Asheville City Council
March 12, 2024
Regular meeting
Other City businessHousingBudget and taxesPublic safety
What it did
- Motion to adopt an ordinance to revise the Asheville-Buncombe Riverfront Commission Ordinance to remove the County Commissioner seat from the commission membership failed.Failed. Voted no: Kim Roney, Sage Turner, Maggie Ullman.
- Rezones 10 Kitchin Place, with conditions, from Community Business II (CBII) to Commercial Expansion - Conditional Zone (COM EXP-CZ).Passed. Voted no: Kim Roney, Sage Turner.
- Approves the City Manager to enter into interlocal agreements with the Asheville City Board of Education whereby the Asheville…Passed. Voted no: Kim Roney.
- Motion to approve the conditional zoning request for the properties located at 10 Kitchin Place and 1 Angle Street failed.Failed.
- Votes recorded
- 13
- Voted on separately
- 4
- Routine items, one vote
- 9
- Votes that split
- 3
Why it matters
Regular meetings are where Council votes on laws, the budget, contracts and zoning. Routine items pass together in one vote, called the consent agenda.
The recording
Everything on the agenda
From the minutes, in the order the City lists them. Each item's first lines are the minutes' own words.
PROCLAMATIONS
Proclamation proclaiming March, 2024, as “MAHEC’s 50th Anniversary Month”
“Mayor Manheimer read the proclamation proclaiming March, 2024, as "MAHEC’s 50th Anniversary Month " in the City of Asheville.”
Proclamation proclaiming March, 2024, as “Red Cross Month”
“Mayor Manheimer read the proclamation proclaiming March, 2024, as "Red Cross Month " in the City of Asheville.”
CONSENT AGENDA
9 routine items, passed together in one vote.
PRESENTATIONS & REPORTS
Manager’s report
“City Manager Campbell said that City of Asheville employees are heroes in many ways.”
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public hearing to consider the Conditional Zoning of 1 Angle Street and 10 Kitchin Place from Community Business II District to Commercial Expansion - Conditional Zone: urban
“Urban Planner Clay Mitchell said that this is the consideration of an ordinance to conditionally zone 1 Angle Street and 10 Kitchin Place from Community Business II District to Commercial Expansion - Conditional Zone.”
NEW BUSINESS
Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Illuminated Leadership Solutions for a Community Facilitator to support Planning and implementation of the Boosting the Block Project funded by the Mellon Foundation…
“Downtown Projects Manager Dana Frankel said that this is the consideration of adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Illumined Leadership Solutions for community engagement and overall support through implementation of the Boosting the Block project funded…”
INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comment
- Boosting the Block community facilitator
- nothing being done for domestic violence
- low barrier shelters are a County issue and the City needs to understand the full scope of the project before taking any action
- need for low barrier shelters
- request to condemn all antisemitism speech
- request for Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza
Voted on separately
Each of these had its own motion and vote.
Failed. Voted no: Kim Roney, Sage Turner, Maggie Ullman.
Passed. Voted no: Kim Roney, Sage Turner.
Passed. Voted no: Kim Roney.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The City of Asheville will pay each SRO in one lump sum minus the appropriate deductions. ○ A total of $1,200 for each SRO to maintain equipment, to be paid at the beginning of each fiscal year.”
Failed.
More from the minutes
- “He said that staff concurs with the Planning & Zoning Commission and recommends approval of the proposed conditional zoning.”
Routine items, passed together
The consent agenda: items Council approves in one vote, without separate discussion. A member can ask to pull an item out for its own vote.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Who it's for: Households earning up to 80% of the area median income: up to $81,920 a year for a family of four, or $57,360 for one person (HUD's 2026 income limits for tax-credit housing in the Asheville area).
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “On April 11, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No, 23-77 approving the Housing Authority issuance of not to exceed $11,855,000 of tax-exempt bonds for the Laurel Wood Apartments development.”
- “The existing 51 units are all one-bedroom and are located within one building that was built in 1999.”
- “The 54 new units will be located in a new building to be constructed on site and will include 42 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units.”
- “All 105 units in the development will be rent and income restricted at 40,50,60 and 80% of area median income.”
Signs an agreement with Asheville PEAK Academy.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The request would exhaust the City’s unobligated balance of ARPA funding.”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “At their February 27, 2024 meeting, the City Council unanimously authorized the City Manager to coordinate with Asheville PEAK Academy to collect all federally required information to finalize a formal grant agreement in the amount of $501,384.”
- “Asheville PEAK Academy has proven outcomes that help address the opportunity gap for school aged youth residing in homes with low to moderate income, which has been a focus of City Council as other funding opportunities have been rescoped to help close the opportunity gap.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The maximum total fee amount of $158,600 for the annual audit is already included in the adopted Internal Audit division’s operating budget.”
Signs a contract with Envisio Solutions Inc. for a work planning and tracking Software subscription.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a three-year contract with Envisio Solutions, Inc. for a work planning and tracking software subscription, at a total cost not to exceed $134,024.”
- “The proposals were evaluated and ranked based upon each vendor’s ability to meet the project needs, including but not limited to proposed cost.”
Signs a contract with Cityzen Solutions Inc. D/b/a Public Input for community engagement software.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The requested contract period would be a one-year term with two, optional one-year renewals”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The initial one-year contract term will be $34,17, with the option for two one-year renewals at a cost of $37,591 (first renewal) and $41,350 (second renewal), for a total contract amount of $113,115.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Who it's for: Households earning up to 60% of the area median income: up to $61,440 a year for a family of four, or $43,020 for one person (HUD's 2026 income limits for tax-credit housing in the Asheville area).
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The project will consist of 3 buildings.”
- “There will be a mix of 1,2 and 3-bedroom units.”
- “All units will be set aside for individuals and families at 60% or less of Area Median Income (“AMI”).”
- “120 units of new housing affordable to households at or below 60% of AMI will be constructed..”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- “The proposals were evaluated and ranked based upon each vendor’s ability to meet the project needs, including but not limited to proposed cost.”
Monthly municipal property tax refunds or releases per N.C. gen. stat. sec. 105-381.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
The plain-language lines are written by fixed rules from each item's official title, which is on each decision's page. Every vote the minutes record is listed; procedural motions, like approving the minutes or adjourning, are left out.