Durham City Council Work Session Summary - January 9, 2025
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Durham City Council Work Session Summary - January 9, 2025
The Durham City Council convened a work session on Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 1:00 PM in the Second Floor Committee Room of 101 City Hall Plaza. The meeting began with announcements from council members and the city manager, followed by a review of the agenda, including administrative consent items and public hearings scheduled for subsequent council meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 1:51 PM.
Announcements by Council
- Councilmember Middleton reported a ride-along with firefighters, highlighting the importance of emergency services. She also alerted tenants to heating emergency protocols: landlords must fix heat issues within 48 hours (ideally 24), and residents can call Neighborhood Improvement Services for assistance. She encouraged unhoused individuals to use Entry Point Durham (984-287-8313) during the 'White Flag Week' due to extreme cold.
- Councilmember Baker expressed condolences for the passing of Bruce Maybury, a General Services employee.
- Councilmember Cabero announced a proposal to be distributed by the end of next week regarding housing and community development, to be discussed at the January 25th work session.
- Councilmember Wright paid tribute to Dr. Lavonia Allison, a Durham political icon, and President Jimmy Carter. He also requested an update on the Vision Zero plan at the next work session, noting the first pedestrian fatality of the year.
- Mayor O'Neal also paid tribute to Dr. Allison and President Carter, sharing personal memories.
City Manager's Priority Items
- City Manager added two reports to the agenda: a tribute to Bruce Maybury and a winter weather preparedness update.
- Gina Probes, Director of General Services, gave a tribute to Bruce Maybury, noting his integrity, dedication, and contributions to downtown landscaping.
- Deputy City Manager Bertha Boone Wimbush provided a winter weather briefing: snow expected Friday at 5 p.m., 1-2 inches, hazardous conditions through Saturday, black ice Sunday-Monday. City departments have activated preparations: extra staffing, emergency generators fueled, sidewalk plowing, and communication through Durham One Call.
Consent Calendar
- The following items were placed on the consent calendar:
- Item 1: Appointment to the Durham Planning Commission (term expiring June 30, 2026).
- Item 2: FY25 CIP Budget Ordinance Amendments for the 2024 GO Bond Referendum.
- Item 3: Purchase of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs) for the Fire Department.
- Item 4: Agreement to fund Made In Durham educational initiatives ($150,000).
- Item 6: Contract Amendment for Bridge Professional Services.
- Item 7: Utility Locate Services 2025 contract (pulled for discussion).
- Item 8: Sidewalk Repairs 2025 contract (pulled for discussion).
- Item 9: Hillandale Road Bike and Pedestrian Improvements amendment.
- Item 10: Contract with Naviant, Inc. for OnBase Agenda Workflow.
- Item 11: Contract with Applications Software Technology, LLC for ERP Implementation.
- Item 12: Street Impact Fee Eligibility for Transportation Projects.
- Item 13: FTA Section 5310 Grant Project Ordinance.
- Item 19: Cooperative group purchase contract for a heavy-duty mobile air and light support truck (added as supplemental).
- Item 20: Ordinance setting filing fees for municipal elections (added as supplemental).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Citizens Matters: Jacqueline Wagstaff was scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. but was not present on Zoom or in chambers, so no public comment was given.
Discussion Items
- Item 5 (Pulled): PROWD Grant Cooperative Agreement with Eckerd Connects - Councilmember Freeman pulled item 5 to review contract details and an evaluation of Eckerd's first-year performance. He emphasized the critical importance of workforce training for re-entering citizens.
- Item 7 (Pulled): Utility Locate Services 2025 - Councilmember Freeman asked how the utility locate process works. Tasha Johnson explained that the city uses a master map, but locators must physically find manholes and use sensors to mark utilities; the contract handles simpler locates, while city staff handle complex ones.
- Item 8 (Pulled): Sidewalk Repairs 2025 - Councilmember Freeman asked about the rationale for contracting sidewalk repairs and prioritization methods. Tasha Johnson stated that contracting is necessary due to capacity limits, with the contract covering about 12,000 linear feet (just over two miles). The project uses a 2021 study and equity/risk factors to prioritize locations. Councilmember Freeman also requested a cost comparison of in-house vs. contracted work; Johnson noted costs are approximately equal, but capacity is the main issue.
Key Outcomes
- Agenda was settled with consent items placed as listed, and items 5, 7, and 8 moved to the general business agenda for further discussion.
- The meeting was adjourned at 1:51 PM.
Meeting Transcript
The first is that I had the pleasure of doing a ride along with our firefighters yesterday. And it was really, really informative. And it was just a I mean, I don't want to say it was a gray time, but um I did get to slide down the poll, so that actually was very fun. Um and I did not hurt myself, so I feel good about that. Um a big thanks to yeah, I know. I was like, I certainly can do this. I have a body strike, but you know, but anyway. Um big thanks to Captain Travis Martin who drove me around for about four hours yesterday on his day off, which uh was really really something because they work 24 hour shifts and I'm sure that he needed time to rest, so I was really grateful for that. Um the other thing I just want to say is that it is extremely cold outside. And um I want to say a couple of quick things about that. The first is that if you are a tenant and you are renting and there is a problem with your heat, this is an emergent situation. Your landlord needs to be fixing that within 48 hours, um ideally within 24. If you're not getting response from your landlord, um, you are welcome to call if you are inside the city limits. Um call number or directly to the neighborhood improvement services. The inspector will come out, they will do an inspection to assess your heating. If it does not work and your landlord is not responsive, they will hold an emergency session and end up doing those repairs and then later straightening that out. So that is an option if you are a tenant. Um I just want to remind folks that that is a pathway that you can take. The other thing is that if you or someone you know is on sheltered during this time, um, it is extremely dangerous to be outside 24-7 and temperatures this cold. I would encourage folks to call entry point. It is a white flag week. So every night there will be extra shelters open for unhoused neighbors. There are family specific shelters, there are rooms at families moving forward. There are also beds at Yates Baptist Church that is on the number 10 bus line. I'm going to give the number for entry point Durham so that folks can call if they need to. That number is 984 287 8313. So again, you can access those shelters by calling entry point. Um they are first come, first serve. The Yates Baptist Church opens at 73 7 p.m. and runs the intake runs until 8 30 p.m. And those are all my announcements. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember. Congratulations to successfully get down that poll. Councilmember Baker, good afternoon. Good afternoon. Um just one thing. I I I wanted to extend my uh data's condolences. Um City Durham lost one of its own in in Bruce Maverick. And uh just wanted to offer condolences to the family, the friends, and the colleagues of um of Bruce. Um with the General Services, um his parents saying, as I understand was unexpected. It's always hard to lose someone. It's even harder to lose someone when uh it is unexpected and before their time. Um I didn't know him personally, but read um some very good things about him. And so I just wanted to say I'm very sorry for for the loss that that everyone has experienced. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Mr. Manager. Thank you, Councilmember Baker. I did want to let council know uh I have asked uh staff to provide a brief report today, just uh uh um reiterating some of the um details you just shared and shared a little bit about Mr.
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