Asheville mayor warns of layoffs if city doesn’t get federal help
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Layoffs could be coming for those who work for the city of Asheville. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said that during a conference call with five other North Carolina mayors on Tuesday.
The mayors of High Point, Salisbury, Asheville, Kinston and Lexington said they need federal help in order to avoid making drastic cuts because of financial losses caused by the coronavirus.
They’re calling on U.S. lawmakers to pass a $1 trillion coronavirus stimulus package with direct payments to cities.
Manheimer explained where the city will be if it doesn’t get federal aid.
“What we’ll have to do is we will have to continue with hiring freezes, we will have to look at layoffs,” Manheimer said. “Here in Asheville, for the fiscal year that just ended, for example, we were hit very hard by the pandemic.”
The other mayors on the call echoed concerns about being able to provide public services without any money coming in.
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