Despite confusing and contradictory results from a poll designed to measure voter preferences on how Ashevillians elect their representatives to City Council, Council decided on April 11 to take steps toward placing a referendum on instituting district elections on November’s ballots.
Asheville City Council will consider the results of a poll that show 54 percent of city voters support keeping elections for the Council as they are now — and the same percentage would vote yes to change them if asked by a referendum. Council meets at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11 at 5 p.m. At 3 p.m., Council will hold its final work session dedicated to the 2017-18 fiscal year budget.
“I am still stunned that Council has selected the highway with the largest footprint that will take the most land away from residential and business neighborhoods.”
In honor of this year’s Sunshine Week Xpress looked at publicly subsidized travel by elected officials and employees of Buncombe County and the city of Asheville.
Plans for expanding the Jewish Community Center in its long-time location at 236 Charlotte St. got the nod from Asheville City Council on March 28.
Asheville City Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendations presented by a volunteer citizen panel as the basis for soliciting design services on on Tuesday, March 28. But the community vision presented by the Haywood Street Advisory Team leaves a lot of room for interpretation — and possibly for future controversy about the long-debated best uses for the site.
Nonprofit organizations made their best pitch to City Council’s Housing and Community Development Committee for a share of federal and city funds for the 2017-18 fiscal year at a day-long meeting on Friday, March 24. Some left happy, while others expressed dissatisfaction with a process they said favored established city partners who had received funding in prior years.
Signs of spring: the city considers its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and citizens amass their forces to resume the fight over the fate of city-owned land on Haywood Street and Page Avenue. Asheville City Council will meet on Tuesday, March 28 to consider these and other matters. The budget meeting will take place at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers, with the formal meeting commencing at 5 p.m.
Asheville City Council pondered the effect of an average 25 percent increase in the value of property in the city, along with the impact of a $74 million bond referendum, at its first of three work sessions dedicated to drafting the city’s budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year on Tuesday, March 14.
Council’s agenda looks light for its formal meeting of March 14. Ahead of the 5 p.m. session, Council members will hold a budget work session for the 2017-18 fiscal year at 3 p.m. on the first floor of City Hall.
” So, basically, we’re going to tell you one thing and do what we’ve always done; this is just to mollify those folks always whining about overdevelopment.”
City Council moved ahead with plans to poll city voters on whether or not they’d like to see districts put in place for seats on the Council. Three new members of the city’s school Board of Education were appointed, and the issue of homestays in accessory dwelling units returned to the Council chamber.
Council will interview six candidates for three open spots on the five-member Asheville City Schools Board of Education on Feb. 28. The finalists — Yvette Jives, James Lee, Amy Ray, Joyce Brown, Patricia Griffin and Mary Ellen Lewis — were selected from 27 applicants who met residency requirements for seats on the board. Council is expected to announce the new board members during its regular meeting.
Asheville
An diverse and influential group looks to incrementally implement universal preschool in Buncombe County. Xpress takes an in-depth look at the organization, logistics and potential costs behind the effort.
Expanded bus routes and hours could help more Asheville residents gain consistent access to healthy food. But a more effective city transit system may be a little way down the road.
While last year’s City Council retreat focused on strategy, this year was all about tactics. Council celebrated the successes of 2016 — including passing a $74 million bond referendum, launching an equity initiative and retaining control of the city’s water system — and outlined tweaks to how it will operate in 2017.
Goals and priorities emerged when the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners held its retreat on Friday, Feb. 17. Among priorities are continuing to increase teacher pay while looking at expanding access to preschool across the county.
Through their elected leaders, Asheville voters will now have more say-so over development projects downtown and new hotels citywide.
