Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – October 27, 2025
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Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – October 27, 2025
The Fayetteville City Council met on October 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included an invocation, pledges, recognition of the new Junior Mayor from the Fayetteville Cumberland Youth Council, announcements (including the Veterans Day Parade), a city manager's report on a national website award, approval of the agenda with a modification to move public hearings before staff reports, and a consent agenda. Public hearings were held on a rezoning request (tabled) and an annexation (approved). Staff reports were presented by the Fire and Police Departments, with extensive discussion on crime data, traffic enforcement disparities, and ShotSpotter technology.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes from October 6 (work session), October 13 (discussion of agenda items and regular meeting).
- Adopted a resolution for the 2026 City Council Meeting Dates Calendar.
- Approved a bid recommendation for a Site Plan Review Process Improvement Study with Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC, to be completed by June 2026.
- Approved rezoning P25-45: 2.55 acres (PIN 0425754360000) from Cumberland County M(P) to City LI (Light Industrial), with a corresponding Future Land Use Map amendment to Employment Center.
- Adopted demolition ordinances for uninhabitable structures at 1912 and 2005 Murchison Road (District 4).
- Adopted Capital Project Ordinance Amendment and bid recommendation for the Ivy and Lyon Road Drainage Improvement Project, awarding a $6,154,032 contract to Roadworks Construction Company.
- Authorized acceptance of a $5,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful for Fayetteville Beautiful and adopted a budget ordinance amendment.
- Approved the 2025–2028 Interlocal Agreement for Joint Use of Facilities with Cumberland County Schools.
- Approved PWC's bid recommendation for Powdered Activated Carbon Slurry to Brenntag Mid-South, Inc. for $108,900.
Public Hearings & Testimony
- P25-30 – Rezoning of 2211 Rosehill Road (21.27 acres from SF-6 to MR-5): The applicant requested a continuance due to an emergency out of the country. The item had been tabled from August 25, 2025. City Clerk reported six speakers in opposition and two in favor were present. Council voted 8-2 to table to January 26, 2026, with Councilmembers Benavente and Banks McLaughlin voting against. A separate motion to warn the applicant that no further continuances would be granted passed 8-2.
- AX25-02 – Annexation of 2.55 acres at 3456 Black & Decker Road: One speaker, Lori Epler (applicant representative), spoke in favor. The annexation was approved unanimously with an effective date of October 27, 2025.
Staff Reports
- Fayetteville Fire Department 2025 3rd Quarter Review (Chief Kevin Dove): Highlights included 245 applicants for the January 2026 academy, 25 recruits graduating, and 7,593 total calls (4,854 medical/rescue, 229 fires). There were 50 structure fires with no fire fatalities, 8 civilian injuries, and 3 firefighter injuries. Property loss was $1.5 million, with $58.4 million saved (97.3%). The 4,854 medical responses included a downward trend in overdoses. The fire marshal's office saw a dramatic increase in violations (47% corrected on-site), prompting a new education initiative. Community risk reduction: 6,655 residents engaged, 343 smoke alarms installed. Staffing: six firefighter vacancies filled. The report was received unanimously.
- Fayetteville Police Department 2025 3rd Quarter Review (Chief Roberto Bryan): Total crime down 10%, but homicides up 68% (34 incidents, 87.5% clearance rate; 10 domestic, 18 known individuals). ShotSpotter data: 340 alerts, 246 classified as “blank” (under review, often no 911 call, but shell casings recovered). Extensive discussion on data transparency, with Councilman Benavente questioning the accuracy of “gun-related” arrests (claiming some arrested were unarmed) and calling for more honest evaluation. Traffic stops: 25,941 black drivers stopped vs. 13,569 white drivers; searches 873 vs. 102; contraband hit rates similar across races. Chief Bryan noted efforts to improve data tracking. Staffing: 60 vacancies (14%), with a 100-to-12 attrition rate from applicants to graduates. The report was received unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Agenda approved with modification to move public hearings before staff reports.
- Consent calendar approved unanimously; later discussion clarified that demolition orders for 1912 and 2005 Murchison Road will proceed with continued property owner outreach.
- P25-30 tabled to January 26, 2026, with a communicated expectation of no further continuances.
- Annexation AX25-02 approved unanimously effective October 27, 2025.
- Fire and Police quarterly reports received unanimously.
- Councilman Benavente requested future reports include breakdowns of traffic stop bases (e.g., non-moving vs. moving violations) and more comprehensive ShotSpotter performance metrics; a working group is addressing data gaps.
Meeting Transcript
We'd like to call our October 27th Federal City Council meeting in order. Welcome those who are joining us in the audience. We see a lot of new faces in the audience. Good to see you. FCYC is that? Come on County Youth Council. All right, good to see you. Also, those who are joining us remotely, we thank you for doing so. At this time, uh, we will begin with the invocation. We'll ask assistant pastor Deborah Kinzer from the first Pentecostal Power Fellowship Church, if she would. Good evening, Pastor. How are you? Good evening. If all can please stand for the prayer immediately following the prayer, if we could repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. If you could bow your heads, please. Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight in the mighty name of Jesus. We thank you, Father, for your hand upon this great city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, a city of purpose, praise, and destiny. Father, we invite your Holy Spirit to come into this council chamber tonight, as Matthew 18 20 states, for where two or more gather together in my name, there are in we I am in the midst. We declare and decree that your wisdom flow through every council member for every decision and every word spoken. Let the spirit of unity and the righteousness reign over this meeting. Heavenly Father, we declare that the Fayetteville belongs to you. We speak life over the city of Fayetteville. We decree blessings over the leaders, our neighborhoods, our schools, and the families. Let this be the city where your love flows through and is shown through our services where we hope it re is restored and where justice rolls down like water. Heavenly Father, we fill this chamber with your presence. Silence confusion, excuse me. Bring clarity and gratitude through every heart by guiding it with your Holy Spirit. You have touched through these leaders. Amen. Amen. Amen. Under God, individual with liberty and justice for all. Sure. My name is Pastor Deborah Kenzer. I am an assistant pastor for Fair First Pentecostal Power Fellowship and Worldwide Ministries. Oh, yes, ma'am. You know. You know, so we're trying to build that back up. We also have some ministries going on called Global Peace Missions, and that is helping people to build their lives again around the world. Okay. We have also um headed by evangelist Linda Branch, Cora's Closet. Okay. Um, she is a part of the ministry, she is one of our evangelists and everything. We have Pastor Jerry. He's doing a lot of different works with the um motorcycle clubs. I forgot what he called the ministry, but he's doing those works, and I, of course, had Kingdom SOS. Well, thank you. It sounds like you're all doing great work in the community. Let's give Pastor Kinzern a round of applause. Thank you for joining us.
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