Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - April 8, 2024
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Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - April 8, 2024
The Fayetteville City Council met on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included a presentation from Fayetteville State University on the Fayetteville Cumberland Regional Entrepreneurial and Business Hub, public comments on community safety and development, and a vote on additional funding for Fire Station 4 that failed 4-5.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes from March 14 and March 20, 2024.
- Adopted Budget Ordinance Amendment 2024-10 to appropriate the 2023 MOTIVA First Responder Grant.
- Adopted Capital Project Ordinance Amendments 2024-19 and 2024-20 for the Adam Street Drainage Improvement Project.
- Adopted Capital Project Ordinance Amendment 2024-18 and Budget Ordinance Amendment 2024-11 for additional funding to the Fire Station 4 Relocation Project (this item was later pulled for a separate vote).
- Adopted Budget Ordinance Amendment 2024-12 to appropriate funds for the Property and Liability Fund.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Antoinette Mormon (founder, Dreams to Goals) presented a proposal for a comprehensive resource hub to serve underserved populations, citing fragmented existing resources.
- Channing Perdue (resident, 1531 Cedar Creek Road) raised concerns about a proposed development on Cedar Creek Road, stating that the technical review committee report was completed after the zoning meeting and that the applicant provided false information about preliminary reviews. She also noted that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not been consulted on the project.
- Lizette Rodriguez (Fayetteville Freedom for All) urged full funding of the Office of Community Safety (OCS), citing a 52% increase in suicides in Fayetteville and 4,000 mental health calls per month to FPD. She referenced the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon, which saves $8.5 million annually, and cautioned against repeating mistakes from the Day Resource Center.
- Sean McMillan (resident, 6224 Golden Rain Drive) called for fully funding the OCS at $3 million (1% of the municipal budget), supporting its four pillars: mental health response, resources for unhoused, violence interruption, and independent oversight. He referenced multiple police-involved deaths and urged the council to establish an interagency task force and engage state and federal legislators.
- Joel Cook (Fayetteville Freedom for All) spoke in favor of fully funding the OCS, sharing personal family history of trauma and lack of mental health resources. He noted that the city has a $300 million budget and asked for 1% ($3 million) for the OCS.
- Lonya McCoon (resident) proposed building a Spartan obstacle course in partnership with local gyms, noting that Spartan races are held in other cities but there is no training facility in Fayetteville.
Discussion Items
- Re-Appointment to Airport Commission (Item 9.01): Tabled by council vote. Councilmember Hare sought clarification on whether the item would go to the appointments committee; the council confirmed it is tabled until reintroduced.
- Fire Station 4 Relocation Project (Item 9.02, formerly 8.04): Councilmember Green pulled the item for a separate vote, stating he was not comfortable allocating an additional $1.5 million without hearing from the bonding company about workmanship issues. Councilmember Thompson supported the motion, noting the need to complete the project but requesting that any overages be brought back to council. The motion failed 4-5 (votes in favor: Thompson, Colvin, Davis; opposed: Hondros, McNair, Banks McLaughlin, Green, Benevente).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
- Fire Station 4 Funding: Motion to approve additional funding failed (4-5).
- Administrative Report 10.01 (Crime Deterrent Opportunities): Moved to the May 2024 work session (unanimous).
- Administrative Report 10.02 (FY 2024 Financial Update): Moved to the May 2024 work session (vote 8-2, with McNair and Davis opposed).
- Appointment of Lachelle Pullham as City Attorney was announced.
Presentations & Recognitions
- Fayetteville State University Chancellor Allison presented the first-year results of the Fayetteville Cumberland Regional Entrepreneurial and Business Hub, launched in September 2022. Key statistics: over 300 events, 5,000 participants, 2,500 registered clients, 54 new businesses launched, 240 new jobs created, and approximately $30 million in contracts won with hub assistance (94% locally owned, 77% minority/women-owned, 80% veteran-owned, 98% awarded to at least one targeted segment). The city invested $250,000. A business owner, Eddie Lucas of PREXICO Construction, testified that he secured nearly $20 million in contracts in 2023 and expects up to $50 million in the next few years, crediting the hub for help with certification, bonding, and growth. Councilmembers expressed support and noted the disparity study that showed only 0.5% of city contracts going to African American firms.
- Line Worker Appreciation Day: Councilmember Hondros recognized PWC line workers.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone would like to call our April eighth, uh, February City Council meeting in order to welcome those who are joining us in the audience, those who joining us uh virtually and by remote uh connections. At this time, we'll ask Dr. Lottie McCoy from Lottie McCoy Ministries if she would please come to the podium and give us our invocation. Actually, everyone will please stand for the prayer, merely following if we could repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. I pray that this meeting be meaningful and prosperous for the people in the city of Fedville. Now God, because you know what's best, and all matters. I say, let your will be done. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, just as far. Well, Dr. McCoy, uh thank you so much for giving us the prayer. I know you quite well, but if you can take a moment and just tell us a little bit about yourself and your ministry. Okay. Well, I represent the Lottie McCoy Ministries outreach, where our vision is to be alive and impact destinies. And we have several outreach ministries. And one of the ministries that we have is a monthly prayer held every fourth Monday for the gatekeepers of the city, which of course include the mayor, city council, among others. And I say it is an honor for me to be part of this great city. And thank you, Mayor Colvin, for this opportunity. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. McCoy, and thank you for the great work you're doing and the prayers for us most of all. So thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. Council moving along, I'll go to Councilmember Hondros under the announcements. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just wanted to uh make an announcement for our friends at our hometown utility at PWC. Today is North Carolina Line Worker Appreciation Day. So thank all the good work they do there, keeping our lights on across the city. Absolutely. Thank you to those guys who go out in uh some of the worst conditions and make sure that we have power to our home. So thank you for that. Uh council seeing no other uh announcements at this time, move to recognition. We have some very special guests from right up the street. I see uh Chancellor Allison and his team. If uh Chancellor, if you would like to come to the podium, I also would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge uh Mr. Taylor, Ulysses Taylor, uh Mr. McElvee, uh Frat Brother, uh the greatest fraternity in the land, uh Wesley Fountain, and of course, uh Dr. Coven. Good to see you. Uh but Chancellor, glad to have you, and uh understand you got some exciting things to share with us at uh our hometown university has been has been doing. Uh we do, uh Mayor. Want to thank you and the members of the council as I look to my left here to see how we operate. Uh I'm just not that technology. Thank you, Klein. So uh I got the mouse here, and uh okay. Where are we going here?
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