City Council to unveil 2014-15 Strategic Operating Plan

Asheville City Council and Mayor Esther Manheimer will host a community meeting, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at Charles T. Koontz Intermediate School (305 Overlook Road) to discuss the 2014-15 Strategic Operating Plan with the public. Each year, Council develops a SOP outlining goals for the upcoming fiscal year  and used as a roadmap for policy […]

Asheville City Council: Housing Trust Fund, ordinance adoptions and circus ban considerat­ion

On April 8, Asheville City Council members voted unanimously to pass a resolution to adopt a Housing Trust Fund recommendation to fund Biotat LLC’s Oak Hill Commons Project, as well as an ordinance adopting the new 2014-15 Fees and Charges Manual. Council also considered a request that city officials ban circuses that use exotic animals from […]

Local Sierra Club political chair: ‘There are several filters to make sure there was a fair process’

Though Political Committee Chair of the Sierra Club of Western North Carolina Group Ken Brame donated a combined $300 to three of the four local candidates that the environmental organization ultimately endorsed, he says his personal contribution did not influence the endorsement process. (Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user borman818)

Intoleranc­e is poor theology

Why is it that some religious folks are bent on inserting themselves (and their particular beliefs) into the business of government or civil matters, such as equality for all taxpaying citizens and, in this specific case, Buncombe County workers? [“What's Next, Polygamy Benefits?” March 27 Xpress.] While the county commissioners' vote approved benefits for both […]

Asheville City Council preview: Ice ice baby

On Tuesday, Jan. 8, members of Asheville City Council will stop, collaborate and listen to decide the destiny of a dilapidated building in the River Arts District, the fate of food trucks in Biltmore Village and the word on amending the outdoor speakers ban at restaurants downtown and in the River Arts District. (Photo of the ice-house property by Bill Rhodes from 2012.)

The Beat

The upcoming budget year, a raise for city employees and sending a lobbyist to Raleigh were key topics in the wide-ranging discussion at Asheville City Council's annual retreat. Held Feb. 3 in UNCA's Sherrill Center, this year’s session gave Council members a chance to hear briefings by staff and ponder goals for 2012. The budget: […]