City residents had their first formal opportunity Tuesday night to weigh in on Asheville’s 2026-27 budget. During a public comment session at City Council’s regular meeting, speakers discussed how officials should manage the substantial gap projected between the next fiscal year’s revenues and expenses.
That gap is somewhat smaller than initially estimated, according to Lindsay Spangler, the city’s budget and performance manager. At a work session prior to the regular meeting, she told Council that staff now projected the figure at $26.4 million, down $4 million from the $30.4 million presented Jan. 13. She attributed that difference to continuing some budget cuts previously considered “one-time” options, along with updated accounting for employee health care costs.
But Spangler emphasized that closing the gap would require the city to consider new taxes. “With the size that we’re looking at, we don’t believe it’s possible to balance the budget just with budget reductions,” she said. “We will ultimately need to bring Council options for revenue increases as well, including fees and charges and property tax increases.”…