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Record of Proceedings

Fayetteville City Council Work Session - March 3, 2025

City Council — Monday, March 3, 2025
BodyFayetteville, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:55:20

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

I'd like to call our March 3rd work session order.

0:03

Welcome those who are in the audience, those who may be joining us from afar.

0:08

We welcome you.

0:09

We are starting as with every meeting with the prayer of the invocation.

0:13

I'll ask that uh council member DJ Hare looks like he's moving his mic.

0:19

So always in the rear.

0:21

All right.

0:21

So if we could pray and at the conclusion, if we could stand for the pledge.

0:26

Thank you, Mayor.

0:27

Council.

0:29

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you once again for allowing us to come together and go about doing the business of the citizens of Fairville.

0:41

Lord, we thank you for giving us life, health, and strength this morning to go about the day.

0:48

We also thank you, Father, for just protecting us with all the horrible things that take place all over the world.

0:56

And Father, as we move into tonight into this afternoon, we ask your father to let us rebuke that.

1:03

Go about this agenda.

1:07

And that we may um be on one accord where we can be on one accord and that we can listen and receive all the information, Father, it's positive uh in a positive way.

1:18

And Lord, we also we just thank you for life, health, and strength in our bodies wherever that any of us in this room may be ill or feeling bad.

1:27

We ask you right now in Jesus' name for full recovery in our bodies.

1:32

In Jesus' name, we pray.

1:35

Can everyone say amen?

1:36

Amen.

1:37

Amen.

1:39

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

1:44

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:54

Councilmember Hare, thank you for going to the throne.

1:56

We pray not for the being here tonight.

2:00

Yes, sir.

2:01

Yes, sir.

2:01

That was that was the enemy pull in my mouth.

2:04

Yes, sir.

2:05

We rebuke you.

2:06

All right.

2:07

So council, we uh do have quite a bit to cover, so we'll be moving along.

2:10

I ask that in the spirit of uh some of the guests and organizations that are here to present that may play a role.

2:17

Uh I'll try to keep the uh pace of the meeting and the discussion uh limited if you can work with me on that.

2:23

Uh moving to uh 4.0 city manager's report.

2:26

Mr.

2:27

Hewitt, all of these are your reports.

2:28

So you got anything extra?

2:30

No, sir.

2:31

Thank you.

2:32

Moving to 5.0 is the approval of the agenda.

2:34

Can we get a motion by council member here?

2:37

Is there a second on agenda approval?

2:39

Seconded by Councilmember Davis.

2:41

Any discussion on that?

2:42

All right, council.

2:43

I look to you for your votes on the approval of the agenda.

2:49

All right.

2:51

All right, motion carries unanimous by those voting.

2:55

Uh 6.0 and 6.01 Cumman County 2025 reevaluation presentation.

3:01

So we welcome uh our colleagues and members from the uh commission from the county.

3:07

Mr.

3:10

The most popular guy in town right now, huh?

3:13

Yes, sir.

3:14

Uh three days, Mr.

3:17

All right.

3:17

Well, all right, good afternoon.

3:19

Thank you for having me here today.

3:21

Um, I have some staff with me in the back, and at the end, if there's any questions that we can uh you have, then we would you know try to uh answer those.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████24%
Tax Collection██████████████14%
Downtown Revitalization████████████12%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Procedural████████8%
Homelessness████████8%
Education And Training███████7%
Strategic Planning██████6%
Public Health███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Fayetteville City Council Work Session - March 3, 2025

The Fayetteville City Council held a work session on March 3, 2025, beginning at 2:00 PM. The meeting covered nine agenda items, including presentations on the 2025 county revaluation, the Day Resource Center’s second quarter update, and the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. The council also approved several routine items and set a joint meeting with the school board and county to discuss the SRO program.

Cumberland County 2025 Revaluation Update

  • Tax Administrator Joe Utley presented the results of the county’s mandatory eight-year reappraisal. For the City of Fayetteville, total assessed value increased 61.1% from approximately $15 billion to $24 billion. Residential values rose significantly due to post-COVID market trends, while commercial values saw less growth. The overall assessed value increase was over $9 billion.
  • Council members raised concerns about the impact on residents, especially seniors. Joe Utley explained that individual property values are set by comparing sales of similar homes within neighborhoods or clusters, and that the tax rate will be set separately by the county board in June.
  • Discussion included the possibility of shortening the revaluation cycle from eight years to four or six years to soften the shock. Council also requested historical data on whether the county has ever reduced its tax rate after a revaluation.

Day Resource Center FY25 Second Quarter Update

  • Corey Lampkins, Day Resource Center manager, presented data for October–December 2024. Showers increased 2% to 1,585; laundry decreased 8.3% due to scheduling changes; clothing distribution dropped 14% (excluding large donation events); lunches rose 6.6%; and bus passes increased.
  • New providers included FTCC’s barber college, Better Health for medicine management, LifeNet for counseling, and the public library for technology training. Pending partnerships include a mobile dental unit (St. Joseph of the Pines) and an eye exam room.
  • Council acknowledged the center’s success in reducing calls about homeless issues and discussed challenges in accessing addiction recovery and mental health facilities, especially for severe cases requiring out-of-county placement.

Downtown Municipal Service District FY25 Second Quarter Update

  • Ashanti Bennett, interim CEO of Cool Spring Downtown District, presented the organization’s new five-year strategic plan. Key accomplishments include a safety and ambassador program (two staff, one full-time and one part-time), a 300% increase in Fourth Friday participants over four years, and a new clean streets shared dumpster program.
  • Priority projects include storytelling campaigns, a recruitment event for businesses (delayed due to leadership transition), expanded public art, and a website redesign.
  • Council members expressed support for expanding the ambassador program and requested a breakdown of MSD funding and city contributions as budget discussions approach.

School Resource Officer Program Framework Presentation and Recommendations

  • Dr. Richard Watkins and MK Gamble from the Science Policy Action Network (SPAN) presented findings from interviews with the Fayetteville City Council, Cumberland County Board of Education, and other stakeholders. Key data point: elementary school calls for service (185) exceeded middle (93) and high school (172) calls, despite elementary schools having no SROs and only three of thirty having Safe Schools Coordinators (SSCs).
  • Recommendations included: (1) a roaming SRO deployment model with zones covering elementary, middle, and high schools; (2) placing an SSC in every school to triage incidents and determine whether SRO, administrative, or support staff intervention is needed; and (3) comprehensive training for SROs, SSCs, and school personnel.
  • Council discussion revealed the need for more information, including sheriff’s office data from prior years, details on SSC roles and training, and national best practices for school nurses and counselors. One council member noted that without understanding these support layers, the focus risks over-reliance on law enforcement.
  • The council voted 9–1 to accept the SPAN report and then voted on a motion to hold a joint meeting with the Cumberland County Board of Education and the County Commissioners to discuss the SRO program. That motion passed 9–1. A subsequent motion to gather additional data (including sheriff’s data, SSC program details, and ratios for school nurses/guidance counselors) passed 6–4, with the majority supporting obtaining information before the joint meeting.
  • Council also confirmed its current commitment: FPD has SROs in every high school and 64 Traffic Control Officers at school crossings, fulfilling this year’s contract.

Request for Fare-Free Transit for United Way Dolly Parton Imagination Library Story-Times

  • Council approved a motion to direct staff to implement fare-free FAST service on Saturdays in March from 8 AM to 12 noon at four libraries (Bordeaux, Cliffdale, North Regional, and Headquarters). The item will be placed on the March 10 consent agenda.

Proposed FACT Committee By-Laws Revision

  • Austin Campbell, FACT Committee chair, proposed changing meeting frequency from monthly to every other month (six times per year), citing that six of twelve meetings were canceled in the prior year due to lack of business. The revision was unanimously accepted.

Substantial Amendments to HUD 2022–2023 and 2024–2025 Annual Action Plans

  • Alex (staff) presented a request to reallocate $400,000 in Housing Trust Fund money originally set aside for constructing new affordable housing units for persons with HIV/AIDS (HOPWA program) to tenant-based rental assistance. No developers had come forward to use the trust fund, and the program saw a 60% increase in clients needing rental aid.
  • A public hearing is scheduled for March 24, 2025. The council unanimously accepted the report.

City Council Agenda Item Requests Update

  • Staff reported that of 27 council requests in FY25, 20 (74%) have been accomplished, with an average closure time of 90 days. Seven items remain open, including the park renaming, permitting review, and free bus fare study. Council accepted the update unanimously.

Key to the City: Roosevelt Pratt, Jr.

  • Councilmember Benavente moved to award the Key to the City to Roosevelt Pratt, Jr., director of the E.E. Smith High School Marching Band, for his 30-year career. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Revaluation: No formal decision; council requested historical tax rate data from the county.
  • Day Resource Center: No action required; report received.
  • Downtown MSD: No action required; council noted interest in funding details.
  • SRO Program:
    • Report accepted (9–1).
    • Joint meeting with school board and county commissioners approved (9–1).
    • Motion to collect additional information (sheriff’s data, SSC details, nurse/counselor ratios) passed (6–4).
  • Fare-Free Transit: Approved for consent agenda (unanimous).
  • FACT By-Laws: Approved revision to bi-monthly meetings (unanimous).
  • HUD Action Plan Amendment: Report accepted; public hearing scheduled March 24 (unanimous).
  • Agenda Item Requests: Report accepted.
  • Key to the City: Award approved (unanimous).

The meeting adjourned after approximately 3 hours.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call our March 3rd work session order. Welcome those who are in the audience, those who may be joining us from afar. We welcome you. We are starting as with every meeting with the prayer of the invocation. I'll ask that uh council member DJ Hare looks like he's moving his mic. So always in the rear. All right. So if we could pray and at the conclusion, if we could stand for the pledge. Thank you, Mayor. Council. Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you once again for allowing us to come together and go about doing the business of the citizens of Fairville. Lord, we thank you for giving us life, health, and strength this morning to go about the day. We also thank you, Father, for just protecting us with all the horrible things that take place all over the world. And Father, as we move into tonight into this afternoon, we ask your father to let us rebuke that. Go about this agenda. And that we may um be on one accord where we can be on one accord and that we can listen and receive all the information, Father, it's positive uh in a positive way. And Lord, we also we just thank you for life, health, and strength in our bodies wherever that any of us in this room may be ill or feeling bad. We ask you right now in Jesus' name for full recovery in our bodies. In Jesus' name, we pray. Can everyone say amen? 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 and justice for all. Councilmember Hare, thank you for going to the throne. We pray not for the being here tonight. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That was that was the enemy pull in my mouth. Yes, sir. We rebuke you. All right. So council, we uh do have quite a bit to cover, so we'll be moving along. I ask that in the spirit of uh some of the guests and organizations that are here to present that may play a role. Uh I'll try to keep the uh pace of the meeting and the discussion uh limited if you can work with me on that. Uh moving to uh 4.0 city manager's report. Mr. Hewitt, all of these are your reports. So you got anything extra? No, sir. Thank you. Moving to 5.0 is the approval of the agenda. Can we get a motion by council member here? Is there a second on agenda approval? Seconded by Councilmember Davis. Any discussion on that? All right, council. I look to you for your votes on the approval of the agenda. All right. All right, motion carries unanimous by those voting.

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