Durham City Council Meeting - January 18, 2022: Compensation Adjustments and Proclamations
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Durham City Council Meeting - January 18, 2022
The Durham City Council met virtually on January 18, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Pro Tem Middleton presiding in place of Mayor O’Neill, who was excused to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The meeting lasted approximately 40 minutes and included a proclamation, council announcements, a consent agenda, and a discussion on police and fire compensation adjustments.
Ceremonial Items
- Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution Proclamation: Councilmember Reese read the proclamation declaring January 30, 2022, as Fred Korematsu Day in Durham. Mr. David Atoji of the Japan-American Society of North Carolina accepted the proclamation and shared slides and remarks about his family’s internment during World War II, emphasizing the ongoing need to protect civil liberties.
Announcements by Council
- Mayor Pro Tem Middleton reported on the mayor’s absence and provided a COVID-19 update: As of January 14, 2022, there were 11,946 cases in January (a 92.5% increase from the prior month). Among active cases, 74% were unvaccinated; 87% of ICU patients and 89% of ventilator patients were unvaccinated; 100% of ECMO patients were unvaccinated. He urged vaccination, boosters, and mask-wearing. He also noted the opening of two new testing sites and the distribution of masks and home test kits, and expressed condolences for recent gun violence incidents involving Durham police.
- Councilmember Williams voiced concerns about the economic impact on small businesses, citing six downtown businesses at risk of closing. He cautioned against city shutdowns, advocated for responsible behavior (vaccination, masking, continued patronage of local businesses), and stated he would bring further community input in coming weeks.
Consent Calendar
- Vote: All items on the consent agenda were approved unanimously except item 26, which was pulled for discussion. The approved items included:
- Appointments to various boards and commissions (Carolina Theatre, Affordable Housing Implementation Committee, Appearance Commission, Homeless Services Advisory Committee, Mayor’s Council for Women, Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee, Racial Equity Commission, Recreation Advisory Commission).
- Contract with Cypress Fund and NEO Philanthropy for We Are the Ones (WATO) not to exceed $250,000.
- Two FAA Airport Coronavirus Response Grant offers totaling $44,753,009 and $5,927,846.
- Amendment No. 1 for sewer system evaluation survey services with CDM Smith, Inc. (increase of $2,258,000; total contract $3,648,000).
- Revision of Southeast Regional Lift Station service area boundaries.
- Design-build construction amendment for Durham Bulls Athletic Park boiler replacement (up to $273,215).
- Department response to Bull City Tenants United proposals (received and filed).
- Employment Training Grant Project Ordinance ($1,298,600).
- Second and Third Amendments for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth Services with Eckerd Youth Alternatives (totaling $250,000 and $500,000).
- Amendment to HIDTA Grant (decrease from $434,439.92 to $275,033.22).
- Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Program Grant ($250,000).
- Contract Amendment for Fayetteville Road Improvements ($58,000; total $2,568,000).
- Street Repairs and Repaving 2022 contract ($6,419,918).
- Pavement Preservation 2022 contract ($4,814,666.19).
- South Ellerbe Restoration Project Phase 2 contract ($1,512,594).
- Contract Amendment for Paving Services 2020 ($947,232.70).
Discussion Items
- Police and Fire Compensation Plans Adjustment (Item 26): Councilmember Williams pulled the item for clarification. He asked whether the market adjustment addressed step increases for third- and fourth-year firefighters. City Manager Paige explained that the adjustment raises all pay ranges for police and fire to market levels, with recruit pay leading to 5% step increases upon promotion, but that prior missed steps would not be retroactively compensated. The total cost is approximately $4 million for the remainder of the fiscal year and will be incorporated into future budgets. Councilmembers commended the plan as a significant first step, noting it will bring Durham to the top of peer cities for first responder compensation.
Key Outcomes
- Excused Absence for Mayor O’Neill: Approved unanimously for the January 18 and January 20 meetings.
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (items 1–25, except item 26 pulled).
- Police and Fire Compensation Adjustment (Item 26): Approved unanimously (6–0). The market adjustment takes effect January 18, 2022, and increases pay ranges for all police and fire positions.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. It is Tuesday, January 18, 7 o'clock p.m. I'd like to call uh to order, officially called to order the standing meeting of the Durham City Council for the purposes of faithfully conducting the people's business. I want to say it's always always good to see my colleagues, my honorable colleagues. I want to thank the staff that makes this possible. We're still in a virtual environment. So many thanks to the staff and all of our residents and citizens and anyone watching tonight, you are certainly welcome. And thank you for being with us tonight. Friends, before we have our moment of silent um meditation, we don't dictate or prescribe what you should think about during that time. But I do just want to share a couple of things that will occupy my mental space while we have our moment of silent meditation as we come uh out of the weekend of celebrating the legacy of Dr. King. I'm certainly reflecting on the work that still needs to be done to make that dream a reality. Uh, my thoughts are also in Colyville, Texas, as we witnessed a horrible event at Beth Israel Synagogue there in Colleyville, Texas. For many of us, uh, the ghost of Pittsburgh and Charleston still haunt us. Um, and it could have been a lot worse. So we're very grateful uh that the hostages uh were released. But our thoughts tonight are on the work we still need to do uh in our country uh to keep people safe, to honor people, to respect each other's dignity. Uh, I had an opportunity on on our behalf to have conversations with some readers in the Jewish community uh here in Durham this past weekend, and was very happy to hear that they've been talking to some of our leaders, particularly Chief Andrews, and and uh we pledge to keep vigilant as we always do uh during times like this, and and we want them to know that our our solidarity is with them. Uh, no matter how you look, how you pray or how you love, uh, you should be safe and live a life of dignity. So our thoughts are there uh with them this evening. We know that the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security has issued uh advisories for places of faith uh to be on high alert uh during these times. And we certainly want to let folk know we're gonna do our part here in Durham and make sure that we're all safe and we'll keep vigilant. I'm also thinking about voting rights during this moment of silence. Uh the work we still got to do to secure franchise and suffrage uh in our country uh during this king holiday weekend. Uh so with those things in mind, I'm going to invite uh all of us to just engage in this moment of silent meditation. Thank you very much. Councilmember Freeman, would you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Yes, of course. Thank you. And before starting, I do want to share that I do keep my flag at my desk. And so I know you can't see it all the time, but it's usually right here, right at my desk. And so I just want to start saying that this evening, and I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thank you very much. Madam Clerk, would you please call a roll? Mayor Pro Tem Middleton. I'm here. Councilmember Caballero. Here. Councilmember Freeman. Present. Councilmember Johnson. Here. Councilmember Reese. Here. Councilmember Williams. Here. Thank you. Friends, the more observant viewers tonight would have already observed that I am, in fact, not Mayor O'Neill. In fact, I'm a poor substitute for her.
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