Durham City Council Work Session – September 20, 2024
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Durham City Council Work Session – September 20, 2024
The Durham City Council held a work session on September 20, 2024, at 3:30 PM. The meeting included a proclamation, announcements, public comments, and discussion of several pulled consent agenda items, including a major presentation on the feasibility of a new convention center and headquarter hotel. The council also heard public testimony on festival funding and street design standards. After discussion, the council settled the agenda and moved into closed session for legal and personnel matters.
Proclamation
- Week Without Driving: Mayor Williams proclaimed September 30 to October 6, 2024, as Week Without Driving in Durham. Councilmember Rist read the proclamation, and Mary Rose of Bike Durham accepted. Council encouraged participation.
Announcements
- Councilmember Caballero shared her experience at the White House Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
- Councilmember Rist and Mayor Pro Tem Middleton condemned a demonstration at Temple Bethel, emphasizing respect for places of worship and free speech.
- Councilmember Cook announced upcoming town hall meetings (September 26 at Edison Johnson Rec Center, October 24 at Walltown Rec Center, and October 29 at Holton Career Resource Center).
- Manager Page recognized the Communications Department for winning a national Savvy Award for the “Where Careers Meet Community” recruitment campaign.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kai (Slingshot Festival): Expressed concerns about the city’s festival funding process, alleging that DCAB recommendations favor new events over long-standing ones, that funding allocation is inconsistent, and that the board lacks Latino participation. He urged council to scrutinize recommendations.
- Gregory Williams (Bike Durham): Spoke in support of the NACTO Urban Street Design Guide and the Week Without Driving, emphasizing safer streets and multimodal transportation.
- Mary Rose (Bike Durham, online): Supported NACTO guidelines, noting they would help close gaps in pedestrian and bike infrastructure and advance Vision Zero.
- Chris Perlstein (Recluse Roxboro): Urged adoption of NACTO standards as a default for all street projects, highlighting equity and safety benefits.
Discussion Items
Item 8 – Contract with ETR Services for Community Conversations
Councilmember Cook questioned the RFP scoring method and accuracy of last year’s qualitative data. Jen Gathings (ETR) acknowledged past issues and promised better documentation and broader outreach this year. Councilmember Caballero emphasized that conversations should not be overly constrained by budget categories. The item was placed on consent.
Item 9 – Carryover Funding
Christina Reardon (Budget) explained the annual carryover process, including encumbrances and one-time items. Councilmember Cook asked about future budget amendments. The item was placed on consent.
Item 12 – Durham Athletic Park Feasibility Study
Councilmember Baker praised the Perkins&Will response. Tim Allen (General Services) outlined the study’s community engagement focus, timeline (starting November 2024, conclusions by July 2025), and plans to include underrepresented groups. Councilmember Freeman urged inclusion of nearby services for people with disabilities and seniors. The item was placed on consent.
Item 13 – Temporary Construction Easement at Riverforce Park
Councilmember Caballero questioned the $1,000 appraisal and precedent. Staff cited previous easements (e.g., Central Park) and explained the appraiser’s before-and-after valuation. The item was moved to the GBA public hearing agenda.
Items 14 & 15 – Workforce Development Contracts with Eckerd Youth Alternatives
Russell Ingram (OEWD) explained that separate RFPs were issued for adult and youth programs, and it is common for one provider to win both. Councilmember Cook asked about the process; Councilmember Freeman requested scope of work documents. Staff will provide additional information. The items were placed on consent.
Item 22 – Resolution to Adopt NACTO Urban Street Design Guides
Councilmember Baker introduced the resolution, which would designate NACTO guidelines as the city’s official design standards. Council debate focused on whether the language was directive or guiding. Staff noted that the city already uses NACTO for city-funded projects but not for private development. Councilmember Baker agreed to revise the last clause to be more of a value statement. The resolution was referred back for revision.
Presentation: Durham Convention Center & Headquarter Hotel Feasibility Study
Consultants from Hundden Partners presented findings: the current facility is outdated and too small; expansion on-site is not feasible; a new build (90,000 sq ft exhibit space, 500-room hotel) is recommended, with an estimated cost of $540 million (excluding site acquisition) and a public subsidy gap of ~$101 million for the hotel. The study projects $5.1 billion in net new spending over 30 years and 1,100 new jobs. Council discussed funding tools (TIF, occupancy tax), community benefits, and living wages. Susan Amy (Discover Durham) outlined Durham Next’s role. Council consensus was to await Durham Next’s prioritization and further engagement before committing to next steps.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda Approved: Items 1–7, 10, 11, and after discussion, items 8, 9, 12, 14, 15 were placed on consent and approved. Item 13 was moved to the GBA public hearing. Item 22 was referred back to Councilmember Baker for language revision.
- Closed Session: The council voted unanimously to enter closed session for attorney-client consultation on litigation (Tyco and BASF PFAS settlements) and personnel matters (interim city manager, performance evaluations of city manager and city attorney).
- Next Steps: The convention center study will be further developed by Durham Next, with staff directed to bring back a plan for funding and community engagement.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome. Welcome everyone. I call this meeting to order. Everyone a minute to get settled. Right. It's great to have everyone in here. It's a full house. And um normally we have our normally we have our ceremonial items at the city council meeting, but I'm I'm seeing that the more ceremonial items we have on the agenda, it can take nearly up to an hour. So I'm gonna try and split those up a little bit. And we're gonna have sometimes we're gonna have some here. So uh we're gonna start off with one of those. Uh and I'm gonna ask Councilmember Rist to uh after we do the roll call to uh to do that. That was smooth, right? Council Madam Clay, could you call the role, please? Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Williams. I'm here. Mayor Cote Middleton. I'm here. Councilmember Baker. Here. Councilmember Caballero. Here. Councilmember Cook. Here. Councilmember Freeman. President. Councilmember Rist. Here. Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm gonna pass it over to Councilmember Wrist. It's my first time doing a proclamation in the uh work session room. So is Mary Rose here? Hello. She may be here. Okay. Oh, she's first. Okay. Oh, hey, Mary Rose, glad you're here on. Um, well, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Happy to do this proclamation today. Um to to curb some of the logjam at our meeting on uh the following Monday. So um, like we read the following proclamation. Whereas access to mobility is vital for health and community connection, enabling residents of Durham to reach education, employment, medical services, shopping, recreation, and visit loved ones, aligning with North Carolina's transportation policy goals of improving public mobility options. And whereas the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the cost of car ownership at approximately 72 cents per mile, with average annual household transportation expenses reaching 10,0961. Many people cannot afford a car, and nearly a third of U.S.
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