Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - February 10, 2025

The Fayetteville City Council met on February 10, 2025, for a regular meeting that included recognitions, public comments on various issues, a contentious discussion on funding for the Tennis Center project, reports from boards, a public hearing on bond issuance, and unanimous approval of an intergovernmental service agreement with Fort Liberty for solid waste collection.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of meeting minutes from January 27, 2025.
• Items 8.0A2 (Tennis Center funding) was pulled by Councilmember Green; the remaining consent items were approved unanimously.
• Other consent items included: Person & Russell Street Flood Mitigation grant acceptance, Safe Streets grant amendment, auction of decommissioned assets, PWC assessment roll, and PWC safe drinking water loan acceptance.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Calista Cuevas (address on record) expressed concern that Cool Springs Downtown District policy bars political and religious organizations from Fourth Friday events, citing rejection of Sandhills Republican Women in Action application. She argued that as a taxpayer-funded entity, Cool Springs must uphold First Amendment rights and called for a policy review to ensure equal access.
• Sean McMillan (Fayetteville resident) honored Reverend Dr. Nelson Johnson, urged council to revisit a resolution in support of immigrant communities, attend a February 22nd event on systemic racism, and repeal the no camping ordinance.
• Jose Cardona (233 Addison Street) discussed the problem of dead-on-arrivals at local hospitals, proposing a dedicated fast lane for emergency vehicles and advocating for higher pay for hospital staff.
• Eric Nelson (1935 Culpepper Lane) from Rayconda subdivision reported that a road washed out by Hurricane Matthew was poorly repaired and failed again during Tropical Storm Debby, leaving a 15-foot-deep chasm. He requested the city fix the road they built, citing emergency access concerns.

Discussion Items

• Tennis Center Capital Project Ordinance Amendment (8.0A2): Councilmember Green pulled this item, questioning the $1.9 million appropriation from leftover parks bond funds. She moved to table to February 24 for more review, citing lack of time to study the detailed breakdown. Assistant City Manager Lindsay confirmed that tabling would not stop ongoing construction on the building but would delay tennis courts. The motion to table failed 6-3. Councilmember Davis then moved to adopt the amendment with a friendly amendment to include the change order request breakdown in the record. That motion passed 6-3.
• Fort Liberty Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) for Solid Waste: Assistant City Manager Phelps and Brooke Redding presented the agreement to provide commercial solid waste collection on Fort Liberty via a contractor. The base cost is approximately $6 million with a 5% CPI-based annual increase. Benefits include local job creation (20+ positions), revenue for the city, and strengthened partnership. Councilmembers asked about contractor capabilities, backup plans (on-call contingency contract, performance bond), GPS tracking, and spillage prevention. Staff confirmed oversight and liquidated damages provisions. The agreement was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Tennis Center funding: Approved (6-3) with requirement to include the change order breakdown in the record.
• Fort Liberty IGSA: Approved unanimously. Staff to bring the service provider contract back for approval.
• Public Hearing: Opened and closed for Lindenwood Education System private activity bonds (no speakers). Authorizing resolution approved unanimously.
• Administrative Reports: Moved to March work session (including Cool Springs Downtown District Q2 report, City Manager’s request tracker, Day Resource Center report). Motion by Councilmember Benavente, seconded, approved.
• Reports Accepted: Parks and Recreation Commission annual report and Firefighter's Local Relief Fund report accepted unanimously.
• Consent Agenda: Approved with item 8.0A2 pulled.

Additional Notes

• Recognitions included: 71st High School Falcons football team proclamation, retirement of Ruby Billups (44 years of combined military and federal service), Solid Waste Mascot contest winner Iris Niang with "Spiffy".
• New City Clerk Jennifer Ayer was sworn in by Assistant City Clerk Andrea Teppe.
• National Engineers Week (February 16-22, 2025) proclamation.
• New community safety staff introduced: Nichelle Gaines (community safety manager) and Orlando Smith (community impact supervisor).