Thanks to the efforts of the people of Asheville, we're beginning to see some life in our economy, and we've got to build on that this year. We've also got to build on the momentum we have regarding affordability measures such as multimodal transportation infrastructure and affordable housing. New routes for the bus system will be implemented soon, increasing efficiency, utility and dependability. The Asheville/Buncombe Food Policy Council will be an excellent source of leadership as we address poverty alleviation, public health, local commerce and sustainability.
This will be the year that Asheville has to fight to ensure responsible, accountable management of our water resources, and we're going to need the whole community to come together. It's also the year that we can advocate for fair treatment in regard to occupancy-tax rates. Keeping up with the rising costs of good service to our citizens requires that we continue to find efficiencies in our systems while being fiscally responsible in our search for equitable revenue sources.
Making Asheville affordable, sustainable and prosperous: Those are big ideas that make this a great place to live.
