Charlotte City Council Committee Discussions - February 3, 2025

On Monday, February 3, 2025, at 6:00 PM, the Charlotte City Council held committee discussions in Room 267 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The meeting featured updates from four committees: Jobs and Economic Development, Transportation and Planning, Budget and Governance, and Housing Safety and Community Building. A key outcome was a vote on limiting financial partner grant consideration to timely applicants, which passed 8-2.

Discussion Items

• Jobs and Economic Development Committee (Chair: Councilmember Mitchell)

  • Received an update on workforce development from Danielle, who will return in March with a full update and master plan.
  • Discussed the new C-Peace program, a funding option for private developers. The key takeaway is that county participation is needed; the committee will work with county commissioners to support C-Peace, which will be implemented by the state's economic development program.
  • Councilmember Watlington emphasized the need to proactively discuss the program with county counterparts to ensure it can take effect countywide, impacting commercial property in Charlotte.

• Transportation and Planning Committee (Chair: Councilmember Driggs)

  • Strategic Energy Action Plan Update: Sarah Hazel, Robin Byers, and Julian Joy (Erson Young) are updating the plan. The update reviews the past five years and sets new goals based on science and international coordination. Updated focus areas will be presented in March, strategies and actions in April, with adoption planned for April 2025.
  • Unified Development Ordinance (UDO): Two reports were given:
    1. Conforming the UDO to Senate Bill 382 (prohibiting downzoning, retroactive six months). Staff are reviewing needed language changes, though new bills may alter requirements. Councilmember Johnson asked about impacts on faith-based initiatives and ADUs; Chair Driggs clarified that the legislation may cause delays but not a loss of commitment. Staff are adapting to the law as written while preparing for possible legislative relief.
    2. Text amendments as part of ongoing UDO modifications. Council decisions on residential refinement text are expected in Q2 2025; a semi-annual maintenance text amendment will be worked on in Q3 and Q4 2025.
  • Councilmember Bokhari requested a view of budget and investment implications of the CAP changes over the period. Chair Driggs noted that achieving zero-carbon goals may require policy or financial incentives, and that local actions have limited effect on air quality.

• Budget Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee (Chair: Councilmember Ejmira)

  • FY2026 Budget Development Process: Two budget workshops are scheduled: February 10 and March 24, 2025. The committee will take a deeper dive into enterprise funds (water, stormwater, CATS, aviation). Chair Ejmira emphasized planning ahead for potential federal funding freezes (e.g., CDBG) and preparing for a possible version two.
  • Financial Partners Process: The committee recommended limiting consideration to the 51 applications submitted by the December deadline (the highest number ever received). This was to streamline the process and ensure fairness. Councilmember Mitchell and Mayfield supported sticking to the approved process. Councilmember Brown expressed concerns that some organizations may not have been aware of the deadline and advocated for more inclusive outreach. After discussion, a vote was taken.
  • MWSBE Participation in Capital Projects: The CBI team presented a CIP Master Utilization Plan to increase minority- and women-owned business participation. The plan streamlines procurement, expands outreach, and delivers targeted support. Goals include increasing the percentage and total amount of MWSBE spend, tracking prime contracts awarded, and new certifications. The committee will bring recommendations at the next meeting. Councilmembers Mitchell and Mayfield raised the question of council members serving on contract selection committees; the city attorney advised against it, unlike the county's practice. The city attorney will provide additional information on how to meet the goal through other means.

• Housing Safety and Community Building Committee (Chair: Councilmember Watlington)

  • Discussed follow-up on the minimum housing code policy referral. Staff provided feedback on stakeholder engagement, benchmarking civil penalties against other cities, and case studies of Lamp Lighter and Entanglewood apartments to identify opportunities and constraints in code enforcement.
  • Committee members emphasized:
    • Councilmember Brown: Additional stakeholder focus groups, including residents.
    • Vice Chair Mayfield: Preserving quality affordable housing, not slums; connecting residents to workforce development.
    • Councilmember Ejmira: Ensuring affordable housing is quality.
    • Councilmember Johnson: Enabling housing access regardless of background; holding property owners accountable and recouping city remediation costs.

Key Outcomes

• Vote on Financial Partners: A motion by Councilmember Driggs to limit grant consideration to the 51 timely applicants passed 8-2 (Councilmembers Brown and one other opposed). The vote was taken to provide guidance for the budget adjustment process.
• Next Steps: The budget committee will review the 51 eligible applications; staff will present recommendations at the next committee meeting. The housing committee will continue developing recommendations on minimum housing code improvements. The transportation committee will receive updated energy plan focus areas in March and UDO text amendments in Q2 2025.