Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - April 28, 2025
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Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting - April 28, 2025
The Fayetteville City Council met on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included recognitions, announcements, consent agenda items, staff reports, a public hearing, and several other business items. Council members discussed and voted on a new ordinance prohibiting blocking of streets and sidewalks, a resolution supporting Powell Bill funding, and a utility assessment appeal, among other items.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes from April 7, 8, 9, and 14, 2025.
- Approved rezoning requests: P25-06 (2006 Hope Mills Rd to Neighborhood Commercial), P25-07 (Morris St properties to Community Commercial), P25-08 (Baltosrol Ln to Mixed Residential 5).
- Approved demolition recommendations for uninhabitable structures at 206 Campbell Ave, 816 E. Orange St, 1083 North St, and 850 Van Dyke Pl.
- Authorized condemnation of easements for Sessoms Street Drainage Improvement Project.
- Authorized municipal agreements with NCDOT for improvements on multiple roads.
- Adopted Capital Project Ordinance Amendment for Ivy & Lyon Road Drainage Improvements.
- Approved FY2025 Audit Contract.
- Adopted Budget Ordinance Amendment for Federal Transit Administration Grant.
- Authorized acquisition of 3.46-acre parcel on Bonanza Drive for Fire Station 9.
- Adopted resolution accepting PWC state loan offer under Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.
- Items 7.0A11 (Fire Station 9 acquisition), 7.0A12 (street/sidewalk blocking ordinance), and 7.0A14 (Powell Bill funding resolution) were pulled from consent for separate discussion and votes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No speakers signed up for the public hearing on the 2025-2029 HUD Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan. The public hearing was opened and closed without testimony.
Discussion Items
- Street and Sidewalk Blocking Ordinance (7.0A12): Councilmember Benavente raised concerns about the ordinance targeting unhoused individuals, noting the lack of an overnight shelter. Councilmember McNair proposed referring the ordinance back to staff to include a warning process, but the motion failed (7-3). The ordinance was then approved by a 7-3 vote, effective May 26, 2025, with a penalty of up to $50 as a class three misdemeanor.
- Powell Bill Funding Resolution (7.0A14): Assistant City Manager Jody Phelps presented the resolution to support preserving Powell Bill funding (approximately $6.9 million annually for street repaving) threatened by a state budget proposal. Councilmember Benavente questioned the urgency and transparency. The resolution was approved unanimously.
- Utility Assessment Appeal (10.02): Councilmember Thompson presented an appeal for a property owner at 6920 Tayberry Court who had already paid for water connection and was now being assessed $5,000 for sewer. The owner paid $3,100 for water in 2010. Council voted 9-1 to reverse the assessment and refund the difference, with Councilmember Banks McLaughlin opposing.
- Homelessness & Mental Health Committee Presentation (10.03): Chairwoman McNair and Chris Collie presented three recommendations: (1) $50,000 additional security for the Day Resource Center (approved); (2) signs discouraging panhandling downtown; (3) exploring a pallet shelter program. Items 2 and 3 were moved to a work session for further research.
Staff Reports
- FY2025 Third Quarter Financial Update (8.01): Assistant City Manager Jeff Yates reported the city's financial health is strong. General fund revenues are tracking as expected; vacancy savings estimated at $13 million through Q3. The transparency portal will launch after July 1. The report was received.
- Recommended FY2026-2031 Capital Improvement Program (8.02): $446 million recommended through FY26, $664 million through FY31. Funding includes GO bonds, LOBs, revenue bonds, and state/federal grants. Dedicated tax rate recommendation is 6.43 cents. The report was received.
- Fire Department 2025 First Quarter Review (8.03): Chief Kevin Dove reported highlights: first-ever cancer screenings for all members, 444 smoke alarms installed, new hazmat unit and pumpers, and a crisis response dog program. 6,737 calls in Q1, 240 fewer than 2024. 14 sworn vacancies. Report received.
- Police Department 2025 First Quarter Review (8.04): Chief Kemberle Joyce reported overall crime down 21% (835 fewer incidents). 14 homicides with 16 victims (vs. 3 in Q1 2024). 115 sworn vacancies (37 frozen). 911 center fully staffed. Report received.
Key Outcomes
- Street/Sidewalk Blocking Ordinance: Approved 7-3 (effective May 26, 2025).
- Powell Bill Funding Resolution: Approved unanimously.
- Utility Assessment Appeal: Approved 9-1 to reverse assessment and refund difference.
- Day Resource Center Security Funding: Approved $50,000 from ARPA funds.
- Panhandling Signs and Pallet Shelter: Moved to work session for further information.
- Appointments: Approved appointments to Public Works Commission (Donald Porter, Rona Garrett), Personnel Review Board (Chelsea Burnett), Planning Commission (Maybell Rodriguez Lorino), Public Arts Commission (Chelsea Burnett), and removal of Richard Chandler Jr. from Community Police Advisory Board.
Additional Notes
- The meeting began with recognitions: Spirit of North Carolina Award to Jacqueline Abbott, National Community Development Week proclamation, Public Service Week proclamation, and City Key awards to Roosevelt Pratt Jr. and Dr. Mark Rowden.
- Announcements included upcoming events: Fayetteville Next Business Summit (May 8), HBCU College Fair (August 16), Korean Food Festival (May 3).
- The City Manager announced a Fayetteville Out Front event at Quantus Rec Center on April 29.
- Councilmember Thompson requested separate reporting of domestic homicides in future police reports. Chief Joyce noted that 90% of homicide cases have arrests.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you for the gift of leadership and the responsibility and trust it to those who serve here. Grant us wisdom to our city officials as we seek the common good. May every decision, every discussion that is made be guided by integrity. We ask for hearts to be opened and a spirit of collaboration to fill this place. And may your grace be so evident in the way words are spoken and how people act and how they lead. Amen. Stayed there for about five years, moved around, took two, three schools, and then eventually we built the church that we're in now at 71st School Road. So glad to cooperate and just collaborate with uh several community programs, and we just our mission is to reach those who are further away and bring them into a relationship uh with with Jesus Christ. And um, and God is just doing great things uh in our collaboration with different programs throughout the community. Pastor, we thank you for the service to the community for 22 years, and thank you for uh giving us our invocation tonight. If we can give him a round of applause. Thank you. Council, as we move forward, we have uh some very special guests and some well, all of you are special, but we have some guests that we're gonna acknowledge tonight uh in a number of ways who've rendered service to this community in so many different ways, and we will have uh Mr. Scott Embry of the United Way, if the executive director, also Tony Wild Harbor uh Development Director of the Spirit of North Carolina for the spirit of North Carolina Award. Uh, also Miss Jacqueline Abbott, if they could please come to the podium at this time, or any of those representatives here. Uh good evening. Hello, Mr. Mayor, City Council. My name is Jacqueline Abbott. I'm actually a community development specialist here in economic and community development. The United Way couldn't be with us tonight. Um, they will be here on May 12th, but I still prepared a speech anyway. So thank you for your time. And you are actually the recipient. Yes, so it says that uh let me read this. The Scott Embry, United Way of Cumberland County Executive Director and Tony Wild Harbor Development Director will present the Spirit of North Carolina Award to Miss Jacqueline Abbott for exceptional service and leadership in the city's United Way campaign. So we thank you, Ms. Abbott for a worthwhile cause. Let's give Ms. Abbott a round of applause. And uh as you get into your speech, tell us a little bit about the United Way program that the city has where we help them in their fundraising. Sure. So for those of you who don't work for the city, um, the city manager's office is known affectionately as the CMO. And so the campaign that we've had for the past two years is called the CM Olympics, where I've had the assistant city managers all competing with their portfolios to see who can raise the most money for United Way. And then that assistant city manager has to go over the edge in the United Way fundraiser. This year it was assistant city manager Jody Phelps who went over on Saturday. And last year, in our first year of the CM Olympics, I was extremely pleased that my assistant city manager Kelly Strickland was the first to go over. Uh oh. And the first year of the United Way campaign, um, as me chairing it, we raised about 22,000. This past year, we more than doubled that. We raised over 50,000 for the United Way. That's great. So I'm truly humbled to receive this uh award from the United Way. And first, uh, I want to offer my sincere thanks to the city council for fostering this community collaborative spirit and everything that you do to make our community a better place. To City Manager Hewitt and the assistant city managers, thank you for being open to my ideas and jumping in to help bring them to life. A special thanks to my department director who was just up here with me, Chris Collie, and my assistant director, Alex Baker. Your encouragement and support have meant the world to me. And to every city employee who donated their time and resources in making a difference. Thank you. To my parents, thank you for teaching me the importance of serving others before myself, and to my partner, thank you for your encouragement.
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