Asheville budget worksessions, adoption schedule announced

Posted on by Web Editors - CAPE
Budget illustration
Budget Savings Banking Money Finance Concept

It’s budget season
for the City of Asheville.
From March through June,
City Council will work with
City staff to review budget options, aligning Council priorities
with available funding.

The City’s operating budget must be passed by July 1. That’s because the City runs on a fiscal year of July through June. By law, it must be a balanced budget — and it always has been.

The discussions leading up to the final budget happen during budget worksessions. The first of those sessions for the 2019-2020 budget was March 26. All of them happen in Council Chambers, second floor of City Hall. Here’s the schedule:

  •         Budget Worksession, 3 p.m. March 26, video link to the budget worksession
  •         Budget Worksession, 3 p.m. April 9
  •         Adoption of Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Fees & Charges, 5 p.m. April 9 during Council’s regular meeting
  •         Proposed FY 2019-2020 Budget document published online May 10
  •         Budget Public Hearing, 5 p.m. May 28 during Council’s regular meeting. During this hearing, Council will take public comment. No public comment is taken at the budget worksessions.
  •         Budget Adoption, 5 p.m. June 11 during Council’s regular meeting

During worksessions, City Council and staff discuss funding priorities. Staff then takes the priorities identified by Council and incorporate them into the City Manager’s Proposed budget.

The budget worksessions will be streamed live on the City of Asheville website at this link and then archived on the City’s YouTube channel. Or watch on cable TV, Charter Channel 193 or ATT&T U-verse 99. Find budget documents on the City’s Budget webpage.

The City is in good financial standing, with a AAA rating from Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s Investor Services. This rating means that the City is well-managed, financially stable and able to pay back any borrowed funds. The City has fund balance (savings) minimums in place to ensure adequate rainy day funds. The City works with financial advisors and the North Carolina Local Government Commission (LGC) to manage its long-term Capital needs.

On March 8, Asheville City Council met for their annual retreat, during which they were presented community and staff priorities. They then ranked them as ongoing or placed them into short-, medium- and long-term goals. Find that ranking document at this link.

We encourage all residents to attend or watch the budget worksessions and keep up with the budget process. For any questions, contact Beth Bechel 828-259-5598 or bbechel@ashevillenc.gov.