Tomorrow night, Aug. 27, Asheville City Council will consider grants and a loan from its affordable housing trust fund for a project in the Eagle/Market Street area that includes 62 affordable-housing units along with business and community space. If the new funds are approved, the city’s commitment to the project could total $4.6 million.
Tag: Asheville City Council
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Asheville City Council: landslides and Brewgrass
It was a relatively short meeting for Asheville City Council tonight, but they managed to consider issues ranging from the role of rising rents in homelessness to landslides to a different location for Brewgrass.
The Merrimon village was bad news for neighbors
Five Points Neighborhood would have loved to have an urban village built on the former Deal Buick site, and we tried to work with the developers to come up with a plan that wouldn't impose excessive costs on the neighbors [“Ruffled Feathers,” Aug. 7 Xpress]. But the 2007 proposal had two main problems, both of […]
Asheville City Council preview: Alcohol and old developments
Ending alcohol at large festivals in neighborhood parks and a rezoning related to a long-running Kenilworth dispute lead a relatively light agenda for Asheville City Council tomorrow evening.
Mike Lanning on why he’s running for Asheville City Council
Mike Lanning, a former Asheville Police Department officer, filed for Asheville City Council last Friday. Lanning says recent controversies about the APD’s leadership spurred him to run, “because there needs to be someone on Council who questions city staff.”
Meet the candidates for Asheville Mayor, City Council ***UPDATED***
With filing over last Friday, Ashevilleans now have a firm idea of who’s running for office in this year’s local elections. Three candidates are vying to be the city’s next mayor, and six seek to fill three open City Council seats. Here’s a rundown of the candidates and their statements (if they’ve issued one).
Asheville City Council: Disorder in the house
After a fairly uneventful meeting July 23, Asheville City Council had a brief ruckus at the end, as former Mayor Ken Michalove (pictured) accused the vice mayor, the city manager and a Council member of unethical behavior in granting $2 million to the Asheville Art Museum for renovations. (Photo by Max Cooper)
Gotta agree with Moffitt
Tim Moffitt is proposing to have the state impose district elections on our City Council [“Democracy by Decree,” July 17 Xpress]. He reasons that elected officials tend to favor whatever system put them in power, and it is hard to argue with his argument on that point. He says, “It falls on the state to […]
Asheville City Council preview: extending downtown, and monitoring transit
Asheville City Council has a light agenda for its meeting tonight, with the only public hearing concerning extending downtown zoning. However, the consent agenda includes meatier items than usual, like $450,000 (mostly from the state) for a new public transportation monitoring system, and $380,000 for a new sidewalk project in South Asheville.
Mail to the Chief
On July 11, Asheville City Council held “a special meeting [and] declared its support for Police Chief William Anderson, announcing that an internal investigation had found no evidence that he had engaged in a cover-up related to a March car crash involving his son, as alleged by Lt. William Wilke,” David Forbes reported. Many readers questioned the efficacy of the city administration’s oversight regarding the police chief’s behavior, and wondered what other details came to light in the closed session that preceded the announcement. (Pictured: Police Chief William Anderson. Photo by Max Cooper)
Done deal: Lessons from the 2012 district elections
As state Rep. Tim Moffitt contemplates a move to switch Asheville to predominantly district elections, similar changes he pushed for the Buncombe County commissioners continue to have far-reaching effects.
The district advantage
UNCA political science professor Bill Sabo sees definite advantages to district election systems in cities with populations over 100,000. But with Asheville well below that threshold, it’s less clear what making such a switch here might mean.
Democracy by decree: State lawmakers may impose new city election system
A June 3 email from Rep. Tim Moffitt to Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy revealed a plan that has city officials and some residents up in arms.
District elections: Beyond the rhetoric
The recent disclosure that state Rep. Tim Moffitt had drafted a bill to change Asheville City Council contests from an at-large system to predominantly district elections has triggered heated debate among both elected officials and the general public. Although Moffitt hasn’t yet filed the bill, which mirrors the state-mandated 2011 switch for the Buncombe County commissioners, he could follow through at any time, and the potential impacts are substantial. In the following articles, Xpress takes a closer look at what such a move might mean for this city — and for this year’s scheduled elections.
Jonathan Wainscott announces run for Asheville City Council
Jonathan Wainscott, a West Asheville resident and small business owner, announced July 12 that he plans to run for Asheville City Council.
City investigation mostly clears Asheville police chief, promises changes
At a special meeting today, Asheville City Council announced that an internal investigation had found no evidence that Asheville Police Department Chief William Anderson engaged in a coverup surrounding a March car crash involving his son, as alleged by an APD lieutenant. However, the inquiry also found that when Anderson ordered the officer to meet with him, he acted inappropriately. Council members promised improvements to the general management of the department.
Asheville City Council “may take action” on personnel matter after special Thursday meeting
Asheville City Council will hold a special closed session 9 a.m. Thursday about an undisclosed personnel matter, likely allegations about Asheville Police Department Chief William Anderson. The announcement of the meeting notes that Council may take action under a state law allowing it to announce “disciplinary action, reinstatement, transfer, or termination of a city employee and the reasons for that personnel action.”
Asheville City Council appoints Martha Walker-McGlohon interim city attorney
In a special session yesterday evening, Asheville City Council appointed Martha Walker-McGlohon to replace outgoing City Attorney Bob Oast, and promptly went into closed session to discuss the fitness of an unspecified staff member. Photo by Max Cooper.
Asheville City Council passes budget, tax increase for projects
After a season of uncertainty, Asheville City Council unanimously passed a budget tonight that includes the city’s first major property tax increase in more than a decade. Most of the increase will go to fund improved road maintenance and a wish list of projects intended to spur economic development. Photo by Max Cooper
LIVE: Updates from local government meetings
Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners are meeting today, June 25, to discuss budget plans. See live updates from the meetings here via Twitter.
Buncombe commissioners split over culture authority, likely to delay budget vote
Buncombe County commissioners may likely delay their vote today on a $337 million budget. The source of the postponement appears to be the contentious behind-the-scenes debate over state legislation that would allow them to create an independent Cultural and Recreation Authority that consolidates services offered by the county and municipalities within Buncombe. Some commissioners say they weren’t consulted about a recent amendment to the CRA bill, and it’s unclear whether a majority of commissioners supported the amendment.