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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting – August 24, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 24, 2026

BodyCharlotte, North Carolina

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, August 24, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:59:14

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:49

Now call the meeting to order.

2:51

Good evening, and thank you all for joining us in person here and those watching online for our August twenty-fourth business meeting.

2:59

Now we'll begin with introductions around the dais, uh, starting with our city clerk to my right.

3:05

Billy Tons, Deputy City Clerk, Andrea Leslie Fight, City Attorney.

3:09

Good evening, Gimfra.

3:10

At large.

3:11

Good evening, I'm Victoria Watlington, and I have the pleasure of serving you as a member at large.

3:15

Good evening, Joy Mayo, representing District Three.

3:18

Marcus Jones, City Manager.

3:20

Bob Harrington, Mayor.

3:22

Good evening, everyone, James Mitchell, Mayor Pro Tim.

3:25

Good evening, Kimberley Owens, representing District Six.

3:28

Malcolm Graham, District Two.

3:29

Ed Driggs, District Seven.

3:31

Good evening, Luana Mayfield, Councilmember at large.

3:34

Good evening, JD Masueta Audience, proudly representing the East Side, District Five.

3:38

Good evening, I'm Renee Johnson, and I'm honored to represent District Four.

3:59

Tonight, Councilmember Dr.

4:00

Watlington will give our invocation.

5:08

One nation on a nearby individuality.

5:16

Before we move to voting on consent items, I want to take a quick moment because we have a representative from Anson County, who I think has a special message and recognition for some of our city staff.

5:27

I'll now recognize Chairman Cottle of Anson County.

5:41

Right here be great.

5:51

This one's much better, so it's uh taller.

5:53

So good evening, Council, good evening, mayor, staff.

5:56

Thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight.

5:59

Um my name is Jamie Caldle.

6:01

I'm the chairman of the Annecy County Board of Commissioners.

6:03

Um I call it a neighboring county.

6:05

We're just a few miles east of here, but uh again, I appreciate you letting me uh speak tonight.

6:10

I just want to address a um situation that we had in Annecy County back on July the 7th.

6:16

Uh Ansi County experienced a countywide water system loss.

6:20

So we had a complete depressurization of our water system across the entire county.

6:25

Ninety-five percent of our citizens were without drinkable water at that time.

6:28

Um the next couple days after that line uh break.

6:32

Our focus was to restore water service for the basic principle of fire protection to all residents and businesses.

6:38

Once that was achieved, our focus then became on restoring quality drinking water to all the citizens of our district or our county.

6:45

Um during that time it became apparent that our utility staff was going to need some help in getting that restored.

6:52

So we began to reach out to our neighboring municipalities, neighboring counties, and the city of Charlotte being one of those.

6:58

Um I'm here tonight to tell you thank you for the assistance that you provided to our county during that time.

7:05

Um I want to thank the elected officials, I want to thank the city staff, and most importantly, I want to thank the men and women who had boots on the ground who helped us restore that service to all of our citizens in our county.

7:16

We are all North Carolinians, and that's what makes us the greatest state in the country to live in.

7:21

It's North Carolina.

7:22

Um we need help, we always lend a hand to our neighbors, and that's exactly what you did for our county in Anson County.

7:30

Your willingness to lend a hand, or in this case, several hands, um, just shows the type of character that you as leaders exhibit and also your staff.

7:38

Um you sent nine to ten highly skilled and trained crew members each day for two or three long days, and I want to specify long days, um, to help us rest that work diligently to help us restore the water service.

7:52

I can't name them all, but I do want to especially thank Mr.

7:56

Marion Sanders, and I know he's in the audience behind me here.

7:59

Um he is truly a remarkable person and a true leader in that department.

8:04

And so he was on site with us in our EOC operations center, and Mr.

8:08

Sanders was there every day, and and I just want to thank him uh personally, but also you know the staff.

8:13

And also, I have not met this person yet.

8:16

Uh, we we I did not physically talk to her on the phone, but I was on the phone conversations with her.

8:20

Um, Miss Angela Charles at your water lab.

8:24

Um, and she may be here tonight, I wouldn't know.

8:34

So, Miss Charles, she did whatever was necessary to get our water samples uh fixed and tested.

8:42

She offered extended hours on dropping off water samples, try accommodated us, our county in whatever way she could do.

8:50

Um she provided technical support on obtaining the water samples, that way we could lift our bull water advisory and our citizens could go back to consuming the water.

8:58

Most importantly, she give our citizens a trusted resource that they could believe in the water sample was uh passing and was able to be consumed.

9:08

So I want to say thank you to Miss Charles, Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Youth Programs█████████████████████████25%

Public Safety██████████████████18%

Procedural████████████████16%

Public Engagement████████8%

Transportation Planning████████8%

Community Engagement███████7%

Parking████4%

Public Transit████4%

Water And Wastewater Management███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting – August 24, 2026

The Charlotte City Council held its regular business meeting on August 24, 2026, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The meeting included a consent agenda, public forum, public hearings on road closures, a presentation on the Youth Protection Ordinance (curfew), policy votes, appointments, and council member topics. Key decisions included approval of road closures, amendments to the Charlotte Streets Map and Manual, a parking-on-sidewalk ordinance change, a youth diversion interlocal agreement, and appointments to the Community Relations Committee. The council also heard extensive public comment on the proposed curfew and I-77 South toll lane project, and directed staff to explore a pilot program for the curfew.

Consent Calendar

Approved consent agenda items 13–32 (except item 20, which was pulled for separate consideration and approved unanimously). Approved items included contract extensions, grants, construction services, utility billing services, and other routine business.

Public Comments & Testimony

Yazan Hamade (baker) urged council to be “extraordinary people” and create solutions for community challenges, noting that hate and darkness have affected his business and the city.
Daniel Oriah (District 2 resident) expressed concern about surveillance technology (Flock cameras) and urged council to have an open, informed discussion about civil liberties.
Ashante Williams (airport escort) described poor training and a 67-day badge suspension, calling for improved airport worker conditions and public review of the airport lease.
Alicia Brown (For the Struggle founder) opposed the proposed 9 p.m. curfew, stating it would disproportionately criminalize Black and brown youth and their parents; she urged investing in resources rather than enforcement.
Rev. Dr. Janet Garner Mullins urged council to maintain opposition to the I-77 South toll lane proposal, citing public trust and the burden on working families.
Nathan Hoffman (uptown resident) supported the Youth Protection Ordinance, saying it provides a tool for officers to intervene before situations escalate, but emphasized pairing it with youth programming and resources.
Jamal Snow argued the curfew would increase police interactions with youth of color and criminalize parents; he recommended alternatives like hot-spot analysis and community-based interventions.
Jemia Pittman (youth) opposed an earlier curfew, stating young people often gather without causing trouble; she asked for investment in safe spaces, mentors, and youth input.
Robert McCutcheon (Charlotte Regional Business Alliance) supported moving forward with I-77 South improvements, emphasizing regional mobility and economic opportunity for all neighborhoods.
Sagar Rafi (District 7 resident) supported I-77 South expansion, noting tolls would be partly paid by out-of-state users and that inaction would worsen congestion.
JQ Freeman (property owner impacted by I-77) said the project’s hold has made his property unmarketable and caused financial harm; he urged council to move forward.
Damian Smith (West Side resident) opposed the I-77 expansion, arguing it won’t solve congestion and that alternatives like biking and transit are better investments.
Rob Nanfelt (REBIC) asked council to reconsider rescinding support for I-77 South, warning that without action the project could be delayed for a decade.
Joseph Williams (Wilmore neighborhood resident) urged keeping the project rescinded, citing impacts on historic communities and the need for a long-term, community-centered solution.
Connie Proctor opposed highway expansion, warning it would repeat past mistakes and divert resources from sustainable mobility; she urged rejection of the plan.

Discussion Items

Public Hearings on Road Closures

Pete Brown Road Closure (Item 4): Councilmember Mayfield raised process concerns about holding both the public hearing and vote on the same night. After debate, a motion to defer the vote failed. The resolution to close the road passed (vote not recorded individually but passed).
Weona Avenue Closure (Item 5): The public hearing was closed, and the resolution to close the road was adopted unanimously.

Youth Protection Ordinance (City Manager’s Report)

Chief Estella Patterson presented a proposed modification to the curfew ordinance: lowering the curfew to 9 p.m. for all minors 17 and under. She cited 431 youth victims from 9 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. (91% youth of color) and emphasized the goal of reducing teen takeovers and victimization. Staff outlined exceptions (school events, work, errands, etc.) and the juvenile arrest process (diversion options).
Councilmembers raised concerns about data, equity, enforcement, and unintended consequences. Several favored a pilot program before full implementation. Chief Patterson agreed to explore a pilot and partnerships for third spaces. Councilmember Mayfield opposed moving to 9 p.m. without a separate pilot vote. No action was taken; staff will bring back a proposal.

Charlotte Streets Map and Manual Amendments (Item 7)

Approved (one opposed) after brief discussion.

Parking on Sidewalk Ordinance Amendment (Item 8)

Approved after council discussion. Councilmember Johnson voted no, citing conflicts with short driveways in dense developments. Councilmember Mayfield asked about enforcement for scooters. The amendment removes a driveway exception to align with existing prohibitions.

Youth Diversion Program Interlocal Agreement (Item 9)

Approved unanimously. Councilmember Ajmera highlighted the program’s success: over 5,300 youth served, 90%+ did not recidivate within 12 months.

Appointments

Community Relations Committee: Zachary Claywell (6 votes) and Alexis Hilling (8 votes) appointed. Councilmember Johnson opposed due to potential conflicts with city employees serving on boards.

Key Outcomes

Road Closures: Pete Brown Road (passed after failed deferral) and Weona Avenue (passed unanimously).
Charlotte Streets Map and Manual Amendments: Approved (1 opposed).
Parking on Sidewalk Ordinance: Approved (1 opposed).
Youth Diversion Interlocal Agreement: Approved unanimously.
Youth Protection Ordinance: No vote taken; staff directed to develop a pilot program and report back.
Appointments: Claywell and Hilling appointed to Community Relations Committee.
Council Topics: Multiple councilmembers announced upcoming town halls and events; Councilmember Owens requested a policy for city staff serving on boards; Councilmember Johnson asked about stalled development projects; Councilmember Ajmera requested data on street vendor restrictions and towing protections.
Closed Session: Council voted to enter closed session for attorney-client privilege regarding a specific claim.

Meeting Transcript

Now call the meeting to order. Good evening, and thank you all for joining us in person here and those watching online for our August twenty-fourth business meeting. Now we'll begin with introductions around the dais, uh, starting with our city clerk to my right. Billy Tons, Deputy City Clerk, Andrea Leslie Fight, City Attorney. Good evening, Gimfra. At large. Good evening, I'm Victoria Watlington, and I have the pleasure of serving you as a member at large. Good evening, Joy Mayo, representing District Three. Marcus Jones, City Manager. Bob Harrington, Mayor. Good evening, everyone, James Mitchell, Mayor Pro Tim. Good evening, Kimberley Owens, representing District Six. Malcolm Graham, District Two. Ed Driggs, District Seven. Good evening, Luana Mayfield, Councilmember at large. Good evening, JD Masueta Audience, proudly representing the East Side, District Five. Good evening, I'm Renee Johnson, and I'm honored to represent District Four. Tonight, Councilmember Dr. Watlington will give our invocation. One nation on a nearby individuality. Before we move to voting on consent items, I want to take a quick moment because we have a representative from Anson County, who I think has a special message and recognition for some of our city staff. I'll now recognize Chairman Cottle of Anson County. Right here be great. This one's much better, so it's uh taller. So good evening, Council, good evening, mayor, staff. Thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight. Um my name is Jamie Caldle. I'm the chairman of the Annecy County Board of Commissioners. Um I call it a neighboring county. We're just a few miles east of here, but uh again, I appreciate you letting me uh speak tonight. I just want to address a um situation that we had in Annecy County back on July the 7th. Uh Ansi County experienced a countywide water system loss. So we had a complete depressurization of our water system across the entire county. Ninety-five percent of our citizens were without drinkable water at that time. Um the next couple days after that line uh break. Our focus was to restore water service for the basic principle of fire protection to all residents and businesses. Once that was achieved, our focus then became on restoring quality drinking water to all the citizens of our district or our county. Um during that time it became apparent that our utility staff was going to need some help in getting that restored. So we began to reach out to our neighboring municipalities, neighboring counties, and the city of Charlotte being one of those. Um I'm here tonight to tell you thank you for the assistance that you provided to our county during that time. Um I want to thank the elected officials, I want to thank the city staff, and most importantly, I want to thank the men and women who had boots on the ground who helped us restore that service to all of our citizens in our county. We are all North Carolinians, and that's what makes us the greatest state in the country to live in. It's North Carolina. Um we need help, we always lend a hand to our neighbors, and that's exactly what you did for our county in Anson County. Your willingness to lend a hand, or in this case, several hands, um, just shows the type of character that you as leaders exhibit and also your staff. Um you sent nine to ten highly skilled and trained crew members each day for two or three long days, and I want to specify long days, um, to help us rest that work diligently to help us restore the water service. I can't name them all, but I do want to especially thank Mr. Marion Sanders, and I know he's in the audience behind me here. Um he is truly a remarkable person and a true leader in that department. And so he was on site with us in our EOC operations center, and Mr.

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