Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – February 9, 2026
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – February 9, 2026
The Fayetteville City Council held a regular meeting on February 9, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting began with an invocation, pledge of allegiance, and special recognitions for the E.E. Smith Golden Bull swim team (Eastern Sand Hills Conference champions), the Fairville Guard 6U Titans (national youth football champions ranked 5th), and Dr. Aaron Johnson (founder of the ministerial council and former council member). The agenda included a public forum, consent agenda with multiple pulled items, reports, public hearings, and staff presentations.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes for January 5, 12, 14, and 21, 2026.
- Approved Council Policy Committee recommendations for policies 120.09 (modified later), 160.10, and 165.3 (as modified).
- Approved demolition ordinances for uninhabitable structures at 511 S Eastern Boulevard and 3634 Thorndike Drive. Two addresses (484 Tacoma Court and 905 Anarine Road) were pulled and received a 60-day stay.
- Approved professional service contract ($1,827,735) for Arran Lake West Dam Overtopping Protection Project design with Hazen & Sawyer.
- Approved FAST’s 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP).
- Authorized application for Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant for Murchison Road area (see discussion).
- Approved bid for Tokay Park Pickleball Conversion Project ($674,000) and pre-construction contract for Fire Station No. 9.
- Approved several PWC sole source and bid recommendations, rejections of non-conforming bids, and easement/resolution items (items 8.0A8–8.0A20). All consent items except those pulled were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- 16 speakers signed up; 9 spoke. Topics included a request for grace on a utility trailer code violation, criticism of city goals lacking specificity, concerns over proposed public forum policy changes (many speakers urged rejection), child care availability, support for a separate public forum meeting format with later start times, and a request for more community input on data center development.
- Several speakers (Ben Holtquist, Lorena Murray, Kristen Starks, Isaac Lecap, Angela Freckleton) strongly opposed changes to the public forum policy, citing reduced accessibility for working people and lack of public dialogue. Angela Tatum criticized the city’s data center presentation and asked for a moratorium and community-led definition.
Discussion Items
- Public Forum Policy (8.0A2): Council debated proposed amendments to policy 120.09 (separate meeting, earlier start time, shorter sign-up window). Councilmember McMillan moved to table for input and legal review; the motion failed 2-8. Councilmember Green and Mayor Pro Tem Thompson proposed a compromise: move the first Monday work session to 3–6 PM, then hold a combined meeting with recognitions and public forum starting at 6:15 PM, with sign-up open until 5 PM the day of. This passed 8-2.
- Demolition Stays (8.0A3): Council granted a 60-day stay for 484 Tacoma Court and 905 Anarine Road to allow owner compliance.
- Murchison Choice Neighborhood Grant (8.0A6): Council authorized staff to apply for up to $26 million in federal funds for redevelopment of the Murchison Road area, including mixed-income housing, infrastructure, and community amenities. Staff noted Central Park Villas and other investments strengthen the application.
- FACT Annual Report (9.01): The Fayetteville Advisory Committee on Transit reported fixed-route ridership up 2%, express route up 3%, collisions down 22%, complaints down 27%, but 15 of 33 fixed-route buses and 18 of 21 paratransit buses are past useful life. Cashless fare system contract is being awarded; feasibility study for expansion (including West Fayetteville hub) will be presented in March.
- State & Federal Action Agendas (10.01/10.02): Council adopted the 2026 State Action Agenda (requesting $4M for mental health co-response, $2M for affordable housing, etc.) and the 2026 Federal Action Agenda (prioritizing transportation, housing, public safety, and Fort Bragg support).
- Downtown MSD Removal Public Hearing (11.01): Property owners at Parkview Condos/Townhomes (49 units) requested removal from the Downtown Municipal Service District, arguing they receive no business-related benefits and pay extra taxes (~$265,000 over 10 years). Council sent the matter to the Policy Committee for a policy on removal, with direction to review past solid waste fee collection.
- Fire Station #4 Construction Defects (12.01): ABS presented findings of widespread defects including structural issues, missing grout/rebar, improper welding, roof/wall deficiencies, and fungal growth. The expert recommended complete demolition. Council unanimously accepted the report and directed staff to return with next steps including cost and timeline.
- Cost of Gun Violence Study (12.02): UNC Charlotte researchers presented a study finding 1,044 gun incidents in 2024, 29 deaths, 255 injuries, and a total economic cost of $466 million ($419M in quality of life losses). ShotSpotter areas showed no statistically significant difference in gun violence compared to similar neighborhoods. Recommendations included improving data categorization, expanding prevention investments (especially for young adults 18–24), and reframing gun violence as a systemic issue. Council received the report.
Key Outcomes
- Public Forum Policy revised: Approved 8-2 to move public forum to first Monday after work session (approx. 6:15 PM start) with sign-up deadline 5 PM same day. Councilmember McMillan and Davis opposed.
- Demolition stays: 60-day stay granted for two properties; full demolition authorized for two others.
- Choice Neighborhood Grant application authorized, with budget ordinance amendment.
- State and Federal Action Agendas adopted for advocacy.
- Fire Station #4: Accepted ABS recommendation to demolish; staff to bring back demolition plan.
- Gun Violence Study: Received; no immediate action taken but discussion of future budget priorities.
- All other consent items approved as amended.
Meeting Transcript
910-222. The council had a close session discussion upstairs and it caused us to be delayed, but we appreciate your patience. We have a full house tonight. Glad to see you in the midst with us. Glad those who are joining us remotely. I see the little baby wants to come up and run to meetings. Glad to hear that. Let you know we're still alive and hear when you hear baby voices. So with that, we'll ask Reverend Gail Tabor from Crossroads Church if uh Reverend Tabor will come. If we could all please stand for the invocation. Uh immediately following the invocation, we ask that we repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. Good evening, Reverend Taylor. Good evening. Tabor. Pray with me, y'all. Holy one. As we gather to do the work of governance, we pause in gratitude for the gift of living in this community that we call home for all of its people, its neighborhoods and its rivers and green spaces, and for the responsibility we share to care for one another. Grant this body wisdom as they steward the resources of this city. Guide in moments of challenge and uncertainty, that decisions may be made with integrity, courage, and compassion. May vision always be shaped by the common good, with particular care to those who are most vulnerable among us. When opinions differ, grant a spirit of unity. Help us to listen deeply, to speak respectfully, and to work together, not as competing interests, but as partners committed to the well-being of Fayetteville and the surrounding community. May a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect fill this room and ripple outward into our city and into our country and around the world. In a changing world, we pray for these council members for all those who serve our community at every level. Grant them wisdom and leadership, steadfastness and commitment to justice, fairness, and joy for their work, along with personal peace. Bless the conversations and decisions before us today that they may serve all who live, work, and serve in greater fateable area in all the names of the one we call holy. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Thanks to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and indivisible with liberty and justice all. Reverend Tabor, uh, you want to tell us a little bit about yourself and your ministry at Crossroads. Absolutely. So I'm Gail Tabor. I am the pastor of uh Crossroads. We are right off of uh Ramsey Street on MacArthur, and uh we worship at 10 a.m. each Sunday morning. We are a church dedicated to justice, dedicated to serving God and serving our community. We have a food pantry that we run um a couple of times a month to for to serve those who are in need of um of food. We believe in grace. We believe that uh we're a United Methodist Church, which is generally rooted in grace. Well, we thank you for that. We all can stand a little bit of that. Let's give Reverend Tabor around applause. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Uh Council, with that, we have some special recognition. So we uh have I'll go over to Councilmember Jones. Could I have the E.E. Smith swim team come up, please? All right. Look at these golden bulls here.
openpublica.com