Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – January 12, 2026
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Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – January 12, 2026
The Fayetteville City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting opened with an invocation and recognitions, followed by the city manager's report, a public forum, approval of the consent agenda (with two items pulled for separate discussion), and reports on the audit committee and strategic performance. Key decisions included a loan subordination for an affordable housing project, issuance of $40 million in general obligation bonds, and acceptance of annual and quarterly performance reports.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes from December 8, 2025 (discussion of agenda items and regular meeting).
- Approved rescheduling of the Strategic Planning Retreat from January 20–21, 2026 to February 3–4, 2026.
- Adopted clerical amendments to appeal ordinances.
- Approved rezoning (P25-55) of 4.21 acres at 3829, 0, and 3701 Distribution Drive from Community Commercial to Light Industrial.
- Accepted addition of certain streets to the city's system of streets.
- Adopted Special Revenue Fund Project Ordinance 2026-12 for the ICMA Economic Mobility and Opportunity Special Assistants Program Grant.
- Approved construction award for water main replacement and rehabilitation (Insituform Technologies LLC, $8,979,370).
- Adopted revised resolution appointing deputy finance officers.
- Items 8.0A6 (Aubrey Hills affordable housing loan subordination) and 8.0A8 ($40M GO bond resolution) were pulled and considered separately.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jeremy Dozier (resident): Raised concerns about school safety and its impact on enrollment, funding, and police resources. Offered security assessment services.
- Christopher Davis (former councilman): Promoted a free safety expo for faith-based organizations on January 17, 2026, at Divine Empowerment International in Hope Mills. Provided contact information.
- Randall Russen (resident): Complained about dangerous trees from a rental property adjacent to his home at 4314/4310 Jadale Drive, stating code enforcement could not act until after a tree falls. Expressed frustration with insurance deductibles and lack of owner response.
- Chilica Hurst (resident): Criticized federal policies and urged council to stand against the current administration, referencing immigration, the slave market, and funding priorities.
- Ben Holtquist (Strong Towns Fayetteville, District 8): Advocated for adding bike lanes on arterial streets, citing Fayetteville's low walkability and bikeability rankings, poverty rate (~18%), median income (~$56,000), and 28 pedestrian fatalities in 2025. Argued bike lanes improve safety for all users.
- Bobby Burgess (District 4): Urged careful consideration of a proposed protest ordinance, focusing on practicality (e.g., enforcement of distance requirements) and suggested a public hearing before adoption.
- Melissa Williams (District 2): Questioned the focus on new museums and development given stagnant population growth (attributed mainly to military churn). Called for greater investment in infrastructure, safety, and walkability.
Discussion Items
- Aubrey Hills Apartments Affordable Housing Loan Subordination (8.0A6): Councilmember Green pulled the item to allow public discussion. Staff (Mr. Collie) explained that the 32-unit affordable housing project (11 units reserved for HOME program) faced cost escalation and needed an additional $350,000 loan, which would be placed ahead of the city's $2.145 million loan. The developer had already deferred their fee and exhausted other options. Council discussed risks of not approving (potential foreclosure) and the importance of filling the affordable housing gap. The motion to authorize subordination passed.
- General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds (8.0A8): Staff (Mr. Yates) presented the issuance of $40 million in bonds – the first tranche from the voter-approved 2022 GO bond (total $97M: $60M public safety, $25M infrastructure, $12M housing). This issuance includes $25M for infrastructure projects (mostly completed) and $15M for public safety (fire stations, 911 center). Timing takes advantage of recent interest rate reductions and aligns with project completion. Council approved the resolution.
- Audit Committee Annual Report (9.01): Internal Audit Director Rose Rasmussen presented FY2025 activities. The five-member committee met four times, oversaw six audits, and provided oversight of financial controls. Key contributions included development of a corrective action plan and quarterly follow-ups. Council accepted the report after discussion and a motion.
- FY26 2nd Quarter Strategic Performance Report (10.01): Chris Lowry and Andy Brayboy presented mid-year updates on five priorities. Highlights: 300+ interactions at the Day Resource Center, 81 community engagement activities by the Office of Community Safety, $3.27M in economic development grants, 21,000 linear feet of sidewalk constructed, and increased youth participation in STEM programs (1,136 participants in Q2). Council accepted the report.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved unanimously except for items 8.0A6 and 8.0A8.
- Item 8.0A6 (Aubrey Hills subordination) approved unanimously.
- Item 8.0A8 ($40M GO bond resolution) approved unanimously.
- Audit Committee Annual Report accepted unanimously.
- FY26 Q2 Strategic Performance Report accepted unanimously.
- Recognitions: First-grade teacher Caitlin Shepherd (Warrenwood Elementary) received a Certificate of Excellence and city coin for receiving the USA Today Amazing Teacher award.
- Announcements: City Manager reported on microgrant applications (Jan 12–31), community feedback sessions on community safety (Jan 20–21), CDBG/ESG funding availability (closes Jan 16), public hearing on no-parking zones in multi-use lanes (Jan 26), MLK Day closure (Jan 19) with adjusted waste collection, and Dug in the District event (Jan 20 at 8 AM).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. We would like to call our January twelfth, twenty twenty-six meeting order. Welcome those who are joining us uh back for our first official city council meeting of the year of twenty twenty-six. Thank you for your patience. But we appreciate you hanging in there with us. Uh with that, we'll get right star. We'll get started right away with the invocation. Look at Rabbi Stein. Welcome, sir. Thank you for uh joining us this evening. Exit all would please stand for the prayer by Rabbi, and then uh immediately following, we'll repeat the Pledge of Allegiance together. Thank you. Of those from every corner of the globe and every walk of life, may we always see this diversity, not as a challenge to be managed, but as a divine spark that fuels our innovation and our empathy. Grant the members of this council the wisdom to remember that every person, regardless of their role, their title, or their origin, possesses the power to make a substantial difference for good in this brand new year. From the citizen voicing a concern to the leader casting a vote, remind us that small acts of integrity and kindness are the foundation of a great city. Speak with the intent to heal, and decide with the intent to uplift the most vulnerable among us. Bless the city, its residents, and those who protect its peace. So, family full of service. Thank you for your service to the nation and to our community. So let's give Rabbi a round of applause, please. All right, council. Moving to our announcements, uh, we do have a uh congratulations is in order for Mr. Alex Baker. Where is Alex? Mr. Baker. He's not here. He's gonna step out on us and we're gonna give him a little give him his flowers. But uh, Mr. Baker, uh, who is uh uh he's assistant director of our uh economic and community development, uh, is being sworn in as a district representative for the Lumby uh tribal council uh on Thursday, and so we want to uh give him our congratulations for this. And we know uh Lumby Tribe, we recognized uh their compassments last week um about the federal recognition. So uh Mr. Baker, we thank him for representing us. We thank him for his representation on the tribal council and look forward to uh great things and continued collaboration uh as the Lumbies move into their federal federal position for this region. So thank you if y'all can pass that along. Let's give Mr. Baker in his absence a round of applause. All right, and counsel with that. I will uh we'll move to our recognitions. I'll go to Councilmember Jones and ask that Miss Caitlin Shepherd would come to the podium. Good evening, Ms. Shepherd. Good evening. All right, Councilmember Jones, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I have a special young lady uh that's standing here with me on tonight. I have a great respect for all of our educators, and I want to definitely express that on tonight. So, in recognizing the importance of education in our community and the great work that our educators do, it is part of my responsibility to demonstrate my sincere appreciation for such. And tonight is one of those times.
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