Durham City Council Work Session - April 10, 2025

The Durham City Council held a work session on April 10, 2025, beginning at 1:00 PM. The council discussed a 17-item consent agenda covering city appointments, contracts, and code amendments. Extended discussions were held on three items pulled by Councilmember Cook: vacancies on the Durham Workers' Rights Commission, a water and sewer connection code amendment, and a forgivable loan commitment for the Trails at Twin Lakes affordable housing development. The consent agenda was approved unanimously, and the council adjourned at approximately 1:50 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Board Appointments: Council approved appointments to fill vacancies on the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee (1 vacancy), the Mayor's Hispanic/Latino Committee (2 vacancies), and the Durham Workers' Rights Commission (8 vacancies). Councilmember Cook noted a spelling error in a nominee's name and requested information about the commission's lack of recent meetings.
• Minutes: Approved minutes from six prior meetings.
• City Code Amendment: Adopted an amendment to City Code Section 70-129 regarding conditions for extending city water and sewer service outside the city.
• Contracts and Financial Authorizations:
  • Five-Year Consolidated Plan contract with Corporate F.A.C.T.S., Inc. (not to exceed $100,650).
  • Conditional permanent financing of up to $150,000 from Dedicated Housing Funds for 168 affordable units at Trails at Twin Lakes.
  • Second amendment to the HOPWA contract with Durham County, increasing funding by $353,350.64 (total not to exceed $1,505,371.14).
  • EVSE Pre-Assessment and Design-Build contracts with MLS Electric, Inc. (not to exceed $888,079.96).
  • First Amendment to the Climate Corps Agreement with Strategic Energy Innovations, Inc. ($26,990).
  • Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment for City Hall HVAC with LeChase Construction Services, LLC ($4,800,851).
  • Change Order #2 for Parking Facilities Structural Maintenance with Carolina Restoration & Waterproofing, Inc. ($725,840).
  • Drainage Structure Improvements contract with White Oak Construction Corp. ($393,492).
  • Software-as-a-Service contract with Municipal Media, Inc. for Recycle Coach ($113,250).
  • Nutanix software licenses contract with Carahsoft Technology Corporation ($988,704.95).
  • Printer fleet leasing contract with Sharp Leasing USA Corp. ($791,310.60).
  • Municipal Maintenance Agreements with NCDOT for signage and pavement markings.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No oral public comments were taken during the meeting.

Discussion Items

• Durham Workers' Rights Commission Appointments (Item 3): Councilmember Cook raised concerns about eight vacancies and the commission's lack of meetings for several months. The City Clerk confirmed a spelling error in the printed materials. The Mayor explained the meeting gap was likely due to holiday scheduling conflicts. Councilmembers Riss and Cook, alongside the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, engaged in a broader discussion about the roles, attendance, and efficacy of the city's 29 boards and commissions. Council members debated liaison assignments, the need for updated bylaws, and the potential consolidation or sunsetting of inactive bodies.
• Water and Sewer Connection Code Amendment (Item 5): Councilmember Cook questioned the procedural relationship between the code amendment, council approval of utility extensions, and annexation. Senior Planner Sarah Long clarified that the amendment does not change existing council approval procedures but provides a larger exemption from mandatory annexation. She confirmed that outside-city users pay double water/sewer rates and the amendment applies to properties within 500 feet of existing city-maintained lines.
• Trails at Twin Lakes Loan Commitment (Item 7): Councilmember Cook asked for clarification on the $150,000 forgivable loan from the Dedicated Housing Fund. Community Development Director Reginald Johnson explained the loan is forgiven incrementally over its term; if the project defaults, the city can recoup the unforgiven principal balance.

Key Outcomes

• The consent agenda (Items 1 through 17) was approved unanimously.
• The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:50 PM. The six scheduled public hearings (Items 18 through 23, covering the Romero Residence annexation, the Page/Miami Design District, a UDO text amendment, the Page Corners annexation, the 1202 Ellis Road rezoning, and the FY2020-2025 Consolidated Plan amendments) and the Citizens' Matters period were not conducted according to the available meeting records.