Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – May 26, 2026
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Fayetteville City Council Regular Meeting – May 26, 2026
The Fayetteville City Council met on May 26, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included announcements, approval of a consent agenda (with three items pulled for separate discussion), three public hearings, two evidentiary hearings, and reports from boards and city departments. Key actions included adoption of the Community Public Safety Advisory Board (CPSAB) charter, renewal of the School Resource Officer (SRO) agreement with Cumberland County Schools, approval of a field renaming, adoption of a text amendment creating a Medical Arts Campus zoning district, approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP) for transitional housing, and tabling of a SUP for a salvage yard. The Council also heard public comments on the proposed FY 2026-2027 budget.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes from May 4, 11, and 14, 2026 meetings.
- Approved rezoning of 2025 Hope Mill Rd from SF-10 to OI.
- Approved rezoning of multiple parcels (over 50 acres) to Medical Arts Campus (MAC) district, removing Hospital Overlay.
- Approved conditional rezoning of 120 N. Cool Springs St to DT-2/CZ (increased density from 4 to 10 units).
- Adopted demolition ordinances for four uninhabitable structures (104 Fleishman St, 419 Hall St, 429 Chatham St, 1701 North St).
- Adopted Special Revenue Fund Ordinance 2026-13 appropriating $18,306 in McKinsey opioid settlement funds for the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition's Gate to Stability program.
- Adopted resolution authorizing conveyance of 16 city-owned lots and HOME loans for affordable single-family housing.
- Accepted Juvenile Restitution Program grant from N.C. Department of Public Safety.
- Authorized contract for in-ground bus lift equipment purchase and installation ($209,270).
- Approved PWC bid recommendations: coating repairs to Clinton Road water tank ($600,500), materials contract for construction ops and storms ($264,700), sole source agreement for distribution transformers, and annual contract for water treatment and reclamation chemicals.
Public Comments & Testimony
- (Budget Hearing – Item 9.03) Five speakers addressed the proposed FY 2026-2027 budget:
- Benjamin Holtquist (Strong Towns Fayetteville) expressed concern about regressive property taxes, urged more density and mixed-use zoning to increase land value, and supported competitive salaries for city employees.
- Torriano Reddick (Navy veteran, CEO) expressed full support for fully funding the Office of Community Safety (OCS) and proposed a workforce development pilot initiative.
- Bobby Burgess spoke in opposition to OCS budget cuts, stating they would reduce youth programs and block parties, and urged maintaining OCS funding at FY26 levels.
- Kurt Baelish (disabled veteran) opposed the tax increase, noting his property taxes had risen from $300 to $800, making it difficult to afford living in Fayetteville.
- Lizette Rodriguez (Faithful Freedom for All) opposed OCS cuts, arguing the office is too new to be defunded and that it can save lives through mental health and violence prevention programs.
Discussion Items
- Item 7.0A2 – Work Session Start Time: Council voted to send the proposal to change the Work Session start time from 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. to a future work session for further discussion.
- Item 7.0A4 – Community Public Safety Advisory Board (CPSAB) Charter: Councilmember McMillan moved to adopt the revised charter but strike the requirement for members to complete the Citizens Police Academy, arguing it was ‘indoctrination’ and inconsistent with a holistic approach to community safety. The motion died for lack of a second. A second motion to send the item back to a work session also failed for lack of a second. A motion by Mayor Pro Tem to adopt the charter as written, seconded by Councilmember Hair, passed 9-1 (McMillan opposed).
- Item 7.0A12 – Renewal of Memorandum of Agreement with Cumberland County Schools for SROs and TCOs: Councilmember McMillan moved to send the renewal to a work session, citing concerns about the school-to-prison pipeline and lack of data on program efficacy. The motion failed 7-2 (McMillan and Ferguson in favor). Mayor Pro Tem then moved to approve the renewal, seconded by Councilmember Hair. The motion passed (vote not specified but assumed majority). City Manager Hewitt explained the agreement includes a three-year term with cost covered by the school system and integrates the Office of Community Safety.
- Item 9.01 – Public Hearing on Renaming North Street Baseball Field to Coach Donald Bennett Field: No public speakers. Council clarified the renaming applies only to the field, not the entire park. Approved unanimously.
- Item 9.02 – Text Amendments to Article 30 (UDO) to Include Medical Arts Campus Zoning District: Staff presented the new district, which allows uses such as pharmacies with drive-throughs, blood and tissue collection centers, drug and alcohol treatment facilities, and food trucks. The only public speaker, Mac Sellers (Cape Fear Valley Hospital), expressed support. Approved unanimously.
- Item 10.01 – Evidentiary Hearing for Special Use Permit (SUP) for Transitional Housing at 707 Murchison Road: Applicant Bishop J. Porter (United Gospel Fellowship) and John Russell (peer support specialist) testified in support. Councilmember Davis made a motion to approve with six findings of fact, seconded by Councilmember Jones. The motion passed unanimously (9-0; Mayor Pro Tem did not recuse).
- Item 10.02 – Evidentiary Hearing for Special Use Permit (SUP) for Salvage/Junkyard at 610 E Russell Street: Applicant attorney Robin Tatum presented evidence from three expert witnesses (engineer, traffic engineer, and appraiser) that the use would comply with UDO standards, not harm property values, and not endanger public safety. Opponents Dennis Chisholm and William Troutman (owners of adjacent All Climate Control Storage) argued the use would be incompatible with their business, cause noise, dust, and rodents, and devalue property. Councilmember Davis moved to table the decision until June 8, 2026, to allow time to review the evidence. The motion was seconded and passed.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved with three items pulled (7.0A2 sent to work session; 7.0A4 adopted as written 9-1; 7.0A12 renewed after motion to send to work session failed 7-2).
- Field renaming approved (unanimous).
- Medical Arts Campus text amendment adopted (unanimous).
- Transitional housing SUP approved (unanimous).
- Salvage yard SUP tabled to June 8, 2026 meeting.
- Reports received: Personnel Review Board report (accepted), Fayetteville Public Works Commission Annual Report (received), Fayetteville Fire Department 2026 1st Quarter Report (received), Fayetteville Police Department 2026 1st Quarter Review (received).
- Next steps: Budget work session scheduled for May 28, 2026; Council will continue budget discussions and aim for adoption on June 8.
Meeting Transcript
Well, good evening, everyone. We'd like to call our May 26th City Council meeting to order. We welcome those who are joining us in the audience, those who maybe joined us uh virtually. We welcome you as well. At this time, as with every meeting, we start with the invocation. We'll ask that Rabbi Scott Klein, U.S. Army Chaplain, as Rabbi comes forward, we asked it, please everyone would stand for the prayer. Immediately following, if we could repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I invite everybody to join me in prayer. Almighty God, sovereign of the universe. We gather tonight in this chamber of leadership, grateful for the privilege to serve and guide the city of Fayetteville. We look across the room at our neighborhoods, recognizing the profound strength found in our rich diversity, a mosaic of backgrounds, cultures, and faiths that unite us as one community. As we mark Jewish American Heritage Month, we express our gratitude for the rich history and enduring spirit of the Jewish people, whose journey is fundamentally guided by the timeless values of justice, compassion, and tikun Olam, the sacred charge to repair the world. May this calling to heal our fractured spaces and uplift our neighbors, inspire all of us alongside residents of our heritage and every heritage to actively build and bless the city. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. With liberty and justice. She does amazing work. All right, Council. With that, I'll go to Councilmember McMillan. You had a special guest that wanted to come in. Greet us. We sure do. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This time I'd like to introduce the Zenida Cranford Mentor Mentee Mentorship Program. This is a youth-centered nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls ages 12 through 17 through positive intervention, personal development mentorship, leadership opportunities, and community engagement. It's founded on the belief that prevention is more impactful than punishment. Uh ZCMMP proudly considers itself a founding success story of the city of Fayetteville's empowering community safety microgrant initiative. Through this support, they've continued to demonstrate how preventative mentorship programs and positive youth engagement can serve as effective tools in strengthening community safety and reducing youth vulnerability. Their organization advocates for positive intervention, approaches that focus on exposure, guidance, relationship building, emotional support, leadership development, and community involvement rather than punitive measures. At this time, I'd like to invite Miss Nishi Chapawala to the podium. The impact of ZC MMP can also be seen through the personal growth and achievements of their participants. One example is Nishi. She will be performing the national anthem at the city council meeting. Uh, a reflection of the confidence, leadership and social growth, the mentorship, and positive community support can help cultivate in young people. Moments like these reflect ZC MMP's commitment to helping youth recognize their talents, stepping outside of their comfort zones and growing into leaders within their community. At this time, I'd ask you all to stand as you're willing and able for the singing of our national anthem. Oh say can you see by the dawn? What's so proudly we have the twilight last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stuff through the fight or the ramp were so gallantly streaming and the rockets right the bombs bursting that our flag was still there's bingled ban yet with the land of the free thank you, Councilman McMillan. Thank you, Miss Nishi. Beautiful, beautiful uh song that you rendered us, and and thank you for uh the hard work that you and uh organization are doing in our community. With that, I'll turn to Councilmember Jones. Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. Uh, very quickly, I would like to announce a new farmers market here in Fayetteville. It's the roots of resilience farmers market after five. Uh it is located at 4616 Murchison Road.
openpublica.com