Asheville City Council approves American Rescue Plan, reparations funding

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The Asheville City Council took a step in creating the framework for distributing more than $26 million in American Rescue Plan funding at its meeting Tuesday night.

So far, council has allocated $7.3 million of the American Rescue Plan funding. Council voted to establish categories for how to distribute the rest.

• Affordable housing
• Care for aging residents
• City infrastructure
• Community communication
• Domestic violence prevention and assistance
• Food systems
• Homelessness services
• Revenue losses
• Small business recovery
• Workforce development
• Climate change

“I’m appealing to my colleagues to consider our own climate justice initiative, by adding climate change to the categories,” councilwoman Kim Roney said. "As part of our council goals for both an equitable recovery from the pandemic and reimagining public safety, which we identified in our retreat.”

ASHEVILLE LEADERS DISCUSS HOW TO SPEND COVID FUNDS

Council also voted to allocate close to $1.3 million of American Rescue Plan funding to emergency non-congregate homeless shelters at a local hotel. This has been an ongoing initiative that will be continued through at least the end of the year.

ASHEVILLE ANNOUNCES HIRING OF REPARATIONS PROJECT MANAGER

The Asheville City Council approved the contract for a project manager for reparations. Council members voted to approve the $365,583 contract with TEQuity, LLC to serve as Reparations Process Project manager.

Interim Equity and Inclusion Director Brenda Mills said the company will help oversee and manage the reparations process.

“Having this person on board whose total job is to work with helping us with the process for choosing a commission, helping us choose those commissioners, reporting, helping us to keep up with those meetings, and the short, medium and long term goals,” Mills said.

The contract with TEQuity, LLC goes through spring 2023. The $365,583 is coming out of the $2.1 million the Asheville City Council already allocated for reparations.

Mills said the Reparations Commission should be up and running by November.