ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Council appoints advisory panel for manager search
In a process not open to the public, Council has selected a committee of “key community leaders” to help review candidates for the most powerful unelected official in city government. City spokesperson Polly McDaniel said the panel will provide “input and perspective on a list of candidates,” adding that members “will serve in an advisory role.”
Buncombe needs a manager who can change its culture, staff say
County department heads pointed to an organizational culture of cliques and anxiety at a meeting with Buncombe County commissioners on Sept. 4.
ReCONNECT to Community brings Institute for Emerging Issues forum to Asheville; event postponed
The Asheville forum kicks off the IEI’s broader ReCONNECT NC initiative. Over the next three years, a series of six forums in four different cities will focus on the overarching theme of reconnection. Maggie Woods, policy and program manager at IEI, says people across the state are feeling out-of-touch and that this sense of detachment needs to be addressed at length.
Asheville City Council expands affordable housing incentives
The Land Use Incentive Grant point maximum will increase from 140 to 200, with every 10 points worth a rebate of one year of city property taxes above a property’s pre-development total. But developers will also face stricter conditions when applying for LUIG money: The minimum period for which a project must guarantee affordable housing will increase from 15 to 20 years.
Ideal county manager
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Asheville City Council to readjust priorities at Sept. 11 meeting
At Asheville City Council’s upcoming regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11, officials will consider a resolution updating council strategic priorities for the 2018-19 fiscal year.
I smell a rat
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
City staff begins public ‘deep dive’ into budget
Beginning Aug. 28 and continuing through Tuesday, Dec. 11, a series of monthly meetings will explain to City Council members and the public how Asheville allocates over $180 million to provide a range of services. The first session set the general context for the budget through a discussion of community demographics and major city revenue streams.
County commits to more school-based cops
Thanks to funding approved by the the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 4, the system will soon have six additional SROs in its elementary schools — an expansion that carries an estimated recurring cost of more than $400,000 per year.
County commissioners to vote on forensic audit
Commissioners will vote Tuesday, Sept. 4, whether to commit to a forensic audit of Buncombe County finances.
The ballad of Tim Flora
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
New PAC calls for Republican takeover of county board
A new political action committee wants to flip the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, which currently has a 4-3 Democratic majority, to Republican. Their motivation? Democrats controlled the board and, they claim, provided poor oversight during a period of alleged corruption.
City responds to downtown parking woes with 50 Asheland lot
Slated to open on Saturday, Sept. 1., the lot will offer 100 new spaces with 24/7 access at $70 per month. Dana Frankel, downtown development specialist with the city, notes that there is currently interest in over 80 of the 100 available spaces.
Transit management draws criticism at City Council meeting
Transit advocates called for the city to more strictly enforce its contract with RATP Dev, which manages the ART system, citing 539.5 hours of missed service in July. But city staff said the management company “is making a good-faith effort to work with us” and does not currently plan to assess a number of penalties.
City Council releases consultant’s report on Rush incident
Nearly a month after an anticipated release in late July, Asheville City Council has shared the final report from Chicago-based 21CP Solutions about the city’s policies and procedures in relation to a police beating scandal. Since April, the consulting firm has been reviewing the beating of black Asheville resident Johnnie Jermaine Rush by white former Asheville Police Department […]
Asheville City Council returns from summer with packed schedule
A day after students at Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools return to their studies, Asheville City Council is scheduled to brush up on its own ABCs — as well as its AAs, BBs, and CCs. The consent agenda for Council’s upcoming regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m. in council Chambers exhausts the standard alphabet, forcing three entries to take on double letters in a collection of 29 items.
Former City Manager Gary Jackson leaves mixed legacy
As Asheville gears up to begin a new chapter in its administration, Xpress asks what lessons, if any, can be learned from Jackson’s time as the city’s top employee. But given the reluctance of so many current and former city officials to discuss either Jackson’s firing or his legacy, any final assessment of this recent history may have to wait.
Honest, respectful, ‘not corrupt’: Buncombe citizens build their ideal county manager
The Weaverville session was the first of three that Buncombe County will host to cover each of the board’s three election districts. District 2 Commissioners Mike Fryar and Ellen Frost were in the hot seat on Thursday evening.
Commissioners grapple with changes to personnel policy
Commissioners spent a large chunk of their meeting on Aug. 21 weighting the merits of implementing several changes to the county’s personnel policy — including one that would do away with automatic cost of living adjustments for county employees.
Embattled county, city officials struggle to talk business
At the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 13th annual Elected Officials Reception on Aug. 16, local politicians acknowledged that the intensity of recent city and county government scandals have sometimes pushed other issues to the side.