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Record of Proceedings

Durham City Council Meeting - June 16, 2025: Budget Approval, DHA Loan, and Zoning Decisions

City Council — Monday, June 16, 2025
BodyDurham, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Good evening, everyone.

0:05

Welcome to City Hall.

0:07

Oh, it's never a response.

0:11

All right.

0:12

Well done.

0:13

That's good.

0:14

Thank you all.

0:15

Um, welcome to City Hall.

0:18

We are here to uh have our most important meeting of the year.

0:25

And uh I am going to go ahead and ask Madam Clerk to uh call the role, please.

0:36

I'm sorry.

0:38

If you will please join me in a moment of silence.

0:54

Thank you.

0:55

Now uh pass it over to Councilmember Freeman for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:00

Thank you.

1:01

It's our practice to stand to salute the flag and say the pledge together if you'd like to join us.

1:25

Madam Clerk, will you now please call the role?

1:27

Mayor Williams.

1:29

Mayor Pro Tem Middleton.

1:30

I'm here.

1:31

Councilmember Baker.

1:32

Here.

1:32

Member Caballero.

1:33

Here.

1:34

Councilmember Cook.

1:35

Here.

1:35

Councilmember Freeman.

1:37

Present.

1:37

Councilmember Rest.

1:38

Here.

1:39

Thank you.

2:23

Hi, how are you?

2:27

We'll now proceed with our ceremonial items.

2:29

We have two items tonight before we get to the formal business.

2:35

And Mayor Pro Tem will kick us off.

2:38

My thanks to His Honor, the Mayor, to my honorable colleagues on the dais, to all of our staff, to our guests and friends in the room, and to our guests watching on whatever platform you may be watching tonight.

2:49

It's my honor uh to kick off our ceremony items, ceremonial items with a very, very important proclamation on Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month.

2:58

And I'm going to ask uh Isabella Roberts, uh Cleft and Craniofacial Team Patient, to come join me as I read this proclamation.

3:18

Proclamation.

3:20

Whereas oro facial clefts are the most frequently occurring birth differences in the United States, affecting about one in 700 infants per year.

3:32

Whereas infants born with clefts and other craniofacial conditions usually require surgery as well as specialized feeding support, dental and orthodontic care, speech therapy, hearing intervention, and social and emotional support as they grow and develop.

3:54

And whereas this complexity of services needs to be provided in a synchronized manner over a period of years and are best provided by interdisciplinary cleft and craniofacial teams.

4:06

And whereas organizations such as the Cleft Palette Foundation and the American Cleft Palette and Craniofacial Association serve populations affected by craniofacial differences and the professionals who care for them in order to help infants have a healthy start to life by providing their families with comprehensive information, support, and connections to these interdisciplin interdisciplinary items and teams.

4:33

And whereas it is fitting and proper to recognize the efforts of organizations and programs, such as the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Duke University and its families, working to ensure a better life for those affected by cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial conditions.

5:00

Now, therefore, I, Leonardo Williams, the mayor of the city of Durham, North Carolina, to hereby proclaim June 2025 as Cleft and Cranialfacial Awareness Month in the City of Durham, and urge all citizens to contribute however they are able to sub to the support of families and organizations working to aid those affected by craniofacial birth differences.

5:18

Witness my hand in the corporate seal of the City of Durham, North Carolina, this the 16th day of June, 2025, Leonardo Williams, Mayor.

5:35

Thank you, Mary Williams.

5:36

Good evening, everyone.

5:38

My name is Isabella Roberts.

5:39

I am 16 years old, and I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.

5:43

I am honored to receive the proclamation to bring awareness to cleft and craniofacial differences on behalf of my amazing team at the Duke Clefton Craniofacial Center.

5:52

Approximately one in 700 babies are born with a cleft lip and or palate, making it one of the most common birth defects.

5:59

A cleft condition can be isolated or it may be inherited.

6:03

Along with the cleft, some developmental challenges, such as problems with speech development, ear infections, and hearing loss, dental issues, and even social and emotional challenges could be presented.

6:14

There are several reasons that a child may be born with a cleft, and typically parents will know about their baby's condition before the child is even born.

6:21

That was not so in my case.

6:23

No, it was nothing that the doctors missed or were negligent of.

6:26

It was that every time my parents would get an ultrasound, my hands were in front of my face.

6:30

In other words, my parents had no idea that I would be born with a cleft.

6:34

Little did we know this was a small part in God's much bigger plan.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement██████████████14%
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Safety█████████████13%
Land Use Planning█████████████13%
Budget Equity Analysis████████8%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Youth Programs█████5%
Affordable Housing████4%
Contract Management████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Durham City Council Meeting - June 16, 2025

The Durham City Council held its final meeting of the fiscal year on June 16, 2025, at 7:00 PM in City Hall. The meeting included ceremonial proclamations, adoption of the FY 2025-26 budget and FY 2026-31 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), approval of a $1.5 million loan to the Durham Housing Authority (DHA), and decisions on several zoning map changes. The meeting lasted from 7:00 PM to approximately 10:14 PM.

Ceremonial Items

  • Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month Proclamation: Mayor Williams proclaimed June 2025 as Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month in Durham. Isabella Roberts, a 16-year-old patient with bilateral cleft lip and palate, spoke about her experiences and the work of the Duke Cleft and Craniofacial Center.
  • Juneteenth Week Proclamation: Mayor Williams proclaimed June 14–22, 2025, as Juneteenth Week in Durham. Representatives from the Durham Juneteenth Collective and partner organizations accepted the proclamation, emphasizing the cultural and economic importance of the celebrations.

Announcements by Council

Council members made remarks on national and local issues, including: the murder of Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman’s husband; the No Kings rally in Durham (over 5,000 attendees); shootings in the community; the retirement of Communications Director Beverly Thompson; the expansion of the HART program; the importance of fare-free buses; and the need for increased support for Urban Ministries of Durham after it laid off seven staff due to a $400,000 budget shortfall from lost federal funds.

Consent Calendar

Items 1 through 45 were approved unanimously, with the following exceptions pulled for separate discussion: Item 6 (Budget and CIP), Item 7 (DHA Loan), Item 8 (City-County Strategic Youth Initiatives), Item 29 (Downtown Durham Inc. operations contract), Item 30 (Downtown Durham Inc. economic development contract), and Item 13 (Eviction Diversion Program, on General Business Agenda).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 8 – City-County Strategic Youth Initiatives: Alexandra Valderis spoke in support, highlighting the work of the Youth Mentoring Collaborative and the Boost Program, and the creation of an asset map for mentoring resources.
  • Item 7 – DHA Loan: Ms. Burris, a resident, expressed concerns about DHA’s accountability, lack of property managers, maintenance issues, and unpaid rent, urging the city to ensure transparency and that funds benefit residents.

Discussion Items

  • Item 6 – FY 2025-26 Budget and CIP: Council members praised the budget for including a 1.45% compensation increase for city employees, expansion of the HART program, fare-free buses, $12 million for park lead remediation, and a $963 million CIP. The budget increased taxes for the second year, partly due to the 2024 bond. Council emphasized the Low-Income Homeowner Relief Program. The budget passed unanimously.
  • Item 7 – DHA Operational Assistance Loan: Council authorized a $1.5 million conditional loan to DHA. Mayor Williams stressed the need for accountability and noted that DHA is underfunded by the federal government. Passed unanimously.
  • Item 39 – Zoning Map Change: Methodist Street Townhouses: Applicant Vince DeFreitas requested rezone from CN to PDR 15.126 for 15 townhomes. Council discussed proffers; the owner, Mr. Singh, offered a $5,000 donation to Durham Public Schools. Some council members expressed concern about no affordable housing, but others noted the small scale and infill benefits. Approved 6–1 (Councilmember Riss voted no).
  • Item 40 – Zoning Map Change: 1606 and 1608 East Cornwallis Road: Applicant Pam Porter requested rezone from RS-20 to PDR 10.205 for 10 townhomes. Proffers included: $5,000 to the Dedicated Housing Fund, $1,000 to Durham Public Schools, native plantings, and a bus stop upgrade if needed. Council praised the community engagement. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 41 – Zoning Map Change: 401 East Lakewood Avenue: Applicant Jamie Schwedler requested rezone to Downtown Design Core for 9.65 acres. Due to community concerns, the applicant requested a continuance to August 4, 2025. Council discussed the need for inclusive community engagement, naming several organizations involved. The case was continued to August 4, 2025.

Key Outcomes

  • Budget Approval: FY 2025-26 budget and FY 2026-31 CIP adopted unanimously. Total budget exceeds $700 million for the first time.
  • DHA Loan: $1.5 million conditional loan authorized unanimously.
  • Strategic Youth Initiatives: Interlocal agreement with Durham County approved unanimously.
  • Eviction Diversion Program: Contract with Legal Aid of North Carolina for $725,000 approved (6–0, Councilmember Cook recused).
  • Downtown Durham Inc. Contracts: Operations funding of $2,278,030 and economic development funding of $170,048 approved (Councilmember Riss recused for both).
  • Zoning Approvals: Methodist Street Townhouses (6–1) and East Cornwallis Road (7–0) approved.
  • Zoning Continuance: 401 East Lakewood Avenue continued to August 4, 2025, work session and council meeting.
  • Meeting Schedule: The July 24 meeting was canceled; the next work session and council meeting will be on August 4, 2025, starting at 10:00 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to City Hall. Oh, it's never a response. All right. Well done. That's good. Thank you all. Um, welcome to City Hall. We are here to uh have our most important meeting of the year. And uh I am going to go ahead and ask Madam Clerk to uh call the role, please. I'm sorry. If you will please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you. Now uh pass it over to Councilmember Freeman for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. It's our practice to stand to salute the flag and say the pledge together if you'd like to join us. Madam Clerk, will you now please call the role? Mayor Williams. Mayor Pro Tem Middleton. I'm here. Councilmember Baker. Here. Member Caballero. Here. Councilmember Cook. Here. Councilmember Freeman. Present. Councilmember Rest. Here. Thank you. Hi, how are you? We'll now proceed with our ceremonial items. We have two items tonight before we get to the formal business. And Mayor Pro Tem will kick us off. My thanks to His Honor, the Mayor, to my honorable colleagues on the dais, to all of our staff, to our guests and friends in the room, and to our guests watching on whatever platform you may be watching tonight. It's my honor uh to kick off our ceremony items, ceremonial items with a very, very important proclamation on Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month. And I'm going to ask uh Isabella Roberts, uh Cleft and Craniofacial Team Patient, to come join me as I read this proclamation. Proclamation. Whereas oro facial clefts are the most frequently occurring birth differences in the United States, affecting about one in 700 infants per year. Whereas infants born with clefts and other craniofacial conditions usually require surgery as well as specialized feeding support, dental and orthodontic care, speech therapy, hearing intervention, and social and emotional support as they grow and develop. And whereas this complexity of services needs to be provided in a synchronized manner over a period of years and are best provided by interdisciplinary cleft and craniofacial teams. And whereas organizations such as the Cleft Palette Foundation and the American Cleft Palette and Craniofacial Association serve populations affected by craniofacial differences and the professionals who care for them in order to help infants have a healthy start to life by providing their families with comprehensive information, support, and connections to these interdisciplin interdisciplinary items and teams. And whereas it is fitting and proper to recognize the efforts of organizations and programs, such as the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Duke University and its families, working to ensure a better life for those affected by cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial conditions. Now, therefore, I, Leonardo Williams, the mayor of the city of Durham, North Carolina, to hereby proclaim June 2025 as Cleft and Cranialfacial Awareness Month in the City of Durham, and urge all citizens to contribute however they are able to sub to the support of families and organizations working to aid those affected by craniofacial birth differences. Witness my hand in the corporate seal of the City of Durham, North Carolina, this the 16th day of June, 2025, Leonardo Williams, Mayor. Thank you, Mary Williams. Good evening, everyone. My name is Isabella Roberts. I am 16 years old, and I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.

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