City residents had their first formal opportunity Tuesday night to weigh in on Asheville’s 2026-27 budget. During a public comment session at City Council’s regular meeting, speakers discussed how officials should manage the substantial gap projected between the next fiscal year’s revenues and expenses.
That gap is somewhat smaller than initially estimated, according to Lindsay Spangler, the city’s budget and performance manager. At a work session prior to the regular meeting, she told Council that staff now projected the figure at $26.4 million, down $4 million from the $30.4 million presented Jan. 13. She attributed that difference to continuing some budget cuts previously considered “one-time” options, along with updated accounting for employee health care costs.
But Spangler emphasized that closing the gap would require the city to consider new taxes. “With the size that we’re looking at, we don’t believe it’s possible to balance the budget just with budget reductions,” she said. “We will ultimately need to bring Council options for revenue increases as well, including fees and charges and property tax increases.”
Some commenters urged Council not to abandon its values even amid the budgetary challenges. Both Vicki Meath, executive director of the nonprofit Just Economics, and former Council candidate Nina Tovish asked the city to commit to paying all employees a living wage. Just Economics calculates that rate at $24.10 hourly, up about 4% from last year.
Rachel Cohen, representing the local chapter of the climate advocacy organization Sunrise Movement, said Asheville should continue its support for sustainability and public transit. To fund the latter, she suggested that the city explore a new sales tax, an option officials have floated several times in recent years. (City Attorney Brad Branham told Council that action on a transit tax would require approval from the state General Assembly, which is unlikely to happen until the legislature begins its next “long session” in 2027.)
Meanwhile, two candidates looking to unseat incumbent Council members this year used the opportunity to call for deep change. Kyle Turner took issue with the city’s characterization of its budget issues.
“Asheville is not facing a temporary budget gap. We are facing a structural deficit where recurring expenses outpace recurring revenues,” Turner said. “That distinction matters because you fix a gap with a patch — you fix a structural deficit with a structural reform.”
And fellow candidate David Moritz said the city needs to restore fiscal discipline after years of budget increases and staff additions. “This isn’t just an Asheville problem; it’s a pattern we’re seeing in many cities nationwide. Spending grows, promises grow, the bureaucracy grows, but the results don’t,” he said.
Council’s next budget work session takes place Tuesday, March 10. Spangler said staff will likely discuss updated gap projections, budget reduction options, and the city’s fees and charges. The city is currently slated to publish a draft budget Tuesday, May 12, with a public hearing on the document to follow Tuesday, May 26.
Other tidbits
- Chris Corl, director of Asheville’s community and regional entertainment facilities department, briefed Council about efforts to develop a performing arts center on city-owned land. At the Feb. 24 work session, he said the city would apply for a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to support a roughly 2,500-seat performance hall and associated facilities. The potential 2.43-acre site, just south of Asheville City Hall and Pack Square Park, has been proposed for a replacement to the aging Thomas Wolfe Auditorium since 2006.
- Council unanimously approved a change to Asheville’s noise ordinance that specifies how sound-amplifying devices may be used near schools and medical clinics. A staff report accompanying the change says the new language “adds clarity and legal defensibility to the city’s ordinance while maintaining existing prohibition.” At a Feb. 19 briefing, Assistant City Manager Jade Dundas noted that the change was related to an ongoing lawsuit by Zachary Hebb, an anti-abortion activist who has been cited for violating the ordinance in his protests of Asheville’s Planned Parenthood clinic. Council held a Feb. 19 closed session to consult with Branham about the case.
- Asheville will hold a “community design workshop” on rebuilding Azalea Park and the French Broad riverfront parks Saturday, Feb. 28, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at A-B Tech’s Ivy Building. City officials and consultants will present the input they’ve gathered to date and seek guidance on the next steps of the projects. Further online feedback opportunities and pop-up events are scheduled through Monday, March 16, with more information available here.
- Neither Council nor city staffers made any mention of introducing a “Fourth Amendment resolution,” which would uphold local government’s commitment to the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. At a Jan. 22 briefing, City Manager DK Wesley had slated a discussion on the matter for the Feb. 24 policy work session. Communities such as Boone, Carrboro, and Durham have adopted such resolutions in response to concerns over possible “unreasonable searches and seizures” by federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
- Council authorized an application for $585,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a study of multimodal improvements along Hilliard Avenue. The work would assess “possible reconfigurations” of the east-west connector between Clingman Avenue and Biltmore Avenue and generate cost estimates of any changes. The city had previously sought support for the study in December from the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, but that grant application was denied.
