Durham City Council Work Session: February 11, 2022

On February 11, 2022, the Durham City Council held a work session to go over proposed consent items, hear public comment, discuss two sidewalk-related contract items, receive the Durham Youth Works program evaluation, appoint board and commission members, settle its agenda, and move into closed session. Note: The oral call-to-order in the transcript says February 10, 2022, at 1 p.m., while the provided meeting date metadata says February 11, 2022; this summary uses the provided date.

Announcements and Administrative Actions

• Councilmember Caballero requested excused absences for February 21, February 24, March 3, and March 4, 2022, to attend a Latino elected official fellowship. The motion was approved unanimously.
• Caballero asked for a follow-up work session conversation on ARPA funding on March 10, 2022, and for a future work session presentation by Cura Mericas on COVID equity work.
• Mayor O'Neill publicly thanked Caballero for volunteering to help organize and move along ARPA funding work.
• Councilmember Johnson requested a resolution for Women's History Month, and Councilmember Freeman asked that Black History Month be formally acknowledged.

Consent Calendar

• The proposed consent list included multiple board and commission appointments, annual reports, a resolution on student loan debt, and other routine items.
• Councilmember Freeman asked whether the student loan resolution should be sent to federal House and Senate members in addition to the president; staff said there was no reason not to and offered to add that.
• Mayor Pro Tem Middleton pulled item 24, SW76 Sidewalk Repairs Contract Amendment One, and item 25, SW87C Request for Qualifications for Inspections and Ombudsman Services for Sidewalk Projects, for discussion.
• The council later settled its agenda with items 1 through 25 on consent and item 26, the 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan, as a public hearing, by unanimous vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brenda Desmaras, an Emorywood Estates resident, presented a two-year update on the Towns at Courtney Creek development. She said the first of three phases was nearly complete and raised concerns about construction traffic and road damage, smoke from logging, lack of full Highway 55 access, a planned street connection to Brandon, broken promises, and the streets named Helms being offensive. She also said home prices at Towns at Courtney Creek had risen from about $250,000 to $400,000 and noted the developer announced a half-billion-dollar stock buyback, arguing funds are available to address the project's impacts. She requested full Highway 55 access, renaming the Helms streets, no additional streets into Emorywood Estates, clearing Kirby and surrounding streets of debris, and resurfacing Emorywood roads.
• Thelma Glenn White, an Emorywood Estates resident, said the development brought crime and mail theft to the neighborhood and that the developer had not met with residents. She asked for road improvements one mile in both directions, green space, and inclusion of moderate- and low-income homes in new developments. She also described muddy, truck-lined streets on Kirby and thanked Councilmember Freeman for visiting.
• Christine Smith, representing the Green New Deal for Durham Coalition, cited Durham County's 2020 community health report, which projects 60 extreme heat days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit a year by 2030 and 75 by 2080. She urged the council to put climate justice at the center of policy and to use ARPA funds, the transportation tax, the affordable housing bond, and a proposed green and equitable infrastructure bond to support renewable energy, public transit, and affordable housing.

Discussion Items

• Item 24 - Sidewalk Repairs: Councilmember Middleton asked about federal accessibility guidelines and how locations were chosen. Staff said the city follows the federal sidewalk accessibility guidelines, locations come from service requests, Durham One Call, capital improvement planning, and heat maps of request clusters, and the city is not currently requesting additional full-time employees despite engineering recruitment and retention challenges.
• Item 25 - Sidewalk Inspections and Ombudsman Services: Councilmember Middleton praised the sidewalk investment in Braggtown and attributed it partly to resident advocacy. Staff confirmed that advocacy, staff assessments, and service requests drove the project, with separate Braggtown road repairs expected in future agenda cycles. Staff also said Bree and Associates is headquartered in Raleigh. Councilmember Reese thanked public works staff for their work with the community on complicated public works issues.
• Durham Youth Works 2021 Program Evaluation: Adria Graham Scott of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development presented the evaluation by RTI, using video testimonials from participants and partners. The program was redesigned for the COVID era with virtual content and one in-person placement with the Durham Police Athletic League. Highlights included project-based learning, wellness checks, paid program interns, and flexible virtual opportunities for employers. Challenges included a clunky onboarding process, multiple forms, stipend payment delays, and several virtual platforms. Next steps include releasing a program interest form the week of February 21, 2022, and an RFP the week of February 28, 2022, with 11 program providers expected. Councilmembers praised the program and called for expansion and budget support.

Appointments and Closed Session

• The clerk presented board and commission nominations, including Amy Jones for the Citizens Advisory Committee, Purnai De Sai for the Durham Convention Center and Visitors Bureau, Angelique Stalings for the Durham Cultural Advisory Board, Javier Alvarez Jamis for the Human Relations Commission (Hispanic/Latino category), Wahiba Cartay, Akia Umstead, and Jill E. Surgison for the Mayor's Council for Women, and Jill S. Thomas for the Recreation Advisory Commission. The Human Relations Commission 'other person' category was re-advertised.
• For the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee, initial votes were split among Andrew George, Paulette Jackson, and Michael M. Bell; Councilmember Caballero stated she supported George because of his science and climate background, and the nomination was resolved in favor of Andrew George.
• The council voted unanimously to hold a closed session for attorney-client consultation on three litigation matters: City of Durham v. JE Barms LLC, Oak Charter Academy Inc. v. City of Durham, and Darrell Howard v. City of Durham.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Councilmember Caballero's excused absences unanimously.
• Approved the city manager's priority items and the city attorney's closed-session motion unanimously.
• Settled the agenda with items 1-25 on consent and item 26 as a public hearing, unanimously.
• Heard citizen comments without taking immediate policy action.
• Endorsed future expansion of Durham Youth Works and indicated budget support for scaling the program.
• Moved into closed session at the conclusion of the open work session.