Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – September 9, 2024

The Fayetteville City Council met on Monday, September 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included recognitions, public forum, approval of a consent agenda, and appointments to various boards and commissions. Mayor Mitch Colvin presided.

Announcements & Recognitions

• Proclamation for Tyler Brandon Moore: A proclamation declared September 9, 2024, as “Tyler Brandon Moore Day” in honor of the Northwood Temple Academy student who maintains a 4.3 GPA, is a student-athlete, and is working toward becoming one of the youngest licensed pilots in North Carolina, with aspirations to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy.
• National Information Technology Professionals Day: September 17, 2024, was proclaimed as such, recognizing the city’s IT department.
• National Day of Remembrance: September 11, 2024, was proclaimed to honor the victims and heroes of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• New Fire Marshal: Fire Marshal Justin McLaurin was introduced; he was promoted from deputy fire marshal after a nationwide search and has 15 years of fire service experience.
• State Representative Marvin Lucas was acknowledged in attendance.

City Manager Report

• City Manager Hewitt yielded his time to Fire Chief Dove, who presented the new Fire Marshal. No additional report was given.

Public Forum

Six residents signed up; four spoke (two were absent).

• John Garusso (308 Third Street) urged the council to develop a crisis intervention program under the Office of Community Safety, emphasizing peer support specialists dispatched with emergency services. He stated, “The only thing we’re missing is action from you.”
• Peggy Thompson (516 Bravery Lane) raised concerns about mental health resources for youth, specifically the 988 crisis line, and affordable housing. She noted that her 17-year-old faced difficulties accessing treatment and that unsafe housing environments affect children’s education.
• Charles Matthews (3618 Tendle Court) criticized the city manager and PWC over flooding downtown, the breach of Rosa Lake Dam, and leaking sewer manholes on his property. He called for replacement of the dam and accountability. In response, City Manager Hewitt clarified he has no control over PWC. Sheila Thomas, Public Services director, reported that a FEMA BRIC grant application for Rosa Lake was not awarded this year; the city will fine-tune and resubmit in the next cycle. She noted the benefit-cost ratio was above one but the primary beneficiaries are private properties.
• Sean McMillan called for transparency regarding the police-involved death of Lawrence Artis (October 2023), release of camera footage previously requested by Council (8-1 vote), and a sentinel review of that incident and the homicides of Jada Johnson and Demarcus Brody. He also urged the council to reject renewal of the ShotSpotter (now SoundThinking) contract and requested an update on the hiring of an OCS director and data specialists.

Consent Calendar

The consent agenda was approved unanimously by a motion from Councilmember Hondros, seconded by Councilmember Hare. Items included:

• Approval of four sets of meeting minutes (August 5, 12, and 21, 2024).
• Budget Ordinance Amendment 2025 to accept $37,617 in grant funding for senior centers from Mid-Carolina Regional Council.
• Capital Project Ordinance Amendments 2026, 2027, and 2028 funding $1,596,633 for North Street and Sunbury Drainage Improvement Projects.
• Capital Project Ordinance Amendment 2031 allocating $5,000,000 in Powell Bill funding for pavement preservation.
• Policy revisions for Streets, Traffic, and Parking (seven policies updated).
• Professional service contract of $564,037 for Russell & Person Street Bridge and Stream Improvement project management.
• Resolution authorizing outside counsel for quiet title action on Lot 249, College Park.
• Bid recommendation of $3,986,745 for resurfacing various streets (Phase I, 2025).
• PWC bid recommendations: $4,149,400 for water main rehabilitation and $247,046 for substation disconnect switches.

Discussion Items: Boards and Commissions Appointments

Councilmember Hare, chair of the Appointments Committee, presented recommendations.

• Tabled: The Ethics Commission and Linear Park Commission appointments were tabled by a unanimous vote (motion by Hare, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Jensen) pending updates from staff.
• Approved: The following appointments were approved unanimously (motion by Hare, seconded by Councilmember Thompson):
  • Audit Commission: Tall at Skikes
  • Board of Appeals: William Hedgepeth
  • Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) Transit Advisory Committee: Sharon Moyer, Stephanie Jones
  • Fair Housing Board: Lawrence King Jr., Melanie Shorter
  • Human Relations Commission: Lindorah Thompson, Toshiba Casi, Tracy Pelt
  • Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee: Zora Cole
  • Planning Commission: Austin Joseph
  • Redevelopment Commission: Teddy Warner
  • Stormwater Advisory Board: Timothy Ingram
  • Record Review Board: Philomena Lodaza (spelling approximated)
  • Zoning Commission: Robert Height

Key Outcomes

• Approved: Consent agenda (unanimous).
• Tabled: Appointments to Ethics Commission and Linear Park Commission (unanimous).
• Approved: Appointments to 11 boards/commissions as listed (unanimous).
• Noted: The city will continue pursuing a FEMA BRIC grant for Rosa Lake dam flood mitigation. A public information session will be scheduled for the next grant cycle.
• Acknowledged: Several vacancies remain; residents are encouraged to apply.
• Meeting adjourned after the appointments vote.