Follow live Twitter coverage of the city's public input meeting on the controversial proposal for a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Asheville Civic Center ballroom.
UPDATE:
Below, we have curated Twitter dispatches by Xpress Senior Staff Reporter David Forbes.
11:54 a.m. RT @mxnews: City seeks input on downtown Asheville BID at tonight's meeting http://t.co/IvHbKEcz
3:55 p.m. mxnews Towns, fire chiefs oppose Asheville BID due to loss of sales tax revenue http://t.co/cLG2I73w
5:13 p.m. mtg about to start in Civic Center. City staff setting up tables focusing on Board seats, Board selection, Ambassadors, BID Services
5:14 p.m. A number of my neighbors asked me about issue/mtg. Encouraged them to attend, but most are working tonight.
5:19 p.m. If you can't make tonight's meeting, here's how to let Council know your opinion http://t.co/JMnwPdy2
5:32 p.m. Council members Marc Hunt and Chris Pelly are here
5:52 p.m. Avl resident Jeff McLarty: Gone from ardently opposed to to ambiguous, still concerned will divide downtown from rest of city.
5:54 p.m. Downtown resident Buck Bragg: See problems every day w litter, safety. best way to solve.
5:55 p.m. Matthew Burd: Only beneficial things offers (like cleaning) could be better handled by local non-profits like Asheville Greenworks.
5:56 p.m. Faith Rhyne: will "reinforce existing economic/cultural segregation" in downtown Asheville.
5:59 p.m. Tracy Hyorth: Involved in similiar proposals to in '80s, city more involved then, now seems more just one group pressing this.
6:00 p.m. About 15 local homeless, protesters have entered wearing Ambassador sashes
6:00 p.m. Number of ppl have concerns over role of "ambassadors," esp security function
6:03 p.m. One of the homeless, Bro Blu: Wearing sashes because more sections of community need to be involved in this issue
6:29 p.m. Group of downtown residents who oppose gathered around Council mem Chris Pelly, say they feel unrepresented, unheard in process
6:35 p.m. Some of the residents say tried to get table at for opposition, feel process slanted. Pelly advises them to get organized
6:36 p.m. Pelly to Xpress: Understand concerns of residents about, may look at 2-tier tax (more for biz, less for residents)
6:42 p.m. Downtown resident Ann Snell: Car broken into twice recently, "downtown is deteriorating" need, but understand tax concerns.
6:43 p.m. Libertie Valance, Firestorm worker/owner: Feel like mtg is about how we'd like to look, rather than input about if one shld exist.
6:44 p.m. Sye, Firestorm worker/owner: This meeting "seems incredibly stacked" in favor of, more geared to input about details.
6:45 p.m. Midnight, one of the homeless protesters who showed up: Started group to pick up trash near AHOPE. Many of us care about area
6:50 p.m. Pelly: Found out state law doesn't allow two-tier tax for, tax increase has to be same across the board.
6:56 p.m. Official options for ambassador duties on left, additions from attendees on right http://t.co/XWXqDYGY
6:59 p.m. Of the unofficial options for ambassador roles, "none" got the most votes (37).
6:59 p.m. Attendees to meeting voting for ambassador duties w stickers.Of the official options, reporting cleaning needs has most (17).
7:02 p.m. Crowd dying down at meeting. About 60 people here at height, though that included a fair number of staff, BID board
7:14 p.m. Council mem Marc Hunt talking w some attendees, telling them he's heard more downtown residents against, more biz owners for
7:21 p.m. meeting wrapping up.
8:44 p.m. RT @mxnews: Differing views at downtown Asheville BID meeting http://t.co/fPRk5yWl
8:44 p.m. mxnews Differing views at downtown Asheville BID meeting http://t.co/xNJCSU20
UPDATE:
Below, we have curated Twitter dispatches by Xpress Senior Staff Reporter David Forbes.
11:54 a.m. RT @mxnews: City seeks input on downtown Asheville BID at tonight's meeting http://t.co/IvHbKEcz
3:55 p.m. mxnews Towns, fire chiefs oppose Asheville BID due to loss of sales tax revenue http://t.co/cLG2I73w
5:13 p.m. mtg about to start in Civic Center. City staff setting up tables focusing on Board seats, Board selection, Ambassadors, BID Services
5:14 p.m. A number of my neighbors asked me about issue/mtg. Encouraged them to attend, but most are working tonight.
5:19 p.m. If you can't make tonight's meeting, here's how to let Council know your opinion http://t.co/JMnwPdy2
5:32 p.m. Council members Marc Hunt and Chris Pelly are here
5:52 p.m. Avl resident Jeff McLarty: Gone from ardently opposed to to ambiguous, still concerned will divide downtown from rest of city.
5:54 p.m. Downtown resident Buck Bragg: See problems every day w litter, safety. best way to solve.
5:55 p.m. Matthew Burd: Only beneficial things offers (like cleaning) could be better handled by local non-profits like Asheville Greenworks.
5:56 p.m. Faith Rhyne: will "reinforce existing economic/cultural segregation" in downtown Asheville.
5:59 p.m. Tracy Hyorth: Involved in similiar proposals to in '80s, city more involved then, now seems more just one group pressing this.
6:00 p.m. About 15 local homeless, protesters have entered wearing Ambassador sashes
6:00 p.m. Number of ppl have concerns over role of "ambassadors," esp security function
6:03 p.m. One of the homeless, Bro Blu: Wearing sashes because more sections of community need to be involved in this issue
6:29 p.m. Group of downtown residents who oppose gathered around Council mem Chris Pelly, say they feel unrepresented, unheard in process
6:35 p.m. Some of the residents say tried to get table at for opposition, feel process slanted. Pelly advises them to get organized
6:36 p.m. Pelly to Xpress: Understand concerns of residents about, may look at 2-tier tax (more for biz, less for residents)
6:42 p.m. Downtown resident Ann Snell: Car broken into twice recently, "downtown is deteriorating" need, but understand tax concerns.
6:43 p.m. Libertie Valance, Firestorm worker/owner: Feel like mtg is about how we'd like to look, rather than input about if one shld exist.
6:44 p.m. Sye, Firestorm worker/owner: This meeting "seems incredibly stacked" in favor of, more geared to input about details.
6:45 p.m. Midnight, one of the homeless protesters who showed up: Started group to pick up trash near AHOPE. Many of us care about area
6:50 p.m. Pelly: Found out state law doesn't allow two-tier tax for, tax increase has to be same across the board.
6:56 p.m. Official options for ambassador duties on left, additions from attendees on right http://t.co/XWXqDYGY
6:59 p.m. Of the unofficial options for ambassador roles, "none" got the most votes (37).
6:59 p.m. Attendees to meeting voting for ambassador duties w stickers.Of the official options, reporting cleaning needs has most (17).
7:02 p.m. Crowd dying down at meeting. About 60 people here at height, though that included a fair number of staff, BID board
7:14 p.m. Council mem Marc Hunt talking w some attendees, telling them he's heard more downtown residents against, more biz owners for
7:21 p.m. meeting wrapping up.
8:44 p.m. RT @mxnews: Differing views at downtown Asheville BID meeting http://t.co/fPRk5yWl
8:44 p.m. mxnews Differing views at downtown Asheville BID meeting http://t.co/xNJCSU20
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I just left the so called "public input meeting" for the BID very disappointed. This was a ruse set up by the City on their terms. Upon walking in I was asked to fill out some background info, because apparently it matters if I am a business or property owner or just a resident (there was no space for downtown employees or patrons). Then I moved into the main room where I expected to see a public forum getting started; instead I walked into a room lined with info tables that explained the process of forming a BID or gave example of other cities that already had BIDs in place. There were also two or three tables where I could participate in questions like "What should the role of the Downtown Ambassadors be?" and "How should the BID board members be selected?"
These are obviously loaded questions that assume that the BID will be approved by City Council in September. There was no space for actual input on alternatives or for voices that were simply against the BID.
I was happy to see some of the City’s most prominent and wealthy citizens taking part in something they normally would stay away from; a space where the general public, the middle and lower classes, could speak. The catch was that though the City had advertised it as such, this was not a place to have your opinion heard (unless you were for the BID). It was no wonder that all of these privileged people felt comfortable there. They didn’t have to worry about voices of dissent or class struggle. They didn’t have to here the complaints of downtown employees who were concerned about how the BID, with its added Taxes would affect their pay. They didn’t have to hear the concerns of some of the City’s houseless or its buskers, who will face the new Ambassadors on a daily basis. They simply got to schmooze with their fellow upperclassmen and watch as those who expected a public forum walked around confused and frustrated.
I stayed at the “public input meeting” for about an hour and only saw one member of City Council there, Mark Hunt. I wasn’t in the mood to try and be civilized so I didn’t bother to speak with him. Jan Davis was also there but he doesn’t have anything do with the BID in the end, his voice in City affairs (legally) is only as strong as any other member of the general public at this point.
At some point a few people walked in wearing Ambassador ribbons and I was elated. It was great seeing houseless and/or traveling people empowering themselves, but then I found out the truth. These people were told they would be compensated for showing up at the meeting, with a pack of cigarettes… I do not approve. Apparently they were never actually given their smokes either. I can only assume this was a stunt pulled by someone who is actually for the BID. The idea of showing off Asheville’s “problem” in the middle of a meeting that is implicitly there to eliminate such people from the eyes of our beloved tourists.
For Shame
~Matthew Burd
By matthew burd
07/17/2012