Over the past few days, City officials and leadership have received thousands of emails, phone calls and voicemails from the community. In an effort to be responsive, the City of Asheville is moving the adoption of the budget to Sept. 8, and the public hearing will be held on Aug. 25.
We appreciate everyone’s input and we want to ensure that the community is heard before the budget is finalized. All of your comments for the public hearing scheduled for June 9 will be part of the public record and will be available on the City Virtual Engagement Hub.
On June 9, City Manager, Debra Campbell recommended that City Council adopt an interim budget on June 23. The City is mandated by the state to have an adopted budget each year by July 1. An interim budget will allow the City to continue to operate under the same budget passed last year into the next fiscal year. It will also give City leaders time to spend the next 60 days having important conversations with the community. City Manager Debra Campbell wants to engage our community leaders to address issues related to equity and social disparity in the budget. Also, an interim budget allows for the City to gather more information regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy.
The City will provide more information about the engagement effort in the coming weeks. There will also be opportunities for additional public comment at the rescheduled public hearing on August 25.
Updated budget schedule
- Aug. 25 — City Council to hold budget public hearing
- Sept. 8 — Proposed budget goes before City Council for adoption
For budget presentations and to follow the process, visit our budget process webpage.