Asheville City Council
November 14, 2023
Regular meeting
Other City businessBudget and taxesStreets and transit
The short version
14 decisions, approved together in one consent-agenda vote.
- Council approves borrowing up to $8.3 million from TD Equipment Finance for Capital Improvement Program vehicles and equipment.
Council voted to approve borrowing up to $8.3 million from TD Equipment Finance for Capital Improvement Program vehicles and equipment. The City repays it in installments, with interest.
- Council approves a contract with Walden Security to provide Security services at the City’s parking facilities.
Council voted to approve a contract with Walden Security to provide Security services at the City’s parking facilities including four parking garages and 10 surface parking lots.
- Council approves a contract worth up to $245,000 with Hazen and Sawyer.
Council voted to approve a contract with Hazen and Sawyer for engineering services associated with the development of a professional engineering report for the evaluation of the East Asheville Booster Pump Station, worth up to $245,000.
The short version is picked by a fixed rule, never by the order of the minutes: split votes and failed motions first, then changes to a program, a service or who qualifies, then the largest amounts, then budgets, zoning, laws and fees. Schedules, appointments, event permits and tax refunds come last.
The recording and the record
What changes
Only what the record supports for each item, and what's still pending.
- Council approves applying for the N.C. Department of Transportation Public Transit Apprenticeship Grant Program.
Still pending: This is a request. The City gets the money only if the grant is awarded.
What residents raised
The topics public speakers raised, as the minutes list them. These are residents' comments, not findings.
- school issues, especially as it relates to Senate Bill 49
- a request that the Public Art & Cultural Commission's proposed ordinance amendment not include a designated seat for Explore Asheville
- history of Vance Monument
- discrimination of Jewish people
Approved together on the consent agenda
14 items, approved in one vote without separate discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
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Council voted to approve borrowing up to $8.3 million from TD Equipment Finance for Capital Improvement Program vehicles and equipment. The City repays it in installments, with interest.
- The money, in the minutes' words: “11-14-23 Page 8 Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution authorizing execution of an installment financing contract with TD Equipment Finance for Capital Improvement Program (CIP) vehicles and equipment in an amount not to exceed $8,300,000.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
Council voted to approve a contract with Walden Security to provide Security services at the City’s parking facilities including four parking garages and 10 surface parking lots.
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Funding for the first year of this contract, not to exceed $481,834, is available in the Parking Services operating budget.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
Council approves a contract worth up to $245,000 with Hazen and Sawyer.
More
Council voted to approve a contract with Hazen and Sawyer for engineering services associated with the development of a professional engineering report for the evaluation of the East Asheville Booster Pump Station, worth up to $245,000.
- What the City says it's for: “This project will become part of the Water Resources Department’s ongoing Capital Improvement Program.”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to sign a contract with Hazen and Sawyer to provide a Preliminary Engineering Report for East Asheville Booster Pump Station in an amount not to exceed $245,000.”
- “The East Asheville Booster Pump Station has been non-operational since approximately 2010 and is currently considered decommissioned.”
- “If approved, the proposed engineering services described here within will be developed into a subcontract under the conditions of the master agreement.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
Council voted to approve a contract with Hendrickson Transportation Group to secure transit-related administrative service,s training, and grant management support for Federal Transit Administration Grants.
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Hendrickson Transportation Group for $124,600 to secure transit-related administrative services, training, and grant management support for Federal Transit Administration Grants.”
- “Based on the RFP scoring rubric, which ranked respondents based on experience and qualifications, project approach, and cost, HTG was selected by the selection committee and a one-year contract with options to renew for two additional years is proposed.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
Council voted to change its contract with Cinderella Partners Inc. for additional urgent repairs on the Parking Garage immediate priority capital repairs project.
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution ratifying the execution of a change order with Cinderella Partners, Inc. in the amount of $68,877 for additional structural repairs in the Wall Street garage for the Parking Garage Immediate Priority Repairs Project.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
Still pending: This is a request. The City gets the money only if the grant is awarded.
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The City provides 10% of the cost, not to exceed $5,491.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
Official title
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- What the City says it's for: “The contract will be funded utilizing revenues from the 4% technology fee applied to most development fees.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
- Eminent domain:
- The government's power to take private property for public use when the owner won't sell. State law requires fair payment, and a court can set the amount.
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- What the City says it's for: “This resolution will allow the Fleet Division to efficiently purchase the parts required to repair and maintain the City’s existing Vac-Con equipped Vacuum Suction Trucks”
- “City of Asheville Unit# 1437 requires replacement of the Vacuum Compressor Assembly.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
Official title
More
- “All property owners abutting the unopened right-of-way have signed affidavits approving of the proposed closure.”
- “The Applicant has indicated that the purpose of the closure is to allow for the construction of additional housing units on the property.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
Council voted to approve an agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation to release Transportation Alternative Grant Funds for constructing the Greenway Connectors project.
- What the City says it's for: “This facility will feature improved high-visibility crosswalks, a wide shared use-path along a portion of Southside Avenue and on Short Coxe Avenue, and greenway wayfinding”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
Council voted to approve the recommendation of the allocation of $50,000 in Strategic Partnership Grant fundings for Asheville PEAK Academy. It also approves the City Manager to execute the grant agreement.
- What the City says it's for: “This program will directly serve 10 highly qualified staff members who will educate approximately 216 scholars from public housing or low-income communities in Asheville for the current school year.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
More
- “The Swannanoa River Greenway Construction Project will install approximately one mile of greenway along the Swannanoa River where no bicycle or pedestrian facilities currently exist.”
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
- Eminent domain:
- The government's power to take private property for public use when the owner won't sell. State law requires fair payment, and a court can set the amount.
Council approves the month's property tax refunds and releases.
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Council approved the month's list of property tax refunds and releases.
What that means
- Consent agenda:
- Routine items Council approves together in one vote, without discussion. Any member can pull an item out for its own vote.
- Tax refunds:
- State law lets the City pay back or cancel property tax that was charged by mistake or against the law.
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 November 11-18, 2023, “Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week”
“Mayor Manheimer read the proclamation proclaiming November 11-18, 2023, as "Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week " in the City of Asheville.”
CONSENT AGENDA
14 consent-agenda items, approved together in one vote.
PRESENTATIONS & REPORTS
Manager’s report - Tourism Development Authority Applications update: assistant to the
“City Manager Jaime Matthews provided the following key takeaways from her presentation (1) Grants from the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) provide the City with opportunities to leverage funds for tourism-related capital projects; (2) The City’s goal is to align capital needs with the allowable…”
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public hearing to conditionally rezone 2 Butler Road from Community Business II District to Residential Expansion - Conditional Zone
“Councilwoman Ullman moved to recuse Mayor Manheimer from participating in this item due to a conflict of interest.”
INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comment
Summaries are written by hand from the minutes, and every number and name in them is checked against the minutes' own words. An item not written yet shows a summary built by fixed rules from its official title. Every item shows its official title. Procedural motions, like approving the agenda or adjourning, are left out.