Growth and Opportunity: Mayor Bellamy’s State of the City Address

Mayor Terry Bellamy

Mayor Bellamy stressed the many accomplishments made in her first year in office, giving frequent acknowledgements to City Council, police and Public Works employees. Having begun with a $2.4 million deficit, the mayor pointed with pride to the strategic cuts which were made without loss of jobs or services.

No Consolidation

There have been calls for consolidation of the city and Buncombe County government, but Bellamy made it clear that she disagreed: “The needs of urbanized areas are different from those of rural areas.” However, she expressed willingness to eliminate areas of duplication in health insurance, and emergency management. She praised the Asheville Project, which provides city employees with chronic health problems with education on medication use. 25% of the city’s workforce are enrolled, yielding a substantial cost saving. Also, the city and county have partnered on a 10-year plan to end homelessness.

Capital Improvements

$11 million was invested to upgrade the water treatment plant and water lines–four times as much as was invested in the previous five years. Asheville’s drinking water now surpasses federal standards. An agreement for Hendersonville to purchase water from Asheville will allow more needed improvements on our water infrastructure.

Twelve sidewalk projects and fifty-six street resurfacing projects have been completed. $3.6 million has been budgeted for improvement of Civic Center, including its roof. New park facilities are underway including Haw Fletcher Park and a new complex at Azalea Park. Carrier Park construction is completed and Aston Park facilities were upgraded.

Public Safety

Forty-eight officers graduated from the new Police Academy. Thirty-two people were indicted after an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Citizens also play a part in the safety of the community, by getting to know their neighbors and reporting illegal activities to the police. Two new fire stations will open in July.

Balancing Growth with Citizens’ Needs

A comprehensive revision of the UDO has made it more user friendly; twenty amendments were approved. City Council approved a steep slope ordinance. In the past ten years, Asheville had a 200% increase in building permit applications, and is projected to have 10,000 new households by 2025; the county will have 70,000 new residents by then. Bellamy pointed to the West End Clingman Neighborhood Plan as an example of best development practices—developed with neighbors’ input and a professional planner. “The plan looked at street connectivity, infill development, infrastructure upgrade. A local landowner donated land for a Habitat for Humanity house. Mountain Housing Opportunities completed two multifamily developments and a pocket park. This development has citizen support because they’re the ones who developed the vision.”

A Greener Asheville

“The way we used to do business is no longer viable,” said the Mayor. She mentioned the new compressed natural gas station for some of the city’s fleet, and stated she had come around to supporting the LEED standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for new city buildings. “Council created a sustainable advisory committee on energy and environment, and it’s been hard at work. We must educate citizens about what ‘green’ means. We’re not just building for today, but for tomorrow.”

Growing Our Own Workforce

Colbond, Volvo Construction, and others will create 520 new high-skilled jobs. An agreement for voluntary annexation of a new shopping and entertainment center will mean 1200 new jobs.  “We must grow our own workforce, through collaboration with the local colleges,” Bellamy urged. “Our community must say, ‘One dropout from high school is too many.’ We need tutors. Call and volunteer with the Education Coalition, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Youthful Hands.”

Public housing

As HUD is cutting funds across the country for public housing, Bellamy advocates moving to a mixed income model and a Mayor’s task force to develop a plan. “We’ll need to work with Affordable Housing Coalition, Mountain Housing Opportunities, Mountain Bizworks, Consumer Credit Counseling, to provide job skills, home ownership, and more,” the Mayor said. The city was unable to buy McCormick Heights, but has helped relocate families. “To make sure we have a diverse stock of affordable housing, we must look at savings initiatives and foreclosure prevention, with the support of Council and bankers, nonprofits and for-profit developers.”

Diversity

“By working together, as Council and community, we can come up with better ideas. When we come together, form a collective vision, and look at the core issues, our community is stronger. Our diversity can be key to unity and success.”

Favorable Responses

Edna Campos, a Latino community leader, was pleased to hear the Mayor’s ideas for growing our own workforce, addressing the dropout rate and educational disparity. “I’m glad the Mayor is seeing the diversity of our community as a plus,” she said. “We know it’s a big agenda, and it will take neighborhood, community, business and nonprofits to work together for good growth.”

Councilmember Robin Cape added: “The Mayor has come to understand the importance of energy and environment issues for the good of the community. I think this Council’s working on many fronts, integrating the varied interests that Council members have into sound policies for our community’s health. Progressive politics are inclusive of a larger segment of the community. We’ve been the first Council to start working on the Civic Center instead of just talk about it. Having a Council interested in positive change has been a good thing for our city.”