Sage Turner, Asheville City Council

09/09/2026

Join us for the Goombay Film Festival on Saturday featuring Sekou Coleman, Aisha Adams, Marie T. Cochran, and Elizabeth Lashay Garland

09/05/2026

Welcome back!

09/04/2026

No Flock. No Axon ALPRs either.
Info share.

I continue to receive questions and concerns from community members about ALPRs - stationary automated license plate readers - and whether City Council approved Flock, approved Axon, is bringing back Flock secretly, and 'isn't it all the same'?

City Council voted to end the contract with Flock in May. In Aug, Council reconvened to terminate the Flock contract effective immediately, after concerns and confusion on whether the May vote meant immediate removal or at the end of the contract (Feb 2027) removal. Flock has since been terminated.

Axon is another vendor that the City has used for many years, all related to other equipment than ALPRs. In May, Council agreed to authorize the City Manager to begin negotiating a new contract with Axon for 2027, and yes, it included the option of stationary ALPRs. (picture a camera on a tall pole).

In August, when Council convened again, Councilors, the Mayor, and the City Manager shared no ALPRs will move forward at this time. That any future requests from Staff and APD for stationary ALPRs will go through a public process again and would need to come back to Council.

In short, no Flock or Axon ALPRs in Asheville without another return to Council. I've asked the City Manager to update the public facing project page with this information so it is more clear and more widely accessible.

The City also graduated a new class of APD cadets and there is another crew of 14 lined up to begin their training. APD staffing levels are improving. Look for these updates on the city website, too.

Enjoy the holiday weekend. City of Asheville will be closed Monday in observance. There's a multitude of events and happenings. Hope to see you out there. Be safe and enjoy!

08/29/2026

There's been some discussion on trying this locally:

"..... incentivizes cities to create pre-approved building designs that meet their housing needs, from accessory dwelling units (pictured above) to single-family homes, duplexes, and townhouses."

The new law is the first major housing bill in a generation. Now, it’s time for local leaders and planners to collaborate to build the housing that’s needed.

08/29/2026

Holiday parade time:

08/28/2026

08/28/2026

I am alarmed by Councilwoman Roney's insistence on misleading the public about Flock contracts.

There is no secret plan to bring Flock back.
City Council terminated the Flock contract.
The rest of City Council is not lying to you.
There is no conspiracy.

There's a lot more going on than this one issue. Back to work.

08/27/2026

Check out the unified design for the Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Recovery Project! After six months of public input, the City of Asheville has merged thousands of community comments into a plan to rebuild and reimagine City-owned public spaces along the Swannanoa River catastrophically impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.

Learn more: ashevillenc.gov/news/city-of-asheville-introduces-unified-design-for-azalea-parks-and-infrastructure-recovery-project