“This really needs to be in the regulations of the Asheville City Council: ‘Only applicants independent of the school system will be considered for the positions of school board.'”
Tag: Asheville City Council
Showing 295-315 of 1645 results
Reparations Commission will be formed by July, Asheville manager says
For months, residents have pressured elected leaders to fulfill their commitment to reparations for Asheville’s Black community. Plans are now in the works to form a joint city and county Reparations Commission by July, says Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell.
School board appointments proceed without teacher input
“I’m really struggling with this process as a parent, as a councilor,” said Asheville City Council member Sage Turner, as her colleagues considered how they would appoint three members of the Asheville City Board of Education. “I’m really struggling with us not listening to teachers.”
Asheville City Council approves new hotel development regulations
The new regulations allow hotels with 115 rooms or fewer to avoid a Council vote if they meet a series of design requirements, are located in a newly approved overlay district and contribute to equity-related public benefits.
Letter: Destroying monument would be shortsighted
“The uh-oh moment came when the appointed commission, conspicuously lacking local architects or representatives from historic preservation, came back with an 11-1 suggestion of removal.”
Letter: Asheville must pass LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections
“The Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commissioners have a unique opportunity to be leaders on the issue of LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections.”
Council to vote on modified hotel development criteria Feb. 23
Hoteliers and hotel opponents alike have waited since September 2019 for Asheville City Council to reach a decision about future lodging development within city limits. On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the countdown clock finally hits zero.
Letter: Repurposing monument would offer chance for learning, growth
“The repurposing of the Vance Monument would present an opportunity, not only for learning, but also to add yet another layer to the history and growth of this community.”
Council cuts school board field despite teacher, community concerns
Daniel Withrow, president of the Asheville City Association of Educators, says that his organization had been preparing to make its first-ever endorsements for Asheville City Board of Education seats this year but was caught off guard when Asheville City Council voted to trim the candidate pool ahead of its posted schedule.
Community, Council share concerns on proposed hotel plan
After months of discussion, two Council work sessions and multiple opportunities for public engagement, frustrated residents told Asheville City Council the final hotel proposals did little to advance equity or support employees working in the service industry.
Fruit of knowledge
Letter: Nothing to salvage in Vance Monument
“Please realize every day this statue remains intact is another day you’re not actively renouncing white supremacy.”
Asheville lags on climate emergency goals
“If it was truly perceived as an emergency, then I think we would be doing more and talking about it more,” says Asheville City Council member Kim Roney, who was elected in November on a platform that included a local Green New Deal and rapid renewable energy deployment.
Council to hold final hearing on new hotel rules Feb. 9
Members will discuss the final proposed guidelines to streamline future lodging development — and residents will have one last chance to weigh in — before the city’s hotel moratorium expires on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Letter: Mutually assured monument destruction
“But when we let frustration and fury drive us to demand retribution by destruction, we’ve moved beyond healing historic wounds to pushing the balance hard toward harm against others — and it’s bound to snap back as harm against us.”
From Asheville Watchdog: Reparations, six months later — so far, empty promises
Six months ago, as part of a reckoning on racial injustice, the city of Asheville and Buncombe County both passed resolutions to consider reparations to the Black community as a way to begin making amends for slavery and generations of systemic discrimination. Since then, local officials concede, little has been done.
As housing costs skyrocket, Council reviews affordable housing projects
Upcoming projects include initial steps to expand Deaverview Apartments into a “purpose-built” community and an 80-unit apartment complex for people experiencing chronic homelessness.
Letter: City Council should focus on more urgent priorities
“I would have thought that it would be more advantageous for the City Council to redirect the resources and money that are being used on the street renaming and Vance monument removal projects to address more immediate issues caused by the pandemic.”
Can repurposing the Vance Monument help heal the divide in Asheville?
“We cannot avoid the hidden phantom side effects of the desecration of the monument, held so dear by so many.”
Asheville City Schools on path to budget deficit
“You can’t keep doing that year in and year out. You need to keep an eye on that,” external auditor Michael Wike told the Asheville City Board of Education about the school system’s spending at a Dec. 7 work session. “What happens when you don’t have a fund balance is almost like an individual living paycheck to paycheck: You can’t plan for the future whatsoever.”
Council to discuss affordable housing plans at Jan. 26 work session
Members will first hear an overview of Asheville’s affordable housing policy and funding options. The second half of the work session is slated for a review of upcoming projects and an update on the status of the city’s Affordable Housing Bond.