On June 18, Asheville City offices will be closed in observance of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. Technically on June 19, it marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally told they were free. These enslaved people learned they were free two years after [...]
At their June 8 meeting, Asheville City Council voted to appropriate $2.1 million in proceeds from the sale of City-owned land at 172 and 174 South Charlotte Street to fund community reparations. A portion of this property includes land the City purchased in the 1970s through Urban Renewal of East End/Valley Street. The Council action was [...]
On July 14, 2020, Asheville City Council passed a Resolution Supporting Community Reparations for Black Asheville. The resolution calls for the City Manager to, “establish a process within the next year to develop short, medium and long term recommendations to specifically address the creation of generational wealth and to boost economic mobility [...]
With Gov. Roy Cooper’s easing of statewide facemask and social distancing restrictions and extending capacity on gatherings per Executive Order 209, the Asheville City Council will transition back to meeting in person. As a start, the June 8, June 22 and July 27 City Council meetings will be held at the Harrah’s [...]
The City of Asheville offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day, May 31, a federally designated holiday that honors military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Here is a roundup of other City services affected by this holiday, as well [...]
For safety and to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, Asheville City Council meetings remain virtual at this time and accessible to the public in accordance with N.C. General Statute § 166A-19.24(f). This includes the 5 p.m. May 25 meeting. The agenda is posted at this link. You can watch City Council [...]
The Information Sharing and Truth Telling Speaker Series is the first phase of the City of Asheville’s process to deliver community reparations for Black Asheville. The series will include local and national speakers who share information about past policies, present trends and disparities, and future initiatives. The community will have opportunities to participate. Please join [...]
Because of the continued need for physical distance posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Asheville-Buncombe Memorial Day Ceremony will again be held as a virtual ceremony. John Mason The keynote speaker will be USMC Veteran John Mason, who was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star Medal for Valor during his time in Vietnam 1968 [...]
In a year when the COVID-19 pandemic economically challenged our community, the City of Asheville did not increase fees and charges for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 (which runs July to June). Also, in an effort to limit the financial impact of the pandemic, some fees were waived, and late charges were deferred. This was done even though [...]
Asheville City Council held their fifth and final budget work session May 11. Staff provided draft budget recommendations for City Council to consider including in the manager’s recommended budget. To review the presentation and materials, visit this website. The draft recommendations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-2022 budget include a balanced and fiscally [...]
For safety and to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, Asheville City Council meetings remain virtual at this time. That includes the May 11 City Council meeting. In addition to the 5 p.m. meeting Council will hold a 2:30 p.m. budget work session. May 11 will be the fifth budget work session for the 2021-2022 budget. The [...]
Removal of the Vance Monument can proceed, after Buncombe County Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg granted the City’s Motion to Dismiss a lawsuit brought by a group seeking to block the City’s planned removal of the monument. Following Asheville City Council’s March 23 vote authorizing demolition of the 75-foot obelisk on Pack Square, The Society for [...]
In alignment with Buncombe County, on April 27 Asheville City Council passed a Nondiscrimination Ordinance, protecting people from discrimination in public accommodations and private employment. From March 30, 2017, through December 1, 2020, the State of North Carolina prohibited local governments from regulating private employment practices and/or public accommodations. This restriction ceased in December of 2020, [...]
Working with community partners, the City of Asheville today provided 15 rooms for unsheltered people relocated from Duke Energy property near Isaac Dickson Elementary School. Those partners include Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, Homeward Bound and BeLoved, who did outreach to people in this encampment, helped them pack their belongings and transported them to [...]
Find information about COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and more in Buncombe County. Visit BuncombeReady.org.
Due to technical difficulties, today’s (April 13) City Council budget work session and meeting will not be available on Charter/Spectrum Channel 193. There are several other ways to watch or listen to today’s meeting: Watch the live stream on the City of Asheville YouTube channel. Budget work session at 2:30 p.m. City Council Meeting at 5 [...]
City Assistant Finance Director Tony McDowell has been named Director of Finance for the City of Asheville. City Manager Debra Campbell selected McDowell for the job, citing “his rich institutional knowledge in this important role.” McDowell has served as the Interim Finance Department Director since January following the departure of former City CFO Barbara Whitehorn, who [...]