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Record of Proceedings

Durham City Council Work Session - March 25, 2024

City Council Work Session — Monday, March 25, 2024
BodyDurham, North Carolina
SessionCity Council Work Session
DateMonday, March 25, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
2:12

Testing.

2:18

Testing.

2:18

Recording in progress.

2:24

All right.

2:25

Welcome everyone.

2:26

Um, welcome to City Hall.

2:29

It's great to have you all in here.

2:31

And we're gonna call it a meeting in order at one o'clock.

2:34

Uh Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

2:37

Mayor Williams.

2:38

I'm here.

2:39

Mayor Pro Tem Middleton.

2:40

I'm here.

2:41

Councilmember Baker.

2:42

Here.

2:42

Councilmember Caballero.

2:44

Here.

2:44

Councilmember Cook.

2:45

Here.

2:46

Member Freeman.

2:47

Present.

2:48

And Councilmember Rist.

2:50

Thank you.

2:52

Thank you.

2:54

Colleagues, are there any announcements or comments?

3:03

Thank you.

3:03

Good afternoon, everyone.

3:05

Um I am asking colleagues um to allow me to introduce a resolution support of immigrants.

3:12

Um Governor Cooper's Hispanic Latino Advisory Council, of which I'm a member is asking, um, they've passed their own resolution and they're asking municipalities across North Carolina as we're seeing um increased rhetoric.

3:27

Uh and what's happening in Texas currently against Latino and broader immigrant communities and the town of Chapel Hill and Carborough have already passed their resolutions.

3:36

Um and the resolution I'll be bringing will be modeled after uh that language, which I'll be forwarding to colleagues.

3:43

And so just need to know if folks are okay with moving forward on that one.

3:53

Thank you.

4:02

Any other uh that's that's good, thank you.

4:05

I have another quick announcement.

4:07

I just wanted to um shout out the Crest Street neighborhood.

4:09

They hosted me and Councilmember Riss yesterday.

4:12

Um and uh it was a great meeting, and we got to do a little walking tour, and I'd gone out to meet Crest Street neighbors before during national night out, but it was nice to go spend some time with them and again uh just really important um history uh for Durham, and so just wanted to uh thank those neighbors for hosting us.

4:37

Councilmember Cook Baker, any announcements?

4:39

All right, Councilmember Freeman.

4:42

Any announcements?

4:44

I got a couple, can you hear me?

4:46

Um the first is that I want to make sure I'm following procedure properly.

4:49

So I wanted to um uh let you all know that I'll be at a meeting in late July to attend the local progress conference.

4:55

And that means I'll miss the July twenty-fifth work session.

5:00

So just want to put that, want to make sure I alert folks to that.

5:03

Okay, that's the first one.

5:04

And assume that that's procedure on that.

5:07

Exactly, yeah.

5:08

Yeah.

5:08

Okay, thanks.

5:09

Um okay.

5:12

So who else gonna be at that?

5:14

One, two, three, four.

5:18

Okay, so we'll we'll look at a scheduling uh a schedule here.

5:21

We won't have quorum.

5:23

So um, yeah.

5:30

So three of us will be there.

5:32

Okay, so it'll be right here.

5:33

Yeah.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████13%
Tourism Development██████████10%
Contract Management█████████9%
Tourism Promotion█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Public Safety████4%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Public Works███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Durham City Council Work Session - March 25, 2024

The Durham City Council held a work session on March 25, 2024, addressing a range of topics including budget guidelines, a destination master plan, an underutilized business program update, and various consent agenda items. The meeting included public comments, staff presentations, and extensive council debate on employee compensation, data needs, and future investments.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved consent agenda after pulling several items for discussion (bid report, budget guidelines, equal business opportunity program, McKissick Square development, and Southeast Durham watershed plan). Most pulled items were discussed but not voted on individually; the consent agenda was settled.
  • Suspended rules to authorize the city manager to execute a grant agreement with the North Carolina 911 Board for $133,294.24 for portable radios.
  • Suspended rules to adopt HOME grant project ordinances for fiscal years 2016-2017 through 2022-2023 to support the Durham Housing Authority's Commerce Street Project closing on April 2, 2024.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jeremy Bergeren spoke about the 21st anniversary of the Iraq War, requested a moment for Iraq and veterans, and raised concerns about a shooting victim's murderer being released on bond. He also referenced the ongoing ceasefire resolution discussion and expressed support for Mayor Elaine O'Neal's legacy.
  • Donald Reigns, president of the Durham Council of the Blind, introduced the organization and its advocacy for blind and visually impaired residents. He invited the mayor to speak at a future meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Budget Development Guidelines (Item 6): Councilmembers Cook, Baker, Rist, and Freeman expressed concerns about lacking data to support proposed pay increases and a potential property tax increase. They requested the market study results sooner and raised issues of pay equity, living wages, and alternative compensation structures. Councilmember Caballero stated the current process was decided last year and that a full redesign is not feasible this cycle. Mayor Pro Tem Middleton emphasized that the guidelines reflect a majority council decision and that the process has been transparent. The mayor noted the data is coming and that philosophical differences on compensation should not be conflated with process deficiencies. No vote was taken.
  • McKissick Square Development (Item 9): Councilmember Rist confirmed that the city is increasing its loan by $3.6 million to a total of $5 million because the developer did not receive 9% LIHTC tax credits. Staff noted the county is also contributing ARPA funds. Councilmember Baker asked about permanent affordability; staff said it is an open question with financial implications.
  • Southeast Durham Watershed Improvement Plan (Item 17): Councilmember Baker asked about the city's $2 million contribution and the county's $910,000. Staff described the study's focus on Lick, Briar, and Stirrup Iron Creeks to improve water quality. Discussion included development impacts, agricultural runoff, and public outreach efforts.
  • Equal Business Opportunity Program (Item 11): Councilmember Cook asked about EBOP qualification, certification barriers, and the move of certain ordinance provisions to policy. Councilmember Rist objected to the term "aspirational participation goals," preferring firm goals. Staff and the new UBE compliance manager explained that North Carolina law prohibits quotas and that aspirational goals are used to measure program effectiveness. Councilmember Freeman urged connection to economic development and youth pipeline.
  • Destination Master Plan Presentation: Susan Amey, CEO of Discover Durham, presented a 20-year plan with over 60 initiatives. She requested three legislative actions: authorization for Discover Durham to engage in tourism-related activities, use of up to one-third of its fund balance for that purpose, and redistribution of occupancy tax to fund the plan. She proposed a phased approach over three years. Councilmembers expressed broad support, with the mayor highlighting the plan's potential to preserve historic neighborhoods like Hayti and Walltown. The county's position is still under discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved consent agenda and two suspended-rule items (portable radio grant and HOME ordinances).
  • Authorized a closed session to discuss a settlement demand (attorney-client consultation).
  • Council indicated support for placing the destination master plan's legislative requests on the city's legislative agenda for the upcoming short session.
  • No final decisions were made on budget guidelines, EBOP revisions, or the watershed plan; these remain under consideration for future meetings.

Meeting Transcript

Testing. Testing. Recording in progress. All right. Welcome everyone. Um, welcome to City Hall. It's great to have you all in here. And we're gonna call it a meeting in order at one o'clock. Uh Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Mayor Williams. I'm here. Mayor Pro Tem Middleton. I'm here. Councilmember Baker. Here. Councilmember Caballero. Here. Councilmember Cook. Here. Member Freeman. Present. And Councilmember Rist. Thank you. Thank you. Colleagues, are there any announcements or comments? Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Um I am asking colleagues um to allow me to introduce a resolution support of immigrants. Um Governor Cooper's Hispanic Latino Advisory Council, of which I'm a member is asking, um, they've passed their own resolution and they're asking municipalities across North Carolina as we're seeing um increased rhetoric. Uh and what's happening in Texas currently against Latino and broader immigrant communities and the town of Chapel Hill and Carborough have already passed their resolutions. Um and the resolution I'll be bringing will be modeled after uh that language, which I'll be forwarding to colleagues. And so just need to know if folks are okay with moving forward on that one. Thank you. Any other uh that's that's good, thank you. I have another quick announcement. I just wanted to um shout out the Crest Street neighborhood. They hosted me and Councilmember Riss yesterday. Um and uh it was a great meeting, and we got to do a little walking tour, and I'd gone out to meet Crest Street neighbors before during national night out, but it was nice to go spend some time with them and again uh just really important um history uh for Durham, and so just wanted to uh thank those neighbors for hosting us. Councilmember Cook Baker, any announcements? All right, Councilmember Freeman. Any announcements? I got a couple, can you hear me? Um the first is that I want to make sure I'm following procedure properly. So I wanted to um uh let you all know that I'll be at a meeting in late July to attend the local progress conference. And that means I'll miss the July twenty-fifth work session. So just want to put that, want to make sure I alert folks to that. Okay, that's the first one. And assume that that's procedure on that. Exactly, yeah. Yeah.

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