Fayetteville City Council Work Session – February 6, 2026

The Fayetteville City Council met for a work session on Friday, February 6, 2026, starting at 2:00 p.m. The meeting included a city manager report with introductions of two new staff members (Adam DeGaudio and Dr. Andrew Mansell), a birthday celebration for the city manager, and then proceeded through nine agenda items. The council voted on watershed master plan solutions for two watersheds, approved continuation of the Blue Street Senior Center renovation and the Glenville Lake Crossing trail design, deferred the Arts Council alleyway plan for more community input, and directed staff to research several new initiatives: a gun safety public awareness campaign, a senior technology literacy program, an expansion of the sewer grant program, and improvements to public hearing notifications.

Consent Calendar

• None identified. All items were discussed individually.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No formal public comments were taken during the work session. Councilmembers occasionally relayed citizen concerns (e.g., about flooding in Stewart's Creek area, visibility of public hearing signs).

Discussion Items

• Watershed Master Plan – Buckhead Creek and Beaver Creek 1 (Item 6.01)
  Staff presented the final proposed solutions for two watersheds. Buckhead Creek: 33 proposed solutions, total estimated cost $156 million, covering 8.6 square miles. Beaver Creek 1: 22 proposed solutions, total estimated cost $63.4 million, covering 22.6 square miles. Council discussed prioritization, funding gaps (overall watershed plan now totals about $1.45 billion), and the need for a strategic plan to accelerate projects. A sample of three top solutions for Buckhead Creek was highlighted, including upgrades near Ireland Drive and the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. For Beaver Creek 1, five top solutions were presented, emphasizing culvert replacements to eliminate single ingress/egress issues. Council approved both sets of proposed solutions unanimously (9-0 for Buckhead, 9-0 for Beaver Creek; mayor joined later).

• Conflict of Interest Questionnaire (Item 6.02)
  Internal Audit Director Rose Rasmussen recommended continuing the current fillable PDF form with a wet signature for council, and keeping the Microsoft Form electronic version for staff. She noted the city's form complies with the code of ordinances and is the most common format among peers. A motion to continue the current process passed 9-0. A subsequent motion to post the forms on the city's transparency website failed for lack of a second.

• Reuse and Renovation of Former Blue Street Senior Center Building for OCS (Item 6.03)
  Assistant City Manager Yates and Office of Community Safety Director John Jones presented the plan to renovate the upper building (6,000 sq. ft.) for OCS use, estimated cost $800,000 from OCS's FY26 operating budget. The project aims to reduce rental costs at Festival Park Plaza. Council received the update and approved the renovation unanimously.

• Glenville Lake Crossing and East Shore Trail Progress (Item 6.04)
  Parks and Recreation Director Gibson reported on the trail project connecting Mary Mcdonald Park to the eastern side of Glenville Lake. Total project funding includes $1.6 million from FAMPO and initial $300,000 from council. Challenges include coordinating with PWC on fencing around waterways. Council received the report and approved continuation of the engineering design phase unanimously.

• Arts Council Alleyway Improvements (Item 6.05)
  Staff proposed brick pavers, drainage, and landscaping for a narrow space between the Arts Council building and an adjacent property. Councilmembers noted the need for Arts Council and Cool Springs input, raised concerns about converting pervious area to impervious concrete, and suggested the space could become a programmed pocket park. A motion to send the proposal back to staff for further community engagement passed unanimously. A separate motion to direct staff to assess improvements for all city-owned open alleyways also passed unanimously.

• Gun Safety Billboards – Council Member McNair (Item 6.06)
  Council Member McNair proposed a billboard campaign to promote responsible firearm storage. Police Chief provided statistics: in 2024, 468 weapons stolen, 809 recovered; in 2025, 507 stolen, 785 recovered. Council discussed costs, other mediums (flyers, signage, digital), and potential partnerships. Motion to direct staff to research costs and options for a public awareness campaign on billboards and other avenues passed 9-1.

• Senior Technology Literacy Initiative – Mayor Colvin (Item 6.07)
  Mayor Colvin requested a program to teach seniors how to use smartphones and tablets, using city-owned equipment (retired iPads/laptops) and city facilities. No budget impact anticipated initially. Motion to instruct staff to bring back implementation options passed unanimously.

• Expand Sewer Grant Program – Mayor Colvin (Item 6.08)
  Mayor Colvin proposed expanding the existing sewer grant program (currently at 60% median income) to 80-120% median income to accelerate sewer hookups in western Fayetteville, where PWC's Phase V extension is delayed. Motion to direct staff to explore options and legalities passed 10-0.

• Expand Notifications – Council Member Jones (Item 6.09)
  Council Member Jones requested improvements to public hearing signs (size, durability, readability) and digital accessibility (QR codes, mobile notifications). Motion to direct staff to bring back recommendations for enhancements to signage and digital communications for zoning and public hearings passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval of 33 Buckhead Creek and 22 Beaver Creek 1 watershed proposed solutions for CIP programming.
• Approved continuation of Blue Street Senior Center renovation ($800k from OCS budget) and Glenville Lake Crossing engineering design.
• Deferred Arts Council alleyway improvements for 30 days to include stakeholder input.
• Directed staff to research: gun safety public awareness campaign (9-1), senior technology literacy program, sewer grant expansion, and notification improvements.
• Conflict of Interest Questionnaire process remains unchanged; transparency posting motion failed.