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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fayetteville City Council Work Session: April 3, 2023

City Council — Monday, April 3, 2023

BodyFayetteville, North Carolina

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, April 3, 2023

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:42:22

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

4:27

Oh, the one that we're going to hold on the bottom.

4:52

Monday, April 3rd work session order.

4:55

Uh, welcome all of you who are joining us.

4:57

In person, those who join us remote.

5:00

At this time, we'll have the invocation.

5:01

We'll ask that Minister Reverend and Councilmember DJ Hare if he would give us the prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance if we could stand.

5:21

Dear Lord, once again, we as your servants call on you, Father.

5:26

We thank you for a great week.

5:28

We thank you, Lord, for a great day.

5:32

We thank you for the positive growth that's going on all through the city of Fairville.

5:40

We thank you for that, Father.

5:42

We thank you for all of the positive things that city council is doing to help the city grow.

5:51

We thank you for that, Father.

5:53

Lord, we thank you for life, and we thank you for health and strength.

5:58

Tonight, Lord, as we move forward to go about doing the agenda for the citizens of Fedville, we ask you, Lord, to allow our minds to be open to allow us to be positive in moving forward, and that we can be aggressive and continuing to do what is right for the citizens of Fedville.

6:21

And Lord, we ask you in Jesus' name for all of these things.

6:26

Amen.

6:46

Thank you, Councilmember Hare, and thank you for the prayer.

6:51

Council, welcome you back from DC.

6:54

Hope you had a great trip and understood you had had some positive positive things that were accomplished.

7:01

So good job.

7:03

Moving forward to the approval of the agenda, Council, if we can we'll try our eye pads to see if they want to cooperate tonight.

7:10

Entertain a motion to approve the agenda.

7:13

So move.

7:14

All right.

7:15

What's your IPAD working?

7:18

Okay.

7:18

All right, it's motion by Councilmember Ingram.

7:20

Is there a second?

7:22

Second by Councilmember Hare.

7:24

Any discussion on the motion?

7:25

All right, Council.

7:26

All those in favor, show of hands.

7:28

Approve the agenda.

7:29

All right.

7:29

Madam Clerk, it's unanimous.

7:31

Uh moving forward to item 4.01, downtown municipal service uh district rate and contract award.

7:38

Mr.

7:39

Collie.

7:40

Good evening, sir.

7:41

Evening, Mayor Council, Chris Collie, Economic Community Development.

7:45

So tonight we're going to just give you a brief update on some actions that staff has taken and what's to come in the next couple of months regarding our downtown municipal service district tax rate.

7:57

So a little bit of a history I got to learn myself as I was putting this together is we started this tax rate back in 1978.

8:03

And uh it's for specific expenditures that are heightened level of service in the downtown as opposed to general city expenditures.

8:13

Now ours has been 10 cents per 100 for for quite some time.

8:18

And uh the state doesn't require us to renew it once you establish it.

8:22

There's lots of rules around how you establish it, but once it's in place, you don't have to.

8:26

But City Council has since 83 elected to every five years vote to renew that tax for another five years.

8:33

So the current uh period is going to expire at June 30th at the end of this fiscal year.

8:38

And so we're going to be asking council to renew that taxing rate for another five-year period.

8:45

So to talk about what that rate produces, you can see here um over the past couple of years it's it's it's fluctuated a little bit.

8:52

It rises gradually, and so back in 1819, we we pulled in about 144,000, and uh most recently we pulled in 158,000 with that tax rate.

9:03

Um there's also a little bit of interest earnings that get on on that money, and then there's a general fund uh transfer in, which is part of enhancing the arts and entertainment district.

9:13

So that's at about 139,000 annually.

9:16

So when you add that tax rate plus that general fund transfer in, that gives us uh close to 300,000 dollars that we then spend on a couple of different things.

9:26

One being the downtown management contract, um utilities for the parking decks, and then debt service for both parking decks.

9:33

So this gives you an idea of what the actuals have looked like over time.

9:37

Some years we've added money to the savings account, some years we've taken money out.

9:41

Um I can kind of pause here if there's any questions, or we can just move on to the contract itself.

9:47

Um you have much more of a presentation to go.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Special Use Permits██████████████████████22%

Affordable Housing█████████████13%

Parks and Recreation████████████12%

Housing And Community Development███████████11%

Downtown Revitalization██████████10%

Public Engagement████████8%

Legal Affairs███████7%

Procedural███3%

Election Reform███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Fayetteville City Council Work Session: April 3, 2023

The Fayetteville City Council held a work session on Monday, April 3, 2023, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting covered downtown municipal services, housing and urban development funding, parks and recreation project updates, council training on evidentiary hearings, and three agenda item requests from the Mayor regarding elections, downtown landscaping, and Festival Park operations. The council took several consensus votes and motions to guide staff actions.

Consent Calendar

Approval of the agenda was moved by Councilmember Ingram, seconded by Councilmember Hare, and passed unanimously.

Discussion Items

4.01 Downtown Municipal Service District (MSD) Rate and Contract Award

Chris Collie (Economic Community Development) presented the history of the MSD tax rate (10 cents per $100, established 1978, renewed every five years). The current period expires June 30, 2023. The rate generates approximately $158,000 annually plus $139,000 in general fund transfers, totaling about $300,000 for downtown management, parking deck utilities, and debt service. Staff recommends a five-year renewal and a five-year contract with Cool Spring Downtown District (current contract expires June 2023). An RFP was issued March 15, closing April 14; a public hearing and adoption are planned for June 12. Councilmember Hare expressed support, noting the district's positive impact. Councilmember Ingram asked about the $51,918 fund balance used for the ambassador program pilot. Councilmember Benavente inquired about competition. The council gave consensus to accept the presentation, and a vote passed unanimously.

4.02 2023–2024 Housing and Urban Development Annual Action Plan

Chris Collie presented the annual budget for CDBG ($1.7M), HOME ($1.1M), and HOPWA ($860,000), plus program income and $280,000 city match, totaling $4.7M in new resources. Prior year rollovers include $250,000 CDBG and $2.9M HOME. The plan proposes increases in homeless services (54% increase), housing repairs, and a shift to a recapture policy for down payment assistance. Five low-income housing tax credit projects were highlighted, totaling about $80M in development costs; the city would commit to support any two that win state awards. Discussion covered Justice40 compliance, blight funding reductions (from $100,000 to $90,000), and CHODO (Habitat and Kingdom CDC). Councilmember Ingram moved to receive the plan, seconded by Councilmember Hondros, passed unanimously.

4.03 Parks and Recreation Projects Report Card

Mr. Stone provided updates on bond projects: Bill Christ Senior Center (certificate of occupancy received), Senior Center East (pre-engineered metal building arrived, completion expected 2023), MacArthur Road Sports Complex ($18M, federal grant application in June, response in December), Mazark Tennis Center (contract awarded, design delayed), Gilmore Center (steel erected, HVAC delayed, completion October 2023), Mabel C. Smith Center (construction contract approved, groundbreaking in May, completion March 2024), Cape Fear River Park (conceptual plan ~$9M, $2.3M budgeted, wait-and-see), and MLK Jr. Park (waiting for MOA from committee). Councilmember Hare asked about Glenville Lake (not part of bond projects, will be addressed in Murchison Road update). Councilmember Ingram requested clarity that this is a bond update. Consensus to accept the report, passed unanimously.

4.04 Council Member Training on Evidentiary Hearings for Special Use Permits

Attorney Lisa Harper conducted a training on quasi-judicial evidentiary hearings, emphasizing standing, competent material substantial evidence, hearsay, and expert testimony. She explained the new state law requiring findings of fact and conclusions of law to be approved at the next council meeting. Council discussed the high bar for evidence. The council declined to do the prepared exercises. No vote was taken; it was informational.

4.05 City Council Agenda Item Request – One Stop Fayetteville Elections (Mayor Colvin)

Mayor Colvin proposed adding a western early voting location, preferably Cliffdale Recreation Center, to increase voter turnout (currently 8–10%) and address access issues for west side residents. Councilmember Hondros asked about cost (~$30,000 per site) and selection criteria. Councilmember Benavente suggested moving to even-year elections for higher turnout. Consensus was to have staff research additional voting locations. The vote was 7 in favor (Mayor Colvin, Councilmembers Hare, Ingram, Hondros, Jensen, Benavente, Banks-McLoff) and 1 opposed (Councilmember Thompson). Motion carried.

4.06 City Council Agenda Item Request – Downtown Night Time Landscaping (Mayor Colvin)

Mayor Colvin presented examples of LED lighting on bridges and parking decks from Durham, arguing it enhances vibrancy. Councilmember Thompson raised concerns about street lighting needs in underserved areas (Dundal Road, Lakewood Road, etc.). Councilmember Benavente suggested moving the item to the Corridors Committee for review. Consensus to refer to the Corridors Committee. The vote was 6 in favor and 1 opposed (Councilmember Thompson). Motion carried.

4.07 City Council Agenda Item Request – Festival Park Operations (Mayor Colvin)

Mayor Colvin proposed exploring professional management by entertainment companies (e.g., Live Oak, Red Hat) to maximize event frequency and revenue, citing Wilmington's success. Councilmember Thompson asked about revenue potential; Councilmember Benavente noted Dreamville Fest in Raleigh generated $8 million. Councilmembers Benavente and Banks-McLoff emphasized preserving space for local artists and free community events. Consensus to have staff explore options, balancing commercial and community use. The vote was unanimous.

Key Outcomes

4.01: Unanimous consensus to accept the MSD rate renewal and contract award presentation; staff to proceed with public hearing and adoption on June 12, 2023.
4.02: Unanimous approval to receive the 2023–2024 HUD Annual Action Plan; public hearing and adoption set for April 24, 2023.
4.03: Unanimous acceptance of the Parks and Recreation bond project report card.
4.05: Approved (7-1) to have staff research additional early voting locations, with preference for Cliffdale Recreation Center.
4.06: Approved (6-1) to refer downtown night lighting to the Corridors Committee for further review.
4.07: Unanimous consensus to have staff explore professional management for Festival Park, ensuring inclusion of local events.

The meeting adjourned after the final item.

Meeting Transcript

Oh, the one that we're going to hold on the bottom. Monday, April 3rd work session order. Uh, welcome all of you who are joining us. In person, those who join us remote. At this time, we'll have the invocation. We'll ask that Minister Reverend and Councilmember DJ Hare if he would give us the prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance if we could stand. Dear Lord, once again, we as your servants call on you, Father. We thank you for a great week. We thank you, Lord, for a great day. We thank you for the positive growth that's going on all through the city of Fairville. We thank you for that, Father. We thank you for all of the positive things that city council is doing to help the city grow. We thank you for that, Father. Lord, we thank you for life, and we thank you for health and strength. Tonight, Lord, as we move forward to go about doing the agenda for the citizens of Fedville, we ask you, Lord, to allow our minds to be open to allow us to be positive in moving forward, and that we can be aggressive and continuing to do what is right for the citizens of Fedville. And Lord, we ask you in Jesus' name for all of these things. Amen. Thank you, Councilmember Hare, and thank you for the prayer. Council, welcome you back from DC. Hope you had a great trip and understood you had had some positive positive things that were accomplished. So good job. Moving forward to the approval of the agenda, Council, if we can we'll try our eye pads to see if they want to cooperate tonight. Entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So move. All right. What's your IPAD working? Okay. All right, it's motion by Councilmember Ingram. Is there a second? Second by Councilmember Hare. Any discussion on the motion? All right, Council. All those in favor, show of hands. Approve the agenda. All right. Madam Clerk, it's unanimous. Uh moving forward to item 4.01, downtown municipal service uh district rate and contract award. Mr. Collie. Good evening, sir. Evening, Mayor Council, Chris Collie, Economic Community Development. So tonight we're going to just give you a brief update on some actions that staff has taken and what's to come in the next couple of months regarding our downtown municipal service district tax rate. So a little bit of a history I got to learn myself as I was putting this together is we started this tax rate back in 1978. And uh it's for specific expenditures that are heightened level of service in the downtown as opposed to general city expenditures. Now ours has been 10 cents per 100 for for quite some time. And uh the state doesn't require us to renew it once you establish it. There's lots of rules around how you establish it, but once it's in place, you don't have to. But City Council has since 83 elected to every five years vote to renew that tax for another five years. So the current uh period is going to expire at June 30th at the end of this fiscal year. And so we're going to be asking council to renew that taxing rate for another five-year period.

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