# City Council Worksession on Policy, Finance and Infrastructure (Jun 10, 2025) **Body:** City of Asheville — City Council Worksession on Policy, Finance and Infrastructure **Date:** June 10, 2025 2:00 PM EDT (2025-06-10T14:00:00-04:00) **Location:** 70 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC 28801, USA - City Hall - Council Chamber **Link:** https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893 ## Summary **Meeting Overview** On June 10, 2025, the City of Asheville City Council held a Worksession on Policy, Finance and Infrastructure. This session served as the inaugural meeting for the newly established Policy, Finance and Infrastructure (PFI) committee, a full council work group designed to streamline policy and financial discussions. The primary focus of the meeting was aligning city staff and the council on recovery priorities related to federal disaster relief funding and restructuring advisory boards to support these efforts. **Key Decisions** The council took formal action only to approve the minutes from three previous committee meetings. A motion to approve the minutes of the Equity & Engagement Committee was carried unanimously (7-0). A motion to approve the minutes of the Policy, Finance & Human Resources Committee was also carried unanimously (7-0). Finally, a motion to approve the minutes of the Boards & Commissions Committee was carried unanimously (7-0). No formal votes were taken regarding the proposed restructuring of boards and commissions; the council agreed to continue discussing and refining that proposal at a future retreat. **Discussion Highlights** The session began with an overview of the PFI committee’s scope, presented by Jade Dundas, Director of Capital Projects. The committee’s responsibilities include reviewing city administration, policy development, budget matters, equitable community engagement, and oversight of advisory boards. The council reaffirmed four priority areas for city recovery identified during a previous retreat: People (community resilience and communication), Economy (reinvestment and business support), Housing (increased investment), and Infrastructure & Environment (future-ready infrastructure and sustainability). A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a workshop with FountainWorks, a consulting firm. Beau Mills from FountainWorks presented a framework for the city’s recovery, emphasizing the sequencing of initiatives and dependencies between projects. Key areas of focus included managing HUD Disaster Recovery Funds, implementing the Affordable Housing Plan, updating the Unified Development Ordinance, and developing a Long-Term Recovery Plan. The presentation also covered riverfront revitalization, infrastructure projects, and the exploration of Resilience Hubs. Additionally, a proposal was presented to temporarily pause approximately 30 advisory boards and commissions (excluding those mandated by statute) for 18 to 24 months. The proposal suggested consolidating their efforts under four "supercommittees" aligned with the city’s strategic pillars. The meeting concluded with recognition of the contributions made by committee members and volunteers and a discussion on process improvements to integrate their efforts into city planning. **Follow-ups** Staff agreed to develop work plans for advisory boards to align them with council goals and broader recovery efforts. A workshop led by FountainWorks is scheduled for June 16, 2025, to discuss organization and direction for the boards and commissions. The PFI committee will continue to review and discuss relevant items on a bi-monthly basis. Furthermore, city staff agreed to meet with existing boards and commissions to discuss alignment with the proposed supercommittee structure. The council will revisit the restructuring proposal at a future retreat and will develop specific criteria to guide the formation and operation of the supercommittees, including considering new appointments. **Impact** This meeting establishes the operational framework for the city’s recovery efforts and governance structure. By defining the scope of the PFI committee and reaffirming the four priority recovery areas, the council has set a clear direction for fiscal year 2026 planning. The proposed consolidation of advisory boards into supercommittees aims to streamline decision-making and ensure that community input is effectively integrated into the city’s long-term recovery and resilience plans. ## Agenda - [CALL TO ORDER](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/13156) - [Approval of Minutes](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/13157) - [Equity and Engagement Committee, August 20, 2024](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/19952) - [Policy, Finance & Human Resources Committee, December 10, 2024](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/21900) - [Boards & Commissions Committee, June 11, 2024](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/21901) - [ADJOURNMENT](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/13160) - [PFI Council Work Group Scope and Overview](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/13158) - [Fountainworks Review of Organizational Work Plan](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893/item/13159) ## Votes - Motion by Council Member Sheneika Smith, seconded by Council Member Sage Turner, and carried unanimously to approve minutes of (1) Equity & Engagement Committee - August 20, 2024 — Passed, 7-0 - Motion by Council Member Kim Roney, seconded by Council Member Maggie Ullman and carried unanimously to approve minutes of Policy, Finance & Human Resources Committee - December 10, 2024 — Passed, 7-0 - Motion by Council Member Maggie Ullman, seconded by Council Member Kim Roney and carried unanimously to approve minutes of the Boards & Commissions Committee - June 11, 2024 — Passed, 7-0 ## Video & Transcript - Recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/bpxWkJVfkEA - Transcript: https://sunshinemeetings.org/transcript/1956/segments ## Documents - [1 - Policy, Finance, & Infrastructure Committee Meeting Agenda June 10, 2025.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=9431) - [agenda_2025-06-10.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=9429) - [2 - PFI FY26 Overview and Work Planning Goals (1).pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=9435) - [minutes_2025-06-10.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=13212) - [1VJ_1Irr1A9FXRfBfaPo8CEDJigbcTlIy](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=14893) - [1IgRsfaC93bz3xAstwZVgdPcRoozzHxoD](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=14895) - [1 - Policy, Finance, & HR Committee_ Agenda_ 12_10_2024.pdf](https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/2893?document=14894) ## Sources - [City of Asheville WordPress](https://www.ashevillenc.gov/government/meetings/city-council-worksession-on-policy-finance-and-infrastructure-jun-10-2025/)