From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Asheville City Manager DK Wesley on Oct. 13 warned department directors to prepare for budget and service reductions for the upcoming fiscal year 2027–28 due to rising costs, slow revenue growth and state property tax law uncertainties.

Public reports of the directive surfaced around Oct. 26.

Key details of the budget warning are as follows:

• The memo: In an internal memo dated Oct 13, Wesley told staff that the fiscal year 2027–28 budget process will be even harder than the previous year, which involved a $30 million gap and a 14 percent property tax rate increase.

• Projected deficits: The city is currently forecasting a deficit of $612,000 for 2027 and $2 million for 2028.

• The “80/20” framework: Roughly 80 percent of Asheville’s budget is mandated spending, leaving about 20 percent considered flexible for potential cuts.

• Flat operational baseline: Unlike past years, departments must treat even unavoidable cost increases (such as higher contracts) as exceptions and absorb them by cutting expenses elsewhere.

• Leadership and political transition: The warning was issued as Finance and Management Services Director Tony McDowell retires at the end of the year, and local elections were approacing on Nov. 3 for the mayor and three Asheville City Council seats.

(In the Nov. 3 general election, Kim Roney was elected as the new mayor of Asheville. Elected to the three council seats were Buncombe County Commissioner Drew Ball, along with incumbents Maggie Ullman and Antanette Mosley. Ball replaces Sheneika Smith, who finished last in the race.)

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation on Oct. 30 received $35.8 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve rail safety and advance future passenger rail service in Western North Carolina.

Passenger rail service in Asheville ended on Augu. 8, 1975, when the Southern Railway discontinued its Asheville Special route. Passenger rail service first arrived in Asheville on Oct. 2, 1880, via the Western North Carolina Railroad.

Key project details include the following:

• Funding amount: $35.8 million awarded to NCDOT for development and construction.

• Route focus: Laying the groundwork to restore passenger rail service from Salisbury to Asheville, working alongside local communities.

• Safety upgrades: Upgrading and replacing more than 40 highway-rail crossing signal systems between Salisbury and Hickory to protect drivers and pedestrians.

The restoration of passenger service to Western North Carolina is an ongoing, multi-year project under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program. The plan outlines a 139-to-140-mile route tracking along the historic Norfolk Southern AS-Line.

The proposed schedule targets three daily round trips between Salisbury and Asheville, with expected travel times ranging between 3.5 to 4 hours at maximum speeds of 79 mph.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. —Alisha Mazza, the city’s business services supervisor, on Oct. 28 filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Asheville alleging racial discrimination and retaliation regarding internal job promotions.

Key details of the lawsuit are as follows:

• Plaintiff: Alisha Mazza, a black woman who serves as Asheville’s business services supervisor and holds a master’s degree in business with a concentration in public administration.

• Filing date: Oct. 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

• Core allegations: Mazza claims she was racially discriminated against when applying for other positions within the city and faced retaliation after speaking up.

• Audit and systemic findings: The lawsuit cites a 2024 “Cease the Harm” audit conducted by Carter Development Group, which found that about 17 black female city employees reported a pattern of being denied internal promotions. The audit concluded that black women faced systemic prejudice in hiring and salary allocations due to unclear internal recruitment policies.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The City of Asheville has hired Rafael Baptista, Buncombe County’s director of strategy and innovation, as a new assistant city manager, the city announced on Nov. 6.

With the addition of Baptista, Asheville will have three assistant city managers on its payroll — also including Jade Dundas and Ben Woody.

Key details of Baptista’s hiring are as follows:

• Start date: Nov. 30

• New role: This is a newly created position — not a replacement for the two existing assistant city managers.

• Leadership connection: Baptista will serve under City Manager DK Wesley, who previously worked as an assistant county manager for Buncombe County before taking Asheville’s top administrative role earlier in 2026.

• Background: Baptista spent more than six years with Buncombe County — leading the development of its 2030 Strategic Plan — and previously held roles with the City of Raleigh and Durham County. He holds a master of public administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Purpose of hire: The position is funded via the reallocation of an existing vacant position to help address Asheville’s recovery demands, fiscal pressures, and long-term strategic planning.