For Xpress’ annual Wellness Issue series, we spoke with Mayor Esther Manheimer about spin class, weight training and the difficulty of getting Chappell Roan songs out of your head.

For Xpress’ annual Wellness Issue series, we spoke with Mayor Esther Manheimer about spin class, weight training and the difficulty of getting Chappell Roan songs out of your head.
Asheville City Council had a lot to bite off at its Jan. 14 meeting. Much discussion arose over choosing a manager of a controversial Business Improvement District (BID), post-storm changes to building codes and solutions for those about to lose FEMA housing assistance.
The mayor discusses ongoing recovery efforts, the housing crisis and what it was like to survey the region with President Joe Biden.
Asheville City Council approved relief grants for housing, businesses and emergency shelter. It also tabled updates to building codes to have more time to explore environmental impacts and the scope of the proposed changes.
The bonds, if all approved by voters in November, would provide $20 million for housing, $20 million for transportation, $20 million for parks and recreation and $20 million for public safety.
“This is a straight rezoning, not a project,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said. “A sidewalk is not a requirement we can make.”
“We’re creating a budget that has recurring expenses,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said. “You’ve got to have a source of revenue that continues year after year.”
The mayor shared her enthusiasm about a potential business improvement district, or BID, in the city’s downtown.
More than 200 river rats, advocates, conservationists and economic stakeholders from a seven-county region filled Ferguson Auditorium to celebrate their successes and discuss ways to continue cleaning up one of the world’s oldest water ways to maximize its environmental and economic sway.
The event included the presentation of this year’s John Cram Arts Leadership Award to Gail and Brian McCarthy.
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer led a chorus of support for the 83-year-old city landmark, which was forced to close temporarily July 5 after its heating, ventilation and air conditioning units failed.
Residential customers pay higher rates for water than do commercial or industrial water consumers — $4.77 and $4.20 per cubic foot for single-family and multi-family housing, respectively, compared to as little as $2.29 per cubic foot for large manufacturers. Several members of Council said that the discrepancy was troubling.
Tom Tesser was one of several commenters from the Asheville Coalition for Public Safety, a recently formed advocacy group that looks to build support for the APD. Five of the nine speakers on budget matters sought larger salaries for police officers and shared their personal experiences of downtown crime and safety issues.
Council to vote on switch to public ‘work sessions’ Tuesday, Feb. 14.
This new funding, to be voted on by City Council during the regular meeting of Tuesday, Feb. 14, would come on top of more than $1.4 million the city has already budgeted for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along the I-26 corridor.
Much of the presentation focused on the shortcomings of how local governments and service providers currently collaborate to address homelessness.
An agreement between Asheville and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, approved by City Council in a 4-1 vote Jan. 24, will allow the APD to use a county-operated camera network to monitor the public.
Asheville’s water may be restored, but the spigot of information from city officials is still clogged.
Asheville City Council will consider establishing an “independent review committee to analyze the events and circumstances leading up to, and throughout the duration of, the recent prolonged water outage.” The group would evaluate Asheville’s emergency response, identify infrastructure needs and recommend policy changes to make the city more resilient.
During the Jan. 3 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer fielded questions about the chain of events that left tens of thousands without water over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Complete Democratic control of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, a better-than-expected performance by Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and $70 million in new spending for county initiatives all emerged from this year’s midterm election results.