ASHEVILLE, NC
County terminates Wiseman contracts, preps for additional civil lawsuit
Buncombe County has terminated contracts worth more than $550,000 with two companies associated with Joseph Wiseman Jr., who the county has identified as the contractor who allegedly paid kickbacks to three former county officials.
Homestay short-term renters push for looser kitchen definition
On Aug. 13, the Planning & Economic Development Committee recommended that staff throw out the kitchen sink from the current definition. Council members Gwen Wisler, Vijay Kapoor and Julie Mayfield moved to adopt a new “maximum flexibility” definition for kitchen spaces.
West Asheville needle exchange, free café raise community complaints
Some say The Steady Collective, Firestorm Books and Coffee, Kairos West Community Center and 12 Baskets Café have reduced the area’s safety by offering services to drug users and homeless clients. The Asheville Police Department has claimed that the number of complaints filed in the neighborhood — including drug use, trespassing and syringes discarded on a nearby playground — have risen dramatically in recent months.
Local news in brief from our issue of Aug. 8, 2018
A service club made up of adults with disabilities makes a contribution to Interfaith Assistance Ministry in Hendersonville, Buncombe County Veterans Services moves to a new location, the city of Asheville seeks members for city boards and commissions and more in our news in brief from the issue of Aug. 8, 2018.
SACEE votes on 100 percent green electricity goal for Asheville
The plurality of Asheville city government’s greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal year 2017 — roughly 9,100 tons — came from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, to create electricity. That number could drop to zero by the end of the next decade, however, should Asheville adopt a resolution currently under development by the city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment.
Buncombe County considers needle exchange program
Two local agencies, the Needle Exchange Program of Asheville and The Steady Collective, provide clean needles and other supplies to help reduce the negative health effects of habitual drug use in Western North Carolina. Now Buncombe County is considering starting a program of its own to combat an increase in diseases transmitted by reusing and sharing needles.
Planned Charlotte Street apartments draw neighborhood worries over zoning, traffic
Although the exact footprint of the building is still under consideration, existing plans call for a first floor of businesses (16,000 square feet in total) topped by 26 efficiency, 93 one-bedroom and 61 two-bedroom apartments. A total of 327 parking spaces, some underground, would service the complex.
County to fill top spots through outside search, internal promotions
Even as elected officials and county staff digested word of new indictments of former county employees released less than four hours before the regular meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 7, efforts to select a new county manager continued to move ahead.
Feds bring charges against three former Buncombe officials, including Greene
A federal grand jury returned a bill of indictment on Aug. 7, bringing charges against three former Buncombe County officials: former County Manager Wanda Greene, former County Manager Mandy Stone and former Planning Director and Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton.
State board settles Buncombe dispute over early voting locations
After internal disagreement among the Buncombe County Board of Elections members, the North Carolina State Board of Elections has accepted a proposal for 11 early voting locations. Local board member Jake Quinn championed the continued use of the Grant Center to ensure access for the African-American community in the area.
Pitfalls and potholes
ASHEVILLE, NC
County to set groundwork for $30 million in bonds at Aug. 7 meeting
The resolution sets the stage for the county to reimburse itself through bonds should it initially finance planned construction projects with operating funds. According to Internal Revenue Service regulations, wrote Interim County Manager George Wood, a bond resolution must precede spending money on projects that might later be refinanced using bonds.
Yancey County adult day care illuminates concerns for aging population
Family members who depend on Heritage Adult Day Retreat in Burnsville to provide a safe, stimulating daytime environment for loved ones with disabilities and dementia face a potential interruption or closure of the resource. With state funding for adult day care flat and the need continuing to grow, 40 similar programs have closed across the state since 2007.
Money hunt
ASHEVILLE, NC
Michael Greene enters guilty plea
Michael Greene, a former Buncombe County employee who has been accused of misusing county purchase cards, on July 27 pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit an offense against the United States.
Terms of enrichment
ASHEVILLE, NC
City Council greenlights transit service expansion
Asheville City Council unanimously approved an expansive new transit master plan on July 24 — a vote that drew applause from citizens sitting in the audience. The plan will increase the number of buses in the fleet to 36 (plus an extra 16 in reserve) and more than double the number of service hours to about 225,000 by 2029.
Council agenda includes policing data, new transit plan
Members of Asheville City Council will hear an update on Tuesday, July 24, on efforts to boost transparency of policing data and will decide whether to approve an ambitious new plan for the city’s mass transit system.
Commission recommends approval of Maxwell Street STRs
On July 19, the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission approved a rezoning request against the recommendation of city staff that would allow two properties on Maxwell Street to serve as short-term vacation rental properties.
Waste price
ASHEVILLE, NC