ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Asheville City Council approved a series of measures Tuesday aimed at continuing recovery efforts from Tropical Storm Helene.
At the Jan. 27 meeting, council members acted on multiple agenda items related to Helene recovery, including grant applications, funding requests and small business support programs.
Recovery grants
Council approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to apply for state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grants through the Helene Recovery Fund for the 2025-26 cycle. The measure allows the city to accept funds and manage grant implementation if awarded.
“These state funds will continue to play an essential role in our community’s recovery from Helene,” Helene Recovery Coordinator Bridget Herring said in a news release. “The ability to have these grants proactively identified and approved affords us the maximum opportunity to address gaps in funding for our community’s continued Helene recovery and resilience efforts.”
Council also approved a resolution authorizing staff to request federal funding through the North Carolina Congressional Delegation for a comprehensive water system resiliency and capacity enhancement project. The initiative is designed to strengthen system redundancy, expand service reliability, and reduce vulnerabilities that could lead to future service disruptions.
Additionally, the council authorized staff to submit a formal request to Congressional leadership and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for additional Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding.
Mayor Esther Manheimer said federal support is critical for completing essential recovery work.
“We recognize the costs involved with executing essential Helene recovery work far exceed current funding levels,” she said in the release. “We are grateful for federal agencies and leaders continue to recognize the vital role their support and funding plays in meeting our highest recovery priorities like rebuilding our water system with resiliency, and ask for their continued support.”
CDBG-DR funds
The council also approved agreements with local organizations, including Mountain BizWorks, Venture Asheville, Arts AVL, and the Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation, to administer grants for small businesses affected by Tropical Storm Helene. The resolution allows the City Manager to sign all necessary documents for implementation.