Fayetteville City Council Work Session - October 7, 2024
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Fayetteville City Council Work Session - October 7, 2024
The Fayetteville City Council met on Monday, October 7, 2024, at 2:00 PM in the Council Chamber for a work session. The meeting covered multiple topics including updates on Hurricane Helene response, partnerships with Fort Liberty, funding for a cultural exchange with Saint Avold, France, PWC rezoning authority, the 2025 meeting calendar, the Residential Traffic Management Program (RTMP), and two council member requests regarding driving equality laws and transit improvements. Several items were discussed with votes and consensus reached.
City Manager Report
- Emergency Management Coordinator Laura provided an update on Hurricane Helene response: 30 city personnel deployed (police and fire); the state requests monetary donations only, not tangible items; 140,000 without power at peak, 15 counties with EOCs activated, 25 states of emergency, 100,000 FEMA applications, $33 million distributed, 77 confirmed fatalities in NC, over 600 roads still closed. The city's 911 system handled overflow from Buncombe County for 72 hours. Council agreed to have staff produce a video update for the public and to receive a further update in one month.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of agenda with deletion of item 6.06 (Emergency Watershed Protection Grant) was moved by Councilmember Benavente, seconded by Councilmember McNair, and passed unanimously.
Discussion Items
6.01 Fort Liberty and City of Fayetteville Partnerships
- Staff presented an intergovernmental service agreement (IGSA) concept for solid waste management and elevator maintenance at Fort Liberty. Lawrence Pico, Deputy Director of Public Works, Fort Liberty, spoke on mutual benefits. Councilmember Thompson moved to continue collaboration, seconded by Councilmember Hare. The consensus was to proceed with due diligence and bring back a detailed proposal. Councilmember Hondros asked about partnership for cleanup along Bragg Boulevard corridor.
6.02 Funding for Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance Cultural and Educational Exchange
- Sylvia James and Stacey Ferry requested $15,000 for a 12-day visit by 9 teachers and 3 students from Saint Avold, France. Discussion included the city's sister city program and the need for a formalized structure. Councilmember Benavente moved to direct staff to develop a recommendation for an expanded sister city program (unanimous). A motion by Mayor Pro Tem to appropriate $10,000 for housing failed for lack of a second. Council agreed to consider in-kind transportation (a city van) if the organization resubmits a revised request by the next regular meeting.
6.03 PWC Rezoning Authority
- Richard Galt, Deputy General Counsel for PWC, explained that PWC seeks affirmation of its authority to rezone properties, specifically for a solar farm on Carvers Falls Road. The county requested the mayor's signature, but PWC believes its charter grants authority. Council expressed concern about the broad nature of the original resolution. A motion by Councilmember Thompson to rezone the single property and have PWC return with a specific resolution passed unanimously. Council will discuss broader authority later.
6.04 Proposed 2025 City Council Meeting Dates Calendar
- City Clerk presented the draft calendar. Councilmember Hondros asked about the strategic planning retreat date (to be determined) and starting budget discussions earlier. Councilmember Benavente moved to approve the calendar as presented, with amendments possible. Motion carried unanimously.
6.05 Residential Traffic Management Program (RTMP)
- Brian McGill, Interim Assistant Public Services Director, presented an overview of the RTMP, including speed hump requests, petition process, and budget. Current budget is $10,000 (average speed hump cost $3,300). 34 open petitions, oldest from September 2021. Staff recommended waiting for the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) study due fall 2025, but council expressed desire for quicker action. Councilmember Benavente moved to direct staff to bring back a menu of traffic calming options and a detailed analysis of petition success rates and thresholds. The motion lacked a second, but after further discussion, council gave consensus to staff to return with process data and options at the November work session.
6.07 Review of Special Use Permit Peer and Text Amendment Recommendations
- This item was moved to the November work session by consensus.
6.08 City Council Agenda Item Request - Driving Equality Laws (Councilmember Benavente)
- Councilmember Benavente requested information from experts in other communities on driving equality laws. He asked for a presentation at the next work session. A motion to receive this information at the November work session passed with a vote of 4 in favor (Councilmembers Benavente, McNair, Hare, Banks-McLaughlin; others opposed? The transcript indicates
Meeting Transcript
Well well, good afternoon, everyone. Like to call our Monday, October 7th uh City Council work session to order. Uh thank you, those who are joining us in the audience and those who maybe tuning in remotely. Uh at this time, as with every meeting, we typically start with an invocation and we will right on time. Councilmember Deacon Thompson, if he could give us a invocation. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Let us go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly dear Father, we thank you, dear Lord, for another day and another opportunity. We get to praise and lift up and magnify your name, Heavenly Father. We thank you for all those who are here today that these proceedings will go according to your word and your will and your way. As we come together, Heavenly Father, we also want to mention those on the Western part of our fellow North Carolinians in the Western part of North Carolina. I am thankful that we can come together as one to support those in need. The Bible tells us to love thy neighbor as we love ourselves, Heavenly Father. So we thank you for the love that's in our heart. So put a little bit of heart and love in our heart and some heart and our love, Heavenly Father, that we can do your will. Bless these proceedings and all things that's gonna happen this evening, Heavenly Father. We thank these in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If we can do the Pledge of Allegiance, Pledge of Allegiance of the United States of America. Under God and indivisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Trustee Thompson, wasn't it? I'm sorry, called to Deacon, but thank you for the prayer. Stewart, okay. I'll get it right in a little bit. All right. But uh councillors we move on to uh the next item, city manager's report. Mr. Manager, if you um as you're giving the report, you want to talk to us about maybe what um assistance will we help Asheville with? Yes, sir. Um thank you. Mayor and members of council actually have our emergency management coordinator and um fire chief here as well. And I'd have to should come forward and um and share him uh what we're doing in Western Fairville as well as um a brief update on what it looks like could be Hurricane Milton in Florida. Hello. Hello, hello. Okay, we will start. Good afternoon, everyone first. Um we'll start with Hurricane Milton. Hurricane Milton is now a category five and expected to impact North Carolina at zero percent. Um is just gonna go from west to east Florida, and by the time it reaches the other side of Florida be a category one. So they're expecting heavy storm surge and all of those by Wednesday time frame. So it's definitely gonna be a major hurricane by the time um and stay a major hurricane by the time it hits landfall. All right. Now for our Western North Carolina efforts. Um currently we have about 30 people um deployed. Um all but two of those folks are employed with the city of Fayetteville, either through police department or fire department. They are on missions uh for search and rescue, hazardous materials, and helping with security and other measures to help folks get supplies. Achiefs association. As for donations, I've reached out to the state, and they are requesting no donations in the form of tangibles at this time.
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