OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Durham City Council Work Session – December 8, 2023

City Council Work Session — Friday, December 8, 2023
BodyDurham, North Carolina
SessionCity Council Work Session
DateFriday, December 8, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:18

TV lights are coming on.

1:13

Recording in progress.

1:43

All right, good afternoon, everyone.

1:47

I was waiting on someone else to start the meeting.

1:49

I gotta get you.

1:52

All right.

1:53

I'd like to call the Durham City Council Work session to order.

1:56

Uh on November um December 7th at 1 p.m.

2:02

Uh certainly we want to welcome all of you here in attendance and those of you that are online.

2:07

And we'll get right into the business.

2:09

Madam Clerk, would you call the role, please?

2:11

Good afternoon, everyone.

2:13

Um Mayor Middle uh Mayor Williams.

2:15

I'm here.

2:16

Mayor Pro Tem Middleton.

2:18

I'm here.

2:18

Councilmember Baker.

2:19

Here, Councilmember Caballero.

2:21

Here, Councilmember Freeman.

2:23

Councilmember Middleton.

2:25

Oops, sorry, Councilmember Riss.

2:27

Here present.

2:31

All right, thank you.

2:32

Uh, do we have any comments by any of our colleagues?

2:38

Um Adam Caballero.

2:41

Good morning or good afternoon, everyone.

2:43

Good to see you.

2:43

Um, just a reminder, I need to leave right around 3 p.m.

2:46

today.

2:46

Um, and then also just want to shout out um the CIT awards that were this morning.

2:52

Um Crisis Intervention Team Awards uh that were for our first responders.

2:57

It was great to see folks get honored.

2:59

Thank you.

3:00

Thank you.

3:03

Baker, Ruth Comments.

3:07

All right.

3:08

Thank you, Mr.

3:08

Mayor.

3:08

Good afternoon, sir.

3:09

Uh, I wanted to just take this moment and to my colleagues as well.

3:12

Good afternoon to all in chamber.

3:13

I wanted to take this moment firstly to just acknowledge this this threshold moment.

3:17

Mr.

3:17

Mayor, your first uh work session, uh holding the gavel as mayor, and to my new colleagues as well, your first work session where we do the nuts and bolts work uh of the council.

3:26

Uh welcome and congratulations again to each of you.

3:28

I did not get an opportunity to speak Monday night, Mayor because appropriately the the focus should have been on you and our new colleagues.

3:34

But I did want to take this opportunity to thank you uh for your vote of confidence and to my colleagues as well for affirming uh your ask of this council uh for me to continue as Mayor Pro Tim.

3:44

I take it as an invitation, an opportunity to to partner with you uh to preserve and protect the dignity of this dais, uh, to promote cordiality and collegiality uh amongst our colleagues.

3:55

Uh I'm really excited about these first 100 days.

3:58

I think it's gonna be an epic chapter in our city's history, and I'm gonna commit uh my full engagement to you, sir, and my thanks to you uh for uh the vote of confidence and to my colleagues.

4:07

Secondly, Madam Manager, I I want to brag on our city a little bit.

4:11

Last night uh I was at a church service, uh and unfortunately someone took ill uh during uh that service.

4:18

And uh I called for help.

4:19

I did not use any specialized uh secret access code.

4:23

I did not call department heads, I called 911 uh as a resident and as a citizen.

4:29

And uh I didn't identify myself, I was a resident calling 911, and I I just want to say how proud and pleased I was with the the speed and professionalism of the call taker.

4:38

Uh I want to shout out the firefighters of Engine Three who showed up to the church within minutes and to the EMS workers who showed up into the church within minutes and immediately uh went to work.

4:47

I'm pleased that uh the outcome was good, uh, that the resident who needed uh help uh was uh is okay.

5:00

Uh but I do want to uh just as a not as an elector of the city, just as a resident and citizen of the city, just thank uh our staff so much and particularly our first responders for the incredible work that they do from the moment the phone call comes in to those lights are flashing and those vehicles are in front uh of the building.

5:10

Uh so as a citizen today, I just want to celebrate your team, Adam Manager, and to all of our call takers if they're listening in the 911 call response center and to our firefighters and EMS workers in partnership with our county.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████████22%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Elections Reform█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Financial Planning████████8%
American Rescue Plan Act██████6%
Public Engagement██████6%
Affordable Housing███3%
Youth Programs███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Durham City Council Work Session – December 8, 2023

The Durham City Council held a work session on December 8, 2023, to discuss priority items including the annual comprehensive financial report, ARPA-funded projects, the ShotSpotter contract extension, and the process to fill a vacant Ward 3 seat. The meeting included public comments and the settlement of the consent agenda.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1–10 and 12–16 were approved as part of the consent agenda. Items 6, 7, 11, and 23 were pulled for discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • DeWarren Langley (Executive Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Foundation) expressed full support for programs serving boys and young men of color, citing a $61,000 average salary for program participants and requesting city assistance to make these youth a public policy priority.
  • Lakeisha Alston (Founder, Preparatory Academy Charter High School) advocated for entrepreneurship education and for redirecting discarded technology to underprivileged schools, stating that such resources currently go to wealthier schools instead of Title I schools.
  • Brad Young (Israeli citizen and activist) urged the council, if considering a ceasefire resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, to avoid a one-sided approach and instead focus on common good versus extremism on both sides. He noted his own advocacy for a two-state solution and expressed concern that some local resolutions question Israel’s right to exist.
  • Oslim Inshura (Durham resident) expressed strong support for ShotSpotter, displaying shell casings he collected in his neighborhood and stating that the technology improves evidence collection and police response to gunfire.
  • Manju Rajendrin (Durham Beyond Policing) opposed extending ShotSpotter, calling it a failed pilot that cost $200,000, produced false positives, and did not detect a major shooting in January 2023. She advocated for investing in youth programs, education, lighting, and community centers instead.
  • Ken Donston (Durham resident) spoke in favor of ShotSpotter, describing a personal experience where police arrived quickly to a shooting scene and stating the system is effective and should be expanded.

Discussion Items

  • ARPA Project – Federal Street Corridor Equitable Engagement Series (Item 6): Deputy City Manager Bertha Wimbush explained that the original $500,000 request was reduced to $350,000 because council funded 70% of ARPA proposals. No additional funding is available, but an update on remaining funds will come in early 2024.
  • ARPA Interlocal Agreement with Durham County for Affordable Housing (Item 7): Reginald Johnson (Community Development Director) detailed that $3.5 million from the county, matched by city ARPA funds, will support five affordable rental projects: ACRA, Harriet’s Place, South Side Phases 3 and 4, and Sandy Ridge. Councilmember Baker and Rist clarified that while the AMI threshold is 80%, most units will be below 60% AMI.
  • ShotSpotter Contract Amendment (Item 11): The administration requested a three-month ($52,000) extension of the one-year pilot to allow the Wilson Center for Science and Justice to complete an evaluation. Councilmember Caballero opposed, citing concerns about a slippery slope, and requested the item be moved to the general business agenda. Mayor Pro Tem Middleton strongly supported the extension, citing data showing 94–95% effectiveness, faster response times than 911, lives saved, and no evidence of aggressive policing. Councilmember Freeman asked why the pilot term did not align with the evaluation timeline; Deputy City Manager Bo Ferguson explained that the Wilson Center arrangement was finalized after the pilot began. Staff confirmed ShotSpotter refused to extend the contract without compensation. The evaluation will compare gunfire response times in the pilot area to other parts of the city.
  • Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (Item 4): External auditor April Adams (Cherry Bekaert) presented a clean (unmodified) opinion on financial statements and a single audit with no findings. One significant deficiency was identified: a single invoice for transit services recorded after the 60-day cutoff period. The city will implement additional review procedures for late invoices.
  • Process to Fill Ward 3 Vacancy (Item 23): Councilmember Caballero (Procedures Chair) recommended following city charter procedures (60-day clock) rather than state statute. Council agreed. A timeline was set: basic applications due December 21; questionnaire released after council review on December 19; completed questionnaires due January 3; interviews on January 8; public supporter session on January 10; appointment vote on January 16.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda was approved with the exception of pulled items (6, 7, 11, 23).
  • Item 11 (ShotSpotter contract extension) was moved to the General Business Agenda for a future vote.
  • The annual comprehensive financial report was accepted with a clean audit opinion; staff will address the significant deficiency on accounts payable cutoff.
  • Council formally adopted the Ward 3 vacancy appointment timeline and process under city charter procedures.
  • The overall meeting agenda was settled by a unanimous vote.

Meeting Transcript

TV lights are coming on. Recording in progress. All right, good afternoon, everyone. I was waiting on someone else to start the meeting. I gotta get you. All right. I'd like to call the Durham City Council Work session to order. Uh on November um December 7th at 1 p.m. Uh certainly we want to welcome all of you here in attendance and those of you that are online. And we'll get right into the business. Madam Clerk, would you call the role, please? Good afternoon, everyone. Um Mayor Middle uh Mayor Williams. I'm here. Mayor Pro Tem Middleton. I'm here. Councilmember Baker. Here, Councilmember Caballero. Here, Councilmember Freeman. Councilmember Middleton. Oops, sorry, Councilmember Riss. Here present. All right, thank you. Uh, do we have any comments by any of our colleagues? Um Adam Caballero. Good morning or good afternoon, everyone. Good to see you. Um, just a reminder, I need to leave right around 3 p.m. today. Um, and then also just want to shout out um the CIT awards that were this morning. Um Crisis Intervention Team Awards uh that were for our first responders. It was great to see folks get honored. Thank you. Thank you. Baker, Ruth Comments. All right. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon, sir. Uh, I wanted to just take this moment and to my colleagues as well. Good afternoon to all in chamber. I wanted to take this moment firstly to just acknowledge this this threshold moment. Mr. Mayor, your first uh work session, uh holding the gavel as mayor, and to my new colleagues as well, your first work session where we do the nuts and bolts work uh of the council. Uh welcome and congratulations again to each of you. I did not get an opportunity to speak Monday night, Mayor because appropriately the the focus should have been on you and our new colleagues. But I did want to take this opportunity to thank you uh for your vote of confidence and to my colleagues as well for affirming uh your ask of this council uh for me to continue as Mayor Pro Tim. I take it as an invitation, an opportunity to to partner with you uh to preserve and protect the dignity of this dais, uh, to promote cordiality and collegiality uh amongst our colleagues. Uh I'm really excited about these first 100 days. I think it's gonna be an epic chapter in our city's history, and I'm gonna commit uh my full engagement to you, sir, and my thanks to you uh for uh the vote of confidence and to my colleagues.

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