Asheville City Council Passes Budget - What It Includes For Police, Public Transit, & Taxpayers

The Asheville City Council this week approved a $175-million budget for the coming fiscal year which starts on July 1st.  The city police department was seeking an additional $1-million to hire more officers to patrol the downtown area which has seen a spike in crime.  But after a push from several community activists and groups who wanted to see that money spent on anti-poverty programs and public transit instead, the council okayed giving police the money over multiple years instead of all at once.  Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Joel Burgess broke down the budget with BPR's Matt Bush - looking at what the police department ended up getting, as well as the increase in property taxes many in the city will see.