The Fayetteville City Council met on May 12, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included proclamations, recognitions, a public forum extended to 75 minutes, the presentation of the FY2025-2026 recommended budget, and the introduction of a Youth Protection Ordinance.
The public forum was extended to 75 minutes by a 5-4 vote; 27 speakers were on the list. Key themes included:
I'd like to call the May twelfth, twenty twenty-five city council meeting to order, please. First, we would like to have Pastor Yvonne Hodges from the Solid Rock Mountain Church to come forward. If we could get everyone to stand and welcome. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I lift the mayor, city officials, and all other decision-making persons that are associated with this meeting. Please guide their words during this meeting. Help them to communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully with one another. Help them to keep the community needs in the forefront. May they listen with empathy and speak with integrity, ensuring that their conversation lead to understanding and clarity. Amen. Um, I just wanted to um recognize uh this is May Month, the what a month of May, and we're celebrating a National Mental Health Awareness Month, National Foster Care Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports, National Military Appreciation Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Teacher Appreciation Month, National Pet Month, and National Barbecue Month. And I also just want to make mention that on May 15th from 10 to 2 at Festival Park, we're having an ECD annual stand down. So please come out of support. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Banks McLaughlin. Councilmember Hare. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tim. I have a couple of announcements that I would like to make everyone aware of. May the 17th. And that will begin at 9 a.m. If no one in here has ever been a part of the prayer walk, is where uh prayer warriors or those that believe in prayer come together and walk out through walk throughout the city and uh uh pray not only for our government but for our children, the libraries and and along that line. So that will be May the 17th at beginning at 9 a.m. Uh we start up in Festival Park and then we go around throughout and then come back to Festival Park for celebrations. Also, this is a little uh a little ways off, but a very great opportunity to mark your calendar. Uh uh the main sponsor uh betacide chapter of Omega Sophia Incorporated with its many, many partners to include Crumlin County and the Theory Group. We will be having our eighth annual HBCU college experience that will be August the 16th, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. And we have grown so much that we have moved from Smith Recreation Center. Now we're in the Crown Expo Center 1916 uh Coliseum Drive out by the Crown uh Coliseum. That would be August the 16th, the 16th from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Uh this is for our graduating seniors. So those that are getting ready to graduate, uh headed off to college. What a great way to connect, especially with the uh historical black colleges. Uh we would greatly love to have your children there. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Thank you, Councilmember Hare. We also have Councilmember Benevente on the phone, so I will go to you. Thank you, Madam Mayor Pro Tem. Hope everyone can hear me all right. Yes. Okay, assuming that's true. Yes, we can hear you. Great. Uh, just wanted to clarify Hispanic Heritage Month is actually in September through October. Uh, may is, however, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Uh, so I wanted to make sure that folks knew that we were recognizing all the great contributions of our Asian American uh community here in Fayetteville. I'm proud to be the first Asian America elected in the city's history. Uh it's high time that more of our communities step up and uh take on opportunities uh to big give back to the city of Fayetteville, and I hope they uh think to do that this month. Thank you.