the Asheville Regional Transit bus station and Rabbit Rabbit music venue.
Democrat Amanda Edwards announced her bid for chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in October, where she currently serves as a commissioner for District 3. If elected in November, Edwards would become the first female chair.
The proposed changes will be considered at a public hearing Monday, April 22, at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium starting at 5:30 p.m. in which planning board members will vote on whether to approve the recommendations.
At its meeting on Tuesday, April 2, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider launching a pilot program that could transition up to 20 units from STRs to affordable long-term rentals for residents in its first year.