Archive for Misc.
Asheville City Council Agenda 3.26.13
Posted by: | CommentsPLEASE NOTE THE MARCH 26 COUNCIL MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 2:30 P.M.
City Council Regular Meeting – March 26, 2013 – 2:30 p.m.
City Hall Building
Council Chamber
AGENDA
The following has been set as the agenda for the March 25, 2013, regular meeting of the City Council. Information regarding City employees is governed by N.C. Gen. Stat. sec. 160A-168 – Council does not consider personnel matters in open session. At the conclusion of this agenda the meeting will be open for the presentation of other matters by members of Council and the public. Public comment will not be taken on items as to which no Council action will be taken at this meeting, including those items listed as reports or presentations or as discussion items. When Council action is anticipated as to any matter, it will be placed on a Council agenda for consideration, and public comment will be taken at that time.
Pledge of Allegiance
Invocation to be given by Councilman Hunt.
I. PROCLAMATIONS:
II. CONSENT AGENDA:
A. Approval of the minutes of the retreat held on March 11, 2013, and the formal meeting held on March 12, 2013. March 11, 2013 March 12, 2013
B. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to convey real property off Sunrise Drive to Michael Falknor. Documents
C. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to convey real property off Jefferson Drive to Rebecca and Lee Lance. Documents
D. Resolution directing the City Clerk to advertise a sealed bid sale of three parcels of City owned property, known as the (1) Short Street lot, (2) S. Beaumont lot,
and (3) Hansel Avenue lot. Documents
E. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the Asheville Humane Society for animal shelter services within the territorial limits of
the City of Asheville. Documents
F. Budget amendment, in the amount of $10,000, from the US Dept. of Justice, for reimbursement for overtime expenses related to Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force participation. Documents
G.1. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept grant funds from the U.S. Conference of Mayors / Purdue Pharma Prescription Drug Awareness
Recognition Program. Documents
2. Budget amendment, in the amount of $5,000, from the U.S. Conference of Mayors / Purdue Pharma Prescription Drug Awareness Recognition Program.
H. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept Democratic National Convention equipment donated to the Asheville Police Department by the City of
Charlotte. Documents
I. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Renaissance Planning Group to develop a transportation network plan for the East of
the Riverway area. Documents
J. Resolution supporting the vision and mission of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee. Documents
III. PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS:
A. Proposed Improvements to I-26 from US 25 in Henderson County to I-40 Interchange
B. Updates
1. 2002 Mills River Watershed Strategic Documents Documents Report
2. Recreation Board Documents
3. River District Design Review Committee Documents
4. Legislative & Water
A. Resolution opposing House Bill 252 regarding Asheville Water System Fund transfers Documents
CITY COUNCIL HAS ESTABLISHED THE FOLLOWING TIME LIMITS FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS:
• APPLICANTS HAVE UP TO TEN MINUTES TO COMPLETE A PRESENTATION.
• ELECTRONIC PRESENTATIONS ARE LIMITED TO AGENDA ITEMS WITH PRESENTATION MATERIALS PROVIDED PRIOR TO THE MEETING BY CITY STAFF, APPLICANTS, OR ORGANIZED OPPOSITION.
• INDIVIDUALS HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK TO CITY COUNCIL.
• A PERSON REPRESENTING A GROUP OF THREE OR MORE PERSONS (NOT INCLUDING THE SPEAKER) PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER HAS UP TO 10 MINUTES TO ADDRESS CITY COUNCIL.
• PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ANY ITEM MAY NOT EXCEED ONE HOUR.
• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE PROVIDED IN HARD COPY AND/OR WRITTEN FORM.
IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
A. Public hearing to consider the Conditional Zoning of the project identified as Myra Village located at 11 Myra Place, from RS-4 Residential Single-Family Medium
Density District to RM-6 Residential Multi-Family Low Density District/ Conditional Zoning, for a nine unit multi-family development, including the completion of
partially-constructed structures from a previous project, and a modification request to allow parking within a property line buffer. Documents
B. Public hearing to consider an amendment to the conditional zoning for Weirbridge Village (signage package) located on Hendersonville Road, Legacy Oaks
Place, and Racquet Club Road. Documents
V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
A. Consideration of a request for an additional one-year extension for the project identified as Eagles Landing, located at 179 Johnston Boulevard. Documents
B. Asheville Downtown Improvement District Inc.
1. Budget & Tax Rate
2. Approval of By-Laws BID By-Laws with Changes.pdf BID Clean Copy of By-Laws.pdf Board
VI. NEW BUSINESS:
A. Ordinance adopting the Fiscal Year 2013-14 Fees & Charges. Documents
B. Motion to authorize the offering of a Retirement Incentive Program for employees who are eligible to retire under the NC Local Governmental Employees
Retirement System. Documents
VII. INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT:
VIII. ADJOURNMENT.
BOARD/COMMISSION VACANCIES: Deadline is April 3 at 5:00 p.m. Call 259-5601 for an application form. (1) Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority (must be a registered voter of the City of Asheville); (2) Citizens-Police Advisory Committee (vacancy must be a south representative); and (3) Neighborhood Advisory Committee (vacancy must represent the 28803 or 28704 zip code)
Rabbit Punch
Posted by: | CommentsWow, that’s terrific bunny …
TPM – Congress Averts Government Shutdown
The House on Thursday passed a bipartisan measure to continue funding the government through September, averting a shutdown one week before the lights would go out.The final vote was 318-109 — 115 Democrats joined 203 Republicans to pass the bill.
The legislation, which passed the Senate by a vote of 73-26 on Wednesday, now goes to President Obama for his signature.
Washington Post – A tepid apology for Iraq from David Ignatius for parroting conventional wisdom
Ten years ago this week, I was covering the U.S. military as it began its assault on Iraq. As I read back now over my clips, I see a few useful warnings about the difficulties ahead. But I owe readers an apology for being wrong on the overriding question of whether the war made sense.Invading Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein a decade ago was one of the biggest strategic errors in modern American history.
They Ain’t Gonna Take It: CPS School Closings Protesters: ‘We Aren’t Going Down Like This’
CHICAGO — As the names of Chicago Public Schools recommended for closure began to leak to local school officials, dissenters protested that school officials are “out of touch with the people of Chicago.”
Grass-roots organization Action Now held a protest dubbed the “School Board Bullies Bus Tour,” which aimed to shame Chicago Board of Education members that the group blamed for the closings.
Mediaite: Rep. Michele Bachmann ‘Goes Rogue,’ Literally Races Away From CNN Reporter (Video)
For Tuesday night’s “Keeping Them Honest” segment, CNN host Anderson Cooper turned to Dana Bash‘s encounter with Rep. Michele Bachmann who, asked about comments she made about President Obama enjoying a lavish lifestyle at the taxpayer’s expense, repeatedly dodged the questions and “literally raced away.” Bash was “speechless.”
New WE DO video: Ivy and Misha stand up for love
Posted by: | CommentsThe Campaign for Southern Equality has just released a new WE DO video:
Ivy and Misha, who live in Piedmont, S.C. and are engaged to be married, show what it means to live with courage and dignity as an LGBT family in the South. And what it means to choose love.
Everyday LGBT people in the South face moments like this, against the backdrop of a political landscape that couldn’t be more dynamic. Buncombe County just passed domestic partner benefits. Next week, our country’s highest court will hear two landmark cases regarding LGBT rights. Public support for marriage equality is at 58% according to a recent national poll.
- Jasmine Beach-Ferrara
Director, Campaign for Southern Equality
Equality in Buncombe County – ACTION
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Tomorrow, your Buncombe County Commission will deliberate regarding equality in their health benefits and non-discrimination policy. On the agenda: Same-sex domestic partner benefits. Also likely to be discussed is whether to include sexual orientation and gender identity in the County’s employment non-discrimination policy. The latter is not on the printed agenda, and in order to consider it according to their rules, all seven Commissioners must agree to do so.
You’re encouraged to attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 19 at 4:30pm in the Commissioners’ Chambers at 200 College Street, Suite 326 in downtown Asheville. If you’d like to email the Commissioners to let them know your position, you can use this handy list:
commissioner@davidgantt.com, holly.jones@buncombecounty.org, brownie.newman@buncombecounty.org, mike.fryar@buncombecounty.org, ellen.frost@buncombecounty.org, joe.belcher@buncombecounty.org, david.king@buncombecounty.org
After the jump you can read the email I sent earlier today. I’m excited to see our Commissioners have this opportunity to join the march of history toward full equality for all of our citizens.
They will not know your position unless you show up at the meeting or take a moment to write your representatives.
“I made it. Why can’t you?”
Posted by: | Comments“They say they got where they are by working 60 hours a week for years,” my friend said (I’m paraphrasing). “They made it and they don’t see why they should pay anything to help other people who did not.”
It is a message my friend hears from doctors he knows. (This was one of those intense bar conversations, rapid-fire and wide-ranging. The kind you wish you had recorded to review again later.)
But the “I made it. Why can’t you?” view of capitalism is history written by the victors, isn’t it? An oversimplified success formula derived from too few data points, from too small a sample. We see the same kind of myopic analysis in the nation’s capital. From wealthy politicians surrounded by wealthy donors and wealthy lobbyists. Georgetown cocktail parties, high-dollar fundraiser dinners. When you and the people you hang with are all successful and rich, it is easy to question why everyone else is not. The problem must be them. That’s it, the poor are just lazy.
LBJ Tapes: Nixon “treason”
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Declassified tapes from the Johnson administration provide evidence that “strongly implicated (audio)” Richard Nixon in back-channel communications with South Vietnam that sabotaged the Paris peace talks at the height of the 1968 presidential election campaign:
By the time of the election in November 1968, LBJ had evidence Nixon had sabotaged the Vietnam war peace talks – or, as he put it, that Nixon was guilty of treason and had “blood on his hands”.
Nixaon feared a breakthrough in Paris would doom his election chances. In late October, the South Vietnamese withdrew from the talks.
Publicly Nixon was suggesting he had no idea why the South Vietnamese withdrew from the talks. He even offered to travel to Saigon to get them back to the negotiating table.
Johnson felt it was the ultimate expression of political hypocrisy but in calls recorded with Clifford they express the fear that going public would require revealing the FBI were bugging the ambassador’s phone and the National Security Agency (NSA) was intercepting his communications with Saigon.
So they decided to say nothing.
The president did let Humphrey know and gave him enough information to sink his opponent. But by then, a few days from the election, Humphrey had been told he had closed the gap with Nixon and would win the presidency. So Humphrey decided it would be too disruptive to the country to accuse the Republicans of treason, if the Democrats were going to win anyway.
Instead, Nixon won, escalated the war and bombed Laos and Cambodia. An additional 22,000 Americans lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more in Southeast Asia before the peace agreement signed in 1973.
Rediscovered History
Posted by: | CommentsThis story of making public these records at the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office was told in the newspaper awhile back. Now “Forever Free” retells that story, making it available to a wider audience.
This Thing On?
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