OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting - January 13, 2025

City Council — Monday, January 13, 2025
BodyCharlotte, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, January 13, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:07

It is January the 13th, 2025, and we are all ready to begin our meeting for today.

1:15

So today we'll start off with our consent and action review.

1:20

And so let's go ahead and have um our introductions, and we'll start with our city clerk.

1:27

Billy Tines, Deputy City Clerk.

1:31

Anthony Fox, Interim City Attorney.

1:33

Good evening, James Mitchell at large.

1:38

Dante Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem, District One.

1:41

By Lyles, Mayor.

1:43

Marcus Jones, City Manager.

1:45

Now for Graham District Two.

1:46

Edriggs, District 7.

1:47

Jarp Carter 6.

1:48

Lawana Mayfield, Councilmember at Large.

1:51

All right.

1:52

So now I'd like to um address our consent agenda items.

1:56

And are there any follow-ups from the council on the consent agenda?

2:06

Miss Mayfield.

2:08

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:09

I have a number of items that I would like to pull for separate vote.

2:14

Okay.

2:16

You ready?

2:17

I am ready.

2:17

I'm trying to get it.

2:18

Got the 10 and all ready to go.

2:20

17, 18, 19, 20, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, and 43.

2:35

All right.

2:36

So may I have a motion for all of the items with the following exceptions?

2:44

Items 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, and 43.

2:57

Did I miss anything, Miss Mayfield?

3:02

Oh, you want to apologize.

3:04

I'm sorry, 24 as well.

3:07

Okay, so you've heard the exceptions.

3:10

All in favor of the remaining items.

3:13

Second.

3:14

We have a motion and a second.

3:16

Any further discussion?

3:18

Hearing none.

3:20

Please raise your hands for approval.

3:23

Okay.

3:24

That passes.

3:25

So we'll now go to the consent items.

3:28

Um and Miss Mayfield, we will start, I guess, with 17, and we'll just go down the list.

3:34

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

3:35

And Marie, thank you for the printout that she provided to everyone.

3:40

I was trying to get uh understanding, and it's a question that I've asked previously when we worked with Lois better.

3:48

This bill was around 400,000 less than the next lowest better.

3:54

And what I want to try to see if we can get to a place where we're tracking, or better yet, staff is tracking where if we receive a bid and then we have amendments to those bids, how close those amendments are getting to make sure that that bid is actually as accurate as possible.

4:32

Yes, ma'am, thank you.

5:00

Now things might come up that require um extra work, different um things like if there's a rocky soil that might cost extra that they weren't planning on, but to your point, that isn't just the same scope and charging more for the same scope.

5:14

So the any of the vendors would have had to increase their pricing based on that.

5:19

And I appreciate the additional information because I think that's also something helpful for community to know when they're watching and when we're approving this.

5:28

So for item number 17, Mayor debated toy roll sunset pedestrian improvements phase one move to approve to authorize the city manager to execute.

5:44

Second 17.

5:46

All right, hearing no further discussion.

5:48

All in favor, please raise your hand.

5:51

Anyone opposed the motion passed, Miss Mayfield, the next one.

5:55

Thank you.

5:56

1819 are related, and this is just ensuring that I wanted to make sure that I had an understanding since we're using this particular vendor for multiple contracts.

6:07

There's contracts that they currently have in place, and here's an opportunity with our building grounds maintenance as well as our bus park and ride lots, ground maintenance.

6:17

So I wanted to just get an understanding of the difference between the two.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████33%
Youth Programs██████████████14%
Procurement Policies█████████9%
Homelessness███████7%
Procedural██████6%
Education Funding████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Economic Development███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting - January 13, 2025

The Charlotte City Council held a business meeting on January 13, 2025, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The meeting included a consent agenda, action review presentation on SAFE Charlotte, awards and recognitions, public forum, public hearing, and several business items. Councilmember LaWana Mayfield pulled multiple consent items for separate discussion and votes. The meeting concluded with a closed session.

Awards & Recognitions

  • Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: Mayor Pro Tem Anderson read a proclamation declaring January 2025 as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in Charlotte, highlighting screening and vaccination.
  • West Charlotte 3A State Football Champions: Councilmember Mitchell recognized the West Charlotte High School football team for winning the state championship. Coach Griner and Principal Paula Cook spoke, thanking the council and emphasizing the team's character and academic success.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda (items 13–52) was approved unanimously by a single motion, with the exception of items pulled by Councilmember Mayfield: 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, 43, 44, and 45. These items were considered separately.
  • The consent agenda included numerous contracts, grants, property transactions, and routine approvals such as:
    • Grants from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program for traffic enforcement, a Law Enforcement Liaison, and the DWI Task Force.
    • A U.S. Department of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
    • Contracts for pedestrian improvements, grounds maintenance, bus park and ride lot maintenance, and various infrastructure projects.
    • Land acquisitions for the Tree Canopy Preservation Program (TCPP) near Rocky River Church Road and Sam Wilson Road.
    • Property acquisitions and condemnations for transportation and stormwater projects.
  • Among the pulled items, Councilmember Mayfield raised questions about bid variances, contract amendments, water/sewer capacity for proposed annexations, and consistency in documentation. All pulled items were ultimately approved after discussion.

Public Forum

  • Margaret McReynolds (District 2 resident) advocated for making Charlotte Animal Care & Control an independent department with adequate funding and staffing, citing Austin, Texas as a successful no‑kill model. She also raised concerns about the shelter’s structure under CMPD.
  • Dr. Kenny Robinson (Freedom Fighting Missionaries) highlighted that over 5,300 CMS students are identified as homeless under the McKinney‑Vento Act, with over 4,000 being Black. He reported that $1 million from the city and county enabled 384 children to move from hotels and shelters into permanent housing. He called for continued support and private sector engagement.
  • Rabbi Judy Schindler (Queens University) spoke on behalf of student Sydney Jackson, emphasizing the link between parental incarceration, housing instability, and educational disruption. She urged more resources for wraparound services for children of incarcerated parents.
  • Lula Sherrill presented a community‑based plan to help the poor and reduce crime, asking for a meeting with city officials to review her proposal.
  • Darlene Pegram (50‑year resident) expressed frustration with the juvenile justice system, stating she is a victim of juvenile crime and that repeat offenders are released back into the community. She called for stronger measures to address youth violence.
  • Donna Dunlap (President/CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas) promoted a youth mentoring summit on January 30, 2025, at UNC Charlotte Center City, citing mentoring as a proven strategy to address youth violence, mental health, and academic gaps.
  • Dawn Nicole McIlwain (Queen City Women in Business) described her organization’s work to help women‑owned businesses secure contracts, reporting $2.25 million in contracts secured in one year. She urged the city to partner with her platform to boost MWBE participation goals and put Charlotte on the map as a supplier diversity model.
  • Robin Hamilton (President/CEO, Urban League of Central Carolinas) provided an update on the Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP) in the Nations Ford/Arrowwood corridor, noting increased collaboration and positive community feedback. She requested the city’s help to convene owners of extended‑stay hotels and apartment communities to address resident needs and prevent conflict.

Public Hearing

  • Miranda Road Firehouse No. 46 Voluntary Annexation: The council conducted a public hearing for the annexation of a 6.709‑acre city‑owned parcel for future Firehouse No. 46. No speakers signed up. The council unanimously adopted the annexation ordinance with an effective date of January 13, 2025.

Discussion Items

  • SAFE Charlotte Update (Action Review): City Manager Marcus Jones and Police Chief Johnny Jennings presented an update on the six SAFE Charlotte recommendations adopted in 2020. Key points:
    • Since December 2024, a civilian crash unit has responded to 497 calls and taken 306 crash reports, freeing 40,000 officer hours annually.
    • Approximately 40 sworn positions have been civilianized.
    • The department is developing a civilian traffic control officer program for special events.
    • Data collection improvements include linking internal affairs, CAD, and traffic stop data; a new early intervention system (EIS) launched; and no deficiencies found in traffic stop data reporting in 2024.
    • The CARES team (mental health crisis response) was transitioned to county oversight in December 2024.
    • The CPCRT (co‑responder) team was expanded and mental health clinicians are now city employees.
    • Youth program evaluation by UNCC Urban Institute and ROI Impact Consulting found an 88% non‑recidivism rate among 3,768 participants (94% in 18‑month observation).
    • The department is hiring a full‑time civilian to oversee youth programs.
    • Training enhancements include adding ethics training, a lead training program, and a mentorship process for suspended officers.
    • A strengthened duty‑to‑intervene policy was implemented, including a de‑escalation addendum.
    • Councilmembers generally praised the progress but raised concerns about crime rates and resource needs. Councilmember Bakari stated he felt unequipped to set policy without more crime data. Councilmember Driggs emphasized the need for observable crime reduction and expressed worry about under‑resourcing of CMPD. Councilmember Graham noted the lack of “microwave solutions” and looked forward to the 2024 crime data. Councilmember Molina called for scaling proven youth programs and setting ambitious goals. Councilmember Johnson asked about specific programs (PAL, SAFE Outcomes), recruitment equity, and 911 staffing. Councilmember Brown commended diversion efforts and requested more data on the CPCRT and UNCC evaluations.
  • CATS Van Donation: Council approved donating a surplus CATS van to Promise Youth Development, Inc., a nonprofit serving under‑served youth in East Charlotte.
  • Municipal Agreement for Traffic Signal: Council authorized execution of an agreement with NCDOT for $214,000 to install a traffic signal at East W.T. Harris Boulevard and University Ridge Drive/Rose Heather Court in District 4.
  • Belk Greenway Connector Phase I Supplemental Agreement: Council authorized adjusting project limits to construct a bicycle facility along South McDowell Street from Baxter Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda, with exceptions, was approved.
  • All pulled consent items were approved after discussion: items 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, 41, 43, 44, and 45.
  • The annexation ordinance for Miranda Road Firehouse No. 46 was adopted.
  • The SAFE Charlotte update was received and discussed; no formal vote was taken.
  • Resolutions for the CATS van donation, traffic signal municipal agreement, and Belk Greenway connector supplemental agreement were adopted.
  • The council voted to enter closed session to consult with the city attorney on pending litigation and discuss economic development incentives.

Meeting Transcript

It is January the 13th, 2025, and we are all ready to begin our meeting for today. So today we'll start off with our consent and action review. And so let's go ahead and have um our introductions, and we'll start with our city clerk. Billy Tines, Deputy City Clerk. Anthony Fox, Interim City Attorney. Good evening, James Mitchell at large. Dante Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem, District One. By Lyles, Mayor. Marcus Jones, City Manager. Now for Graham District Two. Edriggs, District 7. Jarp Carter 6. Lawana Mayfield, Councilmember at Large. All right. So now I'd like to um address our consent agenda items. And are there any follow-ups from the council on the consent agenda? Miss Mayfield. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I have a number of items that I would like to pull for separate vote. Okay. You ready? I am ready. I'm trying to get it. Got the 10 and all ready to go. 17, 18, 19, 20, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, and 43. All right. So may I have a motion for all of the items with the following exceptions? Items 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, and 43. Did I miss anything, Miss Mayfield? Oh, you want to apologize. I'm sorry, 24 as well. Okay, so you've heard the exceptions. All in favor of the remaining items. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. Please raise your hands for approval. Okay. That passes. So we'll now go to the consent items. Um and Miss Mayfield, we will start, I guess, with 17, and we'll just go down the list. Thank you, Madam Mayor. And Marie, thank you for the printout that she provided to everyone. I was trying to get uh understanding, and it's a question that I've asked previously when we worked with Lois better. This bill was around 400,000 less than the next lowest better. And what I want to try to see if we can get to a place where we're tracking, or better yet, staff is tracking where if we receive a bid and then we have amendments to those bids, how close those amendments are getting to make sure that that bid is actually as accurate as possible. Yes, ma'am, thank you. Now things might come up that require um extra work, different um things like if there's a rocky soil that might cost extra that they weren't planning on, but to your point, that isn't just the same scope and charging more for the same scope. So the any of the vendors would have had to increase their pricing based on that.

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