The city of Asheville has put out a request for proposal seeking a consultant to help with the selection of the next chief of the Asheville Police Department. According to the proposal, the final police chief candidate will be chosen by January 2012. The expected cost of the consultant is not specified.
State Rep. Tim Moffitt tells Xpress that a bill studying the possible transfer of Asheville’s water system will involve local input, and asserts critics are mistaken in declaring he intends to seize the system without compensation. The bill initially called for taking the water system and giving it to the Metropolitan Sewerage District, but was revised yesterday.
A controversial bill proposed by state Rep. Tim Moffitt that would originally have seized Asheville’s water system and transferred it to the Metropolitan Sewerage District has been drastically revised. The current version of the bill calls for studying the efficiency of moving the water systems of large cities to a MSD.
In response to word that Rep. Tim Moffitt‘s proposed legislation to seize the city’s water system will goes to committee tomorrow, May 26, Asheville City Council member Gordon Smith and the Chair of the Buncombe Democratic party are trying to rally opposition to the bill’s progress.
On recommendations from staff, Asheville City Council’s Finance Committee decided earlier today not to renew its contract with URTV, and to put out a request for another entity to take over its public access role.
Administrative Services Director Lauren Bradley presents city staff’s recommendations on URTV. Photo by Jerry Nelson.
Several members of the WNC Community Media Center Board of Directors have resigned, raising more questions about its solvency.
The city of Asheville begins an inventory today of equipment at the public access channel URTV, currently in the midst of a dispute with Buncombe County over funds, and Lauren Bradley, the city’s administrative services director, tells Xpress that the channel will go dark in one to two weeks as equipment is removed. She adds that staff are not recommending a renewal of the center’s contract with the city.
As part of the $52,100 settlement of sexual harassment lawsuit by former Asheville Police Department officer Cherie Byrd against the city of Asheville and her former superior Eric Lauffer, the city received back all of the documents it provided to Byrd, according to records obtained by Xpress. The documents also reveal other details about the settlement.
The city of Asheville plans to solicit proposals from new companies to manage its transit system. Starting in June, the Asheville Transit System will implement changes designed to improve its routing and on-time performance. The city will also mount a marketing campaign to increase ridership, changing the name of the system from ATS to ART (Asheville Redefines Transit).
On April 18, Asheville Police Department Chief Bill Hogan has announced his retirement, effective May 13. The step comes amid public criticism over his handling of an investigation into missing evidence and the settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit involving a still-employed APD officer.
Asheville Police Department Officer Eric Lauffer, whose explicit text messages to his then-subordinate, Officer Cherie Byrd, were at the center of a sexual harassment lawsuit that the city settled this week for $52,100, is still employed by the department.
Photo by Jonathan Welch
About the tree removals in downtown Asheville recently: While I understand that it is painful to lose trees, especially when they appear to be fine and healthy, people should not be so hasty to condemn the city for removing them. I love trees too, but Bradford pears are notorious for having exceedingly poor structure with […]
The city of Asheville will settle a lawsuit from former Asheville Police Department Officer Cherie Byrd alleging that her superior, then-Sgt. Eric Lauffer, sent her sexually explicit text messages and phone calls. The city will pay Byrd $48,000 and reimburse her $4,100 in mediation fees.
So how much do the members of Asheville City Council and Mayor Terry Bellamy get paid? What about City Manager Gary Jackson and the other department heads? Xpress has the details, along with a comparison to two other similarly-sized North Carolina cities.
The city of Asheville is shifting staff as part of an effort to improve social media and community relations. Asheville Police Department spokesperson Melissa Williams will move into a general community relations role, including overseeing the city’s blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts, while Lt. Wally Welch will take on public information duties at the APD.
The city of Asheville is still warning residents with discolored water not to use it for cooking or drinking. The reddish, dirty color is due to repairs on a broken water main. The city says the number of homes affected is decreasing, but murky water remains in parts of the north, east and west areas of its service.
Figures released to Xpress yesterday by the city of Asheville reveal that the last round of winter storms exacted a toll. The annual snow budget is almost exhausted, and the city may have lost over $11,000 in revenues it would normally receive from parking garages.
Photo by David Forbes
With temperatures warming and most of the roads clear, here’s an update on city parking, transit and facilities.
Photo by David Forbes
While most of the snow around town is cleared, forecasts call for more on the way. Many buses are back, albeit on limited, delayed or reduced routes. Some city facilities are closed, and city parking is still free to the public.
As city of Asheville crews begin to plow secondary roads, bus service resumes on limited routes, Many facilities are closed today or working on reduced hours. The Asheville City Council meeting for today is also canceled.
Photo by David Forbes
On Dec. 31, the recycling location at the Westgate Shopping Center saw its final day.
Photo by Jeff Tallman
