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Our quality of service, your quality of life. CITY OF ASHEVILLE: OUR QUALITY OF SERVICE, YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE. Gary Jackson, City Manager. Asheville the City. Population: 72,000 - 22% minority population Urban hub of WNC - Medicine - Commerce - Culture Revitalized downtown
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Our quality of service, your quality of life CITY OF ASHEVILLE:OUR QUALITY OF SERVICE,YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE Gary Jackson, City Manager
Asheville the City • Population: 72,000 • - 22% minority population • Urban hub of WNC • - Medicine • - Commerce • - Culture • Revitalized downtown • National recognition • - Culture & Arts • - Tourism & natural beauty • - Retirement
History – Did you know? • Asheville was originally named “Morristown” in 1793 • Incorporated as “Asheville” in 1797 after North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe • When the Great Depression hit, Asheville had the highest per capita debt in the nation • When most cities defaulted on the debt, Asheville decided to pay it back • Took more than 50 years
How Others See Asheville Now • Outside Magazine’s top 10 cities to live, work and recreate • Vacation Magazine’s top 10 cities: Getaway Destination • Family Circle Magazine’s top 20 Family Resort Cities • Sea Tourism/Travel top 15 cities in the U.S. for group tours • American Style Magazine’s top 25 art cities in the U.S.
Governance - City Council • Form of Government: Council/Manager • City Council comprised of Mayor and six Council Members • Elected to 4-year, staggered terms • Elected at large • Mayor serves as ceremonial head of government and sets Council’s agendas but does not have veto power • Responsibility: Setting policy for the City • Appoint: City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk
City Council Committees • Revenue and Finance Committee • Third Tuesday of each month, 3:30 p.m., City Hall room 209 • Public Safety Committee • Second Tuesday, 7 a.m., 4th floor Training Room Municipal Building (Police and Fire Headquarters) • Planning & Economic Development Committee • Second Wednesday, 2 p.m., Office of Economic Development (29 Haywood St.) • Housing and Community Development Committee - Third Monday, 3 p.m., City Hall's 5th floor conference room
City Council City Council has the power to: • Determine policy in planning, traffic, law and order, public works, finance, and recreation; • Adopt the budget and levy taxes; • Authorize the issuance of bonds (borrow money); • Appoint members to city boards, commissions and committees; • Inquire into the conduct of any city office or department; • Provide for an independent audit; and • Provide for the number, titles, duties, and compensation of all officers and employees of the city.
City Manager • Appointed by City Council • Responsibility: • Day-to-day operation of the City • Prepare issues/policies that will be presented to City Council for action • Hire department directors • Recommend annual budget to City Council for consideration/adoption
City Services External Services • Police, Fire • Building Safety • Public Works (Streets and Sanitation) • Civic Center • Planning & Development • Water Resources • Parks and Recreation • Engineering & Transportation Services • Internal Services • Finance (Accounting, Risk Management, Purchasing, Payroll) • Human Resources (Recruitment and Selection, Compensation, Benefits, Training) • Information Technology • Engineering (also External) • Administration (City Manager, Budget, Legal
City Services by the Numbers The City of Asheville is responsible for: • 385 miles of roads • 133 miles of sidewalks • 12,531 street lights • Collecting trash from 28,814 rollout containers • Responding to 14,000 calls for emergency medical or fire service (data from 2005-06) • Responding to nearly 100,000 calls for police assistance (2005) • 50,000 water customers • 1,400 miles of water lines • Processing 2,189 building permit applications (2005)
City Council’s Strategic Goals City Council priority areas: • Community Building • Economic Development, Job & Business Growth • Growth, Development & Land Use • Housing Opportunities • Natural and Built Environment • Partnerships to Improve Critical Services and Infrastructure • Sense of Place, Heritage & Arts
Growth issues: Population Demands Asheville’s daytime population is nearly double its residential population • Highest ratio in the state for cities > 50,000 residents • 15th highest ratio in the nation for cities 50,000-99,000 residents
Growth issues: Population Demands • By 2025, Asheville will have 90,000+ new residents and Buncombe County will have 280,000+ new residents • 10,000 new homes in Asheville • 35,000 new homes in Buncombe County • 350,000 more daily trips on city streets and state roads
Opportunities High Performance
High Performance Organization • Core Values • Management Systems • Roles and Responsibilities
How Systems Fit Together How good do we want to be? VISION MISSION What “business” are we in? STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES Where do we place energy & resources? GOALS TRAINING A system to provide support. Who does what? When? PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN What do I need to do to improve?
Recent Accomplishments • Opening of two new fire stations • Improved response time from 10-13 minutes to under 6 minutes for 80% of all calls in the West district • UDO Amendments • 43 UDO Amendments approved by Council in 2006 and 2007 • Economic Development Partnerships • 2,700 new jobs added to the metro-Asheville economy since 2006 • More than 400 advanced manufacturing jobs have been created in the last 18 months with companies like Volvo Construction Equipment, Smiths Aerospace, and Colbond
Opportunities: New Initiatives for 2007-08 • Public Safety Enhancements • Two additional police beats • 10 additional police officers • 18 additional firefighters • Enhanced staffing in APD Criminal Investigations • Downtown Investment • Downtown Sanitation Crew • Graffiti Removal Program • Downtown Master Plan • Urban Trail maintenance program • Downtown public restrooms
Opportunities: New Initiatives for 2007-08 • Infrastructure Investment • Additional sidewalk crew • Greenway acquisition and master planning • Pedestrian and traffic safety improvements • Growth, Development & Environment • City-owned property project • Transit investment • Sustainability Plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2 percent per year
Opportunities Quality of Life Quality of lifeis our business. People come here because of: • Our natural beauty • Our diverse architecture • Our local businesses • Our cultural and recreational opportunities