The city of Asheville announced on Wednesday that it would appeal a recent ruling in the case of its long-running water battle with Buncombe County and the state of North Carolina.
In August, the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled against Asheville in its suit to overturn the Sullivan Acts, a group of laws that restricts how the city can charge differential rates for water, dictates what it can do with water revenues and prohibits using water service as leverage for voluntary annexation.
The city’s lawsuit claims that the acts are unconstitutional, but two courts that have heard the case have said that state legislators did not overstep their constitutional bounds when passing the Sullivan Acts. In a statement released by the city, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy said that “City Council feels obligated to proceed with an appeal to the Supreme Court, but we are still committed to seeking a local resolution.”
— Brian Postelle, staff writer
