OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Durham City Council Work Session - October 10, 2022

City Council Work Session — Monday, October 10, 2022
BodyDurham, North Carolina
SessionCity Council Work Session
DateMonday, October 10, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:51

Something's going on with the screen up here.

1:18

Trying to figure out if we're having to technical difficulties or not with the screening.

1:28

Happy Thursday.

8:05

All right, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

8:08

City of Durham, North Carolina.

8:11

Welcome to our City Council work session for Thursday, October sixth, twenty twenty two here at now one oh seven PM.

8:21

We welcome those who have joined us in chambers, and we also welcome those who are joining with us virtually.

8:35

Would you please call the road?

8:37

Mayor O'Neill.

8:38

I am here.

8:39

Mayor Pro Tempore Middleton.

8:41

I'm here.

8:41

Councilmember Caballero?

8:43

Here.

8:43

Councilmember Freeman.

8:45

Present.

8:45

Councilmember Holsey Hyman.

8:47

President.

8:47

Councilmember Johnson.

8:49

Here.

8:50

And Councilmember Williams is a bit delayed.

8:52

He'll be here momentarily.

8:53

He's in route.

8:55

All right.

8:55

I will now recognize any of our uh council and of my colleagues for in announcements.

9:04

Councilman, Councilwoman Javi Amber.

9:06

Thank you.

9:07

Good afternoon afternoon, everyone.

9:08

Good to see you.

9:09

Uh pretty full house for a Thursday afternoon.

9:12

Um, I have a couple of announcements.

9:14

I just wanted to say thank you to the county for hosting their um annual.

9:17

Well, I guess it had been a little bit of a hiatus, their um Durham County farm tour.

9:21

It was a really wonderful morning to spend with some of our county commissioners and seeing what some residents are doing.

9:27

Uh, a lot of them in the city limits uh with their urban farms.

9:31

So that was a cool morning.

9:33

Um also I think we're gonna have a long session today, and so I brought the snack basket from upstairs.

9:39

Councilmember Freeman has it down here, so if you get hungry, we will pass it down.

9:43

And then finally, um, today is the Durham City County Cross Country Championships.

9:48

Uh, Riverside is the rainy and ch reigning champion, roll pilots roll.

9:53

Um, and I may have to leave early.

9:55

I'm waiting um to see what time my kid is running.

10:00

Um, I hope I think we might be done by five, and then and if not, I may have to leave around them.

10:05

Thank you.

10:06

Thank you so much.

10:07

And I'll continue to look to my right.

10:09

Mayor Pro Tim.

10:10

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

10:11

Good afternoon, ma'am, and to my honorable colleagues, everyone in the chamber, and those who are watching either on TV or are now recovered uh internet uh connection.

10:20

Uh Madam Mayor, I want to uh just celebrate uh a bit today, Durham's participation uh in a national uh pilot program of guaranteed income.

10:28

Today, uh Mayors for Guaranteed Income released initial numbers of about 20 to 24 American cities that are participating in guaranteed income pilots.

10:37

Our city, Durham is one of those cities.

10:40

Uh Madam Mayor, I'm I'm I'm very pleased because I think the numbers bear out um and push back against what some uh had forecasted that this would be a uh subsidizing of pathology.

10:51

What it actually turned out to be is a subsidizing of people trying to live their lives and pay bills and pay rent and buy food and clothes uh for their families uh because economically stable people make better neighbors.

11:02

So on today, I just want to congratulate Durham.

11:04

I also want to thank you, Madam Mayor, for your assumption of leadership, still seeing this as a priority and important for our city to participate in and leaning in and continuing to lead us in supporting uh this initiative.

11:15

Um full disclosure, uh the numbers look good after six months, I believe.

11:19

I think they're gonna look the same after we complete this pilot in the year, and I'm I'm forecasting or telegraphing now to my pilot to my colleagues and to citizens that uh I hope this is something that we as a city uh will consider codifying and looking for ways to continue uh doing this root cause initiative, uh a root cause initiative that does not involve some of the more traditional things we've argued about uh in the city when it comes to reducing crime when it comes to expanding opportunity.

11:46

But here's a real uh boots on the ground, money on the table initiative that is doing well.

11:51

Uh I also look forward to Durham joining our voices with our colleagues around the country to making the case to our national government that this should be a staple of our national life and should be codified uh as part of a federal policy as well.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Social District████████████████████████24%
Procedural█████████████13%
Parks and Recreation█████████████13%
Housing Stability███████7%
Participatory Budgeting██████6%
Public Safety████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Economic Development████4%
Public Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Durham City Council Work Session - October 10, 2022

The Durham City Council held a work session on October 10, 2022, beginning at 4:15 PM. The meeting included announcements, a consent agenda, public comments, and discussions on several key items including the creation of a downtown social district, the renovation of the former Wheels skating rink, participatory budgeting, and a data presentation on affordable housing. The council voted to suspend rules and approve a HUD Fair Housing Cooperative Agreement, and gave direction to move forward with the Wheels renovation.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1-18, 20-23, 25, and 33 were approved as a consent agenda. These included mayoral appointments to boards and commissions, budget carryovers, and various contracts and grants.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Social District (Item 24): Numerous downtown business owners and stakeholders spoke in support of the proposed social district. Speakers included:

    • Senator Mike Woodard, who expressed support but cautioned against a prescriptive contract.
    • Roberto Copamatos (chef, Copa) – supported the district to help recover from pandemic losses.
    • Brianna Brake (owner, Spaceway Brewing) – supported to increase foot traffic.
    • Amos Cooper Jr. (owner, Bull City Butler) – supported for commerce.
    • Karen Casey (owner, Artisan Market) – supported citing need for more downtown traffic.
    • Adair Mueller (owner, Durham Food Hall) – supported, noting severe pandemic losses.
    • Nicole Thompson (DDI) – read a statement from Megan Kane (Zen Succulent) in support.
    • Jess Averhart (Jess Co.) – supported to attract visitors.
    • Sean Little (owner, 360 Approach) – supported for community gathering.
    • Niche LeBlanc (owner, Linux and Gray) – supported as a landlord.
    • Sean Umstead (co-owner, Kingfisher, etc.) – supported to restore downtown momentum.
    • Cecilia Davis (owner, Cissus Gallery) – supported for social connection.
    • Damien Moore (owner, Dame’s Chicken and Waffles) – supported as progress.
    • Chris Creek (owner, Glass Jug Beer Lab) – supported for cross-promotion.
    • Susan Amy (president, Discover Durham) – supported.
    • Rashonda Mason (owner, The Slush) – supported, noting customer demand for to-go drinks.
    • Fasil Tesfae (owner, Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant) – supported for recovery.
    • Two additional speakers via Zoom experienced technical difficulties; their comments were submitted in writing.

  • Wheels Skating Center (Item 26): Gideon Bueno spoke in support of investing in the rink, emphasizing community value and affordability.

Discussion Items

  • Social District (Item 24): Staff presented the proposed ordinance to create a downtown social district from 11 AM to 9 PM daily, with a management plan including signage, cup requirements, and a third-party designee (DDI). Council discussed equity concerns, enforcement, and the need for concurrent transit planning. Councilmember Freeman expressed concern about limiting the district to downtown. Councilmember Caballero emphasized transit and car-free zones. Councilmember Johnson raised concerns about disparate enforcement of open container laws. Senator Woodard suggested the contract with DDI was too prescriptive. The item was placed on the general business agenda for a future vote.

  • Wheels Skating Center (Item 26): Staff presented an assessment of the former Wheels skating rink, identifying four deficiency categories: ADA accessibility ($284,000), code/life safety/risk mitigation ($481,000), maintenance ($918,000), and operations/kitchen upgrades ($85,000). Total estimated cost to open the rink is $1.7 million, with a 15-month timeline. Council discussed funding from the existing CIP, the need for an operator, and concurrent planning for the broader site. Council gave direction to proceed with renovation and to begin the process to identify an operator.

  • Participatory Budgeting (Item 10): Staff presented recommendations for Cycle 3, including an extended timeline (voting in fall instead of spring) and a shift from ward-based to citywide funding allocation, prioritizing underserved communities using Neighborhood Compass. Council discussed partnership with schools and legal issues for capital projects on private property. No vote was taken; staff will continue implementation.

  • Affordable Housing Deep Dive (Item 32): John R. (DataWorks NC) presented “Who Owns Durham,” covering historical context, demographic changes, corporate investment, wage stagnation, rising rents, and eviction disparities. He highlighted a waiting list of 3,489 for public housing and 8,000 for vouchers, and questioned the adequacy of AMI-based affordability standards. The presentation was for informational purposes; council received it with no immediate action.

Key Outcomes

  • Council voted unanimously to suspend rules and approve Item 19 (HUD Fair Housing Cooperative Agreement FY2023).
  • Council set the consent agenda for the next meeting (items 1-18, 20-23, 25, 33) and general business (item 24 and public hearings 27-31).
  • Council gave direction to staff to move forward with the Wheels skating rink renovation and to begin the process to identify an operator.
  • The social district ordinance will be scheduled for a future vote.
  • Participatory budgeting Cycle 3 planning continues with the extended timeline and citywide funding model.
  • The affordable housing data presentation will be shared with council for further discussion.

Meeting Transcript

Something's going on with the screen up here. Trying to figure out if we're having to technical difficulties or not with the screening. Happy Thursday. All right, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. City of Durham, North Carolina. Welcome to our City Council work session for Thursday, October sixth, twenty twenty two here at now one oh seven PM. We welcome those who have joined us in chambers, and we also welcome those who are joining with us virtually. Would you please call the road? Mayor O'Neill. I am here. Mayor Pro Tempore Middleton. I'm here. Councilmember Caballero? Here. Councilmember Freeman. Present. Councilmember Holsey Hyman. President. Councilmember Johnson. Here. And Councilmember Williams is a bit delayed. He'll be here momentarily. He's in route. All right. I will now recognize any of our uh council and of my colleagues for in announcements. Councilman, Councilwoman Javi Amber. Thank you. Good afternoon afternoon, everyone. Good to see you. Uh pretty full house for a Thursday afternoon. Um, I have a couple of announcements. I just wanted to say thank you to the county for hosting their um annual. Well, I guess it had been a little bit of a hiatus, their um Durham County farm tour. It was a really wonderful morning to spend with some of our county commissioners and seeing what some residents are doing. Uh, a lot of them in the city limits uh with their urban farms. So that was a cool morning. Um also I think we're gonna have a long session today, and so I brought the snack basket from upstairs. Councilmember Freeman has it down here, so if you get hungry, we will pass it down. And then finally, um, today is the Durham City County Cross Country Championships. Uh, Riverside is the rainy and ch reigning champion, roll pilots roll. Um, and I may have to leave early. I'm waiting um to see what time my kid is running. Um, I hope I think we might be done by five, and then and if not, I may have to leave around them. Thank you. Thank you so much. And I'll continue to look to my right. Mayor Pro Tim. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Good afternoon, ma'am, and to my honorable colleagues, everyone in the chamber, and those who are watching either on TV or are now recovered uh internet uh connection. Uh Madam Mayor, I want to uh just celebrate uh a bit today, Durham's participation uh in a national uh pilot program of guaranteed income.

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