Durham City Council Work Session Summary: March 7, 2025

The Durham City Council held a work session on March 7, 2025, starting at 2:15 p.m. and entering a closed session at 3:41 p.m. The agenda included councilmember announcements, routine consent items a” a presentation on the Equal Business Opportunity Program (EBOP), and a resolution concerning the local impact of federal foreign aid cuts. Several agenda items were pulled for discussion and public comment.

Opening Announcements & Council Comments

• Councilmembers shared community updates, including participation in the Discover Durham event, a statewide AFL-CIO panel on the city’s worker wage increases, and work with the Jordan Lake One Water association.
• Mayor Pro Tem Middleton and Mayor Williams announced upcoming travel for the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C.
• Mayor Williams reported meeting with Durham Academy students to discuss the USAID resolution and housing issues, praising their civic engagement.
• Councilmember Rist noted the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the foreign aid stop work order issued that week, which informed the debate on the resolution’s wording.

Consent Calendar

• The council adopted routine approvals, including appointments to the Durham City-County Appearance Commission, Workers’ Rights Commission, Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee, and the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, alongside multiple contracts and ordinances.
• Councilmember Rist remarked on a contract with United Minority Contractors, noting he is working with the deputy city manager to improve the pipeline of Durham-based minority contractors, but did not pull the item.
• The council formally settled the consent calendar and general business agenda.

Pulled Items & Public Comment

• Item 8 (OPI Settlement Funds RFP): Councilmember Cook inquired about the RFP process. Staff explained the review committee evaluated 18 proposals and will award funds in three-year increments.
• Item 17 (HR Consultant on Call Provider List): Councilmember Williams asked about the process. Staff clarified it is a streamlined procurement list for departments, not a contract requiring future council action.
• Item 21 (Pavement Preservation 2025): Councilmembers Baker and Cook asked about cost ratios. Staff explained preservation treatments (e.g., crack seal, microsurfacing) cost about one dollar per mile compared to ten dollars per mile for full paving.
• Item 23 (Sidewalk Bond Expenditure): Councilmember Cook questioned spending before bond debt is formally sold. Staff confirmed budget authority allows contracts to begin, with cash flow managed by finance.
• Item 24 (Duke and Gregson Streets Feasibility Study): Councilmember Rist asked about the scope. Transportation Director Sean Egan stated the study will evaluate multiple alternatives (two-way conversion, lane reduction, transit lanes) to address the high-injury network. Councilmember Caballero urged rapid, responsive pilot projects rather than solely pursuing a long-term solution.
• Item 27 (Large Meter Inspection Contract): Councilmember Cook asked why work was outsourced. Staff responded the city lacks in-house specialty equipment and labor capacity for meters larger than two inches.
• Item 31 (Rezoning near Sandy Creek): Resident Betsy Ross spoke in opposition, requesting preservation of the tree canopy and existing structures, and advocating for eco-friendly, owner-occupied affordable housing. She raised concerns about community notification and environmental impacts. Mayor Williams clarified the city does not own the land and acts as a facilitator.

Presentation: 2024 Equal Business Opportunity Program (EBOP) Annual Report

• Deputy CFO Sheila Fawcett and EBOP Manager Timothy Jackson presented the report, highlighting data validation and process improvements.
• The department adopted a new implementation policy, improved the RFP evaluation process by incentivizing outreach plans and good faith efforts, and completed a data validation project that increased certified vendors from 201 (Dec 2023) to approximately 470 (June 2024).
• Prime contracting goals were exceeded in several categories: MUBE professional services reached 17% (goal 8%), WBE construction reached 19% (goal 7%), MUBE services reached 8% (goal 7%). MUBE construction prime participation was 7% (goal 11%). Subcontractor payments to MWBEs increased by over $1 million in each category compared to 2023.
• Councilmembers praised the progress, discussed reaching unmet goals (particularly for women-owned firms), and recommended using certified businesses as ambassadors and expanding multilingual outreach.
• The City Manager emphasized the highly regulated procurement environment and noted staff is working to maximize legal flexibility to support contractor diversity.

Resolution: Support for U.S. Foreign Assistance Programs (USAID)

• Mayor Williams introduced a resolution calling for the immediate lifting of the stop work order on foreign assistance and reopening USAID, citing the severe local economic impact.
• Public Testimony:
  • Breeanna Clark Schwelm (NC Global Health Alliance) stated North Carolina is the fourth-highest recipient of USAID funding, infusing the state with over $1 billion per year. She reported 500 Triangle-area jobs already lost, with 2,000 projected layoffs.
  • Rachel Cooper, a laid-off global health professional, described the personal and community impact, emphasizing the local consequences of the international cuts.
• Council Deliberation:
  • Councilmember Cook and Mayor Pro Tem Middleton advised removing the word “Illegal” from the resolution to prevent legal distraction, as the Supreme Court left the matter legally unsettled. The council committed to using “Immoral.”
  • The council decided the resolution would be issued solely by the City of Durham, not jointly, but would acknowledge parallel actions by other municipalities.
  • Edits clarified the funding impact is over $1 billion per year and added explicit calls to the North Carolina congressional delegation.
  • Mayor Williams framed the resolution as a stand for Durham families, institutions, and values.

Other Matters: Unpaved Gravel Streets

• Councilmember Caballero raised a request from some residents to opt out of the bond-funded paving program, citing traffic calming and dust control preferences.
• Staff explained the prior council’s directive was grounded in equity, correcting historical disinvestment in majority-Black neighborhoods. The city manager noted gravel roads function as impervious surfaces for stormwater, and offered no distinct environmental benefit.
• Mayor Pro Tem Middleton strongly opposed an opt-out, arguing paved streets are a basic city standard and an equity non-negotiable.
• Following debate, the council directed staff to proceed with paving as planned and not to develop an opt-out process.

Key Outcomes & Next Steps

• Gravel Streets: The council voted against establishing an opt-out process and directed staff to continue paving all unpaved city streets.
• USAID Resolution: Edits were accepted by consensus. The resolution will be formally voted on during the March 17, 2025, general body meeting.
• Closed Session: The council voted to enter closed session at 3:41 p.m. to discuss the qualifications of an administrative employee under NCGS 143-318.11(a)(6).
• Agenda Settlement: The consent and public hearing agendas were settled. Zoning cases and the CIP budget hearing will proceed on March 17, 2025.
• EBOP Program: Council affirmed its support for staff’s ongoing outreach, data-driven improvements, and partnership with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to grow the supplier diversity pipeline.