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Record of Proceedings

Durham City Council FY26 Budget Work Session - May 29, 2025

City Council Work Session — Thursday, May 29, 2025
BodyDurham, North Carolina
SessionCity Council Work Session
DateThursday, May 29, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Like terms, right?

0:01

And all this kind of these shocks the economy.

0:04

We've seen we've seen the past recessions that have that have occurred nationwide.

0:08

We've been pretty immune to that.

0:09

We've got Duke University in the park and another university.

0:22

We have seen in the past.

0:23

So just wondering what your like's the ball, maybe like where what does this look like?

0:29

We've all also about like these long range plans out 30 years or whatever.

0:34

But in the mirror of the future, are we like looking at things going to maybe change what you're sent to that?

0:39

So what a that's an excellent question.

0:41

One of the things that we do kind of all year long routinely is track kind of the development trends, right?

0:47

Um and I call the rezoning process like the early indicator.

0:51

If people if that starts if people really start um slowing down in terms of their early entitlements, that tends to be our first kind of signal that something might be happening.

1:02

Um we have seen, we did see a bit of a slowdown, but it has leveled off.

1:08

And so I don't now, what will happen in the coming months?

1:12

Um, you know, we're watching very closely because of all the things that you mentioned.

1:16

Um I think right now applications are still strong, and so we haven't seen that happen yet.

1:22

That doesn't mean it won't happen.

1:24

Um, but right now everything seems to be kind of level.

1:30

Really push this generally one thing you did mention was the rewrite.

1:33

So I'm just kind of curious for those don't sell the joint screen planning committee.

1:37

Just give us a quick sense of like where that is and what we can expect in the next year with uh DI rewrite.

1:42

Sure.

1:43

So we um have kicked off our next module of engagement.

1:48

Um and in fact there is a meeting this evening at WG Pearson uh which is a public meeting.

1:55

We are expanding our hours for office hours, which have been very popular.

2:00

We're at the library twice a month, so I think now we're at the library four times a month for the next few months.

2:06

Um that's a time where people can sit down one-on-one with with us and ask questions about their specific property.

2:11

Because the further you get into the rewrite, the more technical it is, uh, the more people really need to understand kind of how it plays out on their specific parcel.

2:20

Um so that is underway.

2:23

The we are expecting uh to hopefully have a full draft looking at faux.

2:31

What's our full draft date?

2:33

Fall.

2:35

I like how he vaguely said fall, mysteriously like.

2:39

Um so we do have, you know, other modules are in with staff and we're reviewing them, but obviously we have to work through an internal process before we go to the public with them.

2:49

Um I think we just received the beginnings of the last module, which uh is the administrative stuff or are about to, yeah, we just did.

2:57

Um so we're working through the draft, the draft is almost complete.

3:01

Uh as soon as we have a full draft, that will also be released to the public.

3:05

So they've been seeing chunks.

3:07

Um we have made some changes based on the first round of comments that we engagement that we did in terms of some mapping logic that has changed.

3:16

You know, we heard a lot from residents uh about wanting to preserve more agricultural opportunities, so we changed, did some remapping um in some areas to do that.

3:27

Um change some logic related to some of the kind of mixed use districts and where they were located as well.

3:33

So in terms of that so like draft full plan by the fall, and that means by like 20s.

3:40

So we don't ex yeah, we hope to have the full draft and get to planning commission before the end of the year.

3:46

Um so I don't think that elected officials will see this till after the first of the year.

3:54

Yep.

3:55

And then that at that point we're looking at full draft.

3:58

Yep.

3:58

So maybe like mid 26 it'll be file-wise.

4:02

All right, thank you.

4:03

Yeah.

4:08

Hi, morning.

4:09

Thank you for that presentation.

4:12

Um I have some specific questions about some of the um.

4:18

And I know you talked about this already, but I'm hoping you can go back.

4:21

So the 36532 number for the public hearing notices.

4:27

You said that was for the new UDO public hearing notices.

4:31

I had I know that there's a state law that requires us to send out specific notices, but I had thought that we were trying in our new UDO rewrite to actually decrease as much as we could the some of the like methods of posting and other things that would save us some money.

4:47

So is there nothing at the same time?

4:50

So yeah, that's a good that's a good question.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████18%
Homelessness███████████11%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Procedural██████████10%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Economic Development██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Waste Management██████6%
Downtown Revitalization█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Durham City Council FY26 Budget Work Session - May 29, 2025

This budget work session was held on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from approximately 2:30 PM to 5:25 PM. The Council heard presentations from the Planning and Development Department, Environmental Street Services (Public Works and Solid Waste), Community Safety Department, and Downtown Durham Inc. Discussions focused on departmental reorganization, fee-funded positions, street maintenance, recycling contamination, HART expansion, homelessness services, and downtown blueprint priorities. No formal votes were taken, but the Council provided direction for follow-up memos and future work sessions.

Discussion Items

Planning and Development Department (Sarah Young, Director)

  • The department is undergoing reorganization, merging development review functions from multiple departments. Staff will increase from 50 to 110 FTEs (many transferring with existing responsibilities). The FY26 budget request is $14 million (up from $6.4 million in FY25). Revenue sources include fees, not tax dollars.
  • New positions: 2 senior engineers for infrastructure permitting and private street inspections, 1 for multimodal traffic impact analysis program ($60,000 consultant), and positions for enhanced development review.
  • Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) rewrite: draft expected in fall 2025, with planning commission review before end of 2025, council consideration in early 2026. Public hearing notices for the new UDO will cost approximately $365,000 (154,000 notices). The city is seeking legislative change to replace newspaper notices with online posting.
  • The department is studying a sliding fee scale, but no changes proposed this year.
  • Councilmember Baker emphasized the importance of the planning function within the reorganized department, not just development review.

Environmental Street Services (Marvin Williams, Wayne Fenton)

  • New combined department merging Public Works, Solid Waste, and portions of Neighborhood Improvement Services (impact team). Budget: $57 million, 307 FTEs. Proposed new positions: 1 in solid waste (sustainability/reuse) and 1 in stormwater.
  • Pavement Condition Index (PCI) on residential streets remains in the mid-60s. To maintain current level, $25 million/year needed; to improve, $30-35 million/year. The city is at maximum paving capacity with contractors. A new PCI study will be completed by winter 2025/2026.
  • Solid waste recycling contamination rate increased from ~30% to 49% due to new contractor measurement methodology. Efforts to reduce include the "Recycle Right Durham" campaign, "Feet on the Street" audits, and school partnerships. A $30,000 DEQ grant will fund a citywide recycling champions program.
  • Proposed service changes: yard waste collection from weekly to bi-weekly (saves $530,000/year) and discontinuing holiday makeup days for bulky collection (saves $52,000/year). These changes aim to avoid additional revenue increases.
  • Reuse hub facility: still a conceptual vision; a CIP proposal may come in future years. An EPA grant is pending.

Community Safety Department (Ryan Smith, Director)

  • FY26 budget grows from $7.3 million to $11.2 million, adding 20 new FTEs. Expansion includes: 4 new Community Response Teams (CRT) (from 6 to 10 units), 3 co-response units (maintaining current capacity), 5 street outreach positions, and core management/supervision.
  • HART (Holistic Assistance and Response Team) currently reaches 55% of eligible CRT calls, 10% of co-response calls, and 80% of crisis call diversion calls within current hours (9 AM-9 PM). The expansion is within current hours to address 20,000 missed eligible calls per year.
  • Data shows HART saves law enforcement time, diverts arrests, and connects residents to care. Law enforcement surveys: 94% view HART as helpful on mental health calls, 74% on homelessness/substance use calls.
  • Homeless services team (6 staff) will move from Community Development to Community Safety. The department will lead creation of a strategic plan for homelessness, expected to inform FY27 investments.
  • Street outreach will be brought in-house (5 new positions) starting July 1, 2025, replacing the contract with Housing for New Hope. Estimated cost: $380,000 (lower than the previous $430,000 contract).
  • Office of Survivor Care launches June 2025 with two staff, focusing on crisis therapy, victim compensation assistance, and coordination. Funded at $220,000 for a three-year pilot.
  • Welcome Home re-entry program (2 full-time, 2 part-time) will move from OEWD. A guaranteed income component is being developed using $1 million carried forward from FY25.
  • Councilmember Cook expressed urgency for immediate low-cost solutions like a day shelter and alternative sheltering, noting 62 families and 111 individuals on the shelter waitlist. Manager Ferguson recommended proceeding with the strategic plan first.
  • Council debate included concerns about gun violence response. Manager Ferguson agreed to convene a working session for council on violence intervention strategies, potentially in collaboration with the county.

Downtown Durham Inc. (Nicole Thompson, CEO)

  • DDI presented its FY26 Municipal Service District budget request: $327,000 for clean/safe ambassadors (including 4 new safety ambassadors focused on de-escalation and security), $40,000 for special projects (parklets, alley activation), $30,000 for retail recruitment/attraction consultant, $75,000 for a larger retail incubator (space, rent offset, part-time manager), and $10,000 for a commercial land trust feasibility study.
  • Blueprint 2035: a 10-year downtown plan based on 2,200 surveys, 100+ stakeholder interviews, and extensive community engagement. Three common themes: safe and welcoming, keep Durham Durham, vibrant and growth-oriented. Seven goals include preserving affordable spaces, activating alleys/parks, and improving connectivity. Full plan expected late summer/early fall 2025, with city and county adoption requested.
  • DDI has outgrown its office and seeks a street-level location for the ambassador team.
  • Council expressed support for the plan and interest in street closures (e.g., Corcoran Street at CCB Plaza) to create more public space.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal changes to the proposed FY26 budget were directed during this work session. The Council will hold a public hearing on the budget on Monday, June 2, 2025.
  • Follow-up items to be provided:
    • Memo on part-time minimum wage (to be discussed at June 5 afternoon work session).
    • Update on the Durham Affordable Housing Loan Fund (written).
    • Update on low-income homeowner relief program (written or presentation).
  • Future work sessions will be scheduled in fall 2025 to discuss housing and economic development strategies, and a separate session on violence intervention strategies (in coordination with the county).
  • The June 5 morning work session is cancelled; the afternoon session will focus on the part-time minimum wage item.
  • The budget will be adopted at the second regular council meeting in June after the public hearing and any additional changes.

Meeting Transcript

Like terms, right? And all this kind of these shocks the economy. We've seen we've seen the past recessions that have that have occurred nationwide. We've been pretty immune to that. We've got Duke University in the park and another university. We have seen in the past. So just wondering what your like's the ball, maybe like where what does this look like? We've all also about like these long range plans out 30 years or whatever. But in the mirror of the future, are we like looking at things going to maybe change what you're sent to that? So what a that's an excellent question. One of the things that we do kind of all year long routinely is track kind of the development trends, right? Um and I call the rezoning process like the early indicator. If people if that starts if people really start um slowing down in terms of their early entitlements, that tends to be our first kind of signal that something might be happening. Um we have seen, we did see a bit of a slowdown, but it has leveled off. And so I don't now, what will happen in the coming months? Um, you know, we're watching very closely because of all the things that you mentioned. Um I think right now applications are still strong, and so we haven't seen that happen yet. That doesn't mean it won't happen. Um, but right now everything seems to be kind of level. Really push this generally one thing you did mention was the rewrite. So I'm just kind of curious for those don't sell the joint screen planning committee. Just give us a quick sense of like where that is and what we can expect in the next year with uh DI rewrite. Sure. So we um have kicked off our next module of engagement. Um and in fact there is a meeting this evening at WG Pearson uh which is a public meeting. We are expanding our hours for office hours, which have been very popular. We're at the library twice a month, so I think now we're at the library four times a month for the next few months. Um that's a time where people can sit down one-on-one with with us and ask questions about their specific property. Because the further you get into the rewrite, the more technical it is, uh, the more people really need to understand kind of how it plays out on their specific parcel. Um so that is underway. The we are expecting uh to hopefully have a full draft looking at faux. What's our full draft date? Fall. I like how he vaguely said fall, mysteriously like. Um so we do have, you know, other modules are in with staff and we're reviewing them, but obviously we have to work through an internal process before we go to the public with them. Um I think we just received the beginnings of the last module, which uh is the administrative stuff or are about to, yeah, we just did. Um so we're working through the draft, the draft is almost complete. Uh as soon as we have a full draft, that will also be released to the public. So they've been seeing chunks. Um we have made some changes based on the first round of comments that we engagement that we did in terms of some mapping logic that has changed. You know, we heard a lot from residents uh about wanting to preserve more agricultural opportunities, so we changed, did some remapping um in some areas to do that. Um change some logic related to some of the kind of mixed use districts and where they were located as well. So in terms of that so like draft full plan by the fall, and that means by like 20s. So we don't ex yeah, we hope to have the full draft and get to planning commission before the end of the year. Um so I don't think that elected officials will see this till after the first of the year. Yep. And then that at that point we're looking at full draft. Yep. So maybe like mid 26 it'll be file-wise. All right, thank you.

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