Just last month, the hospital was notified it was in immediate jeopardy of losing Medicare funding because of non-compliance issues. The immediate jeopardy status was lifted, pending CMS's review of the Feb. 23, 2024, follow-up revisit survey.
While the March 5 primary delivered few surprises at the top of the ticket, local races delivered some firsts for Buncombe County in an election that saw a far lower turnout than the previous presidential primary in 2020.
Without a doubt, the first few years of the 2020s are a rough ride for the nation’s hospitality sector, and Asheville’s Foodtopia is no exception. The National Restaurant Association’s 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report offers a somewhat sunny forecast of growth, but staffing shortages, supply chain breakdowns, rising food costs and other factors continue to make the industry’s road to pandemic recovery a rocky one.
Yet strolling along downtown Asheville’s restaurant-lined streets or driving down West Asheville’s busy Haywood Road corridor, what one observes through café windows and at bustling outdoor tables is activity and expansion, not struggle and scarcity. In characteristically tough mountain fashion, Asheville’s community of resilient, innovative restaurateurs and bar owners is steadily going about the business of turning its seemingly endless supply of pandemic lemons into lemonade — probably sweetened with local honey and accented with herbs from nearby farms.
Many savvy chefs and owners are building on their COVID-19 pivots to reimagine and reinvigorate their business models for the future, in turn providing Asheville diners with exciting new outdoor dining spaces, streamlined service models, a wealth of delicious takeout options and more. Additionally, while a scant handful of Asheville restaurants closed in the past two years, countless fresh concepts have opened and more are sprouting up every day. Truly, there’s never been a more optimal time to pull up a chair and take a seat at Asheville’s bountiful table. The menu is better than ever!
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AGENDA BRIEFING WORKSESSION (For March 12 Formal Meeting)
Pledge of Allegiance
I. Proclamations:
– March, 2024, as “MAHEC’s 50th Anniversary Month”
– March, 2024, as “Red Cross Month”
II. Consent Agenda:
A. Approval of the combined minutes of the City Council annual retreat held on February 22-23, 2024; and the formal meeting held on February 27, 2024.
B. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Cityzen Solutions, Inc. d/b/a Public Input, for community engagement software. Documents
C. Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a contract with Cherry Bekaert, LLP for auditing City accounts for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2024. Documents
D. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a three-year contract with Envisio Solutions, Inc. for a work planning and tracking software subscription. Documents
E. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an interlocal agreement with the Asheville City Board of Education to provide up to five school resource officers. Documents
F. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Play By Design for the Carrier Playground Replacement Project; and further authorizing the City Manager to execute any change orders that may arise during the project. Documents
G. Request of the Housing Authority for City Council to adopt a resolution approving the issuance of up to $23,500,000 Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds to provide financing for Lakeshore Villas to satisfy Section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, with no City financial obligation associated with the bonds or any debt taken on by the developer. Documents
H. Request of the Housing Authority for City Council to adopt a resolution approving the issuance of up to $12,775,000 Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds to provide financing for Laurel Wood apartments to satisfy Section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, with no City financial obligation associated with the bonds or any debt taken on by the developer. Documents
I. Asheville-Buncombe Riverfront Commission Documents
1. Ordinance amending the membership to remove the County Commissioner seat on the Asheville-Buncombe Riverfront Commission.
- Resolution appointing Councilwoman Maggie Ullman to the Asheville-Buncombe Riverfront Commission.
J.1. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Asheville PEAK Academy. Documents
2. Budget amendment, in the amount of $501,384 of the remaining unobligated balance of American Rescue Plan Act funds, for Asheville PEAK Academy.
K. Monthly municipal property tax refunds or releases per N.C. Gen. Stat. sec. 105-381. Documents
III. Presentations and Reports:
A. Manager’s Report – Employee Recognition
IV. Public Hearings:
CITY COUNCIL HAS ESTABLISHED THE FOLLOWING TIME LIMITS FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS:
- APPLICANTS HAVE UP TO TEN MINUTES TO COMPLETE A PRESENTATION.
- INDIVIDUALS HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK TO CITY COUNCIL.
- A PERSON REPRESENTING A GROUP OF THREE OR MORE PERSONS (SPEAKER PLUS THREE OTHERS – TOAL OF FOUR) PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER HAS UP TO 10 MINUTES TO ADDRESS CITY COUNCIL.
- PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ANY ITEM MAY NOT EXCEED ONE HOUR
A. 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. Documents
V. Unfinished Business
VI. New Business
A.1. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Illumined Leadership Solutions for a Community Facilitator to support planning and implementation of the Boosting the Block project funded by the Mellon Foundation for a total contract amount of $180,000. Documents
2. Budget amendment, in the amount of $3 Million from the Mellon Foundation for the Boosting the Block Project.
VII. Informal Discussion and Public Comment
VIII. Adjournment
Contact Information
Maggie Burleson, City Clerk 828-259-5601
Money Matters
Thank you for stopping by DKos Asheville. Wishing you a good weekend.
“Be safe out there.” Lamont Cranston