Help shape Asheville by serving on a City board or commission

photo illustration of Diverse People in Meeting With Speech Bubbles

Looking for a way to get involved in local government and play a part in shaping the future of Asheville? Serving on a City of Asheville board or commission is a great place to start. More than 250 people serve on 35 advisory boards and help guide policy decisions for the City of Asheville. Put your perspective, leadership and knowledge to work by serving on one of many City advisory committees.

Currently there are openings on six committees or boards.

For an application form, please visit of City’s Boards and Commissions webpage or contact the City Clerk’s Office at 828-259-5839 or sterwilliger@ashevillenc.gov.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 4, unless otherwise noted.

Current openings

Asheville City Board of Education — A local board of education serves a vital role in our community by helping steer the educational journeys of our children. Its decisions influence the lives of students and their parents, teachers, school staff, and district leadership and impact the overall well-being of the community. The Asheville City Board of Education serves as the governing body of the Asheville City Schools. This board establishes the vision for education in the district. It sets the goals, standards, and tone for what we want our public schools to be and ensures that these schools are responsive to the needs of our local community.  The school board serves the larger purposes of representing the needs of the community in our schools, building bridges among parents, school leadership, and other sectors of the community, and ensuring that our schools are the best they can be. The deadline for applications for this vacancy is 5 p.m. Feb. 25.

Board of Electrical Examiners — The members of the board examine applicants for licenses for the transaction of other related business.

Citizens-Police Advisory Committee — There are two current vacancies on the committee; one vacancy must be filled by a Housing Authority property resident; and the other must be filled by a representative from the South district. Please indicate residence on application form.  Duties include, but are not limited to: (1) serving as liaison between the police and community; (2) to mediate problems or conflicts; (3) to serve as an advocate for programs, ideas and methods to improve the relationship between the police and the community; and (4) to disseminate information to the community and to the government officials in Asheville.

Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee — The purpose of the committee is to implement the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and Beyond. Its duties and responsibilities shall include (1) conduct research and investigation into issues about homelessness, including causes and effects within Asheville and the surrounding area; (2) formulate and make recommendations to local governmental entities and social service agencies to reduce the incidence of homelessness; (3) act as a clearinghouse for information on local homelessness issues; and (4) other duties as requested by the City Council, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, or as the committee deems appropriate.

Recreation Board — The Board advises City Council on various matters pertaining to the operation of park facilities and recreation programs within the City of Asheville, to make policy recommendations to City Council and to carry out duties as may be assigned to them by City Council.

Transit Committee  The Committee functions as an advisory board to the Multimodal Transportation Commission and to the City staff on matters affecting the transit system and its operation.  All Transit Committee members are appointed by the Multimodal Transportation Commission. The terms of office are three years.  For an application form, please visit the Transit Webpage or contact Transit Project Coordinator, Marcela Moreno at MMoreno@ashevillenc.gov for more information. This vacancy is open until filled.

Please visit of City’s Boards and Commissions webpage or contact the City Clerk’s Office at 259-5839 or by e-mail at sterwilliger@ashevillenc.gov for more information.